Palaeovertebrate faunas of Greenland

Svend Erik Bendix-Almgreen

Publikation: Bidrag til bog/rapport/konferenceproceedingsBogkapitelForskning

Resumé

Palaeontology has a tradition in Greenland reaching back to the eighteenth century (Cranz, 1765; Stauning, 1775; see also Giesecke, 1910) and serious research and collecting work, primarily in the field of palaeobotany, started around 1850. Vertebrate palaeontology, however, manifested itself comparatively late due to the fact that most of the important vertebrate yielding deposits are located on the east coast of Greenland north of latitude 70° in a region where access is extremely difficult and depends on large-scale, well organised expeditions. Such prerequisites became available in the 1920s when Danish expeditions started scientific work in central East Greenland under the leadership of the late Dr Lauge Koch. Teams headed by vertebrate palaeontologists were established at an early date as part of these expeditions, and were rewarded with the discovery of well preserved fossil vertebrates, in some cases whole faunas, ranging in age from Middle Devonian to Quaternary. These finds included, as the highlight, the discovery of the World's oldest known amphibians - the Upper Devonian ichthyostegalians - which perhaps represents the most important advance in the field of vertebrate palaeontology in our century. Greenland may still be regarded as a potential source area for new and important discoveries of fossil vertebrates. This has been exemplified in recent years by finds of Lower Silurian agnathans in North Greenland.
OriginalsprogEngelsk
TitelGeology of Greenland
RedaktørerArthur Escher, W. Stuart Watt
UdgivelsesstedCopenhagen
ForlagGGU
Sider536-573
Antal sider38
ISBN (Trykt)87-980404-0-5
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 31 dec. 1976
Udgivet eksterntJa

Emneord

  • Greenland

Programområde

  • Programområde 4: Mineralske råstoffer

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