University of Otago researchers have proved there really is
life in maars.
And a recently discovered "treasure trove" of thousands of
fossilised flowers, fruits, mummified leaves, insects and
other ancient specimens found in Otago-Southland is likely to
help revolutionise the understanding of the origins of New
Zealand's modern flora and fauna.
Otago University geologist Associate Prof Daphne Lee is
"absolutely over the moon" to have gained a $767,000 grant,
over three years, from the prestigious Marsden Fund, to study
the fossils, and to help collect many more.
A maar is a shallow, circular crater of volcanic origin,
which is often filled with water.
Otago researchers have found fossils in many contexts,
including preserved in fine lake sediments, or in amber,
including in maar lakes, oil shale lakes, and swamp and river
deposits.
All the finds have been made on private land, including near
Middlemarch, and in the Nevis Valley, near Cromwell, and at
Landslip Hill, near Gore.
A paleobotanist, Prof Lee is one of 26 Otago University
principal investigators to have gained grants totalling $17.8
million in the latest annual Marsden funding round.
Her research project is titled "Life in and beyond maars" and
raises the possibility of a "revolution in understanding" of
large changes in the environment and in plant and animal life
that occurred 23 million to 10 million years ago, during the
Miocene period.
The origins and history of New Zealand terrestrial biota -
all plant and animal life - were "complex, controversial and
poorly understood".
"These fossils provide a remarkably comprehensive window into
the world from which the distinctive modern day biota
originated," she said.
The "exquisitely well-preserved" Miocene fossils and analysis
of ancient sediments would enable researchers to "reconstruct
whole Miocene ecosystems".
Dr Dallas Mildenhall, from GNS Science, Lower Hutt, is
co-principal researcher in the project, which also involves
Otago geology research fellow Dr Jon Lindqvist and Dunedin
paleobotanist Jennifer Bannister, as well as other colleagues
in Australia and Germany.
Finding and analysing the ancient fossils was "always
exciting", Prof Lee said.
"You can't predict what you're going to find," she said.
"It's been buried for 10 to 20 million years and we're the
first people to ever see it.
"Everyone wants to travel back in time but we're the only
ones who can actually do it," she joked.
The "stunning array" of fossil finds, including flowers
containing pollen, fruits and seeds, as well as microscopic
algae had come from the recently-found sites, mainly over the
past three years.
Many of these types of organism were rarely preserved as
fossils and hardly ever with such detail.
Otago's climate 23 million years ago was likely to have been
warmer than it is today, perhaps similar to temperatures in
southern Queensland, about 20degC throughout the year,
researchers said.
• Early in their investigation, researchers have already
achieved a series of fossil "firsts".
Three months ago they made the first confirmed discovery of a
fossilised insect in kauri gum - a tiny mite.
Discovered at a lakesite in 2008 were two fossil orchids,
which are the only known orchid fossil specimens throughout
the world.
A 15cm-long fossilised fish found about five years ago by
Prof Lee is, at 23 million years old, the world's oldest
known fossilised galaxiid fish.
- john.gibb@odt.co.nz
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