No description available.

The fossiliferous sediments of the Hueso and Tapiado formations exposed in the Vallecito Creek-Fish Creek section (VCFC) of the Anza-Borrego Desert (ABD) span the boundary between Blancan and Irvingtonian North American Land Mammal 'Ages.' Historically, the determination of the Blancan-Irvingtonian (B-I) boundary in the VCFC proved problematic. A new study to determine the B-I boundary in the VCFC revealed data inaccuracies in both published works and curatorial records of the mammal and other vertebrate fossils from the ABD. Most individual inaccuracies were minor, but an accumulation of over 50 years of multiple inaccuracies had significant effects on local and regional biostratigraphic and biochronologic correlations. A detailed investigation of the inaccurate data resulted in recognition of 17 types of error, with at least five sources. The two most prominent sources of error are those derived from publication and curation protocols. Examination of over 150 publications and in-house faunal lists produced over 830 taxonomic names and format variants, for 110 mammalian taxa identified from the ABD and VCFC. Approximately 50% of the taxonomic identifications were previously published without voucher catalogue numbers or fossil descriptions. A critical review of the taxonomic assignments resulted in an updated faunal list of ABD terrestrial Mammalia, including 110 taxonomic names, 66 unqualified genera, and 46 unqualified species. A supplemental list of 'retired' taxa includes 178 previously published or listed taxonomic names and format variants. The 4.5 km sequence of originally superposed sediments within VCFC is now tilted at 23 degrees and exposed in plan view. This exposure was captured in both aerial photos and satellite imagery. GIS layers of the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale and individual collecting localities are readily superposed onto the stratigraphic images. When united with the faunal database, GIS maps of biostratigraphic data facilitate detection and correction of data errors. Resulting corrected maps show highest and lowest stratigraphic occurrences of taxa, as well as geographic clustering of taxonomic groups, outlining possible paleohabitats. As a result of data improvement and GIS display, the local B-I boundary currently is best estimated by the presence of Ovibovini at >1.42 Ma. / text

第22回名古屋大学年代測定総合研究センターシンポジウム平成21(2009)年度報告

La séquence sédimentaire du Dur At-Talah, située dans la partie sud du bassin de Syrte au centre de la Libye, est composée de 150 m d'épaisseur de roches principalement siliciclastiques (grès, siltites et argiles). L'importance de cette séquence est liée en partie à l'importance du bassin de Sirt qui est un des plus grands réservoirs d'hydrocarbures de Libye. La séquence est également un des plus important site de fossiles de vertébrés de l’Eocène supérieur, l'âge de la séquence. Les études antérieures, bien que très limitées par rapport à l'importance de cette zone, se sont concentrées principalement sur le contenu paléontologique de la séquence. L’étude sédimentologique n’avait été jusqu’à ce jour que très peu abordée. Cette thèse est un travail basé sur l’examen des affleurements et où l'accent est mis sur les structures sédimentaires et biogéniques (traces fossiles), visant à définir et à interpréter les faciès sédimentaires qui ont construit la séquence du Dur At Talah. L’ étude de la séquence a conduit à diviser la totalité de l’affleurement en trois intervalles génétiquement liés. Le plus ancien que nous avons appelé la « New Idam Unit » (environ 80 m d’épaisseur), est composé de grès très fins, de siltites et d’argiles. Cette unité (New Idam Unit) est recouverte en discordance par la « Sarir Unit » (environ 50 m d’épaisseur), composée de grès fins à moyens à faisceaux de litages entrecroisées dans sa partie inférieure (environ 25-30 m d’épaisseur) et de grès grossiers à microconglomératiques dans sa partie supérieure (environ 20-30 m d’épaisseur). La « Sarir Unit » est ainsi divisée en « Sarir inférieur » et « Sarir supérieur ». La « New Idam Unit » présente des dépôts qui sont attribués à un milieu main estuarien. La série débute par des dépôts d’environ 35 m d’épaisseur typiques d’un estuaire externe. Les 45 mètres qui lui font suite passent progressivement à des dépôts tidaux caractéristiques d’un estuaire interne. La Surface d'inondation maximale se situe entre les deux intervalles. Au-dessus de cette surface les indicateurs fluviaux augmentent et les indicateurs de marées diminuent progressivement, offrant ainsi un indice pour la migration de la rive de rivage vers le bassin (vers le Nord). La sous-unité du Sarir inférieur qui avait été interprétée avant ce travail comme dépôts fluviatiles, préserve pourtant des structures sédimentaires multi-échelles qui sont le résultat incontestable de processus de marée. Ceci est particulièrement évident dans la partie inférieure de l’unité « Sarir inférieur » (la Lower Lower Sarir Unit ; LLS). Dans la partie supérieure de l’unité Sarir inférieur (Upper Lower Sarir; ULS), les indicateurs de dynamique fluviale dominent largement sur ceux de la marée. Le Sarir inférieur est donc interprété comme un système deltaique mis en place lors d’une régression normale. Cette fois-ci, la surface maximale d'inondation se situe entre le LLS et ULS. Le « Upper Lower Sarir » (ULS) se terminée par une discordance subaérienne, avec de nombreuses traces d’émersion conservées au sommet de l'ULS. Celles-ci sont recoupées par le « Upper Sarir » qui montre des marqueurs fiables d'environnement de dépôt strictement fluvials. Les dépôts du « Upper Sarir » enregistre la séquence de bas niveau marin. Cette étude fournit des informations précieuses concernant le dépôt des séquences dans le bassin de Syrte au cours de la fin de l'Éocène. Elle fournit également une étude originale sur la dynamique tidale dans des milieux marins margino-littoraux. / Dur At Talah sedimentary sequence, located at the southern side of the Sirt Basin in central Libya, is composed of 150 m thick of mainly siliciclastic rocks. The importance of this sequence is linked to the importance of the Sirt Basin as one of large hydrocarbon reservoirs in Libya. The sequence is also an excellent site for vertebrate fossils of Late Eocene, the age of the sequence. Previous studies, though very limited compared to the importance of this area, are focused on its paleontological content. Sedimentology received only scant attention before this project. This thesis is an outcrop based study in which the focus is given to the sedimentary and biogenic (trace fossils) structures, aiming at defining and interpreting depositional facies which building up the sequence. The study is mainly based on field data which are analyzed on the light of related published literature and on the comparison with modern sedimentary environments. Results of facies analysis have led to splitting the entire sequence into three genetically related intervals. The oldest, we called the New Idam Unit (around 80m), is composed of very fine sandstones to mudstones. New Idam Unit is unconformably overlain by the Sarir Unit (around 50m), composed of medium grained cross bedded sandstones (the lower 25-30 m) changes up to very coarse and microconglomeratic sandstone (the upper 20-30 m). Thus, the Sarir Unit is split into the lower Sarir Subunit and upper Sarir subunit. The New Idam Unit presents both classical and unusual sedimentary and biogenic indicators that attribute this unit to estuarine depositional environment. It starts with outer estuarine (the lower 35 m) and ends up with inner estuarine (the upper 45 m). Maximum flooding surface is located in between. Above this surface the fluvial indicators increase and tidal indicators decrease, thus providing clue for basinward (North) migration of the shoreline. The lower Sarir subunit which was previously interpreted as fluvial deposits, preserves multi-scale sedimentary structures that undoubtedly belong to tidal processes. This is especially evidenced at the lower part of the lower Sarir Subunit (LLS). Fluvial indications over dominates the tidal ones in the upper part of the lower Sarir (ULS). Due to this configuration the whole lower Sarir subunit is interpreted as shallow marine, deltaic, depositional system, occurred during sea level ¨normal¨ regression. This time, maximum flooding surface is located between the LLS and ULS. The lower Sarir subunit is terminated by subaerial unconformity, with evidences of subaerial exposure preserved at the top of the ULS. These are intruded by the upper Sarir subunit which presents clear evidences of strictly fluvial environment of deposition. The deposits of the upper Sarir subunit record the low stand system tract part of the Dur At Talah sequence. In addition to the outlined results, the sequential pattern of the depositional events is suggested for the entire sequence of Dur At Talah. This study provides a valuable information regarding the depositional and sequential aspects of the Sirt Basin during the late Eocene, it also provide an unique case study for the better understanding of the shallow marine tidal deposits.

No description available.

Исследование посвящено проблеме определения степени влияния искусства романтизма конца XVIII – первой половины XIX в. на научную картину естественной истории Земли, отразившейся в интеллектуальном наследии Уильяма Баклэнда и его коллег-ученых. Материалы частной естественно-научной коллекции исследователя – окаменелости, образцы геологических пород и минералы – как акторы воплотили в себе многие идеи романтизма, которые посредством публикаций вошли в научный дискурс. Взаимосвязи между наукой и искусством, находящиеся в фокусе данной работы, становятся, таким образом, следами действий рассматриваемых материалов и позволяют представить естественную историю как сложную систему, включающую вещественные источники, научные публикации, отдельных исследователей, научные институции, а также идеи и образы художественной культуры рассматриваемого времени, произведения искусства и коммуникации между этими элементами. / The research is devoted to a problem of identifying the degree of influence the romanticism art of the end of 18th – the first half of 19th century had on scientific understanding of the natural history. This impact had reflected on the intellectual legacy of William Buckland and his fellow scientists. The collectibles from the researcher’s private natural history collection, such as fossils, specimens of rock and minerals, embodied many ideas of romanticism.

No / Evolutionary biologists are increasingly relying on ancient DNA from archaeological animal bones to study processes such as domestication and population dispersals. As many animal bones found on archaeological sites are likely to have been cooked, the potential for DNA preservation must be carefully considered to maximise the chance of amplification success. Here, we assess the preservation of mitochondrial DNA in a medieval cattle bone assemblage from Coppergate, York, UK. These bones have variable degrees of thermal alterations to bone collagen fibrils, indicative of cooking. Our results show that DNA preservation is not reliant on the presence of intact collagen fibrils. In fact, a greater number of template molecules could be extracted from bones with damaged collagen. We conclude that moderate heating of bone may enhance the retention of DNA fragments. Our results also indicate that ancient DNA preservation is highly variable, even within a relatively recent assemblage from contexts conducive to organic preservation, and that diagenetic parameters based on protein diagenesis are not always useful for predicting ancient DNA survival.

No / The ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars rover will be launched in 2018. The primary aim of the mission will be to find evidence of extinct or extant life by extracting samples from the subsurface of Mars. The rover will incorporate a drill that is capable of extracting cores from depths of up to 2 m, a Sample Preparation and Distribution System (SPDS) that will crush the core into small grains and a suite of analytical instruments. A key component of the analytical suite will be the Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) that will be used to probe the molecular and mineralogical composition of the samples. In this work we consider the capability of the proposed Raman spectrometer to detect reduced carbon (possibly associated with evidence for extinct life) and to identify the level of thermal alteration/maturity. The Raman analysis of 21 natural samples of shale (originating from regions exhibiting different levels of thermal maturity) is described and it is shown that reduced carbon levels as low as 0.08% can be readily detected. It is also demonstrated that the Raman spectra obtained with the instrument can be used to distinguish between samples exhibiting high and low levels of thermal maturity and that reduced carbon can be detected in samples exposed to significant levels of oxidation (as expected on the surface of Mars). (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Die vorliegende Dissertation stellt den ersten Teil eines Nachschlagewerks zur Tertiärflora Sachsens dar. Dieser Teil umfasst alle Taxa, die sich auf Angiospermenblätter und auf Ginkgo gründen. Auf einen Überblick zum regionalgeologischen Kenntnisstand des Tertiärs in Sachsen folgend, werden phytostratigrafische Konzepte vorgestellt und ein historischer Abriss der tertiärpaläobotanischen Forschung in Sachsen gegeben. Nach einer Erfassung aller bis Ende 2013 für das sächsische Tertiär publizierten pflanzlichen Makrofossilien und deren Fundorte (Primärdaten), welche durch projektbezogene Qualifikationsarbeiten Dritter durch zusätzliche Attribute ergänzt und vereinheitlicht wurden, werden die fossilen Taxa von Angiospermenblättern selektiert, deren Daten harmonisiert, ausgewertet und auf einen einheitlichen Forschungsstand gebracht. Für 187 von 235 untersuchten Taxa werden Datenblätter für einen Bestimmungsatlas erstellt. In diesem Atlas werden makro- und mikromorphologische Merkmale der Arten beschrieben, sowie Angaben zur Systematik, Synonymie, Paläoökologie und räumlicher und zeitlicher Verbreitung gemacht. Der beschreibende Teil wird durch Abbildungen und instruktive Zeichnungen ergänzt. Im Ergebnisteil werden die Daten nach ihrer Qualität innerhalb der Literatur begutachtet und anwendungsbezogen diskutiert. Eine Bibliografie der umfangreichen paläobotanischen Literatur für sächsische Pflanzenfossilien rundet die Arbeit ab. Um die taxon- und fundortbezogenen Daten visualisieren und effektiv verwalten zu können, werden diese in ein Open Source-Geoinformationssystem (GIS) überführt. Die im GIS implementierten Untersuchungsergebnisse ermöglichen erstmalig sowohl eine Generierung von Verbreitungs-karten für die Taxa tertiärer Angiospermenblätter und des Ginkgos in Sachsen als auch eine Abfrage von topografischen, geologischen und paläobotanischen Informationen zu den Fossilfundstellen. Ein für das Fossilmaterial entwickelter Bestimmungsschlüssel erlaubt zudem eine grobe Determination der Funde im Gelände. Das Kompendium wird in gedruckter und digitaler Version für die freie Nutzung zur Verfügung gestellt. / The thesis represents the first part of a reference book to the Tertiary flora of Saxony. All taxa based on leaves of angiosperms and on Ginkgo are included in this compendium. After an overview about the geological state of knowledge on the Tertiary in Saxony, phytostratigraphic concepts are introduced and a historical survey on the Tertiary paleobotanical research in Saxony is given. All plant macrofossils published from Saxonian Tertiary until end of 2013 and their sites of discovery (primary data) were recorded. This data were supplemented by additional attributes and unified through project-based M.Sc. theses. Subsequently, taxa of fossil leaves were selected, their data evaluated and brought to a consistent state of research. Data sheets for 187 out of 235 examined taxa were established for a determination atlas. Macro- and micromorphological attributes are described in this atlas and information are given about the systematic, synonymy, palaeoecology and spatial and temporal distribution. The describing part is illustrated by images and instructive drawings. The documented data were surveyed and discussed related to their quality within the literature in the result part. A bibliography of the extensive palaeobotanical literature for plant fossils of Saxony completes the work. The taxon and locality related data are implemented into an open source geographical information system (GIS) in order to visualize and to manage them effectively. For the first time, the results of this thesis implemented in the GIS allow the generation of distribution maps for the taxa of leaves of Tertiary angiospermes and Ginkgo in Saxony. Furthermore it enables to query topographical, geological and paleobotanical information about the fossil sites. A determination key was developed for the fossil material that allows a rough determination of the findings in the field. The compendium will be available for free use in a printed as well as in a digital version.

Northeastern British Columbia was occupied by the Cordilleran (CIS) and the Laurentide (LIS) ice sheets, however, the timing and extent remains contentious. The late Quaternary and Holocene history of this area is examined by exploring geomorphic, stratigraphic, geochemical and geochronologic components of glacial, deglacial, paraglacial and non-glacial landsystems. New tools, such as GIS, LiDAR, and new geochronologic methods, such as optical dating are used to understand the Quaternary geology and geomorphology of the region. Bedrock topography represents the base of the Quaternary section and modelling shows that paleovalleys, common in this region, host extensive Neogene sedimentary records. Stratigraphies from the Murray and Pine valleys indicate glaciation prior to the Mid-Wisconsinan (MIS 3) and during the Late Wiconsinan (MIS 2). Glacial landforms record Late Wisconsinan ice-sheet coalescence and reflect the complex interaction of the LIS and CIS margins. During deglaciation, the LIS and CIS separated and glacial Lake Peace (GLP) formed. Shoreline features enable reconstruction of lake and ice configurations. Four phases of GLP are preserved. Optical ages from Phase II indicate GLP occupied the area some time between ca. 16 – 14 ka yrs ago. The apparent tilt on the shorelines provides a measure of isostatic adjustments and suggests asynchronous retreat of first the LIS, then the CIS. The transition from paraglacial to boreal conditions was driven by climate change and is recorded by vegetation sucession and cessation of paraglacial processes. Optical ages from stabilized dunes and radiocarbon ages from organics date the transition between 12 – 11.5 ka yrs ago with full boreal conditions established by 10 ka yrs ago. The Holocene is dominated by erosional processes, however some systems are aggrading. A case study on a floodplain demonstrates that resistivity (Ohmmapper) surveys provide a grain-size proxy to suppliant GPR studies, which is essential for geophysical fluvial architectural analysis. In the study, the discrepancy between planform style (classic meander model) and subsurface geophysical surveys (indicative of vertical accretion associated with braided and wandering fluvial styles) reiterates cautions that planform may not always be a functions of depositional process and one may not be used to predict the other. / Graduate / 0372 / 0373 / 0368