Hotel Mesa East, OMNH V857: Aptian - Albian, Utah
collected by Cifelli, Kirkland, Hawes, Nydam 1994–1995

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Osteichthyes
Osteichthyes indet. Huxley 1880
Taylor et al. 2011
Dipnoi - Ceratodontidae
Ceratodus sp. Agassiz 1838
Taylor et al. 2011
Reptilia
Crocodyliformes indet. Hay 1930
Taylor et al. 2011
Atoposauridae indet. (Gervais 1871)
Taylor et al. 2011
    = Mesoeucrocodylia indet. Whetstone and Whybrow 1983
Tennant et al. 2016
Bernissartia sp. Dollo 1883
Taylor et al. 2011
Reptilia - Goniopholididae
Goniopholididae indet. Cope 1875
Taylor et al. 2011
Reptilia
? Tenontosaurus sp. Ostrom 1970
Theropoda indet. (Marsh 1881)
Taylor et al. 2011
Reptilia - Dromaeosauridae
Deinonychus sp. Ostrom 1969
Swanson et al. 2005
Reptilia
Brachiosauridae indet. Riggs 1904
Swanson et al. 2005 8 elements
(1 measurement)
    = Brontomerus mcintoshi n. gen., n. sp. Taylor et al. 2011
Taylor et al. 2011
OMNH 66430, a left ilium (holotype). OMNH 66429, crushed presacral centrum; OMNH 61248, mid−to−posterior caudal vertebra; OMNH 27794, partial distal caudal centrum; OMNH 27766, anterior right dorsal rib; OMNH 27761, nearly complete left scapula missing anterior portion; OMNH 66431 and 66432, two partial sternal plates; other fragments
Actinopteri - Lepisosteiformes - Lepisosteidae
? Lepisosteidae indet. Cuvier 1825
Taylor et al. 2011
Chondrichthyes - Hybodontiformes - Hybodontidae
Hybodontidae indet. (Agassiz 1834)
Taylor et al. 2011
Chondrichthyes - Hybodontiformes - Polyacrodontidae
? Polyacrodus sp. Jaekel 1889
Taylor et al. 2011
see common names

Geography
Country:United States State/province:Utah County:Grand
Coordinates: 38.8° North, 109.3° West (view map)
Paleocoordinates:38.8° North, 63.4° West
Basis of coordinate:estimated from map
Geographic resolution:outcrop
Time
Period:Cretaceous Epoch:Early/Lower Cretaceous
Key time interval:Aptian - Albian
Age range of interval:121.40000 - 100.50000 m.y. ago
Stratigraphy
Geological group:Dakota Formation:Cedar Mountain Member:Ruby Ranch
Stratigraphic resolution:bed
Stratigraphy comments: "Stratigraphically, OMNHV857 lies in a sequence of Lower Cretaceous rocks interposed between the Morrison Formation (Kimmeridgian) below and the Dakota Formation (Cenomanian) above. Westward, these rocks are recognized as the Cedar Mountain Formation; eastward, the Burro Canyon Formation. The arbitrary dividing line between these entities is generally placed at the Colorado River (Stokes 1952; Tschudy et al. 1984) which technically places OMNHV857 within the Burro Canyon Formation. However, we will refer to the locality as belonging to the more widely recognized Cedar Mountain Formation, as it is in this formation that comparable specimens are known, and the stratigraphy and sedimentology do not change across the arbitrary border." (Taylor et al. 2011:76)
"Stratigraphically, OMNH locality V857 lies within the Ruby Ranch Member, a few meters below the local contact with the Dakota Formation (see Kirkland et al. 1999: fig. 8). As a working hypothesis, we regard the fossils from the Hotel Mesa site as being Aptian–Albian" (Taylor et al. 2011: 77)

Overall, based on zircon ages and chemostratigraphic studies, the Ruby Ranch Member ranges in age from ap-proximately middle Aptian to middle Albian (about 118 to 105 Ma) for the western Paradox Basin and northern San Rafael Swell. Other radiometric ages indicate the presence of upper Albian strata as well (Chure and others, 2010; Ludvigson and others, 2010a, 2015; Sprinkel and others, 2012)
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology:pebbly muddy sandstone
Includes fossils?Y
Lithology description: "the fossil horizon, which is mainly sandstone with some pebbles and intermittent, irregular mudstone stringers, is about 40-50 cm thick"
Environment:terrestrial indet.
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body
Degree of concentration:concentrated
Size of fossils:macrofossils,mesofossils
Preservation of anatomical detail:good
Fragmentation:occasional
Collection methods and comments
Collection methods:bulk,salvage,selective quarrying,mechanical,sieve,field collection
Rock censused:100 kg
Reason for describing collection:general faunal/floral analysis
Collectors:Cifelli, Kirkland, Hawes, Nydam Collection dates:1994–1995
Collection method comments: OMNH: Oklahoma Museum of Natural History. Site originally worked by private collectors; identity and disposition of those specimens not known.
Metadata
Also known as:Hotel Mesa Quarry
Database number:97951
Authorizer:M. Carrano, P. Mannion, R. Butler Enterer:M. Oreska, R. Butler, M. Carrano, P. Mannion
Modifier:M. Carrano Research group:vertebrate
Created:2010-09-09 12:46:58 Last modified:2023-08-21 15:04:00
Access level:the public Released:2010-09-09 12:46:58
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:
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]

Secondary references:

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]
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]
35299 M. P. Taylor, M. J. Wedel, and R. L. Cifelli. 2011. A new sauropod dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation, Utah, USA. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 56(1):75-98 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy]
59838 J. P. Tennant, P. D. Mannion, and P. Upchurch. 2016. Evolutionary relationships and systematics of Atoposauridae (Crocodylomorpha: Neosuchia): implications for the rise of Eusuchia. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 177:854-936 [P. Mannion/P. Mannion]
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]