A Probable Tyrannosaurid Track from the Hell Creek Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Montana, United States

Manning, Phillip L.; Ott, Christopher; Falkingham, Peter L.

doi:10.2110/palo.2008.p08-030r

Cited by 13 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…This apparent paucity of dinosaur tracks may actually reflect preservation and collecting biases, as numerous tracks preserved as sideritic and calcareous concretions were recently discovered in these formations Therrien et al 2014). This type of ichnofossil, hereafter referred to as concretionary tracks, differs dramatically from typical dinosaur tracks discovered around the world, except for two similar occurrences reported in Montana, USA (Triebold et al 1999;Manning et al 2008;Lockley et al 2014). Consequently, concretionary tracks must have a mode of formation and preservation distinct from that of the more commonly found tracks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…Only two occurrences of tracks that resemble the Belly River concretionary tracks have been previously reported, both from the uppermost Cretaceous Hell Creek (ii) an isolated, large theropod track, attributed to Tyrannosaurus rex, in Carter County, Montana (Manning et al 2008). Both Hell Creek occurrences consist of sideritized concretionary tracks hosted within mudstones.…”

Section: Comparison Of Belly River Concretionary Tracks With Other DImentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Both Hell Creek occurrences consist of sideritized concretionary tracks hosted within mudstones. Although the South Dakota tracks are unique in preserving claw impressions, the Hell Creek and Belly River tracks are otherwise similar in preserving only the general pedal morphology and in lacking details of the track maker, such as skin impression or phalangeal pad imprints (Manning et al 2008;Lockley et al 2014). Based on their preservation style, the South Dakota tracks have been interpreted as three-dimensional casts of depressions left by an animal walking through soft, cohesive mud (Lockley et al 2014).…”

Section: Comparison Of Belly River Concretionary Tracks With Other DImentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the two cases of Hell Creek concretionary tracks, claw impressions are only preserved in the South Dakota tracks, and neither preserves skin or phalangeal pad impressions (Manning et al 2008;Lockley et al 2014). Although the proposed scenario of track formation does not preclude preservation of fine details, their presence or absence may be related to a combination of factors, such as the cohesive properties of the host sediment and the state of preservation of the concretionary tracks at the time of their discovery.…”

Section: Mode Of Formation Of Concretionary Tracksmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dinosaur trackways from the Upper Cretaceous Oldman and Dinosaur Park formations (Belly River Group) of southern Alberta, Canada, reveal novel ichnofossil preservation style

et al. 2015

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Dinosaur tracksites recently discovered in exposures of the Belly River Group in the Milk River Natural Area (MRNA) and Dinosaur Provincial Park (DPP) of southern Alberta represent a novel type of ichnofossils. The tracks, all referable to hadrosaurs, occur as sideritic or calcareous concretions protruding above fine-grained deposits and are here termed concretionary tracks. Detailed sedimentological, petrographic, and geochemical analyses reveal that, although the MRNA and DPP tracks are of different mineralogical compositions (calcium carbonate versus siderite, respectively), they display similar internal structures (microscopic convoluted laminations) and occur in depositional settings indicative of wet paleoenvironments, where the ground was soft and water saturated. These characteristics suggest that concretionary tracks are footprint casts that formed as groundwater rich in dissolved carbonates flooded depressions left in the soft substrate. As the ponded water evaporated, minerals began to precipitate and mix with clastic material transported into the depressions, settling as finely laminated mud within the tracks and filling them either completely or partially. The geochemical composition of the precipitate would depend on the prevalent groundwater conditions (e.g., pH, dissolved carbonate and sulphate concrentrations). Cementation of the tracks occurred relatively soon after burial (<100 years), possibly in response to microbial activity and saturation by mineral-rich groundwater, and modern erosion exposed the concretionary tracks by removing the softer host unit. Recognition of this novel type of ichnofossils suggests dinosaur tracks may be more common than previously thought. Unfortunately, concretionary tracks tend to break apart rapidly when the encasing and underlying substrate erodes away, altering their diagnostic shape and rendering them indistinguishable from nonichnogenic concretions. As such, concretionary tracks may be transient ichnofossils in the badlands, explaining why they are rarely recognized. Résumé :Des sites préservant des empreintes de pas de dinosaures récemment découverts dans des affleurements du Groupe de Belly River dans la Milk River Natural Area (MRNA) et dans le Dinosaur Provincial Park (DPP) du sud de l'Alberta représentent un nouveau type d'ichnofossiles. Les empreintes, qui ont toutes été produites par des hadrosaures, sont préservées sous forme de concrétions sidéritiques ou calcaires émergeant de dépôts fins et sont ici nommées « empreintes concrétionnaires ». Des analyses sédimen-tologiques, pétrographiques et géochimiques détaillées révèlent que, bien que les empreintes de la MRNA et du DPP soient de compositions minéralogiques différentes (carbonate de calcium et sidérite, respectivement), elles possèdent des structures internes semblables (lamination convolutée microscopique) et se trouvent dans des milieux de dépôt qui reflètent des paléoenvironnements humides où le sol était mou et saturé en eau. Ces caractéristiques suggèrent ou indiquent que les tra...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Section: Comparison Of Belly River Concretionary Tracks With Other DImentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Comparison Of Belly River Concretionary Tracks With Other DImentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mode Of Formation Of Concretionary Tracksmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dinosaur trackways from the Upper Cretaceous Oldman and Dinosaur Park formations (Belly River Group) of southern Alberta, Canada, reveal novel ichnofossil preservation style

et al. 2015

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“…The variation may be interpreted as due to poor preservation or distortion of the footprint as a result of the surface being eroded down to show transmitted footprints (Clark et al 2002). Studies on dinosaur footprints have shown that interdigital angles as well as footprint size can vary with the depth of the transmitted impression (Manning et al 2008). The footprints on Arran lack skin impressions, but some appear to show some phalangeal pad outlines and distinct claw impressions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New discoveries of Isochirotherium herculis (Egerton 1838) and a reassessment of chirotheriid footprints from the Triassic of the Isle of Arran, Scotland

Clark

Corrance²

2009

SJG

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SynopsisSeveral in situ trackways and individual chirotheriid footprints have been found at a number of locations along the southern coast of the Isle of Arran. A locality on the coast near Sliddery has five trackways with three of over 17 footprints and one locality west of Kildonan also has a trackway with over 10 footprints. They are all from the Triassic Auchenhew Beds, but may belong to several levels within these beds. The state of preservation of the footprints is variable, but a combination of morphological characters and landmark polygons suggests that they belong to Isochirotherium herculis (Egerton) 1838. Previously described footprints from Arran, originally described as Chirotherium barthii (Clark et al. 2002), are reidentified as I. herculis. IntroductionChirotheriid trackways and footprints from the Triassic of Scotland are rare. Only three localities have been previously identified in the literature. In 1850, Harkness (1850a, b) reported on the existence of Chirotherium from near Annan, Dumfriesshire, however, there was neither a detailed description, nor illustration of these footprints that are now lost. These footprints cannot, therefore, be substantiated, but it is hoped that further examples will eventually be discovered in this area. Other footprints found in the Annan area were identified as Delairichnus by Haubold (1971a) and are not considered to be chirotheriid. The only substantiated claim of the existence of chirotheriid footprints in Scotland was published by Clark et al. (2002) on footprints from two localities on the Isle of Arran. The first footprint was found at Levencorroch Hill and is now in the collections of the Oxford University Museum (OUM G.53) and identified by M. King in 1992 as the left pes of Chirotherium. It was initially tentatively identified as dinosaurian (McKerrow and Atkins 1985). The second was on the coast 2.5km northwest of Blackwaterfoot on the southwest coast of Arran near to Cleiteadh nan Sgarbh (NR 886 301) (Clark et al. 2002).

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Large dinosaurian tracks from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Turonian) portion of the Winton Formation, Lark Quarry, central-western Queensland, Australia: 3D photogrammetric analysis renders the ‘stampede trigger’ scenario unlikely

Romilio

Salisbury

2014

Cretaceous Research

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A Probable Tyrannosaurid Track from the Hell Creek Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Montana, United States

Cited by 13 publications

References 7 publications

Dinosaur trackways from the Upper Cretaceous Oldman and Dinosaur Park formations (Belly River Group) of southern Alberta, Canada, reveal novel ichnofossil preservation style

Dinosaur trackways from the Upper Cretaceous Oldman and Dinosaur Park formations (Belly River Group) of southern Alberta, Canada, reveal novel ichnofossil preservation style

New discoveries of Isochirotherium herculis (Egerton 1838) and a reassessment of chirotheriid footprints from the Triassic of the Isle of Arran, Scotland

Large dinosaurian tracks from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Turonian) portion of the Winton Formation, Lark Quarry, central-western Queensland, Australia: 3D photogrammetric analysis renders the ‘stampede trigger’ scenario unlikely

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