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Giant Dinosaur (Theropod) Eggs of the Oogenus

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Giant Dinosaur (Theropod) Eggs of the Oogenus GIANT DINOSAUR (THEROPOD) EGGS OF THE OOGENUS MACROELONGATOOLITHUS (ELONGATOOLITHIDAE) FROM SOUTHEASTERN IDAHO: TAXONOMIC, PALEOBIOGEOGRAPHIC, AND REPRODUCTIVE IMPLICATIONS by Danielle Jade Simon A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Earth Sciences MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY Bozeman, Montana May 2014 © COPYRIGHT by Danielle Jade Simon 2014 All Rights Reserved ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my committee members Dave Varricchio, Frankie Jackson, and Jack Horner for their encouragement and assistance throughout this project. Research was funded by National Science Foundation grant #0847777 (EAR) to D. Varricchio and additional support was provided by National Geographic Grant 8752-10 to D. Varricchio. Travel to present research at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 72nd Annual Meeting was provided by the College of Letters and Science Student Research Grant. Jamie Fearon and Ashley Poust assisted with stratigraphic section work in the Wayan Formation. Laurie Spicher, Takuya Imai, and Michael Holland assisted with preparation of Wayan specimens. Imaging and analysis were possible thanks to help from staff at the Imaging and Chemical Analysis Laboratory at Montana State University. Dave Mogk provided crucial assistance with X-ray Diffraction techniques and analysis. Ellen Lamm and Jack Horner at the Museum of the Rockies Paleontology lab provided access to equipment and expertise in analytical techniques critical to this study. Frankie Jackson contributed vital assistance with eggshell microstructural analysis and use of equipment in both the Traphagen Petrographic Analysis lab and the Museum of the Rockies Paleontology lab. The Idaho Museum of Natural History graciously provided extended access to Wayan Formation egg material, while Xingsheng Jin and Zhejiang Museum of Natural History staff provided access to Liangtoutang specimens and assistance with specimen photography. Xingsheng Jin, Wenjie Zheng, Xiuti Li, and Shengxiao Gu provided assistance during travel to Hangzhou. Sara Oser and Daniel Barta contributed valuable discussion and insight involved in every aspect of this project. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................1 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ...............................................................................................7 Description and Occurrence of Elongatoolithidae .........................................................7 Nanhsiungoolithus Zhao 1975 ................................................................................8 Elongatoolithus Zhao 1975 .....................................................................................8 Macroolithus Zhao 1975 .......................................................................................10 Macroelongatoolithus Li, Yin, Liu 1995 ..............................................................12 Ellipsoolithus Mohabey 1998 ...............................................................................16 Trachoolithus Mikhailov 1994a ............................................................................17 Heishanoolithus Zhao and Zhao 1999 ..................................................................17 Ornitholithus Donaire and Lopez-Martinez 2009 .................................................17 Paraelongatoolithus Wang, Wang, Zhao, and Liang 2010 ..................................18 Undulatoolithus Zhao, Wang, Li, and Zou 2013 ..................................................18 Elongatoolithidae-Oviraptor Associations ..................................................................18 Elongatoolithus and Macroolithus ........................................................................19 Macroelongatoolithus ...........................................................................................20 Reproductive Behavior of Elongatoolithid Egg-laying Animals .................................21 Review of Gas Conductance Studies ...........................................................................22 3. MATERIALS AND METHODS ..................................................................................24 Materials .......................................................................................................................24 Wayan Formation ..................................................................................................24 Brockman Creek Material Examined ........................................................25 Jackknife Creek Material Examined .........................................................26 Geology and Faunal Composition ............................................................28 Blackleaf Formation ..............................................................................................29 Material Examined ....................................................................................29 Geology and Faunal Composition ............................................................29 Thomas Fork Formation .......................................................................................30 Material Examined ....................................................................................30 Geology and Faunal Composition ............................................................30 Liangtoutang Formation ........................................................................................31 Material Examined ....................................................................................31 Geology and Faunal Composition ............................................................31 Methods .........................................................................................................................32 Wayan Formation Field Work ..............................................................................32 Laboratory Preparation of Wayan Formation Specimens .....................................33 X-ray Diffraction ..................................................................................................34 Microstructural Examination ................................................................................36 Zonal Microstructural Analysis ............................................................................37 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTINUED Zonal Gas Conductance ........................................................................................38 Institutional Abbreviations ............................................................................................41 4. GEOLOGY OF THE WAYAN FORMATION OF IDAHO .......................................42 Stratigraphy ..................................................................................................................42 Brockman Creek ...................................................................................................42 Unit 1 ........................................................................................................42 Unit 2 ........................................................................................................42 Unit 3 ........................................................................................................42 Unit 4 ........................................................................................................42 Unit 5 ........................................................................................................42 Unit 6 ........................................................................................................46 Unit 7 ........................................................................................................46 Jackknife Creek .....................................................................................................46 Unit 1 ........................................................................................................46 Unit 2 ........................................................................................................46 Unit 3 ........................................................................................................46 Unit 4 ........................................................................................................48 Unit 5 ........................................................................................................48 Taphonomy and Paleoenvironment of the Wayan Formation Nesting Site .................50 Orientation Data ....................................................................................................51 IMNH 2427 ...............................................................................................51 IMNH 2428 ...............................................................................................51 Sedimentology ......................................................................................................52 Conclusions ...........................................................................................................54 5. GROSS MORPHOLOGY AND MICROSTRUCTURE OF EXAMINED EGGS AND EGGSHELL ......................................................................56 Results ...........................................................................................................................56 Wayan Formation ..................................................................................................56 IMNH 2427\49604-49606 ........................................................................57
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