Academic Interest
Jeffrey W. Martz studies the Upper Triassic stratigraphy and vertebrate paleontology of the western United States. Dr. Martz is interested in understanding the environmental and evolutionary changes that allowed dinosaurs to become the dominant land animals early in the Mesozoic Era over 200 million years ago. In addition to studying the systematics of early dinosauromorphs and pseudosuchian archosaurs, he is currently developing detailed lithostratigraphic and biostratigraphic models for the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation in western North America that will be used to track the relationship between paleoenvironmental (especially paleoclimatic) change and paleoecology. Much of his work has focused on increasing the methodological rigor of Late Triassic paleontological and stratigraphic research.
Publications:
J.W. Martz, Kirkland, J.I., DeBlieux, D.D., Suarez, C.A., and Santucci, V.L. 2015. Stratigraphy of the Chinle Formation (Upper Triassic) and Moenave Formation (Upper Triassic-Lower Jurassic) in the southwestern part of Zion National Park, Washington County, Utah. Utah Geological Survey unpublished report.
J.W. Martz, R.B. Irmis, and A.R.C. Milner. 2014. Lithostratigraphy and biostratigraphy of the Chinle Formation (Upper Triassic) in Lisbon Valley, southeastern Utah. In MacLean, J.S., Biek, R.F. and Huntoon, J.E. (eds.) Geology of Utah's Far South, UGA publication no. 43, p. 307-448.
J.W. Martz, B. Mueller, S.J. Nesbitt, M.R. Stocker, W.G. Parker, M. Atanassov, N. Fraser, J. Weinbaum, and J. Lehane. 2013. A taxonomic and biostratigraphic re-evaluation of the Post Quarry vertebrate assemblage from the Cooper Canyon Formation (Dockum Group, Upper Triassic) of southern Garza County, western Texas. Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh vol. 103, no. 3-4, pp. 339-364.
J.W. Martz, W.G. Parker, L. Skinner, J.J. Raucci. 2012. Geologic map of Petrified Forest National Park. Arizona Geological Society, 1 sheet, scale 1:50,000. http://repository.azgs.az.gov/uri_gin/azgs/dlio/1487
J.W. Martz, and W.G. Parker. 2010. Revised lithostratigraphy of the Sonsela Member (Chinle Formation, Upper Triassic) in the southern part of Petrified Forest National Park, northeastern Arizona. PLoS ONE 5(2): e9329. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0009329
Award:
2011 Society of Vertebrate Paleontology John J. Lazendorf Prize for Scientific Illustration