Das Projekt "Initiation des Magmatismus der jurassischen Ferrar Gruppe in Nord Viktoria Land, Antarktis: - stratigraphisches Alter, Zusammensetzung und Ablagerungsmilieu der vulkaniklastischen und epiklastischen Sedimente der Exposure Hill und Section Peak Format" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Institut für Geowissenschaften durchgeführt. The aim of this multidisciplinary project including igneous petrology, sedimentology, paleozoology and paleobotany is to reconstruct the chronology of events preceding the eruption of thick Jurassic plateau lavas (183 Ma, Ferrar Large Igneous Province) in North Victoria Land, Antarctica. The investigations focus on Triassic to Lower Jurassic siliciclastic and volcaniclastic rocks of the Beacon Supergroup directly underlying the Ferrar lavas. The results will lead to a new concept of the initiation of magmatism in the Ferrar Large Igneous Province and will improve our understanding of early Gondwana break-up. The Field work was carried out during the 9th German North Victoria Land Expedition (GANOVEX IX) 2005/2006, which was operated by the Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe, Hannover. Representative outcrops of the up to 300 m thick succession of siliciclastic and volcaniclastic rocks were documented in the southern part of North Victoria Land (Eisenhower Range, Deep Freeze Range, Mesa Range, southern Rennick Glacier, Outback Nunataks).
Das Projekt "Obertriassische und jurassische Fossilllagerstätten in Nord Viktorialand" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Münster, Forschungsstelle für Paläobotanik durchgeführt. The Mesozoic of Antarctica continues to yield exceptional terrestrial fossil deposits that show exquisite and often unique forms of preservation, especially with regard to plant fossils. However, the enormous potential of Antarctic fossil deposits is still far from being fully explored. This project proposal is to be regarded as a pilot study to carry out palaeontological fieldwork during the GANOVEX XI, with a special focus on the biotic changes across the Triassic-Jurassic boundary at southern high latitudes. The aims of this project are (1) a detailed collecting of macro- and microfloras at recently discovered fossil sites in the Upper Triassic and Lower Jurassic of north Victoria Land, and (2) exploratory fieldwork in promising outcrop areas that have so far remained unstudied by palaeontologists. If fieldwork proves to be very successful, a separate project proposal for more detailed studies of the material will be submitted. The study of the Mesozoic Antarctic fossils will contribute to a better understanding of the physiology and growth strategies of southern high-latitude biotas during times of global warmth, and promises to shed new light on how the end-Triassic biotic crisis affected the Gondwanan terrestrial realm compared to well-studied northern high-latitude biotas.
Das Projekt "Initiation des Magmatismus der jurassischen Ferrar Gruppe in Nord Viktoria Land, Antarktis: - stratigraphisches Alter, Zusammensetzung und Ablagerungsmilieu der vulkaniklastischen und epiklastischen Sedimente der Exposure Hill und Section Peak Formation, Beacon Supergruppe" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Institut für Geowissenschaften durchgeführt. The project focusses on the petrological, palaeozoological, palaeobotanical and sedimentological investigation of epi- and volcaniclastic rocks of Late Triassic to Lower Jurassic age enclosed between the crystalline basement and the 183 Ma old Kirkpatrick Lava Flows of the Ferrar Group Flood Basalt Province in North Victoria Land, Antarctica. The results summarized in the second progress report (attached) indicate several new findings with respect to lithologic units, stratigraphic order, biostratigraphic markers, and magma-wet sediment interaction. Sedimentological and petrographic studies shall be continued to characterize the vertical and lateral facies variations of the epi- and volcaniclastic units and to document the provenance of the clasts as well as the spatial and temporal development of the depositional environments. The paleontological data may allow to address a biostratigraphic age to the sediment formations identified. Biofacies analyses of floras and faunas together with lithofacies analysis of fossiliferous sequences will provide the data for the interpretation of depositional environments. Petrographic and chemical investigations as well as determinations of radiometric ages especially of the rhyolitic tuffs of the newly identified Shafer Peak Formation will allow to clarify the petrogenetic relationship between the various explosive and effusive igneous units.
Das Projekt "Triassic and Early Jurassic fossil floras from North Victoria Land, Antarctica: palaeobiology, paleoecology and stratigraphy" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Münster, Forschungsstelle für Paläobotanik durchgeführt.