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Although intensified work on the volcaniclastic-rich sediments of the fossil-bearing Mussentuchit Member (uppermost Cedar Mountain Formation, Utah) has provided a refined chronostratigraphic framework, paleoenvironmental interpretations remain cryptic. To resolve this, we performed facies analysis and architectural reconstruction on exposed Mussentuchit Member outcrops south of Emery, central Utah, USA. Contrary to previous interpretations (fluvial, lacustrine), we identified a broad suite of facies that indicate that deposition occurred on the landward part of a paralic depocenter, influenced by both distal alluvial and proximal coastal systems. We conclude that the Mussentuchit Member was a sink for suspension-settling fines with most undergoing pedogenic alteration, analogous to the modern coastal plain of French Guiana (Wang et al. 2002; Anthony et al. 2010, 2014). However, this landward paralic depocenter was not uniform through time. Sedimentological evidence indicates landscape modification was ongoing, influenced by an altered base-level (high groundwater table, long residency of water in sediments, shifts in paleosol types, heavier to lighter δ18O, and distinct shifts in relative humidity (ε); common in coastal settings). If the above data is coupled with recent age data, we interpret that the Mussentuchit Member correlates to the S.B. 4 Greenhorn Regression (Thatcher Limestone) of the adjacent Western Interior Seaway to the east. As a landward paralic depocenter, the Mussentuchit would have been sensitive to base-level conditions in response to ongoing tectonic processes pushing the foredeep east, and lower paleo-CO2 levels coupled with a minor global sea-level fall (brief glacial phase) just before to the Cenomanian–Turonian Thermal Maximum. Altogether, our results not only strengthen linkages in the central Western Interior Seaway, but simultaneously results in novel linkages to near-coeval paralic depocenters across mid-Cenomanian North America.

Correlations between continental sequences within the Karoo-aged basins of southern and eastern Africa are difficult due to the dearth of shared index fossils and a lack of radioisotopic dates for key formations. Here we describe four sites along the southeastern shoreline of Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe, within the Mid-Zambezi Basin, that yield material of phytosaurs (Archosauromorpha: Phytosauria) from within the informal Tashinga Formation (Upper Karoo Group). These phytosaur remains are the first to be recovered from sub-Saharan mainland Africa, representing a major geographic range extension for this group into high southern latitudes. Furthermore, an LA-ICPMS maximum depositional age of 209.2 ± 4.5 Ma (late Norian/early Rhaetian) derived from detrital zircons provides the first absolute age estimate for any of these sites. The phytosaurs are associated with lungfish and metoposaurid amphibians, forming part of a terrestrial-aquatic dominated biota, a previously undocumented biome from the Late Triassic of southern Africa.

Geochemical zoning in a partially fossilized Pleistocene artiodactyl metapodial was contrasted with a fully fossilized Cretaceous ceratopsian femur as distinct stages along the fossilization process to investigate the physicochemical effects of fossilization and fossilization mechanisms. Bone fragments were analyzed via laser ablation ICP-MS, FT-IR, and stable isotope microanalysis to determine zoning patterns in trace elements, relative carbonate content and collagen contents, and stable isotopes of both the CO3 and PO4 components (δ13CCO3, δ18OCO3, and δ18OPO4). The Pleistocene sample shows a pronounced step in U concentration from high values (up to 90 ppm) within 1 mm of the outer bone surface and inner medullary cavity to ppb-level concentrations typical of in-vivo bone in the interior (inner ∼6 mm). High U broadly coincides with reduced collagen, higher δ13CCO3, and lower δ18OCO3. Rare earth elements (REE), however, show typical exponential decreases from bone edges inward, and δ18OPO4 shows no clear trend. The Cretaceous bone shows high REE and U contents throughout, a complete absence of collagen, and relatively uniform isotope compositions. The Pleistocene data, especially U zoning, implicate a diffusion-reaction (DR) fossilization mechanism, in which collagen degradation facilitates a recrystallization front that propagates as a front towards the bone interior, reducing OH-site CO3 content, and shifting δ13CCO3, δ18OCO3, and δ18OPO4. Disequilibrium O-isotope partitioning between the CO3 and PO4 components in the interior of the Pleistocene bone suggests that both the CO3 and PO4 components have exchanged with diagenetic waters, likely through abiotic and microbially-induced exchange, respectively. Strong partitioning between apatite and soil water, coupled with uptake of REE in apatite from surrounding sediment matrix during fossilization, leads to exponential decreases in concentrations, which are passively recorded in apatite in the bone interior. The Cretaceous data do not implicate a unique fossilization mechanism but instead reflect the consequences of protracted fossilization and the final state that the Pleistocene bone might eventually have reached had the bone not been excavated. That is, the Cretaceous bone fossilization history resulted in no collagen, reduced or no OH-site CO3, and more uniform isotopic compositions. The multi-analytical methods employed in this study may benefit studies of diagenetic alteration of other apatitic tissues, e.g., tooth enamel.

Tyrannosaurids are hypothesized to be gregarious, possibly parasocial carnivores engaging in cooperative hunting and extended parental care. A tyrannosaurid (cf.Teratophoneus curriei) bonebed in the late Campanian age Kaiparowits Formation of southern Utah, nicknamed the Rainbows and Unicorns Quarry (RUQ), provides the first opportunity to investigate possible tyrannosaurid gregariousness in a taxon unique to southern Laramidia. Analyses of the site’s sedimentology, fauna, flora, stable isotopes, rare earth elements (REE), charcoal content and taphonomy suggest a complex history starting with the deaths and transport of tyrannosaurids into a peri-fluvial, low-energy lacustrine setting. Isotopic and REE analyses of the fossil material yields a relatively homogeneous signature indicating the assemblage was derived from the same source and represents a fauna living in a single ecospace. Subsequent drying of the lake and fluctuating water tables simultaneously overprinted the bones with pedogenic carbonate and structurally weakened them through wet-dry cycling. Abundant charcoal recovered from the primary bone layer indicate a low temperature fire played a role in the site history, possibly triggering an avulsion that exhumed and reburied skeletal material on the margin of a new channel with minimal transport. Possible causes of mortality and concentration of the tyrannosaurids include cyanobacterial toxicosis, fire, and flooding, the latter being the preferred hypothesis. Comparisons of the RUQ site with other North American tyrannosaur bonebeds (Dry Island-Alberta;Daspletosaurus horneri-Montana) suggest all formed through similar processes. Combined with ichnological evidence, these tyrannosaur mass-burial sites could be part of an emerging pattern throughout Laramidia reflecting innate tyrannosaurid behavior such as habitual gregariousness.

Auroraceratops rugosus from the Lower Cretaceous Zhonggou Formation, Gansu Province, China is characterized by exquisite external preservation of articulated, often ventrolaterally curled remains f...

The Early Cretaceous of northwest China has yielded abundant vertebrates, invertebrates, and plant fossils from numerous intermontane basins. Developing a chronostratigraphic context for th...

Carbon is one of the most important elements on Earth. It is the basis of life, it is stored and mobilized throughout the Earth from core to crust and it is the basis of the energy sources that are vital to human civilization. This issue will focus on the origins of carbon on Earth, the roles played by large-scale catastrophic carbon perturbations in mass extinctions, the movement and distribution of carbon in large igneous provinces, and the role carbon plays in icehouse–greenhouse climate transitions in deep time. Present-day carbon fluxes on Earth are changing rapidly, and it is of utmost importance that scientists understand Earth's carbon cycle to secure a sustainable future.

An ostracode fauna is described from lacustrine sediments of the Hettangian, Lower Jurassic, Whitmore Point Member of the Moenave Formation. The Moenave is well known for its rich, Late Triassic?–Early Jurassic fossil record, which includes fossil fishes, stromatolites, ostracodes, spinicaudatans, and a diverse ichnofauna of invertebrates and vertebrates. Four ostracode species, all belonging to the suborder Darwinulocopina, were recovered from these sediments:Suchonellina globosa,S. stricta,Whipplella? sp. 1, andW.? sp. 2. The diversity and composition of the Whitmore Point Member ostracode fauna agree with previous interpretations about Lake Dixie and nearby paleoenvironments as shallow lakes inhabited by darwinulocopine species that survived the effects of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province and the subsequent end-Triassic extinction and quickly recolonized these areas, thanks to asexual reproduction by parthenogenesis. The Lake Dixie region, in its geographical isolation, could represent the last episode of darwinulocopine dominance in nonmarine environments before the Late Jurassic diversification of the cypridocopine/cytherocopine modern ostracodes.

The Mygatt-Moore Quarry is a deposit of several thousand dinosaur bones in the Brushy Basin Member of the Morrison Formation in western Colorado. The site has been worked for more than 30 years and nearly 2400 mapped specimens have been collected. This study gathered data about the quarry from many sources to investigate the origin of the deposit. The Mygatt-Moore Quarry appears to be an attritional deposit of a relatively restricted diversity of dinosaurs, with few other non-dinosaurian taxa, that accumulated in a vernal pool deposit in an overbank setting. Bone modification was mostly by corrosion and breakage by trampling; scavenging was abundant. The paleofauna is dominated by Allosaurus and Apatosaurus (MNI and NIS), with the polacanthid ankylosaur Mymoorapelta less common. The matrix of the main quarry layer includes abundant carbonized fragments of plant material, and the mud during the time of deposition may have been often at least damp and occasionally acidic and dysoxic. The Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry is a close correlate of the Mygatt-Moore Quarry in terms of lithology and taphonomy, but demonstrates significant differences upon close inspection of matrix details and bone modification. Large quarries of fine-grained facies in the Morrison Formation possess a very different preservation mode as well as different taxon and relative abundance profiles from those in coarser sediments, which suggests that more may be learned in the future from taphofacies study of large quarries in mudstone beds.

We present a previously discovered but undescribed late Early Cretaceous vertebrate fauna from the Holly Creek Formation of the Trinity Group in Arkansas. The site from the ancient Gulf Coast is dominated by semi-aquatic forms and preserves a diverse aquatic, semi-aquatic, and terrestrial fauna. Fishes include fresh- to brackish-water chondrichthyans and a variety of actinopterygians, including semionotids, an amiid, and a new pycnodontiform,Anomoeodus caddoisp. nov. Semi-aquatic taxa include lissamphibians, the solemydid turtleNaomichelys, a trionychid turtle, and coelognathosuchian crocodyliforms. Among terrestrial forms are several members of Dinosauria and one or more squamates, one of which,Sciroseps pawhuskaigen. et sp. nov., is described herein. Among Dinosauria, both large and small theropods (Acrocanthosaurus,Deinonychus, andRichardoestesia) and titanosauriform sauropods are represented; herein we also report the first occurrence of a nodosaurid ankylosaur from the Trinity Group. The fauna of the Holly Creek Formation is similar to other, widely scattered late Early Cretaceous assemblages across North America and suggests the presence of a low-diversity, broadly distributed continental ecosystem of the Early Cretaceous following the Late Jurassic faunal turnover. This low-diversity ecosystem contrasts sharply with the highly diverse ecosystem which emerged by the Cenomanian. The contrast underpins the importance of vicariance as an evolutionary driver brought on by Sevier tectonics and climatic changes, such as rising sea level and formation of the Western Interior Seaway, impacting the early Late Cretaceous ecosystem.

The Late Triassic is a period of abrupt climate change associated with a disruption to the global carbon cycle usually ascribed to the emplacement of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP). Geochronologic, paleontologic, and geochemical studies have shown that the CAMP was likely the major factor for the end-Triassic extinction (ETE), however, difficulties correlating and dating terrestrial strata has left the nature of the terrestrial extinction in question. The lacustrine Whitmore Point Member (WPM) of the Moenave Formation is ideal for investigating these details because it is reported to be Late Triassic to Early Jurassic. However, currently there are conflicting age constraints between biostratigraphy and magnetostratigraphy. In this study we attempt to elucidate the ETE by incorporating C-isotope chemostratigraphy and detrital zircon geochronology. Detrital zircon geochronology suggests the upper part of the Dinosaur Canyon Member (DCM) is younger (201.33 ± 0.07/0.12/0.25 Ma) than the ETE (201.564 Ma) suggesting the ETE is in the middle to lower DCM, in agreement with track biostratigraphy (first occurrence of Eubrontes, Anomoepus, and Batrachopus). Meanwhile a distinct negative carbon isotope (NCIE) excursion (−5.5‰) occurs at the base of the WPM at Potter Canyon, AZ with a more subtle NCIE at the base of the WPM at Black Canyon, UT (−2.0‰) that may correlate to the initial NCIE at the ETE. However, the WPM NCIE is correlated to the preservation of organic C (relative %C) suggesting it may be either related to local lake productivity and biases in organic matter preservation or may be a negative CIE in the Jurassic Hettangian stage. With the addition of the detrital zircon data, we suggest the M2r reversal at the base of the WPM is a reversal in the Hettangian (the H24r, H25r, or H26r) and the ETE is within the DCM. Additional C-isotope analysis of the DCM is necessary to determine if the initial NCIE that is the hallmark of the ETE occurs in terrestrial strata in western Pangea. However, our WPM C-isotope record is the most complete C-isotope record from terrestrial strata of western Pangea to date and in addition to detrital zircon geochronology, magnetostratigraphy, and biostratigraphy, will be used to provide a framework for future chronologic and paleoclimatic studies.

Mosasaurs were widespread predators of the vast Cretaceous seas, and it is debated whether these extinct marine reptiles migrated to coastal environments to feed or reproduce. Here we investigate the potential for migration of mosasaurs through novel high-resolution sclerochronology that samples incremental growth lines in fossil mosasaur teeth and extracts oxygen isotopes from pristine enamel. Oxygen isotope trends of consecutive teeth are spliced to reconstruct one to seven month-long life histories of Platecarpus tympaniticus and Clidastes propython mosasaurs, respectively, collected from time-equivalent chalk deposits of the Western Interior Seaway and Mississippi Embayment of North America. The records of all individuals—two adults and one juvenile—are characterized by semi-regular depletions in oxygen isotope values, indicating travel from marine to freshwater coastal environments. Weekly to bi-weekly consumption of freshwater by two genera at diverse life stages implies that mosasaur osmoregulatory function was similar to their living sea snake relatives that drink freshwater periodically.

The thermoregulatory style of Late Cretaceous mosasaurs has become a highly controversial subject in vertebrate palaeontology. These extinct marine reptiles have previously been described as poikilothermic, endothermic or gigantothermic. Here we analyse three genera of mosasaurs from the Mooreville Chalk in Alabama (USA) of differing body mass, and compare their δ18OPO4 derived body temperatures (Tb) with those of coeval poikilothermic fish (Enchodus) and endothermic pelagic seabirds (Ichthyornis). Results show that all mosasaurs, Clidastes (Tb = 33.1°C), Platecarpus (Tb = 36.3°C), and Tylosaurus (Tb = 34.3°C), had elevated average body temperatures in relation to those of the fish (Tb = 28.3°C) and were closer to those of Ichthyornis (Tb = 38.6°C). The temperatures calculated for Enchodus compare well with previously reported temperature estimates for the Mooreville Chalk and the Tb of Ichthyornis compares well with temperatures that have been reported for modern seabirds, suggesting that this method provides accurate results. Finally, although there are small differences of body temperature among mosasaur genera, these are independent of size, and thus inferred body mass, suggesting that mosasaurs were not gigantotherms, but rather endotherms.

As global mean annual temperatures continue to rise, modern Arctic climates are changing at an incredibly fast rate. To predict changing climate dynamics, a number of researchers have been focused on characterizing Arctic climate from ancient greenhouse worlds such as the Cretaceous and Eocene. Characterization of these climates requires analysis of a variety of proxy materials. Here we use bivalve shells, identified as Nucula aff. Nucula percrassa Conrad, from the Cretaceous (early Maastrichtian) Prince Creek Formation in combination with isotope data from previous lithologic and isotopic studies to characterize a cool-house Cretaceous climate bounded by greenhouse climates (mid-Cretaceous thermal maximum and Late Paleocene climate). Bivalves were analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), cathodoluminescence (CL), and thin section petrography to determine mineralogy and integrity of shells. PXRD analysis indicates that shells are composed of primary aragonite and not secondary calcite. Thin section and CL images reveal well preserved shell morphology including daily growth lines, and no luminescent patches or coarsening of crystal sizes to indicate diagenetic alteration/recrystallization. Aragonite carbon isotopic composition (δ13Carag) range from + 0.45‰ to − 3.00‰ VPDB and average − 1.58‰. Aragonite oxygen isotopic composition (δ18Oarag) range from − 10.48‰ to − 15.42‰ VPDB and average − 12.83‰. Using temperatures from 4.5 °C to 12.5 °C, the salinity–δ18Owater relationship of a modern Arctic setting from Torres et al. (2011), and the water–aragonite equation of Grossman and Ku (1986) reveal salinity ranges between 8 and 17.7 ppt. Using these salinity ranges and temperatures, N. percrassa precipitated shell aragonite from water that ranged between δ18Owater = − 14.41‰ VSMOW (at 12.5 °C) and − 16.23‰ (at 4.5 °C). Shell growth was in equilibrium with water that represents a coastal, mixed water setting such as an estuary. When combined with previous studies, the mixture of fresh:marine water represents a 50%:50% to 72%:28% mixture and ranged between − 14.41‰ and − 16.23‰ during spring to summer months.

The upper Stormberg Group (Elliot and Clarens formations) of the main Karoo Basin is well-known for its fossil vertebrate fauna, comprising early branching members of lineages including mammals, dinosaurs, and turtles. Despite 150 years of scientific study, the upper Stormberg Group lacks radioisotopic age constraints and remains coarsely dated via imprecise faunal correlations. Here we synthesise previous litho- and magnetostratigraphic studies, and present a comprehensive biostratigraphic review of the upper Stormberg fauna. We also present the results of the first geochronological assessment of the unit across the basin, using U-Pb dates derived from detrital zircons obtained from tuffaceous sandstones and siltstones, the youngest of which are considered maximum depositional ages. Our results confirm that the Elliot Formation contains the Triassic–Jurassic boundary, making it one of the few fossiliferous continental units that records the effects of the end-Triassic Mass Extinction event. Our work suggests a mid-Norian–Rhaetian age for the lower Elliot Formation and a Hettangian–Sinemurian age for the upper Elliot Formation, although the precise stratigraphic position of the Triassic/Jurassic (Rhaetian/Hettangian) boundary remains somewhat uncertain. A mainly Pliensbachian age is obtained for the Clarens Formation. The new dates allow direct comparison with better-calibrated Triassic-Jurassic faunas of the Western Hemisphere (e.g., Chinle and Los Colorados formations). We show that sauropodomorph, but not ornithischian or theropod, dinosaurs were well-established in the main Karoo Basin ~220 million years ago, and that typical Norian faunas (e.g., aetosaurs, phytosaurs) are either rare or absent in the lower Elliot Formation, which is paucispecific compared to the upper Elliot. While this is unlikely the result of geographic sampling biases, it could be due to historical sampling intensity differences.

LIDAR-based analyses of the first theropod dinosaur trackways known from the state of Arkansas, USA are reported. The trackways were found on a limestone bedding plane in the Albian De Queen Formation in an active gypsum quarry. Because limited access precluded thorough field study, fieldwork focused on preserving the entire site digitally with ground-based LIDAR, and detailed measurements were later taken digitally from point cloud data. The site contains eight tridactyl trackways associated with sauropod trackways and numerous isolated tracks. Although there appear to be two different tridactyl morphotypes, we show that the tracks are all likely from a single species of trackmaker. We apply a simple method of estimating substrate consistency by comparing the differences between true track dimensions and apparent track dimensions. The tridactyl tracks at the southern end of the site are preserved with significantly greater differences in true vs. apparent dimensions and are shallower than the rest of the tridactyl tracks at the site, which we interpret as the result of outward expansion of the soft tissues of the foot upon contact with a firm substrate. We interpret the firm substrate as having high bulk density and high shear strength, which also explain associated manus-only sauropod tracks. We show that the tridactyl tracks are likely from theropod trackmakers and that footprint lengths, trackway paces, stride lengths, and pace angulations of the De Queen trackways are statistically indistinguishable from equivalent measurements of theropod trackways in the Glen Rose Formation. The Glen Rose tracks are attributed to the large-bodied theropod, Acrocanthosaurus and we likewise attribute the De Queen tracks to Acrocanthosaurus, which is known from skeletal remains in temporally equivalent units and from the mine itself.

The integration of terrestrial carbonate δ13C chemostratigraphy and radiometric dates is opening a new window into the continental paleoclimate dynamics of the major carbon cycle perturbations of the Aptian-Albian interval. Results published to date by many researchers clearly show that there was a tight temporal coupling between Aptian-Albian marine, atmospheric, and terrestrial carbon pools that now permits refined global chemostratigraphic and chronostratigraphic correlations on time scales of 106 years or less. This development opens new opportunities to explore the Aptian-Albian Earth system by incorporating continental climate change dynamics in a developing global synthesis. In this paper, we present new U–Pb and U–Th/He age dates on a late Albian volcanic ash deposit in a stratigraphic section that fills a previous gap in in the terrestrial δ13C record. Here we also present, for the first time, coordinated δ13Ccarbonate, δ18Ocarbonate, and δ13Corganic data from stacked successions of paleosols in Aptian-Albian terrestrial strata of the Cedar Mountain Formation of Utah, USA. From the whole of this record, the late Aptian C10 C-isotope feature is especially noteworthy as an interval of major global change. Coordinated carbonate and organic carbon isotope data from this interval suggest that this positive carbon isotope excursion (CIE) was related to a buildup of atmospheric pCO2 to a peak level of about 1200 ppmV over a period of several million years duration, above earlier Aptian baseline levels of about 1000 ppmV. The C10 interval was immediately preceded and followed by drawdowns in pCO2 to levels of about 800 ppmV, and the entirety of the Aptian-Albian record from the Cedar Mountain Formation suggests a long-term fall of pCO2 levels from about 1000 down to 600 ppmV. We suggest that the late Aptian buildup likely is related to submarine volcanic activity in the Kerguelen Large Igneous Province in the southern Indian Ocean. Strata of the C-10 C-isotope feature are also associated with sedimentary evidence for an aridification event in the leeward rain shadow of the Sevier Mountains. On the basis of diagenetic studies of dolomitized calcretes in this C10 interval, we calculate that the precipitation-evaporation deficit intensified to the extent that 35–50% of the shallow groundwater system was lost to the atmosphere through evaporation.

We investigate the regional climatic effects of the formation of the ''Nevadaplano'' plateau during the Sevier Orogeny in an overall warming world. Paleohydrology was reconstructed from 590 individual measurements of phosphate O isotopes in continental faunas of the Lower Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation, Utah, U.S.A. Semi-aquatic (turtles, crocodiles) and terrestrial (dinosaurs) taxa are compared to coeval pedogenic carbonates to interpret changing water sources over time. Samples were grouped into four stratigraphic faunas (lower Yellow Cat, upper Yellow Cat, Ruby Ranch, and Mussentuchit members). Resulting isotopic values were converted to d18 Ow values using established d 18 Op-d 18 Ow and d 18 Oc-d 18 Ow relationships. At a formation scale, turtles (d 18 Op = 14.1 to 15.7% V-SMOW) and crocodiles (d 18 Op = 15.0 to 19.2%) document water compositions of 28.1 to 26.1% and 27.7 to 24.2%, respectively, within the zonal range for formation-scale meteoric water at 34u N paleolatitude (27.1 to 24.8%) established by pedogenic carbonates (d18 Oc = 22.0 to 23.5% V-SMOW). These data suggest that, like soil carbonates, turtle and crocodile phosphate isotopes can be used as proxies for meteoric water isotopic composition.Dinosaurd18 Op(sauropods: 19.7 to 21.9%, ornithischians: 16.6to 21.7%, small theropods: 16.9to 18.2%, andlarge allosauroids: 19.1 to 20.3%) values generally exceed those of semi-aquatic taxa. Using mass-balance equations for modern terrestrial animals adjusted for size and inferred dinosaur physiology, ingested water is calculated for the above dinosaur groups. On a member scale, when meteoric-water values are compared with calculated dinosaur drinking water, values are equal to or lighter than meteoric water for most herbivorous groups (as low as 215.5% for ornithischians) and equal to or heavier than meteoric water for most carnivorous groups (as high as 22.0% for allosauroids). Changes in d18 Ometeoric water, d 18 Odinosaur ingested water, faunal assemblages, and sedimentology, from member to member, correlate to thrusting events of the Sevier Orogeny. High elevations in the orogeny attenuated the influences of Pacific moisture, causing rainshadow-induced aridity on the leeward foreland basin during upper Yellow Cat time, and hosted seasonal snow accumulation by the end of Ruby Ranch time, as suggested by 18 O-enriched water (e.g., up to an average of 22.0% from an allosauroid tooth) and extremely 18 O-depleted water (e.g., 215.5% for ornithischians) in the Ruby Ranch Member. By Mussentuchit-time, delivery of the Western Interior Seaway-dominated moisture to the region, despite continued rise of the Sevier Mountains.

Organic carbon (OC) isotope profiles from four sections of the Early Cretaceous continental Yellow Cat Member (YCM) of the Cedar Mountain Formation are presented to explore the constraints of studying and correlating continental sections. A significant body of research demonstrates that some continental chemostratigraphic profiles record global perturbations of the carbon cycle and specifically globally correlative carbon isotope excursions that can be correlated with well-constrained marine carbon isotope records to give some chronostratigraphic constraint. However, this is not always straightforward. Here we present our findings of four sections of the YCM and discuss some caveats of using continental OC isotope records, with an insight into some of the possible solutions. In this study a regionally extensive calcrete holds the key to resolving correlation of poorly reproducible carbon isotope profiles. Here, we tentatively correlate the YCM to the Barremian-lower Aptian.

Although the question of who pays for open data is important (“Who will pay for public access to research data?”, F. Berman and V. Cerf, Policy Forum, 9 August, p. [616][1]), a greater challenge lies in implementing the institutional and cultural changes required before data from government-sponsored research can be openly shared. The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has ordered U.S. federal agencies to formulate plans to share federally funded science data ([ 1 ][2]). This reflects a fundamental shift in the social contract between scientists and society. While seeking to strengthen science, the order also seeks better use of data to promote economic innovation, improve cross-disciplinary efforts, and address “grand challenge” societal problems such as global climate change and urban violence. The OSTP memo correctly notes that public availability of atmospheric data enabled commercial weather services and severe weather prediction. Yet many data, tools, and models in the geosciences are held by a mix of individual investigators, national data centers, university-based initiatives, and commercial labs, embedded in institutional arrangements that actively reward holding onto data and maximizing individual outcomes in a competitive environment. NSF's EarthCube project, a long-term strategic initiative to build the cyber infrastructure for integrating data, tools, and models in the geosciences, illustrates the challenges and benefits of community engagement and institutional alignment ([ 2 ][3]). The push for open data goes beyond the question of who pays. It challenges science to create a more cooperative culture that aligns credit and rewards with sharing data, tools, and models. 1. [↵][4] OSTP, Expanding Public Access to the Results of Federally Funded Research ([www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/02/22/expanding-public-access-results-federally-funded-research][5]). 2. [↵][6] EarthCube ([www.earthcube.org][7]). [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1241625 [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #ref-2 [4]: #xref-ref-1-1 "View reference 1 in text" [5]: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/02/22/expanding-public-access-results-federally-funded-research [6]: #xref-ref-2-1 "View reference 2 in text" [7]: http://www.earthcube.org

Stable oxygen isotope analysis of siderite and dinosaur tooth enamel phosphate from the Campanian–Maastrichtian Prince Creek Formation, Alaska, USA, are analysed to determine the palaeohydrology of the ancient Colville Basin north of the Ancestral Brooks Range. dO of freshwater siderites relative to V-PDB ranges between 214.86 and 216.21‰. Dinosaur tooth enamel dO from three different sites (Kikak–Tegoseak, Pediomys Point, Liscomb) range between +3.9‰ and +10.2.0‰. dOmeteoric water are calculated from dOsiderite that formed at seasonal temperatures ranging from 22 to 14.5 8C, with a mean annual temperature of 6.3 8C. At 6.3 8C, the dOw calculated from siderite ranged between 222.23 and 220.89‰ V-SMOW. Ingested water compositions are estimated from dinosaur teeth assuming body temperatures of 37 8C and local relative humidity of 77.5%, resulting in values ranging from 228.7 to 220.4‰ V-SMOW, suggesting consumption of meteoric water and orographically depleted runoff from the Brooks Range. The ranges in calculated dOmeteoric water are compatible between the two proxies, and are mutually corroborating evidence of extremely O-depleted precipitation at high latitudes during the Late Cretaceous relative to those generated using general circulation models. This depletion is proposed to result from increased rainout effects from an intensified hydrological cycle, which probably played a role in sustaining polar warmth. Supplementary material: Parameters used for generation of equations compared to Kohn (1996) can be found at http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18642 Stable isotopic proxies are invaluable tools for understanding past and current climates. Pedogenic carbonates (siderite and calcite) are commonly used to determine the isotopic composition of meteoric water (Lohmann 1988; Hays & Grossman 1991; Ludvigson et al. 1998; Ufnar et al. 2004a; Suarez et al. 2011). When analysed over a range of latitudes, the resulting isotopic gradients can be used to determine global isotopic groundwater gradients. This gradient is related to the isotopic composition of the precipitation, which is itself related to temperature gradients, humidity and, in some instances, orographic effects. Isotopic studies of the Cretaceous are of particular importance because future climatic conditions (Kiehl 2011) are predicted to approach those (pCO2, temperature) seen in the various greenhouse worlds of the Cretaceous. Several studies on the Cretaceous climate have revealed shallow equatorial-topole air and ocean temperature gradients (Wolfe & Upchurch 1987; Amiot et al. 2004; Jenkyns et al. 2004; Puceat et al. 2007), while others have indicated equator-to-pole precipitation dO gradients that are steeper than the modern climate system (Ludvigson et al. 1998; Ufnar et al. 2002; Suarez et al. 2011). This steep gradient has been explained as resulting from increased rainout, thereby increasing latent heat transport from the equator to the poles during greenhouse conditions (Ufnar et al. 2004b). These conclusions are based on empirical From: Bojar, A.-V., Melinte-Dobrinescu, M. C. & Smit, J. (eds) Isotopic Studies in Cretaceous Research. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 382, http://dx.doi.org/10.1144/SP382.3 # The Geological Society of London 2013. Publishing disclaimer: www.geolsoc.org.uk/pub_ethics by guest on June 17, 2013 http://sp.lyellcollection.org/ Downloaded from

While the oxygen isotopic composition of pedogenic carbonate has successfully been used to address the effects of global climate change on the hydrologic cycle, detailed regional paleohydrologic studies are lacking. Since the hydrologic cycle can vary extensively on local or regional scales due to events such as such as mountain building, and since pedogenic carbonates (calcite) form in a narrow moisture regime, other proxies, such as vertebrate remains, must be used to decipher local versus regional variations in paleohydrology. In this study, the oxygen isotopic composition (δ18Op) of phosphatic remains from a diverse set of vertebrate fossils (fish, turtles, crocodiles, dinosaurs, and micro-mammals) from the Mussentuchit Member (MM) of the Cedar Mountain Formation, Utah, USA (Aptian to Cenomanian) are analyzed in order to determine differences among the available water reservoirs and water utilization of each taxon. Calculated changes in water reservoir δ18Ow over time are then used to determine the effects of the incursion of the Western Interior Seaway (WIS) and the Sevier Mountains on paleohydrology during the MM time. Calculation of δ18Ow from the results of isotopic analysis of phosphate oxygen suggests that turtles and crocodiles serve as another proxy for meteoric water δ18O that can be used as a measure of average local precipitation δ18Ow similar to pedogenic calcite. Pedogenic calcites can be slightly biased toward higher values, however, due to their formation during evaporative conditions. Turtles and crocodiles can be used in place of pedogenic calcite in environments that are not conducive to pedogenic carbonate formation. Remains of fish with rounded tooth morphology have δ18Op values that predict temperatures consistent with other estimates of mean annual temperature for this latitude and time. The δ18Op of ganoid scales and teeth with pointed morphology, however, indicates that these skeletal materials were precipitated from water that is 18O-enriched due to migration to either evaporatively enriched water, or 18O-enriched estuarine waters of the Western Interior Seaway (WIS). Another possibility that cannot be discounted and assuming all morphological remains are from the same taxon, is that the pointed teeth and ganoid scales precipitated at different temperatures than rounded teeth. Mammal and herbivorous dinosaur δ18Op suggests they primarily drank isotopically depleted river water. Co-existence of crocodiles, turtles, and mammals allows for calculation of relative humidity from site to site and these calculations suggest humidity averaged ~ 58% and ranged between ~ 42% and ~ 76%. The δ18Ow values estimated from semi-aquatic taxa and pedogenic calcite suggest dominance of WIS-derived moisture during their growth. Herbivorous dinosaurs particularly indicate that altitude and catchment effects from the Sevier Mountains are seemingly important for river water δ18Ow in the fall through early spring. These data suggest that temporal changes in the isotopic composition of the MM fauna are produced by the small-scale regressive–transgressive cycles of the WIS.

A bone fragment (CGDQ-3) of Falcarius utahensis , a therizinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation, Utah, contained within a carbonate nodule, was analyzed by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) in order to investigate REE variability within a thin-walled phalanx. Previous studies have found depth-related REE pattern variations; however, in CGDQ-3 variation occurs along the circumference of the bone. NASC-normalized REE patterns and concentrations vary between two apparent end members. A light-REE enriched (LREE) pattern, similar to solution ICP-MS analysis of this bone, characterizes approximately two-thirds of the bone fragment. Total REE concentrations are high and do not vary significantly from the periosteal surface to the medullar surface. Conversely, the remaining one-third of the bone has REE patterns that are MREE-depleted and low in total REE concentrations. REE concentrations in this part of the bone do not vary significantly from the periosteal to the medullar surface. A positive Ce anomaly is found throughout the entire bone, and is greatest within the LREE-enriched portion of the bone. This, in combination with the LREE-enrichment, suggests that the bone fossilized under reducing conditions. The distance between the LREE-enriched and MREE-depleted regions is less than 1 mm. Isotopic and petrographic analyses of the bone and surrounding carbonate matrix suggest the REE patterns in the bone were the result of partial fossilization/incomplete filling of micro-pore spaces around bone crystallites in an environment with changing redox conditions. The lower, MREE-depleted part of the bone fossilized contemporaneously with a pendant cement that formed on the underside of the bone in the vadose zone. Formation of the pendant cement restricted water flow through the bone, isolating the lower portion, which incorporated a MREE-depleted pattern. The upper part of the bone (LREE-enriched side) fossilized under more reducing conditions than the lower part. This resulted in reductive dissolution of minerals (such as hydrous ferric oxides and manganese-oxides) which were LREE-enriched with positive Ce anomalies. These REE were then incorporated into the upper part of the bone. This likely occurred after the bone entered the saturated zone (below the water table). The thinness of the bone and presence of a pendant cement helped facilitate partial fossilization of the bone, preserving the REE signature of an earlier fluid. As demonstrated by this case study, differences in REE patterns within a fossil may record changes in geochemical conditions during fossilization, particularly, when bones are encased in a material that reduces fluid permeability, such as micritic vadose calcite. Analysis of such bones may offer the opportunity to decipher complex fluid histories that occur during fossilization. LA-ICP-MS should be utilized to confirm solution ICP-MS analysis if it yields high REE variability, prior to an interpretation of reworking or time-averaging.

The Crystal Geyser Dinosaur Quarry contains a large monospecific accumulation of bones from a basal therizinosaur, Falcarius utahensis. The quarry is located approximately 16 km south of Green River, Utah, at the base of the early Cretaceous (Barremian) Yellow Cat Member of the Cedar Mountain Formation. Fossil bones in the quarry occur in three units that have distinct taphonomic, lithologic, and geochemical characteristics. Rare earth element compositions of fossils suggest that bones from each unit were drawn from different reservoirs or sources having distinctly different compositions, and fossils were not reworked between units. Compositions of bones differ greatly within Units 1 and 2, even within the same 1-m2 quarry grid. These chemical differences and taphonomic characteristics, such as current orientation, hydraulic sorting, and occasional extensive abrasion, suggest that bones from these two units are allochthonous and were fossilized at other localities, possibly over an area of severa...

The Crystal Geyser Dinosaur Quarry, near Green River, Utah, is located at the base of the Lower Cretaceous (Barremian) Yellow Cat Member of the Cedar Mountain Formation. The quarry preserves a nearly monospecific accumulation of a new basal therizinosauroid, Falcarius utahensis. We used field descriptions and petrographic analysis to determine the depositional environment and development of the quarry strata. Results of these analyses suggest that the quarry represents multiple episodes of bone accumulation buried by spring and overbank flood deposits. Evidence for these previously undescribed spring deposits includes calcite macroscopic structures within the quarry strata—such as pisolites and travertine fragments—and calcite micromorphologies—including radial-fibrous, feather, and scandulitic dendrite morphologies and tufa clasts. At least two episodes of bone incorporation are preserved in the quarry based on their stratigraphic position and lithologic associations. The unique depositional set...