MIDDLE JURASSIC FOSSIL FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAN RAFAEL SWELL, UTAH AND THEIR AFFINITY TO TRACKS IN THE GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT AND ELSEWHERE IN UTAH

During the last decade, Middle Jurassic footprints have been reported from several localities in Utah. These include tracks in the Carmel Formation in the Vernal area, the "megatrack site" in the Entrada Formation near Moab, and more recently, several Entrada Track localities in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. With exception of "swim" or "scrape" marks from the Carmel near Vernal and several sauropod trackways in the Entrada in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, most Middle Jurassic trackmakers in Utah have been attributed to theropod dinosaurs. Several newly discovered track localities in the San Rafael Swell expand the known distribution and variety of Middle Jurassic footprints in Utah. One lone tridactyl track in the Carmel is comparable to tracks described from the Vernal area. A set of "swim" or "scrape" marks was also found at the same locality. Several new track localities in the Entrada Formation may represent additional examples of quadrapedal trackmakers in the formation as well as differences in preservation type and animal community.