VUWAE 16B

1. Detailed stratigraphic sections were measured with staff and level at the following localities:-
   • Mistake Peak
   • Shapeless Mountain (6 sections)
   • Skew Peak
   • Mount Bastion
   • Robison Peak
   • Mount Fleming
   • Mount Feather
   • Mount Warren
   • Escalade Peak
   • Swartz Nunatak
   • Mount Kempe
   • Rotunda
   Collections of rock samples were taken for petrographic description and analysis from all sections measured. The section descriptions will be made available to interested geologists in the same way as last year's work (Askin et. al., 1971).
2. The large collection of fossil plants made last season (Barrett et. al., 1971) was increased this season by even better specimens of leaves and stems from the Permian and Triassic coal measures. Glossopteris leaves up to 40 cm long with veins clearly preserved were found at Mt. Fleming, and a varied collection of well-preserved calamitid stems, ginkos, and fern-like fronds up to 50 cm across were recovered from a locality at Shapeless Mountain. In addition, Glossopteris and Gangamopteris leaves were found in shale that graded down into the uppermost glacial beds 30 cm below. This is the lowest stratigraphic occurrence of identifiable plant fossils in the Transantarctic Mountains, and will provide an age for the youngest glacial beds.
3. A more precise age for the carbonaceous beds may be obtained from fossil pollen and spores to be extracted from samples collected this season. About 15 samples from last season have yielded pollen assemblages, though with varying degrees of preservation, and we hope that these, together with microfossils from samples collected this season, will allow detailed correlation with Australian microfloral zones.
4. Further geological data were gathered for the compilation of a 1:250,000 map of the Mount Harmsworth 'Quadrangle', being prepared from the U.S. Geological Survey's reconnaissance series as a topographic base. Reconnaissance mapping of areas of Beacon strata in this area is now complete, and the University of Wyoming is providing data on areas of basement rock that they have been working on in the southeast corner of the sheet. In addition most of the Beacon areas on the Taylor Glacier sheet to the north have been mapped.page 8
5. Samples were collected from the rhythmically layered Mount Warren intrusion for Mr. Grapes to continue his study (Grapes and Reid, 1971) of this unusual feature. From the same camp a stratigraphic section through the Aztec Siltstone was measured. This will be included by Mr. J. McPherson in his M. Sc. thesis on the depositional environment and geochemistry of the Aztec Siltstone, which is based largely on last season's fieldwork.