Dalton Wells: Geology and significance of debris-flow-hosted dinosaur bonebeds in the Cedar Mountain Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of eastern Utah, USA

Eberth, David A.; Britt, Brooks B.; Scheetz, Rod D.; Stadtman, Kenneth L.; Brinkman, Donald B.

doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2005.11.020

Cited by 48 publications

(40 citation statements)

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“…We suggest that the depositional environment was a high density flash flow based on the poor sorting, the lack of unidirectional sedimentary structures and the bone fragments observed with their long axes oriented sub-vertically (Behrensmeyer, 1988;Abdullatif, 1989;Eberth and Miall 1991;Miall 1996;Benvenuti and Martini, 2002;Rogers, 2005;Eberth et al, 2006;Myers and Storrs 2007;Lauters et al, 2008;Britt et al, 2009).…”

Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…7A-B) in Unit 1 (cf. with Bertini et al, 2006;Eberth et al, 2006). Several bones, such as the turtle plate fragment shown in Fig.…”

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The apparent lack of bioturbation and soil formation in Unit 1 at site SZ-6 suggest that relatively short time passed between two subsequent flood events that deposited the coarser sediment layers (e.g. Eberth et al, 2006). 3) The floral association (subtropical floodplain forest vegetation) and the sedimentological investigations show that the climate was dominantly humid, but seasonal.…”

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Retallack, 2005). The rarity of unidirectional sedimentary structures in the coarser part of Unit 1 and the presence of the laminated mudstones ( Fig 5B) suggests that the massive appearance is a primary sedimentary structure indicating that bioturbation and other post-depositional destructive effects cannot have played a significant role after the accumulation of the -placer‖ (Rogers, 2005;Eberth et al, 2006, Lauters et al, 2008.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Facies architecture and palaeoenvironmental implications of the upper Cretaceous (Santonian) Csehbánya formation at the Iharkút vertebrate locality (Bakony Mountains, Northwestern Hungary)

Botfalvai

Haas

Bodor

et al. 2016

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

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The Csehbánya Formation (Santonian), exposed in the Iharkút open-pit, BakonyMountains, Hungary, is made up of a cyclic alternation of conglomerate, sandstone, and variegated siltstone and clay deposited in a fluviolacustrine environment. As a result of continuous excavation since 2002 it has yielded rich and diverse continental vertebrate and plant assemblages. A facies and architectural analysis of the Csehbánya Formation at this location identified four main lithofacies associations with eight subtypes consisting of (1) lenticular sandstones representing river channels, (2) conglomerates with sandstone (coarse grained likewise representing channel deposits), (3) heterolithic-channel fill (high density flash flow deposits) (4) splay sandstones produced by crevasse splays, (5) dark sandy siltstone (small-scale stagnant pool deposits with high organic content), (6) greenish-grey claystone (deposits of shallow lakes and ponds), (7) reddish (moderately drained) paleosols, (7) yellowish, mottled (hydromorphic) paleosols.The sedimentological investigations revealed that the terrestrial deposits exposed by the Iharkút open-pit were formed in an anastomosing fluvial system because: (i) the alluvial architecture is characterized by large proportion of overbank deposits encasing the channel sandstone bodies, (ii) the ribbon shaped sandstone bodies are dominant, (iii) cross-bedding and lateral accretion are almost completely absent in the channel fill deposits and (iv) the sandstone bodies are clearly isolated from each other, embedded in floodplain sediments, suggesting multiple co-existing channels.The most important vertebrate fossil site (SZ-6) was examined in special detail because it shows peculiar lithological features. The layers richest in fossils (Unit 1) of site is interpreted as a lag deposit formed during an episodic high density flash flood event representing a relatively short time interval, i.e., probably within a single rainy season. A C C E P T E D M A N U S C R I P T ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 1 1. INTRODUCTIONA significant part of continental vertebrate fossils is found in alluvial deposits thus the reconstruction of the depositional history of alluvial sequences is the main goal of any sedimentological, paleontological and taphonomical examination of vertebrate sites (Behrensmeyer, 1982(Behrensmeyer, , 1988Retallack, 1984; Badgley, 1986a,b;Eberth and Miall, 1991;Nadon, 1993;Therrien, 2005;Roberts, 2007). One of the reasons for the accumulation of rich vertebrate fossil-bearing strata is that a relatively high number of animals are attracted to the floodplain due to abundant water and food supply (different plants or prey), which can result in a rich accumulation of bones (Behrensmeyer, 1988;Nadon, 1993;Andersson and Kaakinen, 2004). Furthermore, certain floodplain environments are favourable for bone preservation because of the relatively high depositional rate, post-mortem transportation, and reworking of animal remains by various fluvial processes (Behrensmeyer, 1988;Aslan and Behrensmeyer, 1996)....

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Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…7A-B) in Unit 1 (cf. with Bertini et al, 2006;Eberth et al, 2006). Several bones, such as the turtle plate fragment shown in Fig.…”

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Facies architecture and palaeoenvironmental implications of the upper Cretaceous (Santonian) Csehbánya formation at the Iharkút vertebrate locality (Bakony Mountains, Northwestern Hungary)

Botfalvai

Haas

Bodor

et al. 2016

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

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“…An increase in pedogenic carbonates and poorly sorted sediments relative to the lower Yellow Cat Member suggests drier conditions. These features are expected for the foreland-basin system of the Sevier Mountains, where denuded landforms would be unstable and experience high erosion rates (Eberth et al 2006;Elliott et al 2007). The upper Yellow Cat Member has produced numerous significant vertebrate fossils of both European and Asian affinity.…”

mentioning

confidence: 91%

Multi-Taxa Isotopic Investigation of Paleohydrology In the Lower Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation, Eastern Utah, U.S.A.: Deciphering Effects Of the Nevadaplano Plateau On Regional Climate

Suarez¹,

González²,

Ludvigson³

et al. 2014

Journal of Sedimentary Research

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We investigate the regional climatic effects of the formation of the ''Nevadaplano'' plateau during the Sevier Orogeny in an overall warming world. Paleohydrology was reconstructed from 590 individual measurements of phosphate O isotopes in continental faunas of the Lower Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation, Utah, U.S.A. Semi-aquatic (turtles, crocodiles) and terrestrial (dinosaurs) taxa are compared to coeval pedogenic carbonates to interpret changing water sources over time. Samples were grouped into four stratigraphic faunas (lower Yellow Cat, upper 19.1 to 20.3%) values generally exceed those of semi-aquatic taxa. Using mass-balance equations for modern terrestrial animals adjusted for size and inferred dinosaur physiology, ingested water is calculated for the above dinosaur groups. On a member scale, when meteoric-water values are compared with calculated dinosaur drinking water, values are equal to or lighter than meteoric water for most herbivorous groups (as low as 215.5% for ornithischians) and equal to or heavier than meteoric water for most carnivorous groups (as high as 22.0% for allosauroids). Changes in d O-enriched water (e.g., up to an average of 22.0% from an allosauroid tooth) and extremely 18 O-depleted water (e.g., 215.5% for ornithischians) in the Ruby Ranch Member. By Mussentuchit-time, delivery of the Western Interior Seaway-dominated moisture to the region, despite continued rise of the Sevier Mountains.

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First complete sauropod dinosaur skull from the Cretaceous of the Americas and the evolution of sauropod dentition

Chure¹,

Britt

Whitlock

et al. 2010

Naturwissenschaften

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154

223

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Sauropod dinosaur bones are common in Mesozoic terrestrial sediments, but sauropod skulls are exceedingly rare—cranial materials are known for less than one third of sauropod genera and even fewer are known from complete skulls. Here we describe the first complete sauropod skull from the Cretaceous of the Americas, Abydosaurus mcintoshi, n. gen., n. sp., known from 104.46 ± 0.95 Ma (megannum) sediments from Dinosaur National Monument, USA. Abydosaurus shares close ancestry with Brachiosaurus, which appeared in the fossil record ca. 45 million years earlier and had substantially broader teeth. A survey of tooth shape in sauropodomorphs demonstrates that sauropods evolved broad crowns during the Early Jurassic but did not evolve narrow crowns until the Late Jurassic, when they occupied their greatest range of crown breadths. During the Cretaceous, brachiosaurids and other lineages independently underwent a marked diminution in tooth breadth, and before the latest Cretaceous broad-crowned sauropods were extinct on all continental landmasses. Differential survival and diversification of narrow-crowned sauropods in the Late Cretaceous appears to be a directed trend that was not correlated with changes in plant diversity or abundance, but may signal a shift towards elevated tooth replacement rates and high-wear dentition. Sauropods lacked many of the complex herbivorous adaptations present within contemporaneous ornithischian herbivores, such as beaks, cheeks, kinesis, and heterodonty. The spartan design of sauropod skulls may be related to their remarkably small size—sauropod skulls account for only 1/200th of total body volume compared to 1/30th body volume in ornithopod dinosaurs.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00114-010-0650-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Dalton Wells: Geology and significance of debris-flow-hosted dinosaur bonebeds in the Cedar Mountain Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of eastern Utah, USA

Cited by 48 publications

References 16 publications

Facies architecture and palaeoenvironmental implications of the upper Cretaceous (Santonian) Csehbánya formation at the Iharkút vertebrate locality (Bakony Mountains, Northwestern Hungary)

Facies architecture and palaeoenvironmental implications of the upper Cretaceous (Santonian) Csehbánya formation at the Iharkút vertebrate locality (Bakony Mountains, Northwestern Hungary)

Multi-Taxa Isotopic Investigation of Paleohydrology In the Lower Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation, Eastern Utah, U.S.A.: Deciphering Effects Of the Nevadaplano Plateau On Regional Climate

First complete sauropod dinosaur skull from the Cretaceous of the Americas and the evolution of sauropod dentition

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