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UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Date:___________________Jan 26, 2009 I, _________________________________________________________,Donald Anton Esker hereby submit this work as part of the requirements for the degree of: Master of Science in: Geology It is entitled: An Analysis of the Morrison Formation’s Terrestrial Faunal Diversity Across Disparate Environments of Deposition, Including the Aaron Scott Site Dinosaur Quarry in Central Utah This work and its defense approved by: Chair: _______________________________Dr. Glenn Storrs _______________________________Dr. Arnold Miller _______________________________Dr. Carton Brett _______________________________Dr. David Meyer _______________________________ An Analysis of the Morrison Formation’s Terrestrial Faunal Diversity Across Disparate Environments of Deposition, Including the Aaron Scott Site Dinosaur Quarry in Central Utah A thesis submitted to the Division of Research and Advanced Studies Of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE In the Department of Geology of the College of Arts and Sciences 2009 by Donald A Esker B.S., Marietta College, 2004 Committee Chair: Dr. Glenn W. Storrs i Esker1/26/2009 ABSTRACT -- The Aaron Scott Site dinosaur quarry (Quarry) in the Morrison Formation of Utah offers a unique view of Late Jurassic patterns of terrestrial diversity. The Quarry represents a rare perennial lacustrine environment of deposition, preserving a diverse population of large and small vertebrate and invertebrate fauna. The null hypotheses state that patterns of diversity at the Quarry do not differ significantly from those found at ephemeral lacustrine sites elsewhere in the Morrison, and an even spread of terrestrial diversity across the Late Jurassic Morrison Basin. While evidence has revealed a similarity between the Quarry and ephemeral lacustrine sites, multivariate analysis reveals distinct patterns in terrestrial diversity of the Morrison Formation, most prominently, a division between wetland and dry land taxa, and between ornithischian and sauropod dominated environments. Unusual patterns found among several taxa pairs hint that two (or more) Morrison genera may be sexual dimorphs or organisms at different stages in their ontogeny. While the Quarry itself may not be wholly unique, the Morrison was far more complex than traditionally portrayed. ii Esker 1/26/2009 Table of Contents ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................................II INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 BROADER SCIENTIFIC IMPACTS ................................................................................................................................... 2 BACKGROUND .......................................................................................................................................................... 5 PALEONTOLOGY .......................................................................................................................................................... 5 STRATIGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................................................ 6 QUARRY HISTORY AND ACTIVITY ................................................................................................... ............... 11 EXCAVATION TECHNIQUES ........................................................................................................................................ 11 VERTEBRATE PREPARATION TECHNIQUES .................................................................................................................. 14 QUARRY POTENTIAL .................................................................................................................................................. 15 A BRIEF HISTORY OF MORRIS ON FORMATION RESEARCH ................................................................... 17 OVERVIEW OF THE MORRISON FORMATION ............................................................................................................... 19 LITERATURE REVIEWED .................................................................................................................................... 21 The Implications of a Dry Climate for the Paleoecology of the Morrison Formation Engelmann, Chure and Fiorillo 2004 ..................................................................................................................... 21 Regional Paleohydrologic and Paleoclimatic Settings of Wetland/Lacustrine Depositional Systems in the Morrison Formation, Western Interior, USA. Dunagan and Turner, 2004 ................. 23 Jurassic “Savannah” – Plant Taphonomy and Climate of the Morrison Formation Parrish, T., Peterson, F., and Tu rner, C. 2004. .................................................................................................... 25 Reconstruction of the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation extinct ecosystem – a synthesis Turner, C., and Pete rson, F. 2004. ........................................................................................... ......... 28 Vertebrate Biostratigraphy of the Morrison Formation Near Cañon City, Colorado, Carpenter, K. 1998. .............................................................................................................................................. 33 Vertebrate Microfossil Sites and Their Contribution to Studies of Paleoecology. Brinkman, D., Russell, A., and Peng, J. 2005. ........................................................................................................... 36 Documentation .................................................................................................................................... 37 Bonebed diversity: ............................................................................................................................... 37 Matrix .................................................................................................................................................. 38 FAUNAL LIST ................................................................................................................... ....................................... 40 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................................................... 52 NAVIGATING MATRICES ............................................................................................................................................. 53 MATRIX DATA TRANSFORMATIONS ............................................................................................................................. 54 LOG TRANSFORMATION ............................................................................................................................................. 54 PERCENT TRANSFORMATION ...................................................................................................................................... 55 SIMILARITY COEFFICIENTS ........................................................................................................................................ 56 DENDROGRAMS WPGMA VS. UPGMA ..................................................................................................................... 57 ANALYSIS OF THE UPPER JURASSIC MORRISON FORMATION ....................................................................................... 59 THE MATRIX ............................................................................................................................................................. 59 DATA TRANSFORMATIONS ...................................................................................................................................... 61 SIMILARITY COEFFICIENTS ........................................................................................................................................ 61 DENDROGRAMS ....................................................................................................................................................... 62 CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................................................................................................... 69 iii Esker1/26/2009 POLAR ORDINATION ............................................................................................................................................ 70 DESCRIPTION OF TECHNIQUE ................................................................................................................................... 70 PROJECTIONS ........................................................................................................................................................... 70 CHOOSING ENDPOINTS ............................................................................................................................................. 72 INTERPRETATION ...................................................................................................................................................... 73 TRANSFORMATIONS ..................................................................................................................................................