middlePalaeozoic correlation chart for the Asian sector of north Gondwanaland for presentation at the meeting in Pakistan in 1999. This project will greatly assist in resolving complex stratigraphic alignments in an region poorly understood at the start of IGCP421.
There were two other conference field trips: a one day trip (Dec. 14) to Devonian sections at Chah-Riseh close to Isfahan, and following on from the conference we travelled on Dec. 15 by coach to an overnight stay in Shiraz after a dusk visit to the ruins of Pasargade (the ancient capital of Cyrus the Great). On the morning of Dec. 16 we visited Naght-e-Rostam (where tombs attributed to Xerxes, Darius I, Darius II and Artaxerxes are located) and finally the fabled Persepolis. Eventually we set off for Kerman (800 km) by coach, passing first the salt Tashk Lake east of Shiraz and crossing the Zagros front via Neyriz and Sirjan before being welcomed in the wee hours by Mike Bassett and Mohammad Dastanpour. In the Kerman region, our accommodation was in University guest houses, and we all enjoyed typical Persian breakfasts and delightful Persian meals in the evenings.
Finally came a 4-day field trip in the Kerman region (17-20 Dec.) examining primarily Devonian sequences yielding new macrofossil data. We visited sections at Gerik, Shams Abad, Hutk and Bidu, all exposing largely late Devonian strata with rich coral, brachiopod and stromatoporoid faunas. One cultural highlight was a visit to the mud city of Bam (famous for its black dates) where eucalypts, casuarinas and mimosas thrive in the fertile and well-watered environment. En route to Bam, we visited the Dorah Shah Cambrian limestone with its rich trilobite and stromatolite remains, and some delegates were able to study the nearby fish- bearing Late Devonian strata. In Kerman, we visited the offices of the Geological Survey and were able to organise purchase of obscure Iranian geological literature.
The logistical difficulties of organising an international conference and field trips in a nation that has been isolated from much of the rest of the world for many years are immense. The hunger for international scientific collaboration and literature was obvious; Universities, the Geological Survey of Iran, and numerous mines welcomed delegates and participated in the venture by organising local IGCP421 meetings, discussion groups, tours, or by simply hosting a function. Some delegates were interviewed by a range of media; all were welcomed into laboratories, shown numerous specimens, engaged in endless discussion by eager students, and overwhelmed by hospitality. Almost every delegate enjoyed the hospitality of the GSI in Tehran, and many visited their offices and held discussions with Iranian colleagues. The success of this venture was a great illustration of the value of UNESCO's IGCP

program. We salute our Iranian hosts and IGCP leaders, and thank them for this marvellous opportunity. A meeting volume is expected to appear in the supplement series to the Records of the Western Australian Museumlate in 2000.

From the Isfahan Abstracts volume:- Hairapetian, V. & Gholamalian, H. 1998. First
report on the Late Devonian fish remains
and microvertebrate fragments in the
Chahriseh area, north east of Esfahan,
Iran. In Mawson, R., Talent, J., Wilson, G.
& Cockle, P. (Editors) Abstract Book,
Isfahan Meeting IGCP 421, North
Gondwanan mid-Palaeozoic
bioevent/biogeography patterns in relation
to crustal dynamics. p. 15
Hampe, O. 1998. Remains of Phoebodus
from the Upper Devonian (Middle
Famennian) of northwestern Iran
(Chondrichthys; Elasmobranchii). Op. cit.,
p. 16.
Schultze, H-P. Fishes from the Lower
Devonian of the Canadian Arctic. Op. cit.,
p. 32.
Yazdi, M. & Turner, S. 1998. Vertebrates
from the Early Carboniferous of the
Shotori Range, Tabas, eastern Iran. Op.
cit., 42-43.
Yazdi, M., Turner, S. & Manani, M. 1998.
Discovery of new conodont and
microvertebrate remains in the Late
Devonian of the Shotori Range, eastern
Iran. Op. cit., p. 43.
Young, G.C. 1998. North Gondwana Mid-
Palaeozoic connections with Euramerica
and Asia: Devonian vertebrate evidence.
Op. cit., 44-45.

John Long, Western Australian Museum Andrew Simpson, Macquarie University Tony Wright, University of Wollongong Gavin Young, Australian National University

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