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The Ameghino Formation is a section of the eastern Antarctic Peninsula called Cape Longing. Before the paleontological site was uncovered, Cape Longing was discovered by a Swedish Antartic Expedition in 1902. The leader of the expedition was named Otto Nordenskäld, after which the northeastern coast is named, this coast is often used to describe the Ameghino Formation’s region. However, to be more specific, the formation is located in a small section near the opening of the bay where Cape Longing is situated.

Upon paleontological and Geological study, it was discovered that the site was made up of 5 different deposits of Radiolaria- rich mudstones where there are volcanic sediments from the Late Jurassic period to the Early Cretaceous period, about 79 million years of our world’s history. This site is important not only because it has large deposits of organic materials that can be used to advance our own hydrocarbon production but also because the strata can help us observe the history of our world. Many paleontological and geological dig sites have been influenced by human activity over the centuries. The Ameghino Formation holds special value because of its remoteness and protection from frequent human activity and there is much we can learn from what it holds: an intimate story of our history that has remained mostly untouched by humans besides the occasional research team. It has many secrets that can help us better understand the history of our world. For example, one of the primary research teams in the Ameghino region reported “the presence of a rich flora similar to that of the Mount Flora and tectonically highly deformed rocks not observed before.”

By looking at the Diagenesis history, “All the chemical, physical, and biologic changes undergone by a sediment after its initial deposition” scientists are able to discover new things about the evolution of the earth. The strata (layers of rock and sediment deposits) can be used for relative dating that helps to place “fossils in a temporal sequence by noting their positions in layers of rocks...” In addition, “these strata form climate analogues that help in the interpretation of climate change impacts.” This article will focus on each essential feature of the Ameghino Formation, from the mudstones to the biological evidence in order to demonstrate the historical significance of this site and additionally how we can use it to further our understanding of the climate and our world.

Resources:

- https://sp.lyellcollection.org/content/58/1/397

- https://www.bas.ac.uk/data/our-data/publication/stratigraphy-of-the-upper-jurassic-lower-cretaceous-nordenskjold-formation-of-eastern/

- https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/28266/1/Polarforsch1989_3_6.pdf

- https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/diagenesis

- https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/lines_10

- https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aa7689