Rare Earth Element Geochemistry and Taphonomy of the Early Cretaceous Crystal

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Rare Earth Element Geochemistry and Taphonomy of the Early Cretaceous Crystal

PALAIOS, 2007, v. 22, p. 500–512 Research Article DOI: 10.2110/palo.2005.p05-125r Rare earth element geochemistry and taphonomy of the Early Cretaceous Crystal Geyser Dinosaur Quarry, east-central Utah Celina A. Suarez,* Marina B. Suarez, Dennis O. Terry Jr., David E. Grandstaff Department of Geology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, USA e-mail: [email protected] *Corresponding Author. Current address: Department of Geology, University of Kansas, 1475 Jayhawk Blvd., Room 120, Lawrence, Kansas, 66045-7613, USA. Keywords: Falcarius utahensis, Cedar Mountain Formation, vertebrate paleontology, rare earth element, bone fossilization ABSTRACT The Crystal Geyser Dinosaur Quarry contains a large monospecific accumulation of bones from a basal therizinosaur, Falcarius utahensis. The quarry is located approximately 16 km south of Green River, Utah, at the base of the early Cretaceous (Barremian) Yellow Cat Member of the Cedar Mountain Formation. Fossil bones in the quarry occur in three units that have distinct taphonomic, lithologic, and geochemical characteristics. Rare earth element compositions of fossils suggest that bones from each unit were drawn from different reservoirs or sources having distinctly different compositions, and fossils were not reworked between units. Compositions of bones differ greatly within Units 1 and 2, even within the same 1-m2 quarry grid. These chemical differences and taphonomic characteristics, such as current orientation, hydraulic sorting, and occasional extensive abrasion, suggest that bones from these two units are allochthonous and were fossilized at other localities, possibly over an area of several kilometers, and were then eroded, transported, and concentrated in a spring-influenced fluvial environment. Bones in Unit 3 have very similar rare earth element signatures, suggesting that they were probably fossilized in situ at a separate time from bones in Units 1 and 2. At least two mass mortality events were responsible for the monospecific assemblage of bones at the quarry. Because bones may have been concentrated from a wide area, causes of mass mortality must have been regionally extensive, possibly owing to seasonal drought, sudden changes in weather, or disease. .

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Lautenschlager 2012 Therizinosaur Brain
Lautenschlager, S., Rayfield, E. J., Altangerel, P., & Witmer, L. M. (2012). The endocranial anatomy of Therizinosauria and its implications for sensory and cognitive function. PLoS ONE, 7(12), [e52289]. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0052289 Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to published version (if available): 10.1371/journal.pone.0052289 Link to publication record in Explore Bristol Research PDF-document University of Bristol - Explore Bristol Research General rights This document is made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the reference above. Full terms of use are available: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/red/research-policy/pure/user-guides/ebr-terms/ The Endocranial Anatomy of Therizinosauria and Its Implications for Sensory and Cognitive Function Stephan Lautenschlager1*, Emily J. Rayfield1, Perle Altangerel2, Lindsay E. Zanno3,4, Lawrence M. Witmer5 1 School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom, 2 National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 3 Nature Research Center, NC Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America, 4 Department of Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America, 5 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, United States of America Abstract Background: Therizinosauria is one of the most enigmatic and peculiar clades among theropod dinosaurs, exhibiting an unusual suite of characters, such as lanceolate teeth, a rostral rhamphotheca, long manual claws, and a wide, opisthopubic pelvis. This specialized anatomy has been associated with a shift in dietary preferences and an adaptation to herbivory.
[Show full text]
Cranial Osteology of Beipiaosaurus Inexpectus
第57卷第2期古脊椎动物学报 pp. 117–132 figs. 1–3 2019年4月 VERTEBRATA PALASIATICA DOI: 10.19615/j.cnki.1000-3118.190115 Cranial osteology of Beipiaosaurus inexpectus (Theropoda: Therizinosauria) LIAO Chun-Chi1,2,3 XU Xing1,2* (1 Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100044 * Corresponding author: [email protected]) (2 CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment Beijing 100044) (3 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049) Abstract Beipiaosaurus inexpectus, a key taxon for understanding the early evolution of therizinosaurians, has not been fully described since it was briefly reported on by Xu, Tang and Wang in 1999. Here we present a detailed description of the cranial anatomy of the holotype of this theropod dinosaur. B. inexpectus is unique in some of its cranial features such as the postorbital process of the frontal is large and its abrupt transition from the orbital rim, a long and sharp anterior process of the parietal, the elongate ventral ramus of the squamosal process of parietal, and external mandibular fenestra deep dorsoventrally and extremely posteriorly located. A number of plesiomorphic cranial features (such as relatively large dentary and less downturned degree of dentary symphysis) suggest that B. inexpectus is an early-branching Therizinosaurian, as proposed by previous studies. New information derived from our study is not only important for our understanding of the cranial anatomy of B. inexpectus but also significant to the study of the evolution of Therizinosauria.
[Show full text]
Featured Article Cranial Anatomy of Erlikosaurus Andrewsi (Dinosauria, Therizinosauria): New Insights Based on Digital Reconstru
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 34(6):1263–1291, November 2014 Ó 2014 by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology FEATURED ARTICLE CRANIAL ANATOMY OF ERLIKOSAURUS ANDREWSI (DINOSAURIA, THERIZINOSAURIA): NEW INSIGHTS BASED ON DIGITAL RECONSTRUCTION STEPHAN LAUTENSCHLAGER,*,1 LAWRENCE M. WITMER,2 PERLE ALTANGEREL,3 LINDSAY E. ZANNO,4,5 and EMILY J. RAYFIELD1 1School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, U.K., [email protected]; 2Department of Biomedical Sciences, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701, U.S.A.; 3National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; 4Nature Research Center, NC Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, U.S.A.; 5Department of Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27601, U.S.A. ABSTRACT—The skull of Erlikosaurus andrewsi from the Upper Cretaceous Baishin Tsav locality of Mongolia represents the only known three-dimensionally preserved and nearly complete skull of a therizinosaurian. Computed tomographic (CT) scanning of the original specimen and three-dimensional visualization techniques allow the cranial skeleton to be digitally prepared, disarticulated, and restored. Here, we present a detailed description of the restored skull morphology and the individual cranial elements, including visualization of the internal neurovascular and pneumatic structures. Information gained from this study is used in a revised and emended diagnosis for E. andrewsi. A reappraisal of the evolutionary and functional changes in the cranial skeleton as provided by this study supports prior proposals that a keratinous sheath or rhamphotheca was developed early in the evolution of Therizinosauria. Paralleled by the reduction of functional and replacement teeth, this development indicates a shift in the manner of food processing/procurement at the tip of the snout.
[Show full text]
Raptor Review Issue 24 Inside This Edition with the Completion of the Paleo- from the Director Item Page by Dr
October 2011 Raptor Review Issue 24 Inside This Edition With the completion of the Paleo- From The Director Item Page by Dr. Kenneth Carpenter Indian, work is now focused on re- Lab & Quarry 2 doing the Utahraptor skeleton for Gift Shop 3 In the last issue of the Raptor Re- display. Progress has been slow Collections 4 view, I mentioned that we were as- owning to other obligations this Education and Exhibits 5 sembling a plastic replica of a mod- summer, such as field work, but we ern human skeleton, which would hope to have the skeleton in place be a stand-in for a Paleo-Indian. by the Holidays. Field work was That skeleton is now complete and greatly hampered this summer by joins the Huntington mammoth on rain (it’s not supposed to rain in Editor/Layout its base. The human skeleton is of the desert!). Nevertheless, several Christine K. Trease a robust Asian male, thus makes a promising sites were found in the good representative for a Paleo-In- Upper Cretaceous North Horn and Advisory Board dian (Native Americans are thought Upper Triassic Chinle formations. Ken Fleck-Charirman to have immigrated from Asia dur- In addition, several trips were made Tim Gwyther-Vice Chairman ing the latter part of the Ice Age). to the Lower Cretaceous Suarez Sis- Debra Dull Although there is some doubt about ters site near Green River. We hope Dave O’Brien the two projectile points allegedly to collect enough Falcarius bones to Scott Woodward found at the mammoth site, mam- mount a skeleton for the new muse- Charles Semborski moth kill sites are known from else- um.
[Show full text]
University of Birmingham Functional Niche Partitioning In
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of Birmingham Research Portal University of Birmingham Functional niche partitioning in therizinosauria provides new insights into the evolution of theropod herbivory Lautenschlager, Stephan DOI: 10.1111/pala.12289 License: Other (please specify with Rights Statement) Document Version Peer reviewed version Citation for published version (Harvard): Lautenschlager, S 2017, 'Functional niche partitioning in therizinosauria provides new insights into the evolution of theropod herbivory', Palaeontology, vol. 60, no. 3, pp. 375-387. https://doi.org/10.1111/pala.12289 Link to publication on Research at Birmingham portal Publisher Rights Statement: This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Lautenschlager, S. (2017), Functional niche partitioning in Therizinosauria provides new insights into the evolution of theropod herbivory. Palaeontology, 60: 375–387., which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/pala.12289. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving. General rights Unless a licence is specified above, all rights (including copyright and moral rights) in this document are retained by the authors and/or the copyright holders. The express permission of the copyright holder must be obtained for any use of this material other than for purposes permitted by law. •Users may freely distribute the URL that is used to identify this publication. •Users may download and/or print one copy of the publication from the University of Birmingham research portal for the purpose of private study or non-commercial research.
[Show full text]
The Dinosaur Field Guide Supplement
The Dinosaur Field Guide Supplement September 2010 – December 2014 By, Zachary Perry (ZoPteryx) Page 1 Disclaimer: This supplement is intended to be a companion for Gregory S. Paul’s impressive work The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs, and as such, exhibits some similarities in format, text, and taxonomy. This was done solely for reasons of aesthetics and consistency between his book and this supplement. The text and art are not necessarily reflections of the ideals and/or theories of Gregory S. Paul. The author of this supplement was limited to using information that was freely available from public sources, and so more information may be known about a given species then is written or illustrated here. Should this information become freely available, it will be included in future supplements. For genera that have been split from preexisting genera, or when new information about a genus has been discovered, only minimal text is included along with the page number of the corresponding entry in The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs. Genera described solely from inadequate remains (teeth, claws, bone fragments, etc.) are not included, unless the remains are highly distinct and cannot clearly be placed into any other known genera; this includes some genera that were not included in Gregory S. Paul’s work, despite being discovered prior to its publication. All artists are given full credit for their work in the form of their last name, or lacking this, their username, below their work. Modifications have been made to some skeletal restorations for aesthetic reasons, but none affecting the skeleton itself.
[Show full text]
An Unusual Basal Therizinosaur Dinosaur with an Ornithischian Dental Arrangement from Northeastern China
An Unusual Basal Therizinosaur Dinosaur with an Ornithischian Dental Arrangement from Northeastern China Hanyong Pu1, Yoshitsugu Kobayashi2*, Junchang Lu¨ 3*,LiXu1, Yanhua Wu1, Huali Chang1, Jiming Zhang1, Songhai Jia1 1 Henan Geological Museum, Zhengzhou, Henan, China, 2 Hokkaido University Museum, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan, 3 Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, China Abstract Therizinosauria are an unusual group of theropod dinosaurs, found mostly in the Cretaceous deposits in Mongolia, China and western USA. The basal forms of this group are represented by incomplete or disarticulated material. Here, we report a nearly complete, articulated skeleton of a new basal therizinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Jianchang County, western part of Liaoning Province, which sheds light on our understanding of anatomy of basal therizinosaurs. This new dinosaur shows some typical therizinosaur features, such as neural spines of the anterior caudal vertebrae that possess anterior and posterior alae, a rectangular buttress on the ventrolateral side of the proximal end of metacarpal I, and appressed metatarsal shafts. Our phylogenetic analysis suggests that it is a basal therizinosaur (sister taxon to Therizinosauroidea) because it bears many basal therizinosaur characters in the dentition, pelvis and hind limbs. The new therizinosaur described here has unique tooth and jaw characters such as the offsetting of the tooth row by a shelf and dentary teeth with labially concave and lingually convex dentary teeth, similar to ornithopods and ceratopsians. Citation: Pu H, Kobayashi Y, Lu¨ J, Xu L, Wu Y, et al. (2013) An Unusual Basal Therizinosaur Dinosaur with an Ornithischian Dental Arrangement from Northeastern China.
[Show full text]
Baraminology Data Filtering Method Based on Entropy Measurement and Its Application in Dinosaur and Cephalopod Data Sets
PAPERS || JOURNAL OF CREATION 33(3) 2019 Baraminology data filtering method based on entropy measurement and its application in dinosaur and cephalopod data sets Matthew Cserhati Several recent dinosaur baraminology studies show areas of large degrees of continuity between baramins in the BDC matrixes where there should be none. These results suggest that the baramins predicted by the BDIST method in these studies tend to over-cluster, resulting in a smaller number of baramins, with falsified, inflated species memberships. Also, evolutionists have used the BDIST method in an attempt to discredit baraminology, by trying to show that the number of dinosaur baramins gets smaller as more species are added to the analysis. This lumps dinosaur species together, showing the continuity of all life—which is the same as biological evolution. A potential problem was identified involving low-variability characters. Many such characters together tend to increase the correlation between any two given species and could possibly cause species lumping. A new algorithm was developed to filter out such low entropy characters, and species with a high proportion of missing characteristics. The algorithm was applied on several dinosaur and two cephalopod data sets. It significantly cleans up the data sets and increases the number of baramins reported in previous studies, but eliminates many of the species and characters. There is a trade-off between the amount of available data and data quality. This affects the outcome of morphological baraminology studies. araminology has a long publication record. In general, a single holobaramin.4 This is a clade in cluding organisms Bthe field attempts to lump species into baramins and as diverse as squids and cuttlefish.
[Show full text]
University of Birmingham Functional Niche Partitioning
University of Birmingham Functional niche partitioning in therizinosauria provides new insights into the evolution of theropod herbivory Lautenschlager, Stephan DOI: 10.1111/pala.12289 License: Other (please specify with Rights Statement) Document Version Peer reviewed version Citation for published version (Harvard): Lautenschlager, S 2017, 'Functional niche partitioning in therizinosauria provides new insights into the evolution of theropod herbivory', Palaeontology, vol. 60, no. 3, pp. 375-387. https://doi.org/10.1111/pala.12289 Link to publication on Research at Birmingham portal Publisher Rights Statement: This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Lautenschlager, S. (2017), Functional niche partitioning in Therizinosauria provides new insights into the evolution of theropod herbivory. Palaeontology, 60: 375–387., which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/pala.12289. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving. General rights Unless a licence is specified above, all rights (including copyright and moral rights) in this document are retained by the authors and/or the copyright holders. The express permission of the copyright holder must be obtained for any use of this material other than for purposes permitted by law. •Users may freely distribute the URL that is used to identify this publication. •Users may download and/or print one copy of the publication from the University of Birmingham research portal for the purpose of private study or non-commercial research. •User may use extracts from the document in line with the concept of ‘fair dealing’ under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (?) •Users may not further distribute the material nor use it for the purposes of commercial gain.
[Show full text]
Specializations of the Mandibular Anatomy and Dentition of Segnosaurus Galbinensis (Theropoda: Therizinosauria)
Specializations of the mandibular anatomy and dentition of Segnosaurus galbinensis (Theropoda: Therizinosauria) Lindsay E. Zanno1,2, Khishigjav Tsogtbaatar3, Tsogtbaatar Chinzorig3,4 and Terry A. Gates1,2 1 Paleontology Research Lab, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America 2 Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America 3 Institute of Paleontology and Geology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia 4 Hokkaido University Museum, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan ABSTRACT Deﬁnitive therizinosaurid cranial materials are exceptionally rare, represented solely by an isolated braincase and tooth in the North American taxon Nothronychus mckinleyi, the remarkably complete skull of the Asian taxon Erlikosaurus andrewsi, and the lower hemimandibles of Segnosaurus galbinensis. To date, comprehensive descriptions of the former taxa are published; however, the mandibular materials of S. galbinensis have remained largely understudied since their initial description in 1979. Here we provide a comprehensive description of the well-preserved hemimandibles and dentition of S. galbinensis (MPC-D 100/80), from the Upper Cretaceous Bayanshiree Formation, Gobi Desert, Mongolia. The subrectangular and ventrally displaced caudal hemimandible, extreme ventral deﬂection of the rostral dentary, and edentulism of the caudal dentary of S. galbinensis are currently apomorphic among therizinosaurians. Unique, unreported dental traits including lingually folded mesial carinae, development of a denticulated triangular facet on the distal 14 December 2015 Submitted carinae near the cervix, and extracarinal accessory denticles, suggest a highly Accepted 12 March 2016 Published 29 March 2016 specialized feeding strategy in S. galbinensis. The presence of triple carinae on the distalmost lateral tooth crowns is also unique, although may represent an Corresponding author Lindsay E.
[Show full text]
Teacher Guide
7 Dec 2018 - 5 May 2019 Teacher Guide Public Programs and Learning Contents Introduction 1 Exhibition Teacher Guide Overview 2 Relevant background information about dinosaurs 2 Dinosaurs featured in the exhibition 3 Organisation of this teacher guide 4 Throughlines 5 Before the Exhibition 6 Pre-exhibition learning activities 6 At the Exhibition 10 Exhibition learning activities 10 After the Exhibition 11 Post-exhibition learning activities 11 Resources for Inquiry 12 Acknowledgements TMAG thanks David Boon, Department of Education, Tasmania for his significant and valuable contribution to this guide. TMAG acknowledge the support of Gondwana Studios for the exhibition and also the use of some of their materials in this learning resource. ©Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery 2018 All imagery, unless indicated owned by the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. Disclaimer TMAG does not accept any responsibility for the accuracy or availability of any information or services on websites listed in this guide. Please note the TMAG exhibition may differ from the photographic images shown in this guide. Presenting partners Major partner Education partner Exhibition partner Media partners Cover image: Kosmoceratops and Triceratops by Luis V. Rey Introduction Today we know a lot about dinosaurs, but there is still plenty we do not know that poses outstanding questions. For example, we know that dinosaurs are not all big and that they are not all extinct, but how do we Notes: know what dinosaurs looked like? How have recent discoveries not only The exhibition activities are provided more information on what dinosaurs actually looked like, but based around a class spending also provided evidence of the evolutionary link between one group of an hour in the exhibition (four dinosaurs and modern birds? galleries).
[Show full text]
Unenlagiid Theropods: Are They Members of the Dromaeosauridae (Theropoda, Maniraptora)?
“main” — 2011/2/10 — 14:01 — page 117 — #1 Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências (2011) 83(1): 117-162 (Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences) Printed version ISSN 0001-3765 / Online version ISSN 1678-2690 www.scielo.br/aabc Unenlagiid theropods: are they members of the Dromaeosauridae (Theropoda, Maniraptora)? , FEDERICO L. AGNOLIN1 2 and FERNANDO E. NOVAS1 1Laboratorio de Anatomía Comparada y Evolución de los Vertebrados Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia” Ángel Gallardo, 470 (1405BDB), Buenos Aires, Argentina 2Fundación de Historia Natural “Félix de Azara”, Departamento de Ciencias Naturales y Antropología CEBBAD, Universidad Maimónides, Valentín Virasoro 732 (1405BDB), Buenos Aires, Argentina Manuscript received on November 9, 2009; accepted for publication on June 21, 2010 ABSTRACT In the present paper we analyze the phylogenetic position of the derived Gondwanan theropod clade Unen- lagiidae. Although this group has been frequently considered as deeply nested within Deinonychosauria and Dromaeosauridae, most of the features supporting this interpretation are conflictive, at least. Modification of integrative databases, such as that recently published by Hu et al. (2009), produces significant changes in the topological distribution of taxa within Deinonychosauria, depicting unenlagiids outside this clade. Our analysis retrieves, in contrast, a monophyletic Avialae formed by Unenlagiidae plus Aves. Key words: Gondwana, Deinonychosauria, Dromaeosauridae, Unenlagiidae, Avialae. INTRODUCTION Until recently, the deinonychosaurian fossil record has been geographically restricted to the Northern Hemisphere (Norell and Makovicky 2004), but recent discoveries demonstrated that they were also present and highly diversified in the Southern landmasses, suggesting that an important adaptive radiation took place in Gondwana during the Cretaceous. Gondwanan dromaeosaurids have been documented from Turonian through Maastrichtian beds of Argentina (Makovicky et al.
[Show full text]