Peter Barrett | |
|---|---|
&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:Peter_Barrett_2019_(cropped).jpg) Barrett in 2019 | |
| Born | Peter John Barrett 11 August 1940 Hamilton, New Zealand |
| Alma mater | Ohio State University |
| Known for | Discovery of the first tetrapod fossils (Antarctica, 1967) |
| Spouse |
Maxine Frances Stone
(m. 1977) |
| Children | 6 |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Victoria University of Wellington |
| Theses | |
| Doctoral students | Rob McKay |
| Other notable students | Nancy Bertler |
Peter John Barrett NZAM (born 11 August 1940) is a New Zealand geologist who came to prominence after discovering the first tetrapod fossils in Antarctica in 1967.[1]
- ^ "Peter Barrett and Antarctica". nzhistory.net.nz. 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
New Zealander Peter Barrett discovered the first tetrapod remains in Antarctica in 1967. Subsequent research that identified the remains provided the first evidence that land vertebrates had roamed Antarctica when its climate was warm, and lent support to the then controversial theories of continental drift and Gondwanaland. But Barrett's contribution to Antarctic science goes beyond his 'serendipitous discovery' as a doctoral student. He has also been acknowledged as the 'supremo' of the geological drilling community in the Antarctic for his work in this area from the 1970s onwards.