Lecture: Chasing the Dragon: Fossils and Feathered Dinosaurs in China

Speaker: Dr. Ian Harding, University of Southampton

Entry Fee

Members: Free

Visitors: £5.00

Date and Time

19:30 -

Location

Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution, 16-18 Queen Square, Bath BA1 2HN


Lecture Description

The exceptionally preserved Jehol Biota of Liaoning Province in NE China represents a unique window into an early Cretaceous world (~135 million years ago) populated by early birds and ‘feathered’ dinosaurs, which have attracted worldwide media attention. Many of the new species described from this deposit have necessitated a revision of our understanding of bird evolution and even the evolution of flight itself. The talk will highlight some of the exceptionally preserved specimens known only from this fossil assemblage, and following the author’s fieldwork around Beipiao in the summer of 2000, will illustrate how little is still known about the sedimentary sequence in which the fossils are preserved. Brief mention will be made of joint Anglo-Chinese research proposals which will seek to investigate the lake sediments in which the fossils are found, to determine the controls on sediment deposition, the reasons behind the exceptional preservation of fossils and to initiate a comparison between this and other biotas of comparable age.


Attending via Zoom

This is a hybrid meeting: you can attend in person or join online via Zoom.

Bath Geological Society Members: Free of charge. Joining instructions and the Zoom link are sent to members by email prior to the lecture.

Visitors & Non-Members: (including members of the Geologists' Association and affiliated societies) Please book via Eventbrite to receive Zoom access (see the Entry Fee details above).

How to join: Click the Zoom link provided in your email or Eventbrite confirmation. You can join using the Zoom desktop or mobile app, or directly via your web browser without installing any software. The virtual waiting room opens approximately 15 minutes before the scheduled start time, and attendees will be admitted before the talk commences.

For any queries about joining online, please contact [email protected].



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