Late Triassic Vertebrate Fossils from Antarctica's Lashly Formation

Antarctic fossil data details the first Late Triassic reptiles discovered on the continent. The dataset includes information on fragmentary bones from two reptilian taxa found at Mt. Dearborn in Southern Victoria Land. It was compiled by SCIOPS, with findings presented at the Gondwana II conference in 2002.

Use Cases

• Classify fossil taxa (e.g., dicynodont synapsid, eosuchian diapsid) based on described bone morphology and location data.
• Correlate the Lashly Formation's Member C stratigraphy with Late Triassic pollen dating for geological timeline analysis.
• Map the geographic distribution of Triassic vertebrates using the specific coordinates (S77 12.6 E160 08) provided for Mt. Dearborn.
• Study tusk and limb bone shaft fragment characteristics to understand the anatomy of small, indeterminate genera from this period.

Strengths

• Documents the first Late Triassic reptile fossils found in Antarctica.
• Provides specific geographic coordinates (S77 12.6 E160 08) for the fossil site.
• Identifies bones from two distinct reptilian taxa with described anatomical elements.

Limitations

• Sample size is very small, represented by a single tusk and three bone fragments.
• Taxonomic classification is limited, with genera listed as indeterminate.
• Original data structure, column details, and total record count are unknown.

Provenance

Source

SCIOPS, with findings from the Gondwana II conference (2002).

Collection Method

Field recovery of fossil bones from a specific Antarctic location.

Time Range

Late Triassic period.

Geography

Mt. Dearborn, Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica.