Using explosion source, seismic refraction data, recorded in the 1978 and 1980 Yellowstone‐Snake River Plain seismic experiments, a three‐dimensional inversion of differential P wave attenuation was used to assess the relative variations in Q−1 in and around the volcanically active, 45 km by 70 km, Yellowstone caldera, northwestern Wyoming. Differential attenuation was derived from spectral decay of upper crustal Pg phases, observed from six explosions and recorded at 90 temporary stations. Because of the relatively short time windows used to determine the spectral content, a maximum entropy technique was employed to estimate the spectra that yielded an optimally small variance. Differential P wave attenuation was calculated from least squares determinations of the spectral ratios corrected for source and path effects. The observed differential attenuation parameters were then inverted using a weighted least squares technique for a discretized, 70×105 km, three‐dimensional surface and upper crustal Q−1 model of the Yellowstone caldera and surrounding region. Results showed that the surface layer, to depths of 2 km within the Yellowstone caldera, is characterized by relatively high attenuation with low Q values less than 30, compared to values of 38 to 50 outside the caldera. The higher attenuation in the caldera's surface layer is thought to be associated with Quaternary lake sediments, highly altered rhyolites, and the possible influence of steam in areas of hydrothermal activity. In the crystalline upper crust, at depths of 2 km to 12 km, Q values of 40 to 70 were observed in areas of thick sedimentary fill northwest of the caldera and in areas of hydrothermal activity. Within the caldera, upper crustal attenuation generally corresponded to Q of 200 in areas that are interpreted to be associated with hot but now solidified granitic material. In comparison, relatively high attenuation, Q = 40, was observed in the upper crust of the northeastern Yellowstone caldera in an area that also corresponds to a 20% reduction in Pg velocity, a prominent negative Bouguer gravity low of −20 mGal, near Yellowstone's largest area of hydrothermal activity and near a Quaternary, volcanic resurgent dome. On the basis of constitutive models of velocity and density, this zone of high attenuation is likely a product of unusual hydrothermal activity, highly altered upper‐crustal rocks, a shallow magmatic source or a highly porous, steam‐saturated body. Outside the caldera, the upper crust is relatively unaffected by high temperatures and thermal alteration, and the corresponding attenuation is low with Q values greater than 200.

The Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry (CLDQ) is the densest deposit of Jurassic theropod dinosaurs discovered to date. Unlike typical Jurassic bone deposits, it is dominated by the presence of Allosaurus fragilis. Since excavation began in the 1920s, numerous hypotheses have been put forward to explain the taphonomy of CLDQ, including a predator trap, a drought assemblage, and a poison spring. In an effort to reconcile the various interpretations of the quarry and reach a consensus on the depositional history of CLDQ, new data is required to develop a robust taphonomic framework congruent with all available data. Here we present two new data sets that aid in the development of such a robust taphonomic framework for CLDQ. First, x-ray fluorescence of CLDQ sediments indicate elevated barite and sulfide minerals relative to other sediments from the Morrison Formation in the region, suggesting an ephemeral environment dominated by periods of hypereutrophic conditions during bone accumulation. Second, the degree of abrasion and hydraulic equivalency of small bone fragments dispersed throughout the matrix were analyzed from CLDQ. Results of these analyses suggest that bone fragments are autochthonous or parautochthonous and are derived from bones deposited in the assemblage rather than transported. The variability in abrasion exhibited by the fragments is most parsimoniously explained by local periodic re-working and re-deposition during seasonal fluctuations throughout the duration of the quarry assemblage. Collectively, these data support previous interpretations that the CLDQ represents an attritional assemblage in a poorly-drained overbank deposit where vertebrate remains were introduced post-mortem to an ephemeral pond during flood conditions. Furthermore, while the elevated heavy metals detected at the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry are not likely the primary driver for the accumulation of carcasses, they are likely the result of multiple sources; some metals may be derived from post-depositional and diagenetic processes, and others are potentially produced from an abundance of decomposing vertebrate carcasses. These new data help to support the inferred depositional environment of the quarry as an ephemeral pond, and represent a significant step in understanding the taphonomy of the bonebed and Late Jurassic paleoecology in this region.

Microscopic soft tissues have been identified in fossil vertebrate remains collected from various lithologies. However, the diagenetic mechanisms to preserve such tissues have remained elusive. While previous studies have described infiltration of biofilms in Haversian and Volkmann's canals, biostratinomic alteration (e.g., trampling), and iron derived from hemoglobin as playing roles in the preservation processes, the influence of sediment texture has not previously been investigated. This study uses a Kolmogorov Smirnov Goodness-of-Fit test to explore the influence of biostratinomic variability and burial media against the infiltration of biofilms in bone samples. Controlled columns of sediment with bone samples were used to simulate burial and subsequent groundwater flow. Sediments used in this study include clay-, silt-, and sand-sized particles modeled after various fluvial facies commonly associated with fossil vertebrates. Extant limb bone samples obtained from Gallus gallus domesticus (Domestic Chicken) buried in clay-rich sediment exhibit heavy biofilm infiltration, while bones buried in sands and silts exhibit moderate levels. Crushed bones exhibit significantly lower biofilm infiltration than whole bone samples. Strong interactions between biostratinomic alteration and sediment size are also identified with respect to biofilm development. Sediments modeling crevasse splay deposits exhibit considerable variability; whole-bone crevasse splay samples exhibit higher frequencies of high-level biofilm infiltration, and crushed-bone samples in modeled crevasse splay deposits display relatively high frequencies of low-level biofilm infiltration. These results suggest that sediment size, depositional setting, and biostratinomic condition play key roles in biofilm infiltration in vertebrate remains, and may influence soft tissue preservation in fossil vertebrates.

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