Paleontology

Gary's primary area of interest is fossil mammals from the younger half of the Cenozoic Era, about the last 35 million years of geologic time. His field and research program in New Mexico concentrates on faunal and biostratigraphic studies of Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene vertebrate sites throughout the state.

I am a vertebrate paleontologist and my research focuses on the Late Cretaceous and Paleogene fossil record of the San Juan Basin, northwestern New Mexico. I am involved in collaborative research that seeks to understand how terrestrial animals, especially mammals, responded to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction and to volatile climate shifts in the first few million years at the beginning of the Age of Mammals. 

I am a paleontologist and stratigrapher who specializes in the study of late Paleozoic, Mesozoic and early Cenozoic vertebrate fossils and continental deposits, particularly in the American Southwest.

Fossil collecting is an extensive endeavor that involves numerous distinct steps and specialized professionals. These steps include Research, Field Work (prospecting and quarrying), Fossil Preparation, Collection Management (storage), and Exhibition (display), any of which can take multiple years!