Re-Preserving the Past Again: Developing GIS Compatible Biogeographic Fossil Datasets from Multiple Sources

R. A. Mackenzie III¹ and M. M. Yacobucci^2
1Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611 USA; email, [email protected]
²Department of Geology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio 43403 USA; email, [email protected]

The body of paleontologic work in the last two centuries is immense. The resources devoted to describing and producing thousands of specimens, articles, monographs, and maps is equally substantial. A method to preserve, store, and simplify the use of these materials is essential to maximizing the return on the investments made by these paleontologists. Advancements in data management, geographic information systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and cartography have provided a method of achieving this goal. An example of storing this type paleontologic information in a GIS-compatible bio-geographic dataset is presented for Western Interior invertebrates. The inventory was compiled from over 200 sources, including several museum collections, published databases, and relevant publications, to provide information on over 20,000 individual invertebrate occurrences from over 2,000 different localities.

GIS compatible biogeographic datasets may answer many questions related to invertebrate diversity, ecology, evolution, extinction, and morphology. Only recently have GIS and PaleoGIS been applied to address these important paleobiogeographic problems. The new dataset of invertebrate localities was constructed to produce quantifiable biogeographic information using simple techniques with EXCEL and GIS software. It is hoped that this inventory and subsequent biogeographic range maps will provide information on morphologic variation in geospace, geographic range variation comparison with an ammonoid taxon's origination and extinction rates, and the geography of mass extinction and recovery.

AAPG Search and Discover Article #90087 © 2008 AAPG/SEG Student Expo, Houston, Texas