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Mesa Verde National Park Paleontological Resource Inventory (Non-Sensitive Version)

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Mesa Verde National Park Paleontological Resource Inventory (Non-Sensitive Version) National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Mesa Verde National Park Paleontological Resource Inventory (Non-Sensitive Version) Natural Resource Report NPS/MEVE/NRR—2017/1550 ON THE COVER An undescribed chimaera (ratfish) egg capsule of the ichnogenus Chimaerotheca found in the Cliff House Sandstone of Mesa Verde National Park during the work that led to the production of this report. Photograph by: G. William M. Harrison/NPS Photo (Geoscientists-in-the-Parks Intern) Mesa Verde National Park Paleontological Resources Inventory (Non-Sensitive Version) Natural Resource Report NPS/MEVE/NRR—2017/1550 G. William M. Harrison,1 Justin S. Tweet,2 Vincent L. Santucci,3 and George L. San Miguel4 1National Park Service Geoscientists-in-the-Park Program 2788 Ault Park Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio 45208 2National Park Service 9149 79th St. S. Cottage Grove, Minnesota 55016 3National Park Service Geologic Resources Division 1849 “C” Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20240 4National Park Service Mesa Verde National Park PO Box 8 Mesa Verde CO 81330 November 2017 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science office in Fort Collins, Colorado, publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics. These reports are of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Report Series is used to disseminate comprehensive information and analysis about natural resources and related topics concerning lands managed by the National Park Service. The series supports the advancement of science, informed decision-making, and the achievement of the National Park Service mission. The series also provides a forum for presenting more lengthy results that may not be accepted by publications with page limitations. All manuscripts in the series receive the appropriate level of peer review to ensure that the information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the intended audience, and designed and published in a professional manner. This report received informal peer review by subject-matter experts who were not directly involved in the collection, analysis, or reporting of the data. Views, statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations, and data in this report do not necessarily reflect views and policies of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the U.S. Government. This report is available in digital format from the Southern Colorado Plateau Inventory and Monitoring Network website and the Natural Resource Publications Management website. To receive this report in a format that is optimized to be accessible using screen readers for the visually or cognitively impaired, please email [email protected]. Please cite this publication as: Harrison, G. W. M., J. S. Tweet, V. L. Santucci, and G. L. San Miguel. 2017. Mesa Verde National Park: Paleontological resource inventory (non-sensitive version). Natural Resource Report NPS/MEVE/NRR—2017/1550. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 307/140595, November 2017 ii Contents Page Figures.................................................................................................................................................... v Tables ................................................................................................................................................... vii Appendices ........................................................................................................................................... vii Executive Summary .............................................................................................................................. ix Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................................. xi Dedication ...........................................................................................................................................xiii Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 1 Purpose and Need ........................................................................................................................... 2 Project Objectives ........................................................................................................................... 2 History of Paleontological Work at MEVE ........................................................................................... 7 Geology ................................................................................................................................................ 17 Geologic History .......................................................................................................................... 17 Geologic Formations .................................................................................................................... 20 Mancos Shale (Upper Cretaceous) .......................................................................................... 20 Mesa Verde Group: Point Lookout Sandstone (Upper Cretaceous) ........................................ 23 Mesa Verde Group: Menefee Formation (Upper Cretaceous) ................................................ 24 Mesa Verde Group: Cliff House Sandstone (Upper Cretaceous) ............................................ 25 Minette (Upper Oligocene) ...................................................................................................... 26 High level terrace gravels (Pliocene to middle Pleistocene?) ................................................. 26 Quaternary rocks and sediments (Pleistocene–Holocene) ....................................................... 27 Taxonomy ............................................................................................................................................ 29 Fossil Plants .................................................................................................................................. 29 Fossil Invertebrates ....................................................................................................................... 31 Phylum Cnidaria: Class Anthozoa (corals) ............................................................................. 31 Phylum Brachiopoda (lamp shells) ......................................................................................... 31 Phylum Mollusca: Class Bivalvia (clams, oysters, etc.).......................................................... 32 Phylum Mollusca: Class Cephalopoda (octopuses, squids, nautiloids, etc.) ........................... 34 Phylum Mollusca: Class Gastropoda (snails) .......................................................................... 36 iii Contents (continued) Page Phylum Annelida (segmented worms) .................................................................................... 36 Phylum Arthropoda ................................................................................................................. 36 Phylum Echinodermata (sea stars, brittle stars, sea lilies, sea urchins, etc.) ........................... 37 Fossil Vertebrates ......................................................................................................................... 38 Class Chondrichthyes (sharks and rays) .................................................................................. 38 Class Osteichthyes ................................................................................................................... 39 Class Reptilia ........................................................................................................................... 40 Ichnofossils ................................................................................................................................... 40 Microfossils (exclusive of paleobotany) ...................................................................................... 43 Pseudofossils and Misidentified Fossils ....................................................................................... 43 Cultural Resource Connections ............................................................................................................ 45 Paleontological Resource Management and Protection ....................................................................... 47 Interpretation and Education ................................................................................................................ 49 Paleontological Research and Collections ........................................................................................... 51 Paleontological Research Permits ................................................................................................ 51 MEVE Paleontological Specimens in Museum Collections ........................................................ 51 Paleontological Resource Management Recommendations ................................................................ 53 Literature Cited ...................................................................................................................................
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