Luke Weaver, an anthropology major with a minor in geology, presented his capstone research project, “Lateral and temporal distribution of early Eocene primates in relation to relative paleosol maturity, Willwood Formation, Bighorn Bason, Wyoming,” at the Western Association of Vertebrate Paleontologists (WAVP) Conference

Luke Weaver, an anthropology major with a minor in geology, presented his capstone research project, “Lateral and temporal distribution of early Eocene primates in relation to relative paleosol maturity, Willwood Formation, Bighorn Bason, Wyoming,” at the Western Association of Vertebrate Paleontologists (WAVP) Conference held at California State University-Stanislaus on February 14, 2015 in Turlock, California. The Willwood Formation is a sedimentary soil sequence that can be found in Bighorn Basin, Wyoming with vast exposures of fossiliferous paleosols, ancient soils, and a soil maturity that is based on proximity to ancient stream channels. Luke’s research considered the relationship between paleosol maturity and primate species distribution to potentially determine the microhabitat preference of early Eocene primates. Data from the Paleontology Field School Lab housed in our Department of Anthropology was used for Luke’s research. The preliminary investigation suggests that paleosol maturity may not be a reliable proxy for determining the microhabitat preferences of early Eocene primates. The method may be better utilized examining taphonomic processes and determining the formation of a particular fossil locality temporally.

Luke will present a poster on this research at Colorado State University’s Celebrate Undergraduate Research and Creativity in April and the Rocky Mountain Geological Society of America meeting in May. During the past couple summers, Luke has participated in the Department of Anthropology’s Paleontology Field School, Iowa State Geology Field Camp, and with the Johns Hopkins Paleontology Field Crew; in addition, he is currently working on research and a publication with Kim Nichols and Thomas Bown. With an upcoming graduation in May, Luke is in the process of interviewing for Ph.D. graduate programs in Vertebrate Paleontology at the University of Washington, University of Kansas, and UC Santa Barbara.

Weaver, Lucas N. and Kimberly A. Nichols (2015). Lateral and temporal distribution of early Eocene primates in relation to relative paleosol maturity, Willwood Formation, Bighorn Basin, Wyoming. Abstract, PaleoBios 32(1):17.