The occurrence of an abdominal fauna in an articulated tapir (Tapirus polkensis) from the Late Miocene Gray Fossil Site, northeastern Tennessee

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon M. McCONNELL ◽  
Michael S. ZAVADA
Keyword(s):  
Late Miocene ◽  
Gray Fossil Site ◽  
Fossil Site

RECONSTRUCTING NUTRIENT HOTSPOTS IN TIME: INSIGHTS FROM THE GRAY FOSSIL SITE, TENNESSEE

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah W. Keenan ◽  
◽  
Jennifer M. DeBruyn ◽  
Chris Widga
Keyword(s):  
Gray Fossil Site ◽  
Fossil Site ◽  
Nutrient Hotspots

Cranial morphology and systematics of an extraordinary sample of the Late Neogene dwarf tapir, Tapirus polkensis (Olsen)

2009 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 238-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard C. Hulbert ◽  
Steven C. Wallace ◽  
Walter E. Klippel ◽  
Paul W. Parmalee
Keyword(s):  
Single Species ◽  
Relative Strength ◽  
Cranial Morphology ◽  
Linear Measurements ◽  
Average Mass ◽  
Gray Fossil Site ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
Late Neogene ◽  
Fossil Site ◽  
Almost All

The previously poorly known “Tapiravus” polkensis Olsen, 1960 (Mammalia, Perissodactyla, Tapiridae) is now known from abundant, well preserved specimens from both the type area in central Florida and from the Gray Fossil Site (GFS) in eastern Tennessee. The latter has produced over 75 individuals, the greatest number of tapirids from a single fossil site, including many articulated skeletons. Almost all linear measurements taken on skulls, mandibles, and cheek teeth from GFS have coefficients of variation less than 10 (most between 3 and 7), indicating the presence of a single species. However, the sample reveals considerable intraspecific variation for a few key morphologic features, including development of the sagittal crest, outline shape of the nasals, and number and relative strength of lingual cusps on the P1. The Florida sample of T. polkensis is more limited, but has the same state as the GFS sample for all preserved characters of systematic significance, and while the Florida teeth are on average smaller (especially narrower lower cheek teeth), they fall either within or just below the observed range of the Gray Fossil Site population. The new material supports a reassignment of “Tapiravus” polkensis to the genus Tapirus, and demonstrates that the geologic age of the species is significantly younger than previously thought, Hemphillian rather than Barstovian. Tapirus polkensis is the smallest known North American Tapirus, and smaller than any of the extant species in the genus, with an estimated average mass of 125 kg.

scholarly journals Unsupervised learning of satellite images enhances discovery of late Miocene fossil sites in the Urema Rift, Gorongosa, Mozambique

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11573
Author(s):  
João d’Oliveira Coelho ◽  
Robert L. Anemone ◽  
Susana Carvalho
Keyword(s):  
Unsupervised Learning ◽  
Late Miocene ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Satellite Images ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Rift System ◽  
East African Rift System ◽  
Coastal Forests ◽  
Hominin Evolution ◽  
Fossil Site

Background Paleoanthropological research focus still devotes most resources to areas generally known to be fossil rich instead of a strategy that first maps and identifies possible fossil sites in a given region. This leads to the paradoxical task of planning paleontological campaigns without knowing the true extent and likely potential of each fossil site and, hence, how to optimize the investment of time and resources. Yet to answer key questions in hominin evolution, paleoanthropologists must engage in fieldwork that targets substantial temporal and geographical gaps in the fossil record. How can the risk of potentially unsuccessful surveys be minimized, while maximizing the potential for successful surveys? Methods Here we present a simple and effective solution for finding fossil sites based on clustering by unsupervised learning of satellite images with the k-means algorithm and pioneer its testing in the Urema Rift, the southern termination of the East African Rift System (EARS). We focus on a relatively unknown time period critical for understanding African apes and early hominin evolution, the early part of the late Miocene, in an overlooked area of southeastern Africa, in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique. This clustering approach highlighted priority targets for prospecting that represented only 4.49% of the total area analysed. Results Applying this method, four new fossil sites were discovered in the area, and results show an 85% accuracy in a binary classification. This indicates the high potential of a remote sensing tool for exploratory paleontological surveys by enhancing the discovery of productive fossiliferous deposits. The relative importance of spectral bands for clustering was also determined using the random forest algorithm, and near-infrared was the most important variable for fossil site detection, followed by other infrared variables. Bands in the visible spectrum performed the worst and are not likely indicators of fossil sites. Discussion We show that unsupervised learning is a useful tool for locating new fossil sites in relatively unexplored regions. Additionally, it can be used to target specific gaps in the fossil record and to increase the sample of fossil sites. In Gorongosa, the discovery of the first estuarine coastal forests of the EARS fills an important paleobiogeographic gap of Africa. These new sites will be key for testing hypotheses of primate evolution in such environmental settings.

High-resolution gravity study of the Gray Fossil Site

Geophysics ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. B25-B32 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Whitelaw ◽  
K. Mickus ◽  
M. J. Whitelaw ◽  
J. Nave
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Gravity Anomaly ◽  
Drill Hole ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Gravity Measurement ◽  
Gray Fossil Site ◽  
Residual Gravity ◽  
Residual Gravity Anomaly ◽  
Fossil Site ◽  
Anomaly Map

The Gray Fossil Site, Washington County, Tennessee, has produced a remarkable Mio-Pliocene fauna and flora with no known correlative in the Appalachian region. After its discovery in 2000, a series of auger holes were drilled by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) to determine the areal extent of the site. Drilling indicated that the fossils occurred in fill material within a paleokarst basin, but the distribution of boreholes does not permit details of sinkhole topography, and therefore its formation and fill history, to be adequately resolved. To better image the sinkhole basin, a high-resolution gravity survey, which included 1104 gravity measurement stations, was conducted. These data were used to create complete Bouguer and residual gravity anomaly maps and a 3D density model via inversionmethods. The residual gravity anomaly map compares favorably with 29 TDOT auger holes drilled to basement, but contains significantly more detail. The residual gravity anomaly map reveals the presence of seven separate sinkholes. However, 3D inverse modeling constrained by drill-hole depths and density data indicates that there are 11 separate sinkholes formed within the Knox Group carbonates. These sinkholes, which range between 20 and [Formula: see text] in depth, are aligned along northwest and northeast trending linear features that correlate to structural features formed during the Appalachian orogenies. It is possible that the overall sinkhole basin formed as the result of partial coalescence of multiple sinkhole structures controlled by a joint system and that the sinkholes then acted as a natural trap for the Gray Fossil Site fauna and flora.

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