Sedimentology and Paleontology
above: The famed Jurassic Morrison Formation underlying the Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation of Central Utah, United States
1)
Sedimentology & Stratigraphy; The scientific study of sedimentary
rocks and the processes by which they were formed, and the emplacement
of those sediments into laterally extending layers throughout Earth's
history. Primarily we utilize facies and architectural analysis coupled
with various stratigraphic methods to address questions of
environmental change at various scales and its affect to biological life
in deep time. Furthermore, we couple this with basin tectonic models
to better understand regional and global relationships.
2)
Geochronology; The science of dating and determining the sequence of
events in Earth's history. Here we utilize chemical tracers within
fossil entombing sediments to not only provide a probable age date for
the fossil assemblage, but furthermore we can elucidate sediment
provenance and rates of infill (e.g., detrital zircon geochronology;
Lu-Hf isotopes).
3) Taphonomy; The study of the process(s) by
which biogenic material transitions from the biosphere to the
lithosphere. Here we couple biological and geological clues to address
biases in the fossil record caused by abiotic and biotic affects over
time.
4) Mesozoic vertebrate evolution; Investigations into the
evolution and diversification of major lifeforms (archosaurs) between
250-66.5 Ma. This dynamic period in Earth's history includes the
seperation of Pangea into the northern Laurasia and southern Gondwana,
which results in the isolation and subsequent diversification of once
cosmopolitan life forms. Here we utilize contextuall clues preserved
within fossil assemblages to address questions of biogeographical
relationship and extinction events between major clades at a global
scale.
5) Continental Ichnology; The study of continental-based
trace fossils preserved in the sedimentary rock record. Here we utilize
the trace fossil record to elucidate palaeoenvironmental context and
gain better understanding of co-occurring life with that of vertebrate
paleofauna
contact: Dr Ryan Tucker, send e-mail


left: Vertebrate trace fossil from the
Triassic-Jurassic Elliot Formation, Lesotho;
centre: Marine
(ammonite) biostratigraphy in KZN, South Africa;
right: Facies
and architectural analysis in the Winton Formation, Queensland, Australia