Documenting Dinosaur Tracks in the Triassic-Jurassic Nugget Sandstone in Dinosaur National Monument, UT
Advisor Information
George Engelmann
Location
Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
4-3-2016 12:45 PM
End Date
4-3-2016 2:15 PM
Abstract
The Nugget Sandstone is an eolian sandstone deposited as dunes in a great sand sea during late Triassic-Early Jurassic time, about 200 million years ago. It is exposed throughout northern Utah, including within Dinosaur National Monument (DINO), Utah. Although body fossils are extremely rare in this formation, tracks of dinosaurs and other animals have been found at a number of localities. One extensive exposure of Nugget Sandstone in DINO preserves a large number of tracks. Tracks such as these cannot be collected or preserved in place, so documentation of the tracks by mapping them is the best way to preserve the valuable information tracks reveal about dinosaur ecology and behavior. We used a photographic panorama as a base on which we mapped each track as we worked from one end of the track site to the other. Our results documented hundreds of tracks at several slightly different levels, including several trackways and a large number of partial tracks and impressions that we believe to be tracks but that have weathered beyond clear identification. The resulting map can be used to examine quality, size, orientation, and quantity of trackways for continued research. Different track morphologies indicate the presence of at least two different types of dinosaurs. The maps also provide data to Dinosaur National Monument that can be used for the resource management and for interpretive displays for the public.
Documenting Dinosaur Tracks in the Triassic-Jurassic Nugget Sandstone in Dinosaur National Monument, UT
Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library
The Nugget Sandstone is an eolian sandstone deposited as dunes in a great sand sea during late Triassic-Early Jurassic time, about 200 million years ago. It is exposed throughout northern Utah, including within Dinosaur National Monument (DINO), Utah. Although body fossils are extremely rare in this formation, tracks of dinosaurs and other animals have been found at a number of localities. One extensive exposure of Nugget Sandstone in DINO preserves a large number of tracks. Tracks such as these cannot be collected or preserved in place, so documentation of the tracks by mapping them is the best way to preserve the valuable information tracks reveal about dinosaur ecology and behavior. We used a photographic panorama as a base on which we mapped each track as we worked from one end of the track site to the other. Our results documented hundreds of tracks at several slightly different levels, including several trackways and a large number of partial tracks and impressions that we believe to be tracks but that have weathered beyond clear identification. The resulting map can be used to examine quality, size, orientation, and quantity of trackways for continued research. Different track morphologies indicate the presence of at least two different types of dinosaurs. The maps also provide data to Dinosaur National Monument that can be used for the resource management and for interpretive displays for the public.