FOSSIL MAMMALS OF THE MIDDLE RIO GRANDE-ANNOTATED DATASET AND BIBLIOGRAPHY OF NEW MEXICO VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY

The current Middle Rio Grande Project of the U.S. Geological Survey is the most recent large-scale cooperative investigation. The focus of this report is to include the rich history of mammalian vertebrate paleontology in the ongoing process of resolving geologic time and stratigraphy in north central New Mexico. There is more than 140 years of vertebrate paleontology research by many of the field’s most prominent scientists. The structure of the current USGS does not include a paleontology branch. To encourage a liaison between current USGS geologic mappers and paleontologists, as well as the enormous body of historical work, we have focussed efforts on two primary components (1) a dataset of the Middle Rio Grande mammal fossils and (2) a compiled vertebrate paleontology bibliography of New Mexico. We have accumulated data for more than 1,100 published specimens, ranging from Cretaceous into Recent “archeological” times. The dataset is a compilation of the published localities and specimens, along with available stratigraphic, lithologic or absolute dating information. Our Bibliography of New Mexico Vertebrate Paleontology brings the previous general paleontology bibliography by Kues and Northrup (1981) up to date. The framework of a CD-ROM allows ample space to include digital images (scalable) and text of several important early landmark publications from the Pacific Railroad Survey, Hayden Survey, and Wheeler Survey. “Background” and “Illustration” sections display fossil plates, sketches, typical stratigraphic sections, historical documents, and a new phylogenetic chart of the North American camels. This publication seeks to provide a template for geologists to access the historic body of New Mexico’s vertebrate paleontology record.