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    Large scale dinoturbation in braided stream deposits: evidence from the Cretaceous Tugulu Group of the Hami area, Eastern Xinjiang, China

    • Lida Xing
    • Martin G. Lockley
    • Zhongdong Li
    • Hendrik Klein
    • Shaojie Chen
    • W. Scott Persons IV
    • Miaoyan Wang


    Abstract

    Large dinosaur tracks were recently reported from locations in the Pterosaur-Yadan National Geological Park situated about 100 km south of Hami in Xinjiang Province, China. The park comprises a substantial area in a much larger arid region comprising and extensive spectrum of Cretaceous, siliciclastic, Tugulu Group, lithofacies representing proximal, basin margin, alluvial fan and braided stream deposits, grading into alluvial plain, deltaic and lacustrine facies near the depocenter. Due to the difficulties of conducting detailed geological surveys in such a vast and inhospitable area, definitive resolution of the litho-, bio- and chrono-stratigraphy is challenging in some areas, and yet to be published in detail. Nevertheless, the occurrence of large dinosaur tracks and dinoturbated units, here interpreted as sauropodan, in association with root casts, dinosaur bone and fossil wood, points to the potential of this frontier area to yield valuable paleontological information, and show that flora and fauna were found in arid braided stream systems away from the lacustrine depocenters where body fossils are more abundant and better known.

    Keywords: Sauropod tracks Braided stream deposits Pterosaur-Yadan National Geological Park
    Section

    References

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    How to Cite

    Xing, L., Lockley, M. G. ., Li, Z. ., Klein, H. ., Chen, S. ., Persons IV, W. S. ., & Wang, M. . (2020). Large scale dinoturbation in braided stream deposits: evidence from the Cretaceous Tugulu Group of the Hami area, Eastern Xinjiang, China. Biosis: Biological Systems, 1(2), 72–84. https://doi.org/10.37819/biosis.001.02.0054
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    Lida Xing
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    Martin G. Lockley
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    Zhongdong Li
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    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37819/biosis.001.02.0054

    Published: 2020-06-10

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