Life and death in a Late Cretaceous dune field, Nemegt basin, Mongolia

Research Article| January 01, 1998 Life and death in a Late Cretaceous dune field, Nemegt basin, Mongolia David B. Loope; David B. Loope 1Department of Geosciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0340 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Lowell Dingus; Lowell Dingus 2Department of Vertebrate Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, New York 10024-5192 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Carl C. Swisher, III; Carl C. Swisher, III 3Berkeley Geochronology Center, 2455 Ridge Road, Berkeley, California 94709 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Chuluun Minjin Chuluun Minjin 4Department of Geology and Mineralogy, P.O. Box 46/225, Mongolian Technical University, Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information David B. Loope 1Department of Geosciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0340 Lowell Dingus 2Department of Vertebrate Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, New York 10024-5192 Carl C. Swisher, III 3Berkeley Geochronology Center, 2455 Ridge Road, Berkeley, California 94709 Chuluun Minjin 4Department of Geology and Mineralogy, P.O. Box 46/225, Mongolian Technical University, Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1998) 26 (1): 27–30. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1998)026<0027:LADIAL>2.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation David B. Loope, Lowell Dingus, Carl C. Swisher, Chuluun Minjin; Life and death in a Late Cretaceous dune field, Nemegt basin, Mongolia. Geology 1998;; 26 (1): 27–30. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1998)026<0027:LADIAL>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract For more than 70 years, red sandstones of the Gobi Desert have yielded abundant articulated skeletons of Late Cretaceous dinosaurs, lizards, and mammals. At Ukhaa Tolgod, structureless sandstones are the only fossiliferous facies, and we present new evidence for deposition on dune-sand–sourced alluvial fans that were built at the margins of stabilized eolian bedforms during mesic climatic episodes. In laterally and vertically adjacent large-scale eolian cross-strata in which skeletons are absent, we have found abundant tracks of dinosaurs that walked on sparsely vegetated dunes that were active under xeric conditions. Our study of calcareous concretions in vaguely bedded eolian sandstones suggests that bedding was nearly destroyed by burrowing invertebrates and trampling dinosaurs. The accumulation of illuvial clays and pedogenic calcite in these sediments reduced infiltration of rainwater and, with attendant climatic change and heavy rainfall events, led to fan development. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.