T96 Sigma Gamma Epsilon Undergraduate Research (Posters)

Monday, 5 November 2018
9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Halls J-K

FAUNAL ANALYSIS OF A FOSSIL MICROSITE FROM THE LATE CRETACEOUS HELL CREEK FORMATION, NORTH DAKOTA

Paper number: T96-50
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:00 AM – 6:30 PM

Authors

Abstract

The Hell Creek Formation of the western United States is a series of 66-million-year-old mudstones and sandstones that is well-known for its fossils from the latest Cretaceous period. It represents a low-lying coastal plain environment cut by numerous river channels. In contrast to the large-dinosaur fossil excavations the Hell Creek Formation is famous for, fossil microsites (collections of small invertebrate and vertebrate fossils, often concentrated by stream currents) can offer more nuanced insights into local ecosystems due to their faunal abundance and diversity. This project documented the presence and abundance of taxa at a fossil microsite within the Hell Creek Formation near Marmarth, North Dakota. Microfossils and bulk sediment samples were collected from a newly-identified microsite yards away from and at the same stratigraphic level as several dinosaur fossils. The site was divided into five regions and each region was searched by closely examining the ground surface and collecting all fossil material. The site was first sampled during the summer of 2016 and revisited in 2017 and 2018. Fossils were identified to the most specific taxonomic level possible and tallied to determine their abundance. Identifiable taxa at this site include theropod dinosaurs, turtles, crocodilians, fish and bivalves. These results will be used to provide greater environmental context and depositional information for nearby dinosaur excavation sites and future research in the area.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 50, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2018AM-324307

© Copyright 2018 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.