Re: Aalenian Dinosaurs

["M.A.Whyte" <M.A.Whyte@sheffield.ac.uk>]

I am a slow reader and way behind on my digests but I couldn't let 
this topic go without comment.

Firstly: the listing of dinosaur occurrences gave some ages as 
Aalenian/Bajocian but in two cases also gave details of zones.  If 
these zone assignments are correct - Stephanocers humphriesianum zone 
and Strenoceras (Garantiana) garantiana zone (I haven't tried to
check them) - then the stage is also by definition known and is in
both cases actually Bajocian.  

Secondly: in the Cleveland area of Yorkshire the Ravenscar Group is 
a superb sequence of predominantly terrestrial deposits of Aalenian, 
Bajocian and Bathonian age.  Within the Ravenscar Group dinosaur 
fossils are extremely common and are indeed the most characteristic 
feature of the group.  Mike Romano and I (at Sheffield University) 
have been carrying out a long term project on this material.  We have 
had the assistance of teams of Earthwatch volunteers and these have 
been so successful that we have been almost overwhelmed with the 
volume of data that they have produced.  The dinosaur footprints 
do however clearly reveal diverse assamblages and some interesting 
behaviour patterns through the Aalenian and into the Bajocian and 
Bathonian.
If you want to know more about these footprints see Geology Today 
March/April 1996 12(2) or try our, soon to be updated, site at:

http://www.shef.ac.uk/~es/dino.html

Alternatively you could come to the British Association Meeting in 
Sheffield this September (13th -17th).  One day (Wed. 15th) will be 
devoted to 'Dinosaur Behaviour.'  The full programme for this is not 
quite finalised yet but it is looking very good and will include 
talks on the Yorkshire dinosuar footprints.  The next day (Thurs. 
16th) there will be an excursion to see some of the footprints on the 
Yorkshire coast.  Immediately following the BA Meeting, Mike and I 
will be running another trip to see other footprint material for the 
Geologists' Association (Sat. 18th and Sun. 19th).

Sorry if I have created a Lazarus thread.

Best wishes to all,

Martin Whyte