June 30 , 2016

by Stephanie Drumheller-Horton

A UT paleontologist is helping uncover a treasure trove of fossils from the age of dinosaurs in a seemingly unlikely place: the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

Discovered in 2003 in Arlington, Texas, by amateur fossil hunters Art Sahlstein, Bill Walker, and Phil Kirchoff, the fossil site—now known as the Arlington Archosaur Site (AAS)—preserves a nearly complete ancient ecosystem ninety-five million to 100 million years old in an area undergoing rapid residential development.

Stephanie Drumheller-Horton, an assistant adjunct professor in UT’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, is a member of a team of paleontologists working to excavate and research the AAS. She is joined by Chris Noto, assistant professor of biology at the University of Wisconsin–Parkside; Thomas Adams, curator of paleontology and geology at the Witte Museum in San Antonio; and Anthony Fiorillo, chief curator of earth sciences and vice president of research and collections at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas.

The team recently received a grant from the National Geographic Society to continue excavation and study of this unique fossil site. The funding will support excavation at the site through summer 2017. Teams of scientists and trained volunteers will work to recover as many fossils as possible before completion of a nearby residential development.

Adams said the site provides a unique look at dinosaur life.

“Research has traditionally been focused on either the Early or Late Cretaceous, which have proven to be incredibly fossil-rich,” said Adams, “But the diversity of fossils and the number of species being discovered at the AAS are providing a true picture of an ancient coastal ecosystem that existed ninety-five million years ago.”

The sponsored research will expand the group’s scientific study of the site, allowing new analyses of the rocks enclosing the fossils, including techniques such as palynology (the study of fossil pollen and spores), stable isotope, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray fluorescence, which will reveal important details about the ancient climate and environment that existed at this time during the Cretaceous Period.

As the name suggests, archosaurs—the group that includes dinosaurs, birds, and crocodylians—are the most common fossils at the AAS. Bite marks and skeletal material from a large fossil crocodile indicate crocs were actually the top predators in the rivers and swamps of this part of Cretaceous Texas.

“We call the Mesozoic [a span of180 million years, divided into the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods] the Age of Dinosaurs for a reason,” said Drumheller-Horton, “But people sometimes forget that other kinds of animals lived in these environments too. Fossils from the Arlington Archosaur Site preserve evidence that the crocs were major predators in this ecosystem, even eating the dinosaurs that lived there.”

Plans are underway to perform detailed computed tomography scans on a selection of turtle and dinosaur fossils that exhibit pathologies such as injuries or infections, to better understand what formed these structures and what they can tell us about how the animals lived and died.

From its first discovery, the AAS has been an important tool for science education and outreach. Trained volunteers from the community, who are passionate about preserving this important resource, perform the majority of the fossil excavation. This is an unprecedented opportunity for the public to be involved in a scientific excavation, sharing their experiences directly with the community.

Research stemming from the National Geographic grant, bolstered by public donations through the crowdfunding site Experiment.com, will help extend the educational reach of the project beyond the Dallas-Fort Worth area through the creation of materials such as 3-D models, teaching materials, public lectures, and website articles.

http://tntoday.utk.edu/2016/06/28/texas-dino-ut-professor-part-dallas-dinosaur-dig/