[2] Recent work has successfully correlated the Upper Section Peak Formation, as well unnamed deposits in Convoy Range and Ricker Hills with the Lower Hanson, all likely of Sinemurian age and connected by layers of silicic ash, while the upper section has been found to be Pliensbachian, and correlated with a greater volcanic pulse, marked by massive ash inputs.

[13] The local Jurassic sandstones were included in the Victoria Group, with the Beacon unit defined as a supergroup in 1972, comprising beds overlying the pre-Devonian Kukri erosion surface to the Prebble Formation in the central Transantarctic Mountains and the Mawson Formation (and its unit, then separated, the Carapace Sandstone) in southern Victoria Land.

[16][17] A complete record was recovered at Mount Falla, revealing the sequence of events in the Transantarctic Mountains spanning the interval between the Upper Triassic Dicroidium-bearing beds and the Middle Jurassic tholeiitic lavas.

[16] The upper part of the Falla Formation contains recognizable primary pyroclastic deposits, exemplified by resistant, laterally continuous silicic tuff beds, that led this to be considered a different formation, especially as it shows erosion associated with tectonic activity that preceded or accompanied the silicic volcanism and marked the onset of the development of a volcano-tectonic rift system.

[2] The Hanson Formation accumulated in a rift environment located between c. 60 and 70S, fringing the East Antarctic Craton behind the active Panthalassan margin of southern Gondwana, being dominated by two types of facies: coarse- to medium-grained sandstone and tuffaceous rocks & minerals on the fluvial strata, which suggest the deposits where influenced by a large period of silicic volcanism, maybe more than 10 million years based on the thickness.

[19] When looking at the composition of this tuffs, fine grain sizes, along others aspects such as bubble-wall and tricuspate shard form or crystal-poor nature trends to suggest this volcanic events developed as distal Plinian Eruptions (extremely explosive eruptions), with some concrete layers with mineral grains of bigger size showing that some sectors where more proximal to volcanic sources.

[19] The distribution of some tuffs with accretionary lapilli, found scattered geographically and stratigraphically suggest transport by ephemeral river streams, as seen in the Oruanui Formation of New Zealand.

Overall, the unit deposition bear similarities to the several-hundredmetres-thick High Plains Cenozoic sequence of eastern Wyoming, Nebraska and South Dakota, with the fine-grained ash derived from distal volcanoes.

Compared with the underlying Triassic layers, warm and overall humid, possibly more strongly seasonal, specially notorious by the abundance of Cheirolepidiaceae pollen, a key thermophilic element.

Despite the proper conditions, peat accumulation was rare, mostly due to the influence of local volcanism, with common wildfire activity as show charred coalified plant remains.

[20] At Mount Carson associations of sphenophyte rhizomes and aerial stems, as well isoetalean leaves suggest the presence of overbank deposits that were developed in ephemeral pools that lasted enough to be colonized by semiaquatic plants.

Kirkpatrick Three metre-wide pelvis, Ilium, isolated Vertebrae and Limb elements A possible stem sauropod of some short (Pulanesaura-grade?, Lessemsauridae?).

Lioestheria[45] Lower and Middle Hanson Formation Isolated valves A clam shrimp (“conchostracan”), member of the family Lioestheriinae.

Ostracoda[44] Indeterminate (various) Middle Hanson Formation Isolated valves Numerous ostracodan remains, found associated with lagoonar deposits and indicators of water bodies locally along Scoyenia burrows and conchostracans Palaeolimnadia[45] Lower and Middle Hanson Formation Isolated valves A clam shrimp (“conchostracan”), member of the family Limnadiidae.

Common Planolites burrows on bedding planes document high water tables locally, as well humid atmospheric conditions Scoyenia[44] S. isp.

[46] In the north Victoria Land region, plant remains occur at the base of the lacustrine beds directly underlying the initial pillow lavas at the top of the sedimentary profile.

Some of the layers of Shafer Peak include remains of an in situ stand gymnosperm trees: Likely that (at least parts of) the palynomorph contents of these samples may derive from accessory clasts of underlying host strata that were incorporated and reworked during hydrovolcanic activity[47] Alisporites[48] Lower Hanson Formation Pollen Affinities with the families Caytoniaceae, Corystospermaceae, Peltaspermaceae, Umkomasiaceae and Voltziaceae Aratrisporites[48] Lower Hanson Formation Spores Affinities with Pleuromeiales.

By the Pliensbachian, Cheirolepidiaceae reduce their abundance, with coeval proliferation of the Araucariaceae-type pollen Baculatisporites[48] Lower Hanson Formation Spores Affinities with the family Osmundaceae.

Allocladus[20] Mount Carson Lower and Middle Hanson Formation Cuticles A member of the Pinales of the family Cheirolepidiaceae or Araucariaceae.

Cladophlebis[49][50] C. oblonga Carapace Nunantak (reworked) Shafer Peak Middle Hanson Formation Leaves and stems A Polypodiopsidan of the family Osmundaceae.

Clathropteris[20][51] C. meniscoides Shafer Peak Mount Carson Lower and Middle Hanson Formation Leaf segments A Polypodiopsidan of the family Dipteridaceae.

[51] Coniopteris[20] C. hymenophylloides Mount Carson Lower and Middle Hanson Formation Pinna fragments A Polypodiopsidan of the family Polypodiales.

[52] Cycadolepis[20] Mount Carson Lower and Middle Hanson Formation Trapeziform fragment of a scale leaf A cycadophyte of the family Bennettitales.

Dicroidium plants only gradually began to disappear and lingered on in Jurassic floras as minor relictual elements in more modern vegetation communities dominated by conifers, Bennettitales, and various ferns.

[1] Equisetites[20] Indeterminate Mount Carson Lower and Middle Hanson Formation Fragments of rhizomes, unbranched aerial shoots, isolated leaf sheaths and nodal diaphragms A sphenophyte of the family Equisetaceae.

[53] Otozamites[20] O. sanctae-crucis Mount Carson Shafer Peak Lower and Middle Hanson Formation Pinnately compound leaves A cycadophyte of the family Bennettitales.

Pagiophyllum[49][50][20] Indeterminate Carapace Nunantak (reworked) Mount Carson Middle Hanson Formation Cuticles A member of the Pinales of the family Araucariaceae.

Schizolepidopsis[20] Indeterminate Mount Carson Lower and Middle Hanson Formation Cone scales A member of the Pinales of the family Pinaceae.

Spiropteris[20] Indeterminate Mount Carson Lower and Middle Hanson Formation Fragment of an up to 2 mm long coiledpteridophyll crozier A Fern of Uncertain relationships.

Spiropteris represents fossils of Coiled fern leaves Zamites[20] Lower and Middle Hanson Formation Fragment of a large, pinnately compound leaf A cycadophyte of the family Bennettitales.