The Geology and Paleontology of the Late Cretaceous Marine Deposits of the Dakotas
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THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY Special Paper 427 gOF AMERICA' The Geology and Paleontology of the Late Cretaceous Marine Deposits of the Dakotas QE 1 G62 ted by James E. Martin no,427 and David C. Parris The Geology and Paleontology of the Late Cretaceous Marine Deposits of the Dakotas Edited by James E. Martin Museum of Geology Department of Geology and Geological Engineering South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Rapid City, South Dakota 57701 USA and David C. Parris Bureau of Natural History New Jersey State Museum P.O. Box 530 Trenton, New Jersey 08625 USA M THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA® Special Paper 427 3300 Penrose Place, P.O. Box 9140 ■Boulder, Colorado 80301-9140 2007 Copyright 2007, The Geological Society of America, Inc. (GSA). All rights reserved. GSA grants permission to individual scientists to make unlimited photocopies of one or more items from this volume for noncommercial purposes advancing science or education, including classroom use. 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GSA Books Science Editor: Marion E. Bickford Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The geology and paleontology of the late Cretaceous marine deposits of the Dakotas / edited by James E. Martin and David C. Parris. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-0-8137-2427-0 (pbk.) 1. Sediments (Geology)—South Dakota. 2. Sediments (Geology)—North Dakota. 3. Geology—South Dakota. 4. Geology—North Dakota. 5. Paleontology—Cretaceous. 6. Geology, Stratigraphic—Cretaceous. I. Martin, James E. II. Parris, David C. QE471.2.G465 2007 557.83—dc22 2007009883 Cover: Screened image is the Late Cretaceous Niobrara Chalk overlain by newly defined members of the Sharon Springs Formation of the Pierre Shale Group. The large reptile is that of a new species of the mosasaur (Hainosaurus) feeding upon a diving bird (Hesperornis). The illustration in the right foreground is a reconstruction of a new species of the Late Cretaceous diving bird (Baptornis). Both illustrations courtesy of Daniel Varner. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents I. Introduction to the geology and paleontology of the Late Cretaceous marine deposits of the Dakotas 1 D.C. Parris, S.Y. Shelton, and J.E. Martin 2. Revised lithostratigraphy of the lower Pierre Shale Group (Campanian) of central South Dakota, including newly designated members 9 J.E. Martin, J.L. Bertog, and D.C. Parris 3. Geochemical and mineralogical recognition of the bentonites in the lower Pierre Shale Group and their use in regional stratigraphic correlation 23 J. Bertog, W. Huff, and J.E. Martin 4. Stratigraphy and paleoecology of the middle Pierre Shale along the Missouri River, central South Dakota 51 P.A. Hanczaryk and W.B. Gallagher 5. Rare earth element (REE) analysis of fossil vertebrates from the Upper Cretaceous Pierre Shale Group for the purposes of paleobathymetric interpretations of the Western Interior Seaway 71 D. Patrick, J.E. Martin, D.C. Parris, and D.E. Grandstaff 6. Mollusks from the late Campanian upper DeGrey Formation of the Pierre Shale Group, Missouri River Valley, central South Dakota 85 J.E. Fox 7. Fossil fish from the Pierre Shale Group (Late Cretaceous): Clarifying the biostratigraphic record 99 D.C. Parris, B.S. Grandstaff, and W.B. Gallagher 8. Taxonomic comparison and stratigraphic distribution of Toxochelys (Testudines: Cheloniidae) of South Dakota 111 M. Hart Carrino 9. A new polycotylid plesiosaur (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) from the Greenhorn Limestone (Upper Cretaceous; lower upper Cenomanian), Black Hills, South Dakota 133 B.A. Schumacher 10. Comparison of gastroliths within plesiosaurs (Elasmosauridae) from the Late Cretaceous marine deposits of Vega Island, Antarctic Peninsula, and the Missouri River area, South Dakota 147 W.A. Thompson, J.E. Martin, and M. Reguero iii iv Contents 11. Rare earth element determination of the stratigraphic position of the holotype of Mosasaurus missouriensis (Harlan), the first named fossil reptile from the American West 155 D. Patrick, J.E. Martin, D.C. Parris, and D.E. Grandstaff 12. Stomach contents of Globidens, a shell-crushing mosasaur (Squamata), from the Late Cretaceous Pierre Shale Group, Big Bend area of the Missouri River, central South Dakota 167 J.E. Martin and J.E. Fox 13. A new species of the durophagous mosasaur, Globidens (Squamata: Mosasauridae) from the Late Cretaceous Pierre Shale Group of central South Dakota, USA 177 J.E. Martin 14. A North American Hainosaurus (Squamata: Mosasauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of southern South Dakota 199 J.E. Martin 15. The largest mosasaur (Squamata: Mosasauridae) from the Missouri River area (Late Cretaceous; Pierre Shale Group) of South Dakota and its relationship to Lewis and Clark 209 R.W. Meredith, J.E. Martin, and P.N. Wegleitner 16. Pteranodon (Reptilia: Pterosauria): Stratigraphic distribution and taphonomy in the lower Pierre Shale Group (Campanian), western South Dakota and eastern Wyoming 215 J.E. Hargrave 17. A new species of the diving bird, Baptornis (Ornithurae: Hesperornithiformes), from the lower Pierre Shale Group (Upper Cretaceous) of southwestern South Dakota 227 J.E. Martin and A. Cordes-Person 18. Amphibian, reptilian, and avian remains from the Fox Hills Formation (Maastrichtian): Shoreline and estuarine deposits of the Pierre Sea in south-central North Dakota 239 J.W. Hoganson, J.M. Erickson, and F.D. Holland Jr. The Geological Society of America Special Paper 427 2007 A new species of the durophagous mosasaur Globidens (Squamata: Mosasauridae) from the Late Cretaceous Pierre Shale Group of central South Dakota, USA James E. Martin Museum of Geology, Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, South Dakota 57701, USA ABSTRACT The most complete specimen of the unusual mosasaur Globidens has been discov- ered in central South Dakota along the Missouri River. The specimen consists of the anterior half of a skeleton, including crushed skull, pectoral girdle, partial paddle, and vertebral series. One humerus and ulna exhibit pathologies. The partial skeleton was found at the top of the DeGrey Formation (upper Campanian) of the Pierre Shale Group and is therefore the youngest skeleton from North America. The specimen exhibits apomorphies that correspond with the late occurrence and indicate a new species. Increased dental hypsodonty, lack of a posterior buttress on teeth, great size, and massive build indicate a derived intermediate species of a Glade that first occurred with rounded teeth in the early Campanian in North America and Europe (Globidens alabamaensis and Globidens dakotensis) and culminated with high-crowned teeth with posterior buttresses in the Maastrichtian of Africa, the Middle East, and South America (Globidens phosphaticus). Associated with the specimen are bivalves that are interpreted as stomach contents and shark teeth that are interpreted as the result of scavenging. Keywords: mosasaur, Globidens, durophagous, Cretaceous, South Dakota. INTRODUCTION compressed, and many have carinae that are serrated. A number of specimens have been found in South Dakota with stomach con- Mosasaurs were marine lizards that first appeared in the Late tents, indicating the carnivorous nature of these top-end predators Cretaceous and had a relatively short duration before the terminal (Martin and Bjork, 1987; Martin, 1994). Two tylosaurines have Cretaceous extinction. Even though short-lived, these reptiles been found with stomach contents, one with a small mosasaurine diversified, dispersed worldwide, and have been found on every tentatively assigned to Clidastes, and another with a plioplate- continent. Two major groups of the Mosasauridae, Subfamily carpine assigned to Platecarpus, a teleost, and a hesperornithine Mosasaurinae and Parafamily Russellosaurina (Polcyn and Bell, bird (Martin, 1994; Martin and Bjork, 1987). A plioplatecarpine 2005a), appear to have produced numerous species of mosasaurs mosasaur has been found with teleosts within the stomach region adapted to carnivory. Nearly all these species are characterized by (Martin, 1994). All of these specimens indicate what might be marginal sectorial dentitions as well as sharp teeth on the ptery- expected from the highly sectorial (piercing or slicing) teeth. goid bones. These teeth are normally high, conical to laterally In contrast, the mosasaurine, Globidens, is characterized by Martin, J.E., 2007, A new species of the durophagous mosasaur Globidens (Squamata: Mosasauridae) from the Late Cretaceous Pierre Shale Group of central South Dakota, USA, in Martin, J.E., and Parris, D.C., eds.,