This investigation focuses on the collection and study fossil plants from the Dry Valley region of Antarctica. To date there has been no systematic attempt to collect and describe these floras in detail, although fossil plants have been noted by geologists working in the area. Floras from the area range in age from Devonian to Jurassic and are preserved as compression/ impression fossils with some examples of petrified wood. The investigation will include systematic and detailed collections from 38 localities over two field seasons. Since the floras from Antarctica are some of the most poorly known in the world, a systematic study of these fossils provides a unique opportunity to compare floral diversity and composition over a large span of geologic time. An evaluation of these floras in the context of the geological setting in which they occur will provide an important source of data that can be used in wide-ranging studies, including biostratigraphy, paleoecology and paleoclimatology.
