OMNH V823, Mussentuchit: Early Cenomanian, Utah

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Reptilia
Chinnery et al. 1998 1 specimen
MNA V9023, tooth
Reptilia - Squamata
Nydam 2002
Mammalia - Multituberculata
1 specimen
MNA V5816; status unclear because second specimen apparently is not discussed by Eaton and Cifelli 2001
Eaton and Cifelli 2001
8 specimens
UCM 54263-64, 54252, 54261; MNA V5655, 5678, 5708, 5817
2 specimens
MNA V5665, UCM 54254
Eaton and Cifelli 2001
3 specimens
MNA V5656-58
1 specimen
MNA V5660
Eaton and Cifelli 2001
Mammalia
Cifelli 2004
see common names

Geography
Country:United States State/province:Utah County:Emery
Coordinates: 39.0° North, 111.0° West (view map)
Paleocoordinates:46.1° North, 69.1° West (Wright 2013)
Basis of coordinate:based on political unit
Geographic resolution:small collection
Time
Period: Cretaceous Epoch: Late Cretaceous
Stage: Cenomanian 10 m.y. bin: Cretaceous 5
*Local age/stage:Albian
Key time interval: Early Cenomanian
Age range of interval: 100.5 - 93.9 m.y. ago
* legacy (obsolete) database fields
Stratigraphy
Geological group:Dakota Formation:Cedar Mountain Member:Mussentuchit
Stratigraphic resolution:bed
Stratigraphy comments: A radiometric age of 98.37 ± 0.07 Ma was obtained by the OMNH from vol-canic ash within the Mussentuchit Member (Cifelli and others, 1997, 1999). Additional ages by Garrison and others (2007) ranging from 96.7 ± 0.5 to 98.2 ±0.6 Ma indicate that the Mussentuchit Member was deposited over an interval of 1.5 Ma during the early Cenomanian and supports a correlation with the siliceous marine Mowry Shale to the north, which is well-constrained from 40Ar/39Ar sanidine ages obtained from bentonite beds that bracket the Mowry in Wyoming; the basal Arrow Creek Bentonite is 98.5 ± 0.5 Ma and the capping Clay Spur Bentonite is 97.2 ± 0.7 Ma (Obradovich, 1993; Ogg and Hinnov, 2012; Sprinkel and others, 2012) near the base of the Upper Cretaceous. Tucker et al. 2020 also suggested a likely depositional age of ~96-94Ma for the Musseuntuchis member.
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology: not reported
Environment:terrestrial indet.
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body
Size of fossils:mesofossils
Collection methods and comments
Collection excludes:some genera
Collection methods:bulk,sieve,field collection
Reason for describing collection:taxonomic analysis
Taxonomic list comments:said to be Albian, and fm. dated at 101 Ma (no error: FT on zircon) by Kowallis et al. 1986; redated at 98.39 +/- 0.07 Ma (Ar/Ar on ash) by Cifelli et al. 1997
Mussentuchit Wash is about 8 mi WNW of Cedar Mountain in the far western part of Emery County
formation underlies the Dakota Fm. and technically speaking is in the Kaiparowits section
Metadata
Also known as:UCM Loc. 83242, MNA 1072, UCM Loc. 83242
Database number:14395
Authorizer:J. Alroy, R. Benson, M. Carrano Enterer:J. Alroy, M. Carrano, R. Benson
Modifier:M. Carrano Research group:vertebrate
Created:1998-09-21 00:00:00 Last modified:2025-02-22 15:12:02
Access level:the public Released:1998-09-21 00:00:00
Creative Commons license:CC0
Reference information

Primary reference:
1416. J. G. Eaton and M. E. Nelson. 1991. Multituberculate mammals from the Lower Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation, San Rafael Swell, Utah. Contributions to Geology, University of Wyoming 29(1):1-12 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/M. Carrano]

Secondary references:

6294 J. Alroy. 2002. Synonymies and reidentifications of North American fossil mammals. [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/M. Kouvari]
14087ETE B. J. Chinnery, T. R. Lipka, J. I. Kirkland, J. M. Parrish, and M. K. Brett-Surman. 1998. Neoceratopsian teeth from the Lower to Middle Cretaceous of North America. In S. G. Lucas, J. I. Kirkland, J. W. Estep (eds.), Lower and Middle Cretaceous Terrestrial Ecosystems, New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 14:297-302 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
39671 R. L. Cifelli. 2004. Chapter 5: Marsupial Mammals from the Albian–Cenomanian (Early–Late Cretaceous) Boundary, Utah. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 285:62-79 [R. Benson/R. Benson]
1227 R. L. Cifelli, R. L. Nydam, J. D. Gardner, A. Weil, J. G. Eaton, J. I. Kirkland, and S. K. Madsen. 1999. Medial Cretaceous vertebrates from the Cedar Mountain Formation, Emery County, Utah: the Mussentuchit local fauna. In D. D. Gillette (ed.), Vertebrate Paleontology in Utah. Utah Geological Survey Miscellaneous Publication 99-1:219-242 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/M. Carrano]
6099 J. G. Eaton and R. L. Cifelli. 2001. Multituberculate mammals from near the Early-Late Cretaceous boundary, Cedar Mountain Formation, Utah. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 46(4):453-518 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/M. Carrano]
7277 R. L. Nydam. 2002. Lizards of the Mussentuchit Local Fauna (Albian-Cenomanian boundary) and comments on the evolution of the Cretaceous lizard fauna of North America. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 22(3):645-660 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/J. Alroy]