Elliot, Collinson, Hammer OPP 9710357 Earth science research in the central and southern Transantarctic Mountains during the last 35 years has provided a wealth of new information on the geologic evolution of the Ross Sea sector of the continent. Many of these advances have had significance to the global geosciences community, such as the vertebrate faunas, anatomically well preserved plant fossils, and the young fossiliferous glacial deposits indicating radically different climatic conditions. This award supports a workshop aimed at capitalizing on these past advances by developing a white paper on possible future research directions and identifying key scientific questions that can be addressed. Research goals fall into four general topic areas: Late Precambrian-Early Paleozoic development; Gondwana paleontology and paleoclimate; Mesozoic and Cenozoic tectonic evolution; and Cenozoic landscape evolution and paleoclimate. The workshop will also address the support required to carry out remote field projects in this new ear of logistic capabilities. The workshop will lead to a report that will lay out scientific goals for future research in the central and southern Transantarctic Mountains.
