Paleontology Commons^™

Stylemys Nebrascensis Predation Hypothesis, Noah Lohrmeyer, Amanda Peng

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

In 2008 a fossilized tortoise shell was brought into the Sternberg Museum of Natural History. As we prepared the fossil, we observed markings that resembled predation. We are trying to find what species from the White River Formation could preyed on the tortoise. There are few publications on predation for this species. With few publications, we want to find what predator would hunt these species. We cross referenced the site of the tortoise and observed several carnivorous species. We used straight carapace length (Hermanson et al., 2024) and a regression formula (Wilson et al., 2016) to analyze the species we …

Mumm Vs. Minium: A Tale Of Two Quarries, Kale Link, Amanda Peng

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

In 2025, a discrepancy was discovered in the field numbers of a selection of mammal fossils, which had been mistakenly catalogued as originating from the Minium Quarry in Graham County, KS instead of the Mumm Quarry in Rawlins County, KS. While both quarries belong to the Ogallala Formation, they demonstrate differing biostratigraphic ages, faunal assemblages, and taphonomic settings. Mumm is Clarendonian aged, while Minium is Hemphillian. To correct this issue, all the Mumm specimens were assigned to an updated locality with more precise geographic and biostratigraphic data.

Mandibular Ecomorphology Of Tylosaurus (Reptilia: Mosasauridae), Andrew I. Price, Amanda Peng

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

The large mosasaur Tylosaurus is known to have been a predator of large marine animals. Performing beam theory analysis, a computational technique that uses linear dimensions of a structure to calculate its resistance to bending, on the mandibles of six Tylosaurus specimens from the Smoky Hill Chalk of Kansas indicates dorsoventral and mediolateral bending strength both increase posteriorly along the mandible. Comparisons with Varanus komodoensis indicate relatively greater mediolateral bending strength mid-dentary in Tylosaurus, suggesting that resisting torsional forces of struggling prey was more important at this landmark in Tylosaurus and that more of its jaw length was used …

Geochemistry Of Crusts In Palaeontological Deposits, Taphonomic Settings In An Upper Pleistocene Cave Site (San Teodoro, Sicily), Gerlando Vita, Luca Sineo, Francesco Armetta, Maria Luisa Saladino

International Journal of Speleology

The mineralogical and geochemical composition of cave sediments provides crucial insights into past climatic and biological dynamics. This study investigates the authigenic crusts of San Teodoro Cave (Sicily), a key Upper Pleistocene palaeontological site, through a multi-analytical approach.The cave hosts two superimposed phosphatic crusts, separated by sterile sediment, reflecting shifts in depositional and post-depositional conditions. Our analyses reveal a complex mineral assemblage consisting of calcite, aragonite, and various phosphate phases. Calcite is the dominant phase in the older crust, whereas the presence of aragonite in the younger brown crust likely indicates periods of increased aridity, potentially corresponding to conditions during …

A Cave In Miocene Conglomerate: The Törökpince-Abaliget Cave System, Hungary, Krisztina Sebe, Piroska Pazonyi, Márton Bauer, Bálint Szappanos, Márton Szabó, Zoltán Szentesi, Mihály Gasparik, Ákos Juhász, Luca Pandolfi, Máté Gregorits, József Haász, Ágnes Novothny, Zsófia Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger

International Journal of Speleology

Conglomerate caves are rare, and only a few have been described in the scientific literature. Here, we present a newly discovered and significant cave system in SW Hungary, comprising over 500 m of upper passages and a shorter, lower section of a through-cave developed in Lower–Middle Miocene conglomerates. The formation of these cave passages was controlled chiefly by bedding and fractures. Dissolution has produced typical karstification morphologies, whereas corrasion, granular disintegration, and rock collapse have also played a role in shaping the cave. The cave is dominated by vadose-zone morphologies, but sediment infills indicating upward water flow, along with ceiling …

Nomina Ignota: Dinosaurios, Dinosauroides Y Otros Animales Del Pasado Que Nunca Existieron, Charlie Charmer, Iván Narváez

Alambique. Revista académica de ciencia ficción y fantasía / Jornal acadêmico de ficção científica e fantasía

Aunque desaparecieron hace 66 millones de años, los dinosaurios no avianos y otros grandes reptiles con los que convivieron son un reclamo habitual en las historias de ficción del cómic, cine, literatura u otros medios de expresión artística y/o entretenimiento. A menudo, sirven también de inspiración para introducir criaturas inexistentes cuya imagen y denominación parten de referentes conocidos. En el presente trabajo se analizan los diferentes métodos utilizados para bautizar a estas criaturas, así como las características y funciones que sus nombres pueden tener en los mundos de ficción, acuñando una nueva categoría para la nomenclatura científica, aplicable exclusivamente en …

Palynological Analysis To Interpret Inputs And Paleoenvironmental Conditions Of Tidal Flat Sediments In The Wouri Estuary, Rahmatoulaye Thialaw Diop, Fatou Penda Cisse, Maguette Ka, Onema Adojoh, Henry Agbogun

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This study examines the environmental significance of microfossils in specifically pollens, spore and cuticles in understanding paleoenvironment and sediments inputs in Tidal flats in the tropical Wouri estuary. Palynological slides of sediments from different depths with two sediment cores from the east and Western flanks of the Wouri estuary were examined using a trinocular microscope. Results showed the predominance of pollens families of Rhizophoraceae and Poaceae at different depths. Cuticles also varied with depth in both the West and east Wouri sediments cores. The Rhizophoraceae family are interpreted to indicate coastal and mangrove environment inputs into the sediments of the …

A Thorn In The Side: Space-Efficient Storage Of Large Ribs​, Kale Link, Carson Cope, Paige Black, Israel Rivera-Molina, Amanda Peng

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

In 2022, Fort Hays State University’s Sternberg Museum of Natural History (FHSM) began a project to address the long-term preservation of a Late Miocene mammal collection. Many of the fossils from the collection were poorly consolidated, uncurated, and improperly stored, leaving them unstable and prone to significant degradation. As part of our housing overhaul, we worked to develop new methods of housing rib bones, which are often too large to fit in traditional archival boxes. Two versions of rib mounts were developed using wedges of Ethafoam (closed-cell polyethylene foam). This housing method provides a cost effective way to safely store …

The Tyrant King Of The Auction House: The Disastrous “Fine Artification” Of The Dinosaur, Amelia C. Kolstad

Anthós

This article examines how fine art auctioneers market dinosaur fossils as art pieces to wealthy collectors, depriving the paleontological field of specimens for scientific research. Drawing from recent examples of fossils sold at fine art auctions, this article notes how rising auction prices for specimens as ‘art’ prevent museums and research institutions from acquiring specimens for research and restoration. Kolstad concludes that the art auction houses’ marketing of fossils as art is detrimental to paleontological research. To protect fossils and their scientific value, Kolstad proposes alternatives, such as selling replicas to collectors and highlighting the importance of original specimens for …

Assessing Unstable Fossils For Long-Term Storage, Carson Cope, Alex Landwehr, Kale Link, Israel Rivera-Molina, Laura E. Wilson

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

In 2022, Fort Hays State University’s Sternberg Museum of Natural History (FHSM) began a project to address the long-term preservation of a Late Miocene mammal collection. Many of the fossils from the collection were poorly consolidated, uncurated, and improperly stored, leaving them unstable and prone to significant degradation. To organize our stabilization efforts, we developed a new assessment workflow consisting of two evaluation tools. These tools have helped us categorize the risk factors for specimens, the priority in which they should be addressed, and how to store the fossils long-term. With these newly developed workflows, we are in a better …

Analyzing The Shark Paleoecology Of Coastal Georgia From The Miocene And Pliocene Epochs, Joshua Lee Clark, Benjamin Angalet

Georgia Journal of Science

The field of shark paleoecology often yields indecisive conclusions based on the limited fossilization of their anatomical structures, with the exception of their teeth. The majority of the Atlantic coast has been studied regarding the presence of certain prehistoric shark species from the Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene epochs. However, information pertaining to the Georgia coast and understanding its potential community structure is relatively understudied. This study was conducted in which thousands of fossil shark specimens and subsequent marine fauna were collected from dredge spoils created by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE): Savannah District. A total of 5,127 fossil …

A Miocene Nannofossil Biostratigraphic Case Study: Alaminos Canyon Block 627 And Mississippi Canyon Block 555, And Sedimentation Rates In The Gulf Of Mexico, Bethany L. Cobb Faulk, Murlene W. Clark

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The Miocene sediments of 2 deep—water boreholes from the northern Gulf of Mexico, from Alaminos Canyon (AC) Block 627 and Mississippi Canyon (MC) Block 555, have been biostratigraphically analyzed using calcareous nannofossils, revealing changes in sedimentation rates and depositional environments between these 2 areas. High nannofossil abundance values and low sedimentation rates generally recorded in the Alaminos Canyon region suggest a condensed section during much of the Miocene, associated with a basinal environment. Mississippi Canyon exhibits lower nannofossil abundance and higher sedimentation rates compared to Alaminos Canyon during the majority of the Miocene. Increased sediment volumes are largely attributed to …

Sub-Recent Microfauna Within Allogenic Sediments At The Bottom Of A Deep Cave, Njemica (Biokovo Mt., Croatia), Tomislav Kurečić, Valentina Hajek Tadesse, Lara Wacha, Marija Horvat, Nina Trinajstić, Ivan Mišur

International Journal of Speleology

Clastic sediments deposited at the bottom of the vertical, nearly 1000 m deep Njemica Cave (Biokovo Mountain, Croatia) were analysed. Owing to the vertical morphology of the cave, the occurrences of clastic sediments are sparse. Small, up to decimetre-thick, undisturbed sediment accumulations situated near the siphon lake revealed interesting palaeontological and mineralogical data. These data are used as a useful proxy for discussing depositional processes, the provenance of the sediments and paleo-habitats of the subterranean fauna.

The sub-recent assemblages of ostracods were discovered within the sediment, and they were shown to be correlative to the known endemic species in the …

Two New Late Quaternary Avifaunas From The East-Central Great Basin With The Description Of A New Species Of Falco, Steven D. Emslie, Jim I. Mead

Western North American Naturalist

We report 2 new late Quaternary avifaunas from cave deposits in Snake Valley, White Pine County, eastern Nevada, that provide new records of extinct and extant species in the east-central Great Basin. These avifaunas collectively represent at least 24 species, including the most northern inland record of California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) in western North America and a new species of kestrel (Falco sp.) described herein. Two extralimital living species also were identified—the Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) and Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus)—and are the first fossil records of these species in the Great Basin. …

Late Cretaceous Dinosaur Tracks From The Iron Springs Formation, Iron County, Utah, Jennifer K. Crowell, Grant T. Shimer

The Compass: Earth Science Journal of Sigma Gamma Epsilon

Located in Iron County, Utah, the Parowan Gap dinosaur track site contains over one hundred natural casts of non-avian dinosaur tracks preserved in sandstones and siltstones of the Late Cretaceous (≈83 Ma) Iron Springs Formation. For this study, the authors returned to the area to survey for and describe previously unidentified tracks. Many tracks from this new study occur as in situ casts found on the basal surfaces of sandstones deposited by braided and meandering rivers on the coastal plain of the Western Interior Seaway, with some specimens from fallen talus blocks. Over the course of two years, the research …

Resolving A One-Year Ecesis Interval For Alaska Paper Birch: Dating A Rockfall Event, Wishbone Hill, Southcentral Alaska, Riley E. Whitney, Alexander K. Stewart, Trent D. Hubbard, Anabella S. Kowalski, Oscar A. Wilkerson

The Compass: Earth Science Journal of Sigma Gamma Epsilon

Numerous large boulders at the base of Wishbone Hill, northeast of Anchorage, Alaska, suggest a historic rockfall event and potential for future surface instability, putting lives and property at risk. The source of the rockfall-boulders is an exposed syncline with a cliff face composed of conglomerate. The age of trees growing atop boulders provides a minimum exposure-age of those boulders and, thus, the rockfall event. To determine when the rockfall occurred, we dated trees growing atop the boulders using tree-ring samples collected from 30 Alaska paper birch trees. After mounting and polishing, each tree-ring sample was dot-counted, and tree-ring widths …

A Southeastern North America River Community Forty-Thousand Years Ago, Zack J. Quirk, Dennis B. Blanton

Georgia Journal of Science

Understanding how past communities have been shaped by environmental alterations can provide insight into the impacts of future climate change. Local climate and river systems have changed significantly over the last glacial maximum, but little is known about the communities of the Georgian Coastal Plain earlier in the period. Plant fossils from Coffee Bluff, a Quaternary organic river deposit of the Ocmulgee River in southeastern Georgia, were used to determine past environmental and climatic conditions. The paleoflora were found imbedded in a mud matrix and were removed by a slaking method; they were later identified and separated to respective ecological …

Lake Or Estuary? Sedimentary And Benthic Foraminiferal Characterization Of A Gulf Of Mexico Coastal Dune Lake, Kaylyn C. Bellais, Samuel T. Barber, Donald A. Beebe, Murlene W. Clark

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Coastal dune lakes are shallow estuaries located within dune environments that share a permanent or intermittent connection with the sea. Because coastal dune lakes are found in few locations worldwide (e.g. Australia, New Zealand, Florida, etc.) they represent unique environments worthy of protection. However; there is a distinct lack of scientific data related to the function and ecology of coastal dune lakes, especially in the Gulf of Mexico. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to characterize the sedimentology and foraminifera of a representative coastal dune lake in Walton County, FL (i.e. Eastern Lake) and determine whether it shares geologic …

Petrography And Provenance Of Floor Sediments From The Loutra Almopias Cave (Pella, Macedonia, Greece), Ioannis Georgiadis, Katerina Chatzopoulou, Nikolaos Kantiranis, Ioakeim Ioakeimidis, Ananias Tsirambides

International Journal of Speleology

Thirty seven floor sediment samples of Upper Pleistocene age from the Loutra Almopias Cave were collected from different beds and stratigraphic columns on the basis of their induration grade, grain distribution, and paleontological findings. Channel facies make up the bulk of the clastic sediments found in the cave passages. Slackwater facies compose the final layer of all the stratigraphic sections of the examined cave. The floor sediments are mineralogically immature, since they contain many ferromagnesian minerals, feldspars (especially plagioclase) and quartz. The extensive presence of silicate minerals means that the phyllites, gneisses, schists, ophiolitic rocks and the clastic Mariam Formation …

Eocene Terrestrial Mammals From Central Georgia, Parker D. Rhinehart, Alfred J. Mead, Dennis Parmley

Georgia Journal of Science

Descriptions of fossils of Eocene terrestrial mammals from the southeastern United States are rare, and particularly so in the Eocene sediments of Georgia. Here we describe a small collection of fossilized teeth and tooth fragments representing four mammalian taxa. The fossils were recovered by surface collecting overburden sediments and screen washing in situ Clinchfield Formation sediments exposed in an inactive kaolin mine, Hardie Mine, in Wilkinson County, Georgia. The Clinchfield Formation has been described as a Late Eocene coastal unit with abundant gastropods, bivalves, sharks, and rays. This is the first detailed description of terrestrial mammals from this unit. Although …

Cataloging Wonder: The Art And Science Of The Collection, Christine Metzger

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

The Exploring Science in the Studio National Science Foundation grant funded three initiatives at California College of the Arts, a private four-year art and design college in the San Francisco Bay Area. The grant sponsored annual Science-in-the-Studio which embedded scientists into the art and design studio curriculum, the creation of Mobile Units for Scientific Exploration (MUSE) and a new collection of science materials, equipment, and natural specimens, and a national symposium on integrating science into the art and design studio curriculum. Approximately 30 SitS classes have been offered since 2010, and the Exploring Science in the Studio symposium was convened …

Anthropogenic Infilling Of A Bermudian Sinkhole And Its Impact On Sedimentation And Benthic Foraminifera In The Adjacent Anchialine Cave Environment, Jacquelyn N. Cresswell, Peter J. Van Hengstum, Thomas M. Iliffe, Bruce E. Williams, Gil Nolan

International Journal of Speleology

In the mid-20^th century, an inland brackish pond from Bermuda, known as Eve’s Pond, was filled with marine sediment from an adjacent coastal lagoon. At this time, an eyewitness reported “…sediment billowing out of the Green Bay Cave for days…”, which is a marine-dominated anchialine cave located proximal to the former location of Eve’s Pond (~200 m). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential impact of this infilling event on cave sedimentation and benthic meiofaunal communities, as proxied by the unicellular protists foraminifera that remain preserved in the sediment record. Eight sediment cores were collected from …

Differential Preservation Of Vertebrates In Southeast Asian Caves, Julien Louys, Shimona Kealy, Sue O'Connor, Gilbert J. Price, Stuart Hawkins, Ken Aplin, Yan Rizal, Jahdi Zaim, Mahirta, Daud A. Tanudirjo, Wahyu Dwijo Santoso, Ati Rati Hidayah, Agus Trihascaryo, Rachel Wood, Joseph Bevitt, Tara Clark

International Journal of Speleology

Caves have been an important source of vertebrate fossils for much of Southeast Asia, particularly for the Quaternary. Despite this importance, the mechanisms by which vertebrate remains accumulate and preserve in Southeast Asian caves has never been systematically reviewed or examined. Here, we present the results of three years of cave surveys in Indonesia and Timor-Leste, describing cave systems and their attendant vertebrate accumulations in diverse geological, biogeographical, and environmental settings. While each cave system is unique, we find that the accumulation and preservation of vertebrate remains are highly dependent on local geology and environment. These factors notwithstanding, we find …

Age Re-Assessment Of The Cave Bear Assemblage From Urşilor Cave, North-Western Romania, Marius V. Robu

International Journal of Speleology

The most common methods used for assessing the relative age of a cave bear bone assemblage are the P⁴/₄ index (morphodynamic index of the cave bear fourth premolar), the K-index and the Index of Plumpness (both used for cave bear’s 2^nd metatarsal). Preliminary work on this (Robu et al., 2011), for Urşilor Cave (NW Romania), has indicated one of the youngest European cave bear populations. As the number of extracted fossil bones from the palaeontological excavation increased recently, a re-assessment of the of the age of the cave bear assemblage is necessary. 206 cave bear fourth …

Lithologic Character Of The Paleozoic Sandstone Succession, Southern Ozark Region, Arkansas, And Missouri, E. C. Bello

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Sandstones comprise nearly half of the Paleozoic (Upper Cambrian-Middle Pennsylvania) lithostratigraphic succession in the southern Ozark region of northern Arkansas and southern Missouri. They record five distinct, but related intervals characterized by 1) Upper Cambrian arkoses resting unconformably on Precambrian granite; 2) Lower Ordovician reworked subarkoses, sublitharentites, and quartzites; 3) Lower Ordovician to Lower Mississippian reworked orthoquartzites; 4) Upper Mississippian first cycle sandstones with few metamorphic rock fragments (mrfs); 5) Lower Pennsylvanian (Morrowan) first cycle sandstones with common mrfs and Middle Pennsylvanian (Atokan) first cycle sandstones with common to abundant mrfs. These sandstones accumulated on a gently sloping cratonic platform …

Age And Correlation Of The Moorefield Shale (Upper Mississippian) In Its Type Area, Northeastern Arkansas, O. Dalu, W. S. Coffey, W. L. Manger

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The name Moorefield was proposed by Adams and Ulrich (1904) for exposures of gray to brown, phosphatic shale with a basal limestone, overlying the Lower Mississippian Boone Formation, and underlying the Upper Mississippian Batesville Sandstone, in the vicinity of Moorefield, Independence County, northeastern Arkansas. Gordon (1944) 1) restricted the name Moorefield to the lower limestone-bearing interval, 2) applied a new name, Ruddell, to the succeeding shale section that comprises the bulk of the interval, with a type area near Moorefield, and 3) interpreted the interval contacts as unconformities. The name Ruddell was used for the revised Geological Map of Arkansas …

Fossil Vertebrate Database From Cova Des Pas De Vallgornera (Llucmajor, Mallorca), Anna Díaz, Pere Bover, Josep Antoni Alcover

International Journal of Speleology

The data set presented in this paper includes the fossil fauna collected in the cave named Cova des Pas de Vallgornera (CPV), located on the southern coast of Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain). It holds 1481 catalogued items, 97.5% identified at species level. Mammalia, Aves, Reptilia, and Amphibia are represented in the Database. The fauna collected in the cave includes the three endemic mammals present on Mallorca during the Early Pleistocene (Myotragus aff. kopperi, Hypnomys onicensis, and Nesiotites aff. ponsi). There are also represented two taxa of Chiroptera (Rhinolophus aff. mehelyi and Pipistrellus sp.), 16 taxa …

The Cova Des Pas De Vallgornera (Llucmajor, Mallorca): A Singular Deposit Bearing An Exceptional Well Preserved Early Pleistocene Vertebrate Fauna, Pere Bover, Alex Valenzuela, Carmen Guerra, Juan Rofes, Josep A. Alcover, Joaquin Gines, Joan J. Fornos, Gloria Cuenca-Bescós, Antoni Merino

International Journal of Speleology

The Cova des Pas de Vallgornera is the longest cave of Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Western Mediterranean) and one of the 30 longest caves in the world. The exploration of one of the galleries allowed the discovery of a fossiliferous deposit of vertebrate remains in a remarkable preservation state. The fossil faunal complex found in this gallery is composed of up to 5 mammalian species (Myotragus aff. kopperi, Hypnomys onicensis, Nesiotites aff. ponsi, Rhinolophus aff. mehelyi and Pipistrellus sp.), at least 14 bird species (among them two Mallorcan endemic taxa: Pica mourerae and Athene vallgornerensis), one …

Morphometric Analysis Of Dinosaur Tracks From Southwest Arkansas, R. Shell, Stephen K. Boss

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Dinosaur trackways were discovered in Cretaceous De Queen Limestone strata in Howard County, Arkansas, in June 2011. Multiple trackways with variably sized tridactyl tracks were exposed in a commercial quarry, suggesting multiple theropod species or adult and juvenile tracks of a single species. Results of morphometric analyses of 32 plaster casts from selected trackways are reported in an effort to identify the specific track-making dinosaurs and differentiate large and small tracks. Track measurements included length and width of each track, the lengths and widths of each digit impression, and the angular spread (divarication) between digit impressions. Twenty-nine plaster casts were …

Late Holocene Sedimentation And Paleoenvironmental History For The Tidal Marshes Of The Potomac And Rappahannock Rivers, Tributaries To Chesapeake Bay, Neil E. Tibert, J. Bradford Hubeny, Mark Abbott, Joseph M. Kiker, Lindsay J. Walker, Shawn Mckenzie

Virginia Journal of Science

Instrumental tide gauge records indicate that the modern rates of sea-level rise in the Chesapeake Bay more than double the global average of 1.2-1.5 mm yr-1. The primary objective for this study is to establish a relative depositional history for the tidal marshes of the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers that will help us improve our understanding of processes that influence sedimentation in the proximal tributaries of Chesapeake Bay. Marsh cores were collected from Blandfield Point VA, Tappahannock VA, and Potomac Creek VA. The sedimentary facies include: 1) a lower unit of organic-poor, grey clay with fine sand and silt layers …