Lecture: In the shadows and over the heads of the Isle of Wight dinosaurs

Speaker: Dr. Steven Sweetman, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Portsmouth

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 Isle of Wight has the most diverse Early Cretaceous (Barremian) non-avian dinosaur fauna yet recorded and its history of discovery spans some 180 years. In contrast, until recently, remains of the small animals that must surely have lived with the dinosaurs were virtually unknown and the very small number that had been found were poorly preserved. Did this poor preservation and the apparent paucity of small vertebrate remains accurately reflect species diversity, fossil abundance and preservation in the island’s dinosaur-bearing strata? If not, what was to be found and what would these fossils tell us about life on the Isle of Wight 130 million years ago? These were the questions at the heart of an ongoing study commenced in 2002, the results of which have been spectacular. A remarkable microvertebrate assemblage, including small dinosaurs for which there are currently no macro remains, has been recovered. This paints a very different picture from the previously accepted view of the world in which the Isle of Wight’s Barremian mega-fauna lived.


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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