Research Interests

           Through the coincidences of graduate school, my research projects have primarily spanned the Upper Cretaceous, Paleocene, and early Eocene, which means an ongoing interest is the pattern of continental molluscan extinction and recovery across the K/T boundary. Also because of where my initial research was undertaken, I have had an ongoing interest in the timing and paleoenvironments of the movements of the Western Interior Seaway in the northern Great Plains and, specifically, the Cannonball Sea (Cannonball Formation), representing the last marine environments in the interior of North America.

Continental Molluscan Studies

            Joseph's continental molluscan studies encompass a number of interests and include much enjoyed collaborative research. One study of recent activity and ongoing interest is on the diverse freshwater molluscan assemblage and its extinction at or near the end of the Cretaceous.

What's the fuss? This sculptured unionid clam was described from the type area of the Hell Creek Formation in Garfield County, Montana. Nearly as soon as it was described, T.D.A. Cockerell recognized that this form and the assemblage to which it belongs does not appear to exist beyond the extinction of the dinosaurs. This idea was based on nearly no data, but has proven to be true in large degree. One of my research interests is documenting and describing the pattern and rate of origination/immigration and extinction of molluscan taxa in the Williston Basin, in particular, and elsewhere in North America.

Hartman Project Areas

Location: Williston Basin, North Dakota and Montana    In North Dakota Continental uppermost Cretaceous and K/T Boundary Studies Hell-Creek-Ludlow Formations in south-central North Dakota In Montana Continental uppermost Cretaceous and K/T Boundary Studies Hell Creek-Ludlow Formation Studies in Makoshika State Park Hell Creek-Tullock Formation Studies in the type area of the Hell Creek Formation Location: Williston Basin, North Dakota and Montana In North Dakota Continental Paleocene Studies Type Fort Union Group Studies Location: Williston Basin, North Dakota and Montana In North Dakota Continental Paleocene Studies Fort Union Group along Missouri River Location: Williston Basin, North Dakota and Montana In North Dakota Continental Paleocene Studies Fort Union Group along Little Missouri River Location: Williston Basin, North Dakota and Montana In North Dakota Marine Paleocene Studies Cannonball Formation (Main Body and Tongues) Intertonguing Marine Beds Intertonguing Continental Beds Location: Crazy Mountains Basin, Montana Upper Cretaceous-Palocene Continental Studies Location: Powder River Basin, northeastern Wyoming nad southeastern Montana Continental Uppermost Cretaceous Paleocene and Early Eocene Studies Lance-Fort Union-"Wasatch" Formations Location: Bighorn Basin, northwestern Wyoming and south-central Montana Continental Paleocene and Early Eocene Studies Fort Union-Willwood Formations San Juan Basin, New Mexico Upper Cretaceous Continental and Marine Studies Fruitland - Kirkland Formations     Canadian Research Location: Southern Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan, and Southern Alberta, Canada Upper Cretaceous-Palocene and K/T Boundary Studies Madagascar Research Location: Mahajanga Basin, northwestern Madagascar Continental and Marine Upper Cretaceous and Paleocene Studies India Research Location: Western Peninsula India Upper Cretaceous Studies Molluscan Paleontology of the Deccan Trap Sequence

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