Conodont fossil
Principal Investigator
Project summary
- Focus: Reconstructing the biostratigraphy and palaeogeography of conodont faunas from the Middle East
Our conodont research focuses on several important Ordovician and Silurian faunas from the Middle East.
Our research is particularly important for reconstructing the biostratigraphy and palaeogeography of the Middle East, as relatively few conodont faunas have been published from the area.
Conodonts from the Silurian of Iran
Silurian conodonts of Iran collected by Dr Vachik Hairapetian (Islamic Azad University, Esfahan, Iran) are being investigated with Dr Peep Männik (Tallinn Technical University, Estonia).
As conodont fauna from this area are relatively unstudied, our collections represent an important taxonomic resource.
Specimens from our collection are being used to date faunas already published from this area, including:
- microvertebrates
- ostracods
Ordovician of Oman
Recent acquisitions from the Ordovician of Oman have resulted from collaborations with:
- Dr Alan Heward (Petrogas, Oman)
- Dr Ivan Sansom (University of Birmingham)
These collections are providing geological dating evidence for coeval discoveries of early fish and crinoid remains recently published from the area.
Museum staff
Related information
Origins, evolution and futures research
We study the Earth's origins and environment, and the evolution of life.
Economic and environmental earth sciences research
Researching the formation, discovery and sustainability of Earth's resources.
Conodont collection
The Museum's collection of conodont microfossils is particularly strong in Carboniferous material.