Triassic Amphibian from Antarctica

A fossil bone fragment—the first record of tetrapod life from Antarctica—was found near Graphite Peak in the upper Beardmore Glacier area (85°3.3′S; 172°19′E). The fragment was embedded in a pebbly quartzose sandstone, probably of fluvial origin, in the lower part of the Triassic Fremouw Formation (...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science
Main Authors: Barrett, Peter J., Baillie, Ralph J., Colbert, Edwin H.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1968
Subjects:
Buckley
Beardmore
Beardmore Glacier
Glossopteris
Graphite Peak
Antarc*
Antarctica
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.161.3840.460
https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.161.3840.460
Description
Summary:A fossil bone fragment—the first record of tetrapod life from Antarctica—was found near Graphite Peak in the upper Beardmore Glacier area (85°3.3′S; 172°19′E). The fragment was embedded in a pebbly quartzose sandstone, probably of fluvial origin, in the lower part of the Triassic Fremouw Formation (as yet undefined), which contains Dicroidium in the upper part. The fossil horizon is only 76 meters, stratigraphically, above the Glossopteris -bearing Buckley Formation, a coal-bearing sequence of Permian age. The bone fragment is the back portion of a left mandibular ramus of a labyrinthodont amphibian. This identification is based on the characteristic labyrinthodont external surface sculpturing, with indications of "mucous grooves," as well as on other osteological features.

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