Honorary Professor Daphne E Lee

Research interests

• Cenozoic paleobotany and paleoclimate
• Cenozoic invertebrate paleontology
• Brachiopoda
• Cenozoic stratigraphy

Foulden Maar

A paleontological site of international significance, Foulden Maar in Otago, New Zealand is home to an amazing record of life on Earth.

Formed by a volcanic eruption 23 million years ago, the maar's undisturbed sedimentary layers are the resting places for countless rare, well-preserved fossils. The site is unsurpassed in the southern hemisphere as a scientific record of changing life and ecosystems at the beginning of the Miocene. Although excavations have been limited to an area the size of a tennis court, Daphne and colleagues have discovered hundreds of undescribed species. The sediments are rich in fossil flowers, fruits, seeds, pollen, and bark from plants, as well as fungi, fish, insects and spiders.

For further information see the publications listed below and the book: Fossil Treasures of Foulden Maar.