TWINNING PROGRAM WITH ESTONIA, LATVIA, AND LITHUANIA

The primary objective of this U.S.-Estonian collaboration is to make direct comparison of the distribution of Baltic conodont faunas with mid-continent North American faunas across supposed oceanic events and episodes that occurred during the Silurian period (438 to 408 million years ago). Research during the first year of the project concentrated on the evaluation of species-level taxonomy of conodonts, which were tiny marine animals that lived during the Paleozoic Era. Now long extinct, they have left behind only their microscopic fossilized jaws and teeth. Comparing such microfossils found in the Baltics with those found in mid-continent North America should be helpful in evaluating the similarity in timing and magnitude of oceanic events and in estimating their geographic extent.

During his first visit to the Tallinn Technical University Institute of Geology in May-June 2000, James Barrick spent considerable time examining the conodont collections in consultation with his colleague, Peep Männik. Taking advantage of a new Twinning Program feature allowing for side collaborations with colleagues in Nordic countries, he also made a week-long visit to the University of Lund to consult with Lennart Jeppsson, creator of an oceanic model based on Baltic conodonts. In August 2000, Männik traveled to Lubbock for a month-long visit during which he examined coeval mid-continent North American collections, checking to see if a consistent and uniform conodont taxonomy had been employed. As a result of the exchange of visits, Barrick reports that "although it is clear that the conodont faunas from the two regions differ in some aspects, it was confirmed that similar species-level distinctions are being made in both regions. However, we discovered that some species-level taxonomy employed by Jeppsson in his formulation of the model had not been used or not correctly applied in North American collections."

In just the first year of the project, the benefits of collaboration are already apparent. Both Barrick and Männik have benefited by their exposure to faunas from previously less-familiar geographic regions and periods. The ability to interact with Jeppsson in discussing his oceanic model and examining his conodont collections has also been critical. According to Barrick, "our collaborative efforts have already permitted each of us to vastly increase our understanding of Silurian conodont taxonomy, evolution, and biostratigraphy, and in time will yield a clearer view of the response of conodonts to oceanic events and episodes."

Update on Activities during 2001

Peep Männik made his second visit to Texas Tech from March 4 through April 29, 2001, during which he and James Barrick continued work they initiated in 2000 on the species-level taxonomy of conodonts. Besides working with the conodont collections at Lubbock, Männick and Barrick had the opportunity to examine fossils from the Canadian Arctic during a brief visit to the Geological Survey of Canada in Calgary. They also studied collections from the Great Lakes region and Western North America when the attended a regional section meeting of the Geological Society of America in Illinois, at which Barrick presented a paper on his recent findings. On their way to Illinois, the two colleagues stopped at various points to examine sites where fossils had been collected.

In May and June 2001, Barrick traveled to Europe, where he first spent a week working with Lennart Jeppson in Lund, Sweden, followed by three weeks in Tallinn with Männick. While in Estonia, he had the opportunity to study the Estonian Late Silurian conodont collections of Professor Viive Viira and to make several field visits to significant Silurian sites on mainland Estonia and its Baltic islands. All in all, in wrapping up the two-year project, Barrick reports that "new information confirmed that species-level taxonomy of the coniform-bearing species is in disarray, which will hinder evaluation of the episodes and events on a global basis until the taxonomy is resolved." To this end, he and Männick have already begun revising the species of three of the most common coniform-bearing genera, Dapilodus, Panderodus, and Walliserodus. As a result of their collaboration, the two partners have gained a better understanding of conodont faunas on a global scale and have developed and strengthened ties with other conodont researchers working in North America and Europe. Their work has received solid support within the conodont community, and they have been invited to present a paper at the Eighth European Conodont Symposium in the summer of 2002. The challenge now will be to find funding for the various research projects they have developed.