K003-7475

The objectives of the expedition were to (1) Visit the eastern part of the Bowers Group in the Mariner Glacier area and attempt to fine further fossils in sequence with those collected by Dr Laird’s party in 1072; (2) visit the central western part of the Bowers Group in the Black Glacier-Sledgers Glacier area to search for fossils and examine the stratigraphic sequence. It was hoped that the fossil collections would help us determine the age of the rocks, provide information to help deduce the environment of deposition of the rocks, and provide the basis for detailed comparison of the stratigraphic and faunal succession of the region with that of Tasmania. In addition it was hoped to learn something of the fossil species themselves and of the life that existed in Antarctica in the Cambrian period – the earliest period of fossilised life At the time of submission, fossils were known from the Antarctic basement at only two localities in the Ross Sea section of the Transantarctic Mountains – one in the Shackleton Glacier area ( Archeocyathids) and one at the Mariner Glacier (Trilobites and Brachiopods).

RA Cooper (Leader) JB Jago, JE Simes, DI MacKinnon, P Braddock (field assistant/mechanic)