Abstract
An ichnological and sedimentological study of the El Frontal dinosaur tracksite (Early Cretaceous, Cameros basin, Soria, Spain) highlights the pronounced intra-trackway variation found in track morphologies of four theropod trackways. Photogrammetric 3D digital models revealed various and distinct intra-trackway morphotypes, which reflect changes in footprint parameters such as the pace length, the track length, depth, and height of displacement rims. Sedimentological analyses suggest that the original substrate was non-homogenous due to lateral changes in adjoining microfacies. Multidata analyses indicate that morphological differences in these deep and shallow tracks represent a part of a continuum of track morphologies and geometries produced by a gradient of substrate consistencies across the site. This implies that the large range of track morphologies at this site resulted from similar trackmakers crossing variable facies. The trackways at the El Frontal site present an exemplary case of how track morphology, and consequently potential ichnotaxa, can vary, even when produced by a single trackmaker.
Highlights
Track morphology is determined by both the trackmaker and the substrate characteristics [1,2,3,4]
It is widely accepted that the substrate is a major control in determining the final track morphology [1,2,5,6,7], studying this dynamic formation process is challenging given the fact that most foot-sediment and sedimentsediment interactions are highly complex, rapid and hidden from view [8,9,10]
We describe the position in the tracksite, spatial distance and possible interaction of trackways F17, F7, F4 and F5 with one another
Summary
Track morphology is determined by both the trackmaker and the substrate characteristics [1,2,3,4]. It is widely accepted that the substrate is a major control in determining the final track morphology [1,2,5,6,7], studying this dynamic formation process is challenging given the fact that most foot-sediment and sedimentsediment interactions are highly complex, rapid and hidden from view [8,9,10]. Ichnology has primarily studied tracks and trackways as two-dimensional traces (e.g., [16,17]), rarely considering the substrates mechanics and prevailing condition at the time a track-maker’s foot made contact with a sediment. Light Detection And Range (LiDAR) techniques [22,23,26] together with photogrammetry methods [27] complement the classic ichnological data acquisition by providing accurate data on 3-D specimens
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