SURVEYING TRACKWAYS AND OTHER TRACES FROM THE UPPER MEMBER OF THE LATE TRIASSIC CHINLE FORMATION IN DINOSAUR NATIONAL MONUMENT

In the summer of 2010 two GEOCORPS participants were assigned the role of documenting vertebrate trackways in Dinosaur National Monument, UT. The bulk of their work took place in the fine-grained sandstone/siltstone Upper Member of Late Triassic Chinle Formation where they located and cataloged previously found and undiscovered vertebrate trackways from early dinosaurs, walking and swimming reptiles, and amphibians. They also recorded important invertebrate traces and body fossils. For each specimen, locality data and a detailed description was organized into a portfolio that was presented to the park geologist. The participants assessed and graded each find on importance, accessibility, and durability to determine how Dinosaur National Monument should treat the find.