New Research on the Mesozoic Vertebrate Faunas of the Beardmore Glacier Region, Antarctica

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This project continues research on Triassic and Jurassic faunas from the Beardmore Glacier region of Antarctica. Research will be supported for one field season by helicopter from the site of the previous Beardmore Glacier camp. The PIs will prepare and study new material recovered from a number of fossil sites in the region, continue preparation and study of dinosaur material collected from Mt. Kirkpatrick during their 2003-04 field season, and place all these fossils in a refined stratigraphic and temporal framework. This project will advance the understanding of Antarctic life during the Mesozoic. Study of high paleolatitude faunas will also contribute to the understanding of biogeography, past climates, and faunal adaptation in polar regions.