|
What does the Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite reveal?
Dinosaurs in Motion
Read more from
|
|
The study of the Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite in Wyoming—located on the United States Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land—has revealed a great deal about the dinosaurs that made the tracks; more about the environment during the middle Jurassic period in this part of the world; and how the sedimentary layer was deposited. All of these are clues that will help to reconstruct the world of these animals, from large to small dinosaurs. Scientists continue to determine the specific dinosaurs that made the tracks, as well as whether or not the animals were bipedal or quadrupedal. In addition, the footprints have shown evidence of behavior patterns, including whether these dinosaurs were solitary or lived in family groups.
It is possible to visit the site, but much of the surface is administered by the BLM. So while hobbyists may collect petrified wood, invertebrates, and plant fossils, vertebrates uncovered at the site are kept in the public trust through the BLM’s collecting permit process. (For more about the Tracksite, visit their Web site at http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/field_offices/Worland/Tracksite.html.)