Shafer Peak Formation
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Shafer Peak Formation
The Hanson Formation (also known as the Shafer Peak Formation) is a geologic formation on Mount Kirkpatrick and north Victoria Land, Antarctica. It is one of the two major dinosaur-bearing rock groups found on Antarctica to date; the other is the Snow Hill Island Formation and related formations from the Late Cretaceous of the Antarctic Peninsula. The formation has yielded some Mesozoic specimens, but most of it is as yet unexcavated. Part of the Victoria Group of the Transantarctic Mountains, it lies below the Prebble Formation and above the Falla Formation. The formation includes material from volcanic activity linked to the Karoo-Ferar eruptions of the Lower Jurassic. The climate of the zone was similar to that of modern southern Chile, humid, with a temperature interval of 17–18 degrees. The Hanson Formation is correlated with the Section Peak Formation of the Eisenhower Range and Deep Freeze Range, as well as volcanic deposits on the Convoy Range and Ricker Hills of sou ...
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Geological Formation
A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exposed in a geographical region (the stratigraphic column). It is the fundamental unit of lithostratigraphy, the study of strata or rock layers. A formation must be large enough that it can be mapped at the surface or traced in the subsurface. Formations are otherwise not defined by the thickness of their rock strata, which can vary widely. They are usually, but not universally, tabular in form. They may consist of a single lithology (rock type), or of alternating beds of two or more lithologies, or even a heterogeneous mixture of lithologies, so long as this distinguishes them from adjacent bodies of rock. The concept of a geologic formation goes back to the beginnings of modern scientific geology. The term was used by Abraham Gottlob Wer ...
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Karoo-Ferrar
The Karoo and Ferrar Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs) are two large igneous provinces in Southern Africa and Antarctica respectively, collectively known as the Karoo-Ferrar, Gondwana,E.g. or Southeast African LIP, associated with the initial break-up of the Gondwana supercontinent at . Its flood basalt mostly covers South Africa and Antarctica but portions extend further into southern Africa and into South America, India, Australia and New Zealand. Karoo-Ferrar formed just prior to the breakup of Gondwana in the Lower Jurassic epoch, about 183 million years ago; this timing corresponds to the early Toarcian anoxic event and the Pliensbachian-Toarcian extinction. It covered about 3 x 106 km2. The total original volume of the flow, which extends over a distance in excess of 6000 km (4000 km in Antarctica alone), was in excess of 2.5 x 106 km³ (2.5 million cubic kilometres). The Ferrar LIP is notable for long distance transport and the Karoo LIP for its large volume and c ...
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Quartz
Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical formula of SiO2. Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in Earth's continental crust, behind feldspar. Quartz exists in two forms, the normal α-quartz and the high-temperature β-quartz, both of which are chiral. The transformation from α-quartz to β-quartz takes place abruptly at . Since the transformation is accompanied by a significant change in volume, it can easily induce microfracturing of ceramics or rocks passing through this temperature threshold. There are many different varieties of quartz, several of which are classified as gemstones. Since antiquity, varieties of quartz have been the most commonly used minerals in the making of jewelry and hardstone carvings, especially in Eurasia. Quartz is the mineral defining the val ...
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Permian
The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.9 Mya. It is the last period of the Paleozoic Era; the following Triassic Period belongs to the Mesozoic Era. The concept of the Permian was introduced in 1841 by geologist Sir Roderick Murchison, who named it after the region of Perm in Russia. The Permian witnessed the diversification of the two groups of amniotes, the synapsids and the sauropsids ( reptiles). The world at the time was dominated by the supercontinent Pangaea, which had formed due to the collision of Euramerica and Gondwana during the Carboniferous. Pangaea was surrounded by the superocean Panthalassa. The Carboniferous rainforest collapse left behind vast regions of desert within the continental interior. Amniotes, which could better cope with these drier conditions, rose to dominance in place of their am ...
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Taylor Group
The Taylor Group is a geologic group in Arkansas. It preserves fossils dating back to the Cretaceous period. See also * List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Arkansas * Paleontology in Arkansas Paleontology in Arkansas refers to paleontological research occurring within or conducted by people from the United States, U.S. state of Arkansas. The fossil Fossil record, record of Arkansas spans from the Ordovician to the Eocene. Nearly all of ... References * Geologic groups of Arkansas Cretaceous System of North America {{Cretaceous-stub ...
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Sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) because they are the most resistant minerals to weathering processes at the Earth's surface. Like uncemented sand, sandstone may be any color due to impurities within the minerals, but the most common colors are tan, brown, yellow, red, grey, pink, white, and black. Since sandstone beds often form highly visible cliffs and other topographic features, certain colors of sandstone have been strongly identified with certain regions. Rock formations that are primarily composed of sandstone usually allow the percolation of water and other fluids and are porous enough to store large quantities, making them valuable aquifers and petroleum reservoirs. Quartz-bearing sandstone can be changed into quartzite through metamorphism, usually related to ...
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Beacon Supergroup
The Beacon Supergroup is a geological formation exposed in Antarctica and deposited from the Devonian to the Triassic (). The unit was originally described as either a formation or sandstone, and upgraded to group and supergroup as time passed. It contains a sandy member known as the Beacon Heights Orthoquartzite. Overview The base of the Beacon Supergroup is marked by an unconformity and is composed of the Devonian Taylor Group, a quartzose sandstone sequence; and the Late Carboniferous to Early Jurassic Victoria Group, consisting of glacial beds, sandstone, shale, conglomerate, and coal. The Beacon Sandstone was named by Hartley T. Ferrar during Scott's Discovery Expedition (1901–1904), using the Beacon Heights survey points as reference. ''Glossopteris'' fossils dated the sandstone to the Permian and linked the lithology to similar sequences on neighboring continents. Generally flat lying, the supergroup is up to 3.2 km thick and is fairly continuous from south Victor ...
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Mount Kirkpatrick Dinosaur Site
Mount Kirkpatrick is a lofty, generally ice-free mountain in Antarctica's Queen Alexandra Range. Located 8 km (5 mi) west of Mount Dickerson, Mount Kirkpatrick is the highest point in the Queen Alexandra Range, as well as in its parent range, the Transantarctic Mountains. Discovered and named by the British Antarctic Expedition (1907–1909), the mountain was named for a Glasgow businessman, who was one of the original supporters of the expedition. ''Mount Kilpatrick'' is an alternate name for this mountain. Mount Kirkpatrick as a fossil site Mount Kirkpatrick holds one of the most important fossil sites in Antarctica, the Hanson Formation. Because Antarctica used to be warmer and supported dense conifer and cycad forest, and because all the continents were fused into a giant supercontinent called Pangaea, many ancient Antarctic wildlife share relatives elsewhere in the world. Among these creatures are tritylodonts, herbivorous mammal-like reptiles that are prevalent ...
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Ricker Hills
The Prince Albert Mountains () are a major mountain group in Antarctica over 320 km (200 mi) long. Located in Victoria Land, they run north–south between the Priestley and Ferrar glaciers. They were named for Prince Albert, the consort of the British Queen Victoria. Although they were discovered by Sir James Clark Ross on February 17, 1841, they were not first explored until the early 1900s, when British cartographers came. They were mapped and surveyed carefully by explorers from the United States and New Zealand in the 1950s and 1960s. Major peaks This range include the following mountains: Other features Other features or groups of features in the Prince Albert Mountains have been named by various survey groups and expeditions. Sheppard Rocks () is a group of rocks first mapped by United States Geological Survey (USGS) from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1956–62. Named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) for Paul D. Sheppard, store ...
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Convoy Range
Convoy Range () is a broad mountain range in Antarctica. Much of the range has a nearly flat plateau-like summit, extending south from the Fry Saddle and ending at Mackay Glacier. The range has steep cliffs on its east side, but it slopes gently into the Cambridge Glacier on the western side. The New Zealand Northern Survey Party of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1956–58) worked in this area in 1957. The party named the range for the main convoy into McMurdo Sound in the 1956–57 season, with the names of the various vessels being used for features in the range. Features Taff Y Bryn () is a ridgelike summit capped by dolerite (about 1,600 m), situated 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) west of Flagship Mountain in the Convoy Range. It is named after the River Taff in Wales, the toponym in Welsh literally means "Hill of the Taff." It was named by the 1976–77 Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expedition (VUWAE) led by Christopher J. Burgess. Othe ...
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Deep Freeze Range
The Deep Freeze Range () is a rugged mountain range, over long and about wide, rising between Priestley and Campbell Glaciers in Victoria Land, Antarctica, and extending from the edge of the polar plateau to Terra Nova Bay. Peaks in the low and mid portions of the range were observed by early British expeditions to the Ross Sea. The range was mapped in detail by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1955-63. It was named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names in recognition of the support to research provided by the U.S. Navy's Operation Deep Freeze expeditions to Antarctica for many years beginning in 1954. __NOTOC__ Geological features Mount Adamson Mount Adamson () is a peak, high, rising east-northeast of Mount Hewson. It was named by the northern party of New Zealand Geological Survey Antarctic Expedition (NZGSAE), 1965–66, for R. Adamson, a geologist with this party. Mount Dickason Mount Dickason () is a promin ...
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Eisenhower Range
The Eisenhower Range is a mountain range, about 72 km (45 mi) long and rising to 3,070 m (10,072 ft), which rises between Reeves Névé on the west, Reeves Glacier on the south, and Priestley Glacier on the north and east, in Victoria Land, Antarctica. The range is flat topped and descends gradually to Reeves Névé, but is steep cliffed and marked by sharp spurs along the Priestley Glacier. Mountains of this range include Mount Baxter (2430 m) and Mount Nansen (2740 m). The range was mapped in detail by USGS from surveys and US Navy air photos, 1955–63. Named by US-ACAN for Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was President of the United States in 1954, at the time when the U.S. Navy's Operation Deep Freeze Operation Deep Freeze (OpDFrz or ODF) is codename for a series of United States missions to Antarctica, beginning with "Operation Deep Freeze I" in 1955–56, followed by "Operation Deep Freeze II", "Operation Deep Freeze III", and so on. (There w ... expeditions to ...
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