The Global Sedimentary Geology Program (GSGP) , established as a Commission of the International Union of Geological Sciences, is now initiating its second research project dealing with a study of the global sedimentary record of PANGEA, a supercontinent which existed during a time interval ranging from the base of the Pennsylvanian (Middle Carboniferous) through the early Jurassic. This time interval offers special opportunities to understand global processes and both their magnitude and temporal variations during a time of accretion, zenith and breakup of a major supercontinent. Its sediments preserve evidence of a broad range of climatic changes including glacial to desert. Milankovitch rhythms, development and demise of carbonate platforms and reefs, evaporites, and phosphorites, and includes two major extinction events at the boundaries between the Permian and Triassic and the Triassic and Jurassic. Its deposits include large quantities of natural resources including petroleum, salt, phosphorites and coal. To implement this new project, an integrated workshop involving five working groups, is planned in Lawrence, Kansas, between May 24 and May 29, 1992. Each of the working Groups are based with Project PANGEA and include (1) Paleogeography, Paleoclimatic modelling and Plate Tectonics, (2) Global Sedimentary Record, (3) Global Synchroniety and Stratigraphic Constraints, (4) Resources, and (5) Synthesis. A general summary will close the workshop to provide overall project coordination. A U.S. National Group for Project PANGEA was established also. This working group has the dual responsibility of coordinating the U.S. research effort and insure adequate participation of U. S. Scientists. On behalf of this U .S. National Working Group, this proposal is made for funding to support the travel of key U.S. personnel to the planned workshop in Lawrence Kansas, as well as funding for U.S. based Keynote speakers, and five scientist from the USSR, People's Republic of China and Eastern Europe.
