Life in a sand sea: Biota from Jurassic interdunes

Research Article| September 01, 1991 Life in a sand sea: Biota from Jurassic interdunes Dale A. Winkler; Dale A. Winkler 1Shuler Museum of Paleontology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas 75275 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Louis L. Jacobs; Louis L. Jacobs 2Shuler Museum of Paleontology and Department of Geological Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas 75275 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar John D. Congleton; John D. Congleton 2Shuler Museum of Paleontology and Department of Geological Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas 75275 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar William R. Downs William R. Downs 1Shuler Museum of Paleontology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas 752753Bilby Research Center, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona 86011 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (1991) 19 (9): 889–892. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1991)019<0889:LIASSB>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 Dale A. Winkler, Louis L. Jacobs, John D. Congleton, William R. Downs; Life in a sand sea: Biota from Jurassic interdunes. Geology 1991;; 19 (9): 889–892. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1991)019<0889:LIASSB>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 Interdune deposits in the Navajo Sandstone of Arizona are identified as the source of most fossils known from the formation. They provide information on terrestrial life in a poorly known interval of the North American Jurassic. The biota includes sphenophytes, ostracodes, and four species of vertebrates, including a skeleton of the geologically youngest tritylodontid synapsid from western North America. Fossils and sedimentary rock localized in interdunes indicate areas of greater available moisture, and therefore greater carrying capacity, than surrounding dune deposits that compose the bulk of the formation. Environmental conditions in interdunes favor fossil preservation and thus provide a focus for future studies. The diversity and adaptations of fossils from Navajo interdunes support models of climatic amelioration during sand-sea evolution when wet interdunes were deposited. 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.