The Ups and Downs of Diplocraterion in the Glen Rose Formation (Lower Cretaceous), Dinosaur Valley State Park, Texas (USA) Anthony J
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Opus: Research and Creativity at IPFW Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne Opus: Research & Creativity at IPFW Geosciences Faculty Publications Department of Geosciences 5-14-2015 The pU s and Downs of Diplocraterion in the Glen Rose Formation (Lower Cretaceous), Dinosaur Valley State Park, Texas (USA) Anthony J. Martin Emory University, [email protected] Michael Blair Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne, [email protected] Benjamin F. Dattilo Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne, [email protected] Sadye C. Howald Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne, [email protected] James O. Farlow Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne, [email protected] This research is a product of the Geosciences Department faculty at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. Follow this and additional works at: http://opus.ipfw.edu/geosci_facpubs Part of the Geology Commons, Paleobiology Commons, Paleontology Commons, and the Sedimentology Commons Opus Citation Anthony J. Martin, Michael Blair, Benjamin F. Dattilo, Sadye C. Howald, and James O. Farlow (2015). The psU and Downs of Diplocraterion in the Glen Rose Formation (Lower Cretaceous), Dinosaur Valley State Park, Texas (USA). Geodinamica Acta. http://opus.ipfw.edu/geosci_facpubs/92 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Geosciences at Opus: Research & Creativity at IPFW. It has been accepted for inclusion in Geosciences Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of Opus: Research & Creativity at IPFW. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This article was downloaded by: [Anthony Martin] On: 15 May 2015, At: 06:24 Publisher: Taylor & Francis Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Geodinamica Acta Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tgda20 The ups and downs of Diplocraterion in the Glen Rose Formation (Lower Cretaceous), Dinosaur Valley State Park, Texas (USA) Anthony J. Martina, Michael Blairb, Benjamin F. Dattiloc, Sadye Howaldc & James O. Farlowc a Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta GA 30322, USA b Department of Geology, Ohio University, Athens OH 45701, USA c Department of Geosciences, Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne, 2101 East Coliseum Boulevard, Fort Wayne IN 46805, USA Published online: 14 May 2015. Click for updates To cite this article: Anthony J. Martin, Michael Blair, Benjamin F. Dattilo, Sadye Howald & James O. Farlow (2015): The ups and downs of Diplocraterion in the Glen Rose Formation (Lower Cretaceous), Dinosaur Valley State Park, Texas (USA), Geodinamica Acta, DOI: 10.1080/09853111.2015.1037151 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09853111.2015.1037151 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http:// www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions Geodinamica Acta, 2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09853111.2015.1037151 The ups and downs of Diplocraterion in the Glen Rose Formation (Lower Cretaceous), Dinosaur Valley State Park, Texas (USA) Anthony J. Martina*, Michael Blairb, Benjamin F. Dattiloc, Sadye Howaldc and James O. Farlowc aDepartment of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta GA 30322, USA; bDepartment of Geology, Ohio University, Athens OH 45701, USA; cDepartment of Geosciences, Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne, 2101 East Coliseum Boulevard, Fort Wayne IN 46805, USA (Received 10 January 2015; accepted 31 March 2015) Diplocraterion, a U-shaped burrow attributed to infaunal invertebrates, is normally a shallow-marine trace fossil and not part of a continental vertebrate ichnoassemblage. Hence, the Glen Rose Formation (Aptian–Albian) of Texas (USA) pre- sents an opportunity to study Diplocraterion associated with a world-class dinosaur tracksite. Most Diplocraterion are in a bioclastic wackestone–packstone bed just above the Taylor Tracklayer, a significant dinosaur track horizon. Diplocrate- rion are consistently sized, but with variable depths; most have protrusive spreiten and northeast–southwest trends. Smal- ler Arenicolites co-occur with Diplocraterion, and other trace fossils include Rhizocorallium and a large theropod trackway. Based on our analysis, a sea-level rise buried the Taylor Tracklayer, with a shallow-marine carbonate mud colonised by Diplocraterion and Arenicolites tracemakers. Protrusive Diplocraterion, eroded burrow tops, Rhizocoral- lium, and other criteria point towards firming and net erosion of the bed caused by a stillstand. The depositional environ- ment of the Diplocraterion bed was possibly a subtidal lagoon that covered shoreward sediments impacted by large theropods. Burrow orientations suggest bidirectional currents consistent with trends of theropod trackways, implying each were controlled by a shoreline. The results of our study demonstrate how marine invertebrate and continental vertebrate trace fossils can be used together to define fine-scale changes in former carbonate shorelines. Keywords: ichnology; trace fossils; dinosaur tracks; burrows; Cretaceous; sea level 1. Introduction 1962, 1964; Mason & Christie, 1986; Oloriz & The Glen Rose Formation (Lower Cretaceous: Aptian– Rodriguez-Tovar, 2000; Rodríguez-Tovar & Pérez-Valera, Albian) of east central Texas is ichnologically world 2013; Seilacher, 2007). In the Glen Rose Formation, a – famous for its abundant and exquisitely preserved thero- bioclastic wackestone packstone bed-bearing abundant fi pod and sauropod tracks, particularly where the forma- Diplocraterion, rst described by Nagle (1968), crops tion crops out in and near Dinosaur Valley State Park out at several places in and around Dinosaur Valley State (Bird, 1985; Dattilo et al., 2014; Farlow, 1993, 2001; Park. It is also located <.5 m above the Taylor Farlow et al., 2012). In contrast, the invertebrate trace Tracklayer, one of the best dinosaur track horizons in the fossils of this marginal marine sequence of limestones Glen Rose Formation (Bird, 1985; Dattilo et al., 2014; Downloaded by [Anthony Martin] at 06:24 15 May 2015 and mudstones are less known; instead, researchers Farlow et al., 2012; Kuban, 1989a, 1989b). fi focused on its lithofacies and vertebrate trace fossils In our study, we con rmed that Diplocraterion and (Bird, 1985; Farlow, 1993; Farlow, Pittman, & associated trace fossils (Arenicolites, Rhizocorallium)in Hawthorne, 1989; Jasinski, 2009; Kuban, 1989a, 1989b; this bed provide information pertinent to sedimentation fl Meyer & Pittman, 1994; Shuler, 1917). rates and sea-level uctuations during and just after Fortunately, a recent stratigraphic analysis of the formation of the Taylor Tracklayer. The Diplocraterion Glen Rose Formation in and around Dinosaur Valley bed thus serves as an example of how marginal marine State Park provided a preliminary accounting of its invertebrate trace fossils can be applied to better invertebrate trace fossils and their stratigraphic positions understand paleoenvironmental settings of nearshore (Dattilo et al., 2014). Of these trace fossils, potentially continental vertebrate trace fossils. the most useful for interpreting depositional environ- ments is Diplocraterion, a U-shaped, tubular, and verti- 2. Study area, stratigraphy cally oriented burrow with spreiten. This ichnogenus, which has been reported from continental and marginal The Glen Rose Formation in the study area crops out marine sediments ranging from the Cambrian through mostly along the Paluxy River valley in and around the Neogene, is also commonly applied to sedimento- Dinosaur Valley State Park, west of Glen Rose, Texas – logical analyses, particularly in marginal marine (USA) (Figure 1(a)). The formation varies from Aptian facies (Cornish, 1986; Fürsich, 1974a, 1975; Goldring, Albian throughout its outcrop area, but is Albian in the *Corresponding author. Email: [email protected] © 2015 Taylor & Francis 2 A.J. Martin et al. Figure 1. Locations and stratigraphic setting of the Diplocraterion Bed in the Glen Rose Formation. (a) Selected area of Dinosaur Valley State Park (denoted by dashed boundary) and Paluxy river outcrops within the context