Saurian Expedition of 1905
Encyclopedia
The Saurian Expedition of 1905 was a noted paleontological
research mission in northern Nevada
in the United States
. The expedition recovered many of the finest specimens of ichthyosaur
ever found.
The expedition was led by Prof. John C. Merriam
of the University of California
and was financed by Annie Montague Alexander
, who four years earlier as a student in Berkeley
had become interested in Merriam's work. The expedition examined Triassic
limestone
s in the West Humboldt Range
northeast of Reno
, progressing into central Nevada south to the Shoshone Mountains
. Some of the specimens were returned to Berkeley and became part of the collection of the University of California Museum of Paleontology
, which Alexander helped found and underwrite.
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
research mission in northern Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The expedition recovered many of the finest specimens of ichthyosaur
Ichthyosaur
Ichthyosaurs were giant marine reptiles that resembled fish and dolphins...
ever found.
The expedition was led by Prof. John C. Merriam
John C. Merriam
John Campbell Merriam was an American paleontologist. The first vertebrate paleontologist on the West Coast of the United States, he is best known for his taxonomy of vertebrate fossils at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, particularly with the genus Smilodon, more commonly known as the...
of the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
and was financed by Annie Montague Alexander
Annie Montague Alexander
Annie Montague Alexander was an American philanthropist and paleontological collector. She established the University of California Museum of Paleontology , Museum of Vertebrate Zoology , and financed their collections as well as a series of paleontological expeditions to the western United States...
, who four years earlier as a student in Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
had become interested in Merriam's work. The expedition examined Triassic
Triassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
s in the West Humboldt Range
West Humboldt Range
The West Humboldt Range is a short mountain range in the western Great Basin in northwestern Nevada in the United States. It runs for approximately 40 mi southwest to northeast in northern Churchill County and southern Pershing County...
northeast of Reno
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, progressing into central Nevada south to the Shoshone Mountains
Shoshone Mountains
also located in Nye County.The Shoshone Mountains, in central Nevada, make up one of the longest mountain ranges in the state. The range runs in a north-south direction, mostly in Nye County, but also occupies part of Lander County...
. Some of the specimens were returned to Berkeley and became part of the collection of the University of California Museum of Paleontology
University of California Museum of Paleontology
The University of California Museum of Paleontology is a paleontology museum located on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley....
, which Alexander helped found and underwrite.