Vertebrate Paleontology of the Cretaceous/Tertiary Transition of Big Bend National Park, Texas (Lancian, Puercan, Mammalia, Dinosauria, Paleomagnetism)
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1986 Vertebrate Paleontology of the Cretaceous/Tertiary Transition of Big Bend National Park, Texas (Lancian, Puercan, Mammalia, Dinosauria, Paleomagnetism). Barbara R. Standhardt Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Standhardt, Barbara R., "Vertebrate Paleontology of the Cretaceous/Tertiary Transition of Big Bend National Park, Texas (Lancian, Puercan, Mammalia, Dinosauria, Paleomagnetism)." (1986). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 4209. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/4209 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. 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VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY OF THE CRETACEOUS/TERTIARY TRANSITION OF BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, TEXAS The Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical Col.Ph.D. 1986 University Microfilms International300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 Copyright 1987 by Standhardt, Barbara R. All Rights Reserved PLEASE NOTE: In all cases this material has been filmed in the best possible way from the available copy. Problems encountered with this document have been identified here with a check markV . 1. Glossy photographs or pages _____ 2. Colored illustrations, paper or print______ 3. Photographs with dark background )[ 4. Illustrations are poor copy ______ 5. Pages with black marks, not original copy ______ 6. Print shows through as there is text on both sides of page_______ 7. Indistinct, broken or small print on several pages'J 8. Print exceeds margin Requirements______ 9. Tightly bound copy with print lost in spine_______ 10. Computer printout pages with indistinct print______ 11. Page(s)____________lacking when material received, and not available from school or author. 12. Page(s)____________seem to be missing in numbering only as text follows. 13. Two pages num bered . Text follows. 14. Curling and wrinkled pages______ 15. Dissertation contains pages with print at a slant, filmed as received_________ 16. Other ______________________________________________________________________ University Microfilms International VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY OF THE CRETACEOUS/TERTIARY TRANSITION OF BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, TEXAS A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Geology by Barbara R. Standhardt B.S., New Mexico State University, 1963 M.S., The University of Arizona, 1980 August 1986 ©1987 BARBARA R. STANDHARDT All Rights Reserved ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I thank especially Judith A. Schiebout, my supervisor. Her work with fossil mammals of the Black Peaks Formation of Big Bend National Park led to my undertaking this study. Appreciation is also due the members of my academic committee: Willem van den Bold, Dag Nummedal, Charles McCabe, Douglas Rossman, and Kam Liu. Michael Fitzsimons, Mark Hafner, Charles Groat, and Joseph Ghiold also served as temporary members. Their suggestions over the course of this project have been very helpful. Special thanks are al3o given to J. A. Wilson (University of Texas, Austin), whose pioneer work with mammalian fossils at Big Bend laid the basis for further study. He assisted with field work and permitted loan of fossils for study and description. Wann Langston (University of Texas, Austin) has been involved with Big Bend and its fossils for almost fifty years. He and Kyle Davies (University of Texas, Austin) shared locality information and assisted with the analysis of archosaurian remains. Melissa Winans provided aid in locating fossils for comparison at the Texas Memorial Museum in Austin. Michael Fitzsimons, Douglas Rossman, and Van Wallach (Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University) provided comparative material of lower vertebrates. Willem van den Bold furnished identi fications of the ostracodes. Robert E. Sloan (University of Minnesota) and Peter Houde (Howard University) also gave advice with the fossils. Discussions with, and identification assistance from, Earl Manning of the Museum of Geoscience (Louisiana State University) ii have been invaluable. Bruce MacFadden and Jorge Arellano (University of Florida) assisted with field analysis. I remain solely responsible for any errors contained in this work. Officials of Big Bend National Park have been extremely helpful, and their cooperation is appreciated. Permission to use Park facili ties contributed greatly to the success of this project. Individual thanks are due Michael Fleming, Vidal Davila, James Bellamy, Robert Andrews, Hunter Sharp, Lawrence Inthout, and Mark Kirtley. Helicopter removal of material was expertly performed by J. C. Short and his assistant David Benton of Southwest Helicopter Service, Midland, Texas. Field work connected with this undertaking has involved a large number of people whose help with prospecting, recovery of material, and screen washing is greatly appreciated. The following persons assisted during this process: Paul Bick Maxwell Brown David Cassell Lester Clement Jo Crosby Bruce DeSelle Robert and Jane Edling Brock Fenton Ray Friedlund Thomas Fruehwirth Frank Haas Marvin Hass David Hauschild Peter and Anne Houde Robert Houy Adrian Hunt Dewey Jones Thomas LeFebvre Carroll Leger Carroll Leger, Jr. Earl Manning Eric Miller William McKee Alvin Phillips iii Gwendolyn Pine Regina Radosta Stephen Rapp Linda Reichlin Brent Roy Joseph and Helen Schiebout Paul Seifert Gregory Shannon Maggie Steele Douglas Tennant Miguel Villalon Joan Wyzecki Following recovery and washing of the material, the tedious process of picking for fossils was aided by the following workers: Maxwell Brown Dennis Doussan Hugh Ebert Robert Keck Lois Klenk Toby Martin Robert McDade Regina Radosta Victoria Richardson Adelaide Salisbury Margarete Santiago Shawn Skinner Burl Sloan Eugenia Smith Martin Streck Scott Verret Michael Waagesback Catherine Zapel Clerical assistance was furnished by June Dodd, Evangeline LaBarge, Angela Lemoine, and Katherine Pittelko. Comments on the manuscript were provided by the members of the advisory committee and Earl Manning. This study was conducted under the National Science Foundation Grant EAR-8216488 to Judith A. Schiebout and Bruce J. MacFadden, and Antiquities permits 81TXN081 and P934TX84 to the Louisiana State University Museum of Geoscience. Additional financial assistance was provided by the Louisiana State University Museum of Geoscience and iv Department of Geology, the Atlantic Richfield Foundation, the Shell Companies Foundation, Chevron, the American Association of University Women, Judith Schiebout, and my mother Edith Wolf Standhardt, to whom I am particularly grateful for support and encouragement. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements . ......................................... ii List of Tables.................................................. xi List of F i g u r e s ............................................... xii List of Plates............................................ xvi Abstract...................................................... xvii Introduction .................................................... 1 Purpose .................................................... 1 Location .................................................. 1 Previous w o r k ............................................... 2 Techniques of study ........................................ 6 Survey of Geology .............................................