Robert Gaston Quarry (CEU 91-1): Valanginian, Utah
collected by R. Gaston 1989

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Reptilia - Rhynchocephalia - Sphenodontidae
Kirkland et al. 1999
Reptilia
1 specimen
Kirkland et al. 1997
Reptilia - Hypsilophodontidae
1 specimen
Reptilia - Nodosauridae
4 individuals
CEUM 1307 (6 measurements)
Kirkland 1997
    = Gastonia burgei n. gen., n. sp. Kirkland 1998
Kirkland 1998
Reptilia
Kirkland et al. 1997 3 individuals
Reptilia - Dromaeosauridae
7 specimens
CEUM 184 (1 measurement)
Reptilia - Crocodylia
Crocodylia indet. (Owen 1842)
Kirkland et al. 1997 1 specimen
Reptilia - Pleurosternidae
Kirkland et al. 1999
Dipnoi
Dipnoi indet. Müller 1884
Kirkland et al. 1997 1 specimen
Dipnoi - Ceratodontidae
Kirkland et al. 1999
Actinopteri - Semionotiformes - Semionotidae
Kirkland et al. 1999
Actinopteri - Amiiformes - Amiidae
Kirkland et al. 1999
Chondrichthyes - Hybodontiformes - Hybodontidae
Kirkland et al. 1997
see common names

Geography
Country:United States State/province:Utah County:Grand
Coordinates: 38.8° North, 109.6° West (view map)
Paleocoordinates:36.6° North, 44.0° West (Wright 2013)
Basis of coordinate:estimated from map
Geographic resolution:small collection
Time
Period: Cretaceous Epoch: Early Cretaceous
Stage: Valanginian 10 m.y. bin: Cretaceous 1
*Period:Early/Lower Cretaceous
*International age/stage:Barremian
Key time interval: Valanginian
Age range of interval: 137.05 - 132.6 m.y. ago
* legacy (obsolete) database fields
Stratigraphy
Geological group:Dakota Formation:Cedar Mountain Member:Yellow Cat
Stratigraphic resolution:bed
Stratigraphy comments: upper portion of member, ~6.5 m below Poison Strip Member and ~17.5 m above Morrison Fm. contact

Detrital zircons from the quarry and adjacent, lateral equivalents provide a maximum depositional age of 125 Ma, indicating the horizon is no older than early Albian (Eberth et al., 2006), but more recent work indicates that the upper part of the Yellow Cat Member is Valanginian (Joeckel et al. 2020)
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology:paleosol/pedogenic,nodular,green,blue sandy siltstone
Secondary lithology: sandy "limestone"
Includes fossils?Y
Includes fossils?Y
Lithology description: "primarily a mauve mudstone with thin (5-30 cm thick) sandstone beds. At 17.3 m above the base, there is an interval of interbedded limestone and shale that preserves mudcracks, dinosaur tracks. and barite crystal clusters...mudstones tend to be mauve toward the base and pale green toward the top...[they] do not appear to be smectitic...the basal calcrete is not always present." Also calcareous nodules representing paleosols. At this site specifically, "the bones are preserved in an interval of alternating limestone and silty shale...6.5 m below the top of the Yellow Cat Member." "paleopedogenically altered purple and green sandy siltstones dominated by layers of coalesced sandy carbonate nodules. The bone-bearing horizon lies in two beds of diagenetically altered sandy limestones and an interbedded pale green, sandy siltstone"
Environment:pond
Geology comments: "ephemeral alkaline pond"
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body,trace
Size of fossils:macrofossils
Spatial orientation:random
Preservation of anatomical detail:variable
Articulated whole bodies:none
Associated major elements:some
Disassociated major elements:some
Disassociated minor elements:some
Fragmentation:frequent
Collection methods and comments
Collection excludes:some genera,species names
Collection methods:selective quarrying,mechanical,field collection
Collection size:1100 specimens
Rock censused:3000 cm2 (area)
Reason for describing collection:taxonomic analysis
Collectors:R. Gaston Collection dates:1989
Metadata
Also known as:State of Utah Loc. 42Gr184V, Yellow Cat Quarry
Database number:27017
Authorizer:M. Carrano, P. Barrett Enterer:M. Carrano, T. Cleary
Modifier:M. Carrano Research group:vertebrate
Created:2002-11-12 12:06:16 Last modified:2025-02-22 15:12:02
Access level:the public Released:2002-11-12 12:06:16
Creative Commons license:CC0
Reference information

Primary reference:
7471. J. I. Kirkland, D. Burge, and R. Gaston. 1993. A large dromaeosaur (Theropoda) from the Lower Cretaceous of eastern Utah. Hunteria 2(10):1-16 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Carrano]

Secondary references:

86530 G. Botfalvai, E. Prondvai, and A. 2021. Living alone or moving in herds? A holistic approach highlights complexity in the social lifestyle of Cretaceous ankylosaurs. Cretaceous Research 118:104633 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
58710 B. B. Britt and K. L. Stadtman. 1997. Dalton Wells Quarry. In P. J. Currie & K. Padian (ed.), Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs 165-166 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
12199ETE K. Carpenter, J. I. Kirkland, D. Burge and J. Bird. 1999. Ankylosaurs (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) of the Cedar Mountain Formation, Utah, and their stratigraphic distribution. Vertebrate Paleontology in Utah, D. D. Gillette (ed.), Utah Geological Survey Miscellaneous Publication 99-1:243-251 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
71352 B. Kineer, K. Carpenter, and A. Shaw. 2016. Redescription of Gastonia burgei (Dinosauria: Ankylosauria, Polacanthidae), and description of a new species. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie Abhandlungen 282(1):37-80 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
58209 J. I. Kirkland. 1997. Cedar Mountain Formation. In P. J. Currie & K. Padian (ed.), Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs 98-99 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
7504 J. I. Kirkland. 1998. A polacanthine ankylosaur (Ornithischia: Dinosauria) from the Early Cretaceous (Barremian) of eastern Utah. Lower and Middle Cretaceous Terrestrial Ecosystems (S. G. Lucas, J. I. Kirkland, & J. W. Estep, eds.), New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 14:271-281 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
2087 J. I. Kirkland, B. Britt, D. L. Burge, K. Carpenter, R. Cifelli, F. DeCourten, J. Eaton, S. Hasiotis, and T. Lawton. 1997. Lower to Middle Cretaceous dinosaur faunas of the central Colorado Plateau: a key to understanding 35 million years of tectonics, sedimentology, evolution and biogeography. Brigham Young University Geology Studies 42(2):69-103 [M. Carrano/J. Alroy/M. Carrano]
57899 J. I. Kirkland, R. L. Cifelli, B. B. Britt, D. L. Burge, F. L. DeCourten, J. G. Eaton, and J. M. Parrish. 1999. Distribution of vertebrate faunas in the Cedar Mountain Formation, east-central Utah. In D. D. Gillette (ed.), Vertebrate Paleontology in Utah. Utah Geological Survey Miscellaneous Publication 99(1):201-218 [P. Barrett/T. Cleary/M. Carrano]
85049 J. I. Kirkland and J. R. Lively. 2023. MTE14 Mesozoic of Utah Field Trip 1-92 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
51465 J. I. Kirkland and M. A. Loewen. 2011. Utah's prehistoric tanks: the ankylosaurs. Utah Geological Survey Notes 43(3):4-5 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
32617ETE J. I. Kirkland and S. K. Madsen. 2007. The Lower Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation, Eastern Utah: the view up an always interesting learning curve. Utah Geological Association Publication 35 1-108 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
78389 J. I. Kirkland, M. B. Suarez, C. A. Suarez and R. K. Hunt-Foster. 2016. The Medial Cretaceous in East-Central Utah—the Cedar Mountain Formation and its Bounding Strata. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Field Trip Guide. 1-117 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Uhen]
35018ETE V. L. Santucci and J. I. Kirkland. 2010. An Overview of National Park Service Paleontological Resources from the Parks and Monuments in Utah. In D. A. Sprinkel, T. C. Chidsey, P. B. Anderson (eds.), Utah Geological Association Publication 28 (third edition) 28:589-623 [M. Carrano/M. Oreska/M. Oreska]
50085 B. A. Swanson, V. L. Santucci, S. K. Madsen, A. S. Elder, and J. P. Kenworthy. 2005. Arches National Park paleontological survey. Geological Resources Division Technical Report NPS/NRGRD/GRDTR-05/01 1-36 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
81455 J. S. Tweet, V. L. Santucci, T. Connors and J. P. Kenworthy. 2012. Paleontological Resource Inventory and Monitoring: Northern Colorado Plateau Network. National Park Service Technical Report NPS/NCPN/NRTR—2012/585 xii-524 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]