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 ODE TO EYROPS

About the 2015 Annual Meeting Logo

The 75^th anniversary meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology will be held in Dallas, Texas. The great state of Texas is fortunate to encompass a broad spectrum of geological regions, providing a diverse range of paleontological exploration and discoveries within the state.  From the classic Permian redbeds of north-central Texas, to the fossil-rich Late Triassic exposures of the Texas Panhandle, Cretaceous exposures from the Big Bend region of western Texas stretching across the state beyond Dallas and Austin, through the broad expanse of Cenozoic coastal plain deposits in the south and east, and a rich Pleistocene record all across the state, Texas provides a remarkable breadth of paleontological opportunities. Even within a two hour’s drive from Dallas one can find Permian, Early Cretaceous, Late Cretaceous, Paleogene, and Pleistocene vertebrate fossil-bearing sites.  This remarkable diversity of paleontological resources also means it is difficult to identify any one, ubiquitous fossil or iconic fossil taxon as representative of the area.  The 2015 SVP meeting logo therefore embraces the fossil richness of the entire state of Texas, using the silhouette of the state emblazoned with the colors and styling of the distinctive Lone Star flag of Texas.

Another component of the 2015 SVP meeting logo is the use of the Society’s classic emblem, drawn by Margaret Colbert in 1943.  Dallas was the home of Jacob Boll (1828-1880), a student of Louis Agassiz who established the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard.  Boll first collected Permian vertebrate fossils from Archer County, Texas.  Boll gave the fossils he collected to Edward Drinker Cope, who would designate one as the type of Eryops megacephalus.  Boll would go on to collect in the Permian red beds of Texas for E. D. Cope in the late 1870s, until Boll’s death in the field in 1880.  The four fossil vertebrae incorporated into the SVP logo are those of Eryops.  The incorporation of the Society’s emblem in the 2015 SVP Annual Meeting logo serves as a reminder of the historical link between Dallas, Texas paleontology, and the 75 year history of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.

75th Annual Meeting Host Committee