10th Conference on
Australasian Vertebrate Evolution Palaeontology and Systematics
(CAVEPS)
and
Quaternary Extinctions Symposium
Naracoorte, South Australia, AUSTRALIA
March 29th to April 2nd 2005.
FINAL CIRCULAR
Introduction
The 10
th CAVEPS will be held at the
World Heritage listed Naracoorte Caves National Park and nearby
Naracoorte township, approximately 340 km SE of Adelaide (capital city of
South Australia), in the Limestone Coast region of South
Australia.
CAVEPS is a biennial meeting of Australasian vertebrate palaeontologists.
CAVEPS 2005 will consist of 3 days of general sessions including papers
on all aspects of vertebrate palaeontology, followed by a 2 day symposium
which will focus on Quaternary extinctions and dating applications.
Included in the general sessions will be a special session Devonian fish
and a session on cave palaeontology which will be held in the historic
Blanche Cave. In addition to the main sessions, a student forum will be
held where students can present their project proposals or work in
progress and benefit from professional input.
The conference will be held during the AVCC (Australian Vice Chancellors
Commission) common vacation week and will begin on Tuesday
29
th of March (Monday
28
th is Easter Monday) and end on Saturday
2
nd of April.
Organisational progress
The organisation of the 2005 CAVEPS and Quaternary Extinctions
meeting is progressing very well. This circular provides more detail
regarding the organisation of the conference. If you have not received
previous circulars these can be downloaded from the web site (see
below).
Abstracts for presentations are now due on
31
st January with final registration on
7th February. A draft programme of speakers will be circulated to
delegates after final registrations.
Papers are invited for the conference proceeding volume. Please see full
details in this circular.
Web site
All circulars will be posted on the Naracoorte Caves website along
with registration forms and other relevant information. Please go to
http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/naracoorte/events.html.
The URL
http://www.naracoortecaves.sa.gov.au
is also in operation as an alternative address.
**NEW SESSION**
"Exceptionally preserved Devonian fish faunas of East Gondwana - faunal context for tetrapod origins”
Convenors: Dr Gavin Young & Dr John Long
We invite papers on the subject of exceptionally well-preserved fossil fish faunas from East Gondwana (Australia, Antarctica), with especial reference to those leading to the line of tetrapods or those reflecting new anatomical information that has significant bearing on the phylogeny of the group. By exceptional preservation we refer to three-dimensional acid-prepared specimens or articulated complete material.
Further enquiries please contact Gavin Young gyoung@ems.anu.edu.au or John Long
jlong@museum.vic.gov.au.
TENISON-WOODS Cave palaeontology session
The Naracoorte Caves National Park is a World Heritage listed fossil site, so it is appropriate that a session deals specifically with cave deposits. The final day of general sessions (Thursday 31
st March) will be a special session focusing on cave palaeontology. It will explore the question - “What contribution have cave sites made to our understanding of vertebrate history”. Convening this session will be Professor Ernest Lundelius, Dr Mike Augee, Dr Liz Reed and Mr Steven Bourne.
Contributions covering all aspects of cave palaeontology (eg. faunas, geology, site studies, taphonomy, dating) are invited. The session will be dedicated to Reverend Julian Tenison-Woods who conducted the first palaeontological research at Naracoorte Caves during the mid 19
th century. Tenison-Woods was an extraordinary scholar and scientist. He published widely on topics ranging from Tertiary invertebrates to Pleistocene cave deposits. In 1862, his book,
Geological Observations in South Australia, Principally in the District Southeast of Adelaide was published in London. It contained the first published description of the Naracoorte Caves and the bone deposits contained within them. This session will be held in the spacious Blanche Cave, the site of Tenison-Wood’s early investigations.
QUATERNARY EXTINCTIONS SYMPOSIUM
A two day thematic symposium exploring Quaternary extinctions will follow the general and cave sessions. Papers are invited for this symposium which will cover a wide range of relevant topics including: dating and extinction chronologies, causes and patterns of extinction, significant site studies, background and review studies, island extinctions and modern extinctions. Keynote speakers for the Extinction symposium include Professor Anthony Barnosky from the University of California at Berkeley and Professor Alan Cooper from the University of Oxford.
It has been nearly eight years since the last Extinction symposium in Australia and there has been a lot of new research since then. There has been a high level of interest in the 2005 symposium with many eminent international extinction scientists indicating they will attend. This symposium will offer an excellent opportunity for those interested in Quaternary extinctions to present their research and discuss issues with the leaders in the field. The proceedings volume will include a thematic series from the symposium providing a forum for delegates to publish papers covering a range of extinction topics in a single volume.
CALL FOR PAPERS
Papers are invited for CAVEPS 2005 and the Quaternary Extinctions Symposium. Papers on any aspect of vertebrate palaeontology are welcome for the general sessions eg. systematics and taxonomy, functional morphology, evolution, palaeoecology, palaeobiogeography, chronology, taphonomy, stratigraphy and sedimentology (of fossil sites), fossil preparation, fossil site studies. Papers are also invited for the Devonian fish session and Cave palaeontology session. The first session of the opening day will cover fossil-based tourism, education, fossil site management, preservation and interpretation; papers are invited for this session.
Papers are invited for the Quaternary Extinctions symposium. This symposium will cover a wide range of relevant topics including: dating and extinction chronologies, causes and patterns of extinction, significant site studies, background and reviews, island extinctions, modern extinctions.
Students are strongly encouraged to participate and make presentations. There will be student prizes for spoken papers and posters.
FINAL CIRCULAR
This posting provides only a brief summary of the final circular. For full details regarding CAVEPS 2005 and the Extinctions Symposium please go to
http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/naracoorte/events.html where the complete final circular, registration form and other important documents are available for download. Due to the size of the files we have not attached them to this email, but if you are having trouble downloading them please contact the organisers.
Thank you
CAVEPS 2005, Naracoorte, South Australia.
Contact:
Liz Reed email: liz.reed@flinders.edu.au
or Steven Bourne email: Bourne.Steven@saugov.sa.gov.au
Formal postal address: CAVEPS 2005
c/- Naracoorte Caves National Park, PO Box 134, Naracoorte South Australia 5271, AUSTRALIA
Phone: +61 (08) 8762 3412