Cretaceous-Tertiary High-latitude Palaeoenvironments

Cretaceous-Tertiary High-latitude Palaeoenvironments
Author: Jane E. Francis
Publisher: Geological Society of London
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2006
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9781862391970

High-latitude settings are sensitive to climatically driven palaeoenvironmental change and the resultant biotic response. Climate change through the peak interval of Cretaceous warmth, Late Cretaceous cooling, onset and expansion of the Antarctic ice sheet, and subsequently the variability of Neogene glaciation, are all recorded within the sedimentary and volcanic successions exposed within the James Ross Basin, Antarctica. This site provides the longest onshore record of Cretaceous-Tertiary sedimentary and volcanic rocks in Antarctica and is a key reference section for Cretaceous-Tertiary global change. The sedimentary succession is richly fossiliferous, yielding diverse invertebrate, vertebrate and plant fossil assemblages, allowing the reconstruction of both terrestrial and marine systems. The papers within this volume provide an overview of recent advances in the understanding of palaeoenvironmental change spanning the mid-Cretaceous to the Neogene of the James Ross Basin and related biotic change, and will be of interest to many working on Cretaceous and Tertiary palaeoenvironmental change.

The Vegetation of Antarctica through Geological Time

The Vegetation of Antarctica through Geological Time
Author: David J. Cantrill
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 489
Release: 2012-11-22
Genre: Science
ISBN: 113956028X

The fossil history of plant life in Antarctica is central to our understanding of the evolution of vegetation through geological time and also plays a key role in reconstructing past configurations of the continents and associated climatic conditions. This book provides the only detailed overview of the development of Antarctic vegetation from the Devonian period to the present day, presenting Earth scientists with valuable insights into the break up of the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana. Details of specific floras and ecosystems are provided within the context of changing geological, geographical and environmental conditions, alongside comparisons with contemporaneous and modern ecosystems. The authors demonstrate how palaeobotany contributes to our understanding of the paleoenvironmental changes in the southern hemisphere during this period of Earth history. The book is a complete and up-to-date reference for researchers and students in Antarctic paleobotany and terrestrial paleoecology.

Brachiopods

Brachiopods
Author: Paul Copper
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 392
Release: 2018-02-02
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1351463098

This collection of conference papers presents information on the molecular genetics, biomineralization, growth and ecology of extant brachiopod stocks (extrapolated back to the Cambrian), and the shell microstructure, taphonomy, paleogeography, evolution, and taxonomy of fossil brachiopods.

Late Cretaceous/Paleogene West Antarctica Terrestrial Biota and its Intercontinental Affinities

Late Cretaceous/Paleogene West Antarctica Terrestrial Biota and its Intercontinental Affinities
Author: Marcelo Reguero
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 124
Release: 2012-12-19
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9400754914

One of the most intriguing paleobiogeographical phenomena involving the origins and gradual sundering of Gondwana concerns the close similarities and, in most cases, inferred sister-group relationships of a number of terrestrial and freshwater vertebrate taxa, e.g., dinosaurs, flying birds, mammals, etc., recovered from uppermost Cretaceous/ Paleogene deposits of West Antarctica, South America, and NewZealand/Australia. For some twenty five extensive and productive investigations in the field of vertebrate paleontology has been carried out in latest Cretaceous and Paleogene deposits in the James Ross Basin, northeast of the Antarctic Peninsula (AP), West Antarctica, on the exposed sequences on James Ross, Vega, Seymour (=Marambio) and Snow Hill islands respectively. The available geological, geophysical and marine faunistic evidence indicates that the peninsular (AP) part of West Antarctica and the western part of the tip of South America (Magallanic Region, southern Chile) were positioned very close in the latest Cretaceous and early Paleogene favoring the “Overlapping” model of South America-Antarctic Peninsula paleogeographic reconstruction. Late Cretaceous deposits from Vega, James Ross, Seymour and Snow Hill islands have produced a discrete number of dinosaur taxa and a number of advanced birds together with four mosasaur and three plesiosaur taxa, and a few shark and teleostean taxa.

Antarctica

Antarctica
Author: U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 162
Release: 2008-04-18
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309178096

Antarctica is the center from which all surrounding continental bodies separated millions of years ago. Antarctica: A Keystone in a Changing World, reinforces the importance of continual changes in the country's history and the impact of these changes on global systems. The book also places emphasis on deciphering the climate records in ice cores, geologic cores, rock outcrops and those inferred from climate models. New technologies for the coming decades of geoscience data collection are also highlighted. Antarctica: A Keystone in a Changing World is a collection of papers that were presented by keynote speakers at the 10th International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences. It is of interest to policy makers, researchers and scientific institutions.

Antarctic Earth Science

Antarctic Earth Science
Author: R. L. Oliver
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 722
Release: 1983
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0521258367

The fourth international symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences took place in Adelaide, South Australia during the week 16-20 August 1982. This volume contains a record of the centenary activities celebrating Sir Douglas Mawson and the one hundred and seventy-four papers that were presented by delegates for discussion over the five days. Sir Douglas Mawson was part of the first team to reach the magnetic South Pole, a leading geologist and scientific figure during the heroic age of of antarctic exploration. The papers presented during the symposium were divided into fifteen categories covering east and west Antarctica, marine, land and glacial geology, plate tectonics, islands, peninsulas, climatic change and Precambrian and Cenozoic era activity. The two hundred persons from sixteen countries who attended the symposium brought together a wide range of the most current expertise and research to share, of which this volume provides a record.