Directory

Start date:
October 2012
End date:
November 2012
Locations:
Southern Victoria Land
Principle Investigator:
Edith Taylor./ Erik Gulbranson
Organisation:
University of Kansas Lawrence
The record of Jurassic plant life in continental Antarctica is sparse, possibly due to tectonic and magmatic activity associated with the breakup of Gondwana and the emplacement of the Ferrar Large Igneous Province. This project will examine early Jurassic floras and paleoenvironments in southern Victoria Land, using sedimentology, stratigraphy, geochemistry, and paleobotany. The work will provide much needed baseline data on the composition of the floras as well as the depositional and growth environments of these southernmost floras. These data will contribute to understanding plant life and paleoenvironment in Antarctica during a time of increasing volcanism and provide floral information that can be compared to other, better known floras elsewhere in Gondwana.