An international team of scientists from South Africa, Canada, and the United States, has been looking for new clues to one of the world’s greatest mysteries–the end Permian extinction event–near Graaf Reinet.

 The team consists of Johann Neveling (Council for Geosciences), Rose Prevec (Albany Museum, Grahamstown), Sandra Kamo (University of Toronto), John Geissman (University of Texas-Dallas), and Robert Gastaldo (Colby College) and three students–Tara Chizinski, Dan Langwenya, and Kody Spencer. 

Previously, these researchers have reported on new fossil beds in the area containing an ancient forest-floor litter demonstrating that the Karoo once was covered in trees growing in wet conditions.  Their current field work has uncovered another fossil site containing the same trees and ground cover plants, as well as remains of extinct reptiles.  Although today the Karoo is a hot, dry desert, this wasn’t always the case.

Two hundred and fifty million years ago, the Karoo saw a landscape covered in trees and consisted of a very different ecological structure.  This research team is involved in learning more about this deep time, and how it may serve as a model for changing climates of the present. To keep up to date look at the Blog they are keeping: Two hundred and fifty million years ago, the Karoo saw a landscape covered in trees and consisted of a very different ecological structure.  This research team is involved in learning more about this deep time, and how it may serve as a model for changing climates of the present. To keep up to date look at the Blog they are keeping.