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Forwarded for Jerry D. Harris (Dixie State College, St. George, Utah): Announcement TRACKING DINOSAUR ORIGINS THE TRIASSIC/JURASSIC TERRESTRIAL TRANSITION March 14-16th, 2005 Dixie State College St. George, Utah, USA ***PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A DATE CHANGE FROM THE LAST CIRCULAR!*** Followed by the Utah Friends of Paleontology Annual Meeting - March 18-20, 2005 http://www.utahpaleo.org/meeting2005.html Registration form and full conference announcement available at http://cactus.dixie.edu/jharris/TDO.pdf or contact Jerry D. Harris at jharris@dixie.edu The Triassic/Jurassic transition is a critical time in Earth history, recording the origins and early radiation of dinosaurs, pterosaurs, crocodylians, mammals, and several other significant Mesozoic vertebrate clades. Additionally, a major interval of faunal, stepwise extinction is recorded in both the marine and terrestrial environments that may be linked to impact events, setting the stage for the ascendance of dinosaurs to a position of dominance for the remainder of the Mesozoic. Current research in this area is dynamic and has important implications for a number of areas in both paleobiology and geology. A number of recently discovered fossil localities in a little-researched area of southwestern Utah that preserves a thick sequence of rocks spanning the Triassic/Jurassic boundary are proving to be a catalyst for new studies on this time period. In addition to discoveries at Zion National Park and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, many of these discoveries have centered on the basal Jurassic St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm. This remarkable new site preserves an extraordinary series of track levels along the margin of a Hettangian lake (colloquially termed "Lake Dixie") and has associated fossil plants, invertebrates, fish, and dinosaur remains, making it particularly significant. These discoveries, along with a new interpretive center slated to open in the first half of 2005, provide an impetus to bring scientists together to discuss terrestrial faunas across the Triassic/Jurassic transition in the dramatic geologic setting of the warm, palm-tree-studded desert of southwestern Utah that we hope will be unfamiliar to yet exhilarating for most attendees. A full color overview volume is planned by the Utah Geological Survey, and all attendees will receive a complementary copy of the book. This volume will include short review papers on areas of critical interest regarding the Triassic/Jurassic terrestrial transition in various areas of the world, summary papers on these rocks, and their preserved fossils in southwestern Utah. Preliminary Conference Program ------------------------------------ MARCH 14 (All Day): Field Trip: Triassic/Jurassic Geology and Paleontology in the St. George Region and Zion National Park Areas MARCH 15 (AM): Plenary Papers (30 minutes each) MARCH 15 (PM): General Conference Papers (15-20 minutes each) MARCH 16 (All Day): General Conference Papers (15-20 minutes each) Abstracts ---------- Electronic abstracts are due by Dec. 15, 2004. They are to be no more than one 8.5x11 inch page long in 12 point, Times Roman font with 1 inch margins. Titles should be in all caps followed by an indented list of authors (names in caps) and affiliations. Speaker's information should include an e-mail address. Abstract text follows on a new line. Send by e-mail to jameskirkland@utah.gov; or by snail-mail to James Kirkland, Utah Geological Survey, PO Box 146100, Salt Lake City, UT 84044. A proceedings volume containing full-length papers (including papers not presented at the conference) is to be published as a New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin following the conference. For more information contact Spencer Lucas; NMMNH, 1801 Mountain Rd. NW, Albuquerque NM 87104-1375 slucas@nmmnh.state.nm.us Conference participants may fly into St George, Utah directly via SkyWest airlines from Salt Lake City or Los Angeles (http://www.skywest.com or your local travel agency), or speakers may fly into Las Vegas, Nevada and then be transported by volunteers to St. George. Speakers wishing to drive themselves from the nearest airports should anticipate a scenic 2 hour drive from Las Vegas or a 4.5 hour drive from Salt Lake City, both on I-15. Conference participants are invited to remain for the Utah Friends of Paleontology Annual Meeting, which will include additional afternoon field trips on March 18 and 19 and all day March 20 to numerous vertebrate and invertebrate-bearing fossil localities in Utah, Arizona, and Nevada. In addition; there will be a paleo art show entitled "The Beginning of the Age of Dinosaurs" that will be up from February through June. The show will be hosted by the Pioneer Center for the Arts in St. George. For more information contact Gary Sanders, Community Arts and Exhibits Administrator, City of St. George, Pioneer Center for the Arts, 47 East 200 North, St. George, Utah 84770 (435) 634-5942 ext. 16 artadmn@infowest.com Information on the St. George tracksite may be viewed starting on page 4 of Utah Geological Survey Notes 34(5); this article may be downloaded at http://geology.utah.gov/surveynotes/snt34-3.pdf Also see http://geology.utah.gov/utahgeo/dinofossil/stgeorgetracks/squatting.htm. Sponsored by Utah Geological Survey, Dixie State College, City of St. George, and the Utah Friends of Paleontology. Spring is a busy time in St. George, UT ("Utah's Palm Springs") so book your rooms early! CONFERENCE PACKAGE ------------------------------ The "Tracking Dinosaur Origins" conference is offering a Conference Package at $335.00 that contains the following: * Registration fee * 4 nights at the Crystal Inn, Fairfield Inn, or Howard Johnson (depending on availability) for Mar. 13-16 *2 lunches at the Red Rock Café on the Dixie State College Campus (Mar. 15 & 16) The Red Rock Café features 8 stations: Deli, Grill, Home Cookin', Pasta & Pizza, Wok, Soup & Salad Bar, Beverage Bar, and Dessert Bar You may also assemble your stay individually. Registration fee is $70.00; hotel options are given below. The mixer, the banquet, and the field trip (including box lunch) are included in the registration fee. HOST HOTELS ------------------ The following hotels have reduced their price and set aside a block of rooms until Feb 21, 2005. Map available at http://cactus.dixie.edu/jharris/TDO.pdf In order to receive the discounted rates, you MUST book the rooms through Dixie State College either by filling out the registration form at the URL above or contacting Steve Bringhurst at (435) 652-7901 or brings@dixie.edu Rooms being held under the group name "DINOSAUR ORIGINS CONFERENCE." For more information about discounted hotels and hotel rates, please contact Steve Bringhurst. Crystal Inn Rate: $67.00/night Phone: (435) 688-7477 1450 S. Hilton Drive, St. George, UT 84770 http://www.crystalinns.com/stg.html Fairfield Inn Rate: $67.00/night Phone: (435) 673-6066 1660 South Convention Center Dr., St. George, UT 84790 http://marriott.com/fairfieldinn Howard Johnson Express Inn Rate: $67.00/night Phone: (435) 628-8000 1040 S. Main St., St. George, UT 84770 http://www.hojo.com Other hotel options include: ---------------------------------- Sands Motel Phone: (435) 673-3501 Toll Free Reservation Line: 1-877-348-8629 581 E. St. George Blvd., St. George, UT 84770 http://www.sandsutah.8m.com Days Inn Phone: (435) 673-6123 Toll Free Reservation Line: 1-800-527-6543 150 N. 1000 E., St George, UT 84770 http://www.daysinn.com Comfort Inn Phone: (435) 628-4271 Toll Free Reservation Line: 1-877-577-6740 999 Skyline Dr., St George, UT 84770 http://www.comfortinn.com Ramada Inn Phone: (435) 628-2828 Toll Free Reservation Line: 1-800-713-9435 1440 E. St. George Blvd., St George, UT 84790 http://www.ramada.com Motel 6 Phone: (435) 628-8318 Toll Free Reservation Line: 1-800-466-8356 205 N. 1000 East, St. George, UT 84770 http://www.motel6.com Best Western Coral Hills Phone: (435) 673-4844 Toll Free Reservation Line: 1-800-780-7234 125 E. St. George Blvd, St. George, UT 84770 http://www.bestwestern.com Best Western Travel Inn Phone: (435) 673-3541 Toll Free Reservation Line: 1-800-780-7234 316 E. St. George Blvd., St. George, UT 84770 http://www.bestwestern.com Holiday Inn Phone: (435) 628-4235 Toll Free Reservation Line: 1-800-465-4329 850 Bluff St., St. George, UT 84770 http://www.ichotelsgroup.com For further lodging options, please visit http://www.stgeorgelodging.com/lodging.html Additional Questions: Contact Theresa Walker 435-703-0020 2flyfree@infowest.com or Jerry D. Harris 435-652-7758 jharris@dixie.edu ST. GEORGE INFORMATION ---------------------------------- St. George is situated at an elevation of about 2600 ft. (~ 800m) above sea level, though elevations climb rapidly to the north, east, and west. The city sits in a basin atop sediments of the Upper Triassic Chinle Group; bluffs to the north, east, and west are composed of red sandstones and mudstones of the Lower Jurassic Moenave, Kayenta, and Navajo Sandstone formations and are capped with Neogene basalts emitted from the many (now extinct) cinder cones in the area. Faulting and folding expose the Permian Kaibab Limestone and the Lower Triassic Moenkopi formations both to the south, west, and east of the city. The Middle Jurassic Temple Cap and Carmel formations, Upper Cretaceous Iron Springs Formation, and Paleocene-Eocene Claron Formation also outcrop, particularly at the base of the Pine Valley Mountains, an eroded Neogene laccolith (possibly the world's largest) that overlooks the city in the north. The east end of the basin is marked by the Hurricane Fault and the western edge of the Colorado Plateau. In March, the weather in St. George typically ranges between 36-63°F (2-17 C), and rain or snow is possible, so please bring appropriate clothes. For more information on the city and surrounding areas, please visit http://www.stgeorgeutah.net , http://www.sgcity.org , and http://www.stgeorgechamber.com . Registration form and full conference announcement available at http://cactus.dixie.edu/jharris/TDO.pdf or contact Jerry D. Harris at jharris@dixie.edu Andrew R. C. Milner City Paleontologist St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm, St. George, Utah Home Phone: (435) 477-9467 http://www.dinotrax.com andrew@hanmansfossils.com "There is no branch of detective science which is so important and so much neglected as the art of tracing footsteps" -- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1891
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