5 km east of Burnham Trading Post (MNA): Late Campanian, New Mexico
collected 1977

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Reptilia - Testudines - Trionychidae
    = Trionychidae indet. Gray 1825
Alroy 2006
Reptilia - Tyrannosauridae
1 specimen
Reptilia - Ceratopsidae
1 individual
MNA Pl. 1747
Fowler and Freedman Fowler 2020
Bivalvia - Unionida - Unionidae
"Unio" sp. Philipsson 1788
unclassified
Angiospermae
Angiospermae - Arecaceae
Arecaceae indet. von Berchtold and Presl 1820
see common names

Geography
Country:United States State/province:New Mexico County:San Juan
Coordinates: 36.3° North, 108.2° West (view map)
Paleocoordinates:46.6° North, 71.2° West (Wright 2013)
Basis of coordinate:stated in text
Altitude:1787 meters
Geographic resolution:small collection
Time
Period: Cretaceous Epoch: Late Cretaceous
Stage: Campanian 10 m.y. bin: Cretaceous 7
Key time interval: Late Campanian
Age range of interval: 83.6 - 72.2 m.y. ago
Stratigraphy
Formation:Fruitland Member:Fossil Forest
Stratigraphic resolution:bed
Stratigraphy comments: upper part of formation; approx. 145 m above base of formation
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology:"cross stratification",fine,medium,gray,white carbonaceous sandstone
Secondary lithology:gray,yellow mudstone
Includes fossils?Y
Includes fossils?Y
Lithology description: "This specimen was found in a 2 m thick lens of grayish-white, fine to medium grained, heterogenous, cross-bedded sandstone. Carbonized remains of palms, conifers, and deciduous angiosperms were found throughout the sandstone, with accumulations on cross-bedding planes. The sandstone grades laterally into and is interbedded with yellowish-gray mudstones, all of which make up a 6 m thick relatively weather resistant unit."
Environment:channel lag
Geology comments: "stream point bar or channel bar"
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body
Size of fossils:macrofossils,mesofossils
Spatial orientation:random
Preservation of anatomical detail:good
Articulated whole bodies:none
Associated major elements:some
Disassociated major elements:some
Disassociated minor elements:some
Fragmentation:occasional
Collection methods and comments
Collection methods:selective quarrying,mechanical,field collection
Reason for describing collection:taxonomic analysis
Collection dates:1977
Metadata
Also known as:Pentaceratops
Database number:34826
Authorizer:M. Carrano, J. Alroy Enterer:M. Carrano, J. Alroy
Modifier:M. Carrano Research group:vertebrate
Created:2003-10-03 08:30:23 Last modified:2025-02-22 15:12:02
Access level:the public Released:2003-10-03 08:30:23
Creative Commons license:CC0
Reference information

Primary reference:
9303. T. Rowe, E. H. Colbert, and J. D. Nations. 1981. The occurrence of Pentaceratops (Ornithischia: Ceratopsia) with a description of its frill. Advances in San Juan Basin Paleontology, S. G. Lucas, J. K. Rigby Jr., and B. S. Kues (eds.), University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque 29-48 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Carrano]

Secondary references:

18120 J. Alroy. 2006. Synonymies and reidentifications of North American fossil vertebrates. [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/J. Alroy]
72668 D. W. Fowler and E. A. Freedman Fowler. 2020. Transitional evolutionary forms in chasmosaurine ceratopsid dinosaurs: evidence from the Campanian of New Mexico. PeerJ 8:e9251:1-49 [G. Lloyd/G. Lloyd/M. Carrano]
84668 J. J. Fry. 2015. Redescription of a Specimen of Pentaceratops (Ornithischia: Ceratopsidae) And Phylogenetic Evaluation of Five Referred Specimens from the Upper Cretaceous of New Mexico 1-91 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
14625ETE T. M. Lehman. 1993. New data on the ceratopsian dinosaur Pentaceratops sternbergii Osborn from New Mexico. Journal of Paleontology 67(2):279-288 [M. Carrano/K. Maguire/M. Carrano]