10th Conference on Australasian Vertebrate Evolution Palaeontology and
Systematics (CAVEPS)
and
Quaternary Extinctions Symposium
Naracoorte, South Australia, AUSTRALIA
March 29th to April 2nd 2005.
FINAL CIRCULAR
Introduction
The 10th CAVEPS will be held at the World Heritage listed Naracoorte Caves
National Park and nearby Naracoorte township, approximately 340 km SE of
Adelaide (capital city of South Australia), in the Limestone Coast region
of South Australia.
CAVEPS is a biennial meeting of Australasian vertebrate palaeontologists.
CAVEPS 2005 will consist of 3 days of general sessions including papers on
all aspects of vertebrate palaeontology, followed by a 2 day symposium
which will focus on Quaternary extinctions and dating applications.
Included in the general sessions will be a special session Devonian fish
and a session on cave palaeontology which will be held in the historic
Blanche Cave. In addition to the main sessions, a student forum will be
held where students can present their project proposals or work in progress
and benefit from professional input.
The conference will be held during the AVCC (Australian Vice Chancellors
Commission) common vacation week and will begin on Tuesday 29th of March
(Monday 28th is Easter Monday) and end on Saturday 2nd of April.
Organisational progress
The organisation of the 2005 CAVEPS and Quaternary Extinctions meeting is
progressing very well. This circular provides more detail regarding the
organisation of the conference. If you have not received previous circulars
these can be downloaded from the web site (see below).
Abstracts for presentations are now due on 31st January with final
registration on 7th February. A draft programme of speakers will be
circulated to delegates after final registrations.
Papers are invited for the conference proceeding volume. Please see full
details in this circular.
Web site
All circulars will be posted on the Naracoorte Caves website along with
registration forms and other relevant information. Please go to
http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/naracoorte/events.html. The URL
http://www.naracoortecaves.sa.gov.au is also in operation as an alternative
address.
**NEW SESSION**
"Exceptionally preserved Devonian fish faunas of East Gondwana - faunal
context for tetrapod origins"
Convenors: Dr Gavin Young & Dr John Long
We invite papers on the subject of exceptionally well-preserved fossil fish
faunas from East Gondwana (Australia, Antarctica), with especial reference
to those leading to the line of tetrapods or those reflecting new
anatomical information that has significant bearing on the phylogeny of the
group. By exceptional preservation we refer to three-dimensional
acid-prepared specimens or articulated complete material.
Further enquiries please contact Gavin Young gyoung at ems.anu.edu.au or John
Long jlong at museum.vic.gov.au.
TENISON-WOODS Cave palaeontology session
The Naracoorte Caves National Park is a World Heritage listed fossil site,
so it is appropriate that a session deals specifically with cave deposits.
The final day of general sessions (Thursday 31st March) will be a special
session focusing on cave palaeontology. It will explore the question -
"What contribution have cave sites made to our understanding of vertebrate
history". Convening this session will be Professor Ernest Lundelius, Dr
Mike Augee, Dr Liz Reed and Mr Steven Bourne.
Contributions covering all aspects of cave palaeontology (eg. faunas,
geology, site studies, taphonomy, dating) are invited. The session will be
dedicated to Reverend Julian Tenison-Woods who conducted the first
palaeontological research at Naracoorte Caves during the mid 19th century.
Tenison-Woods was an extraordinary scholar and scientist. He published
widely on topics ranging from Tertiary invertebrates to Pleistocene cave
deposits. In 1862, his book, Geological Observations in South Australia,
Principally in the District Southeast of Adelaide was published in London.
It contained the first published description of the Naracoorte Caves and
the bone deposits contained within them. This session will be held in the
spacious Blanche Cave, the site of Tenison-Wood's early investigations.
QUATERNARY EXTINCTIONS SYMPOSIUM
A two day thematic symposium exploring Quaternary extinctions will follow
the general and cave sessions. Papers are invited for this symposium which
will cover a wide range of relevant topics including: dating and extinction
chronologies, causes and patterns of extinction, significant site studies,
background and review studies, island extinctions and modern extinctions.
Keynote speakers for the Extinction symposium include Professor Anthony
Barnosky from the University of California at Berkeley and Professor Alan
Cooper from the University of Oxford.
It has been nearly eight years since the last Extinction symposium in
Australia and there has been a lot of new research since then. There has
been a high level of interest in the 2005 symposium with many eminent
international extinction scientists indicating they will attend. This
symposium will offer an excellent opportunity for those interested in
Quaternary extinctions to present their research and discuss issues with
the leaders in the field. The proceedings volume will include a thematic
series from the symposium providing a forum for delegates to publish papers
covering a range of extinction topics in a single volume.
CALL FOR PAPERS
Papers are invited for CAVEPS 2005 and the Quaternary Extinctions
Symposium. Papers on any aspect of vertebrate palaeontology are welcome for
the general sessions eg. systematics and taxonomy, functional morphology,
evolution, palaeoecology, palaeobiogeography, chronology, taphonomy,
stratigraphy and sedimentology (of fossil sites), fossil preparation,
fossil site studies. Papers are also invited for the Devonian fish session
and Cave palaeontology session. The first session of the opening day will
cover fossil-based tourism, education, fossil site management, preservation
and interpretation; papers are invited for this session.
Papers are invited for the Quaternary Extinctions symposium. This symposium
will cover a wide range of relevant topics including: dating and extinction
chronologies, causes and patterns of extinction, significant site studies,
background and reviews, island extinctions, modern extinctions.
Students are strongly encouraged to participate and make presentations.
There will be student prizes for spoken papers and posters.
FINAL CIRCULAR
This posting provides only a brief summary of the final circular. For full
details regarding CAVEPS 2005 and the Extinctions Symposium please go to
http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/naracoorte/events.html where the
complete final circular, registration form and other important documents
are available for download. Due to the size of the files we have not
attached them to this email, but if you are having trouble downloading them
please contact the organisers.
Thank you
CAVEPS 2005, Naracoorte, South Australia.
Contact:
Liz Reed email: liz.reed at flinders.edu.au
or Steven Bourne email: Bourne.Steven at saugov.sa.gov.au
Formal postal address: CAVEPS 2005
c/- Naracoorte Caves National Park, PO Box 134,
Naracoorte South Australia 5271, AUSTRALIA
Phone: +61 (08) 8762 3412