The Maastrichtian of the Spanish Pyrenees

["Jaime A. Headden" <qilongia@yahoo.com>]

A paper from earlier this year summarizes the Maastrichtian dinosaur localities 
of the Pyrenees
and the collections made that I summarized earlier in several papers of Spanish 
publication.

  López-Martínez, N.; Canudo, J.I.; Ardèvol, L.; Pereda Superbiola, X.; 
Orue-Etxebarria, X.;
Cuenca-Bescós, G.; Ruiz-Omeñaca, J.I.; Murelaga, X.; & Feist, M. 2001. New 
dinosaur sites
correlated with Upper Maastrichtian pelagic deposits in the Spanish Pyerenees: 
Implications for
the dinosaur extinction pattern in Europe. _Cretaceous Research_ 22(1): 41-61.

  Previously mentioned was a hadrosaur from the upper Maastrichtian Arén 
Formation of Spain, of
which had been illustrated only a jugal. This is now photographed, and more 
material is
illustrated, including a block of matrix containing many semi-articulated 
vertebrae, most from the
tail. The skull is primarily known from a complete left dentary and partial 
left surangular with
complete coronoid process, and almost all of the articular, angular, 
prearticular, and splenial
(resulting in a nearly complete lower left jaw), a partial left maxilla with 
contact for the left
jugal. The skull is distinctive and recalls that of *Shantungosaurus* is the 
brevity of the
orbital-postorbital region, massiveness of the dentary, and shallowness of the 
maxilla. The
dentary also recalls that of *Eolambia* and *Protohadros,* with a long tapering 
contact for the
predentary. Unique, and a new species of fossil, but perhaps not a new "genus." 
It is allied to
the Lambeosauridae based on relatively high crowns, a broad, elongate and 
"flattened" rostral
sub-predentary ramus, and comparison to *Telmatosaurus,* *Pararhabdodon,* and 
*Hypacrosaurus.*

  Stratigraphic correlation finds that the Arén Formation is likely 
Maastrichtian, spanning the
upper most levels of the Campanian and the entire Maastrichtian. The overlying 
Tremp Formation is
apparently Danian (Paleocene), and includes a variety of dinosaur fossils, 
mostly limited to teeth
(which are distinctly dinosaurian including ambiguous dromaeosaurid and 
theropod teeth, and
sauropod and hadrosaur teeth). Eggshells are also known.

  Further stratigraphic and geologic study shows that the Arén is composed of 
silt and sandstones,
with basic limestone levels, indicating a deltaic environment for the most 
part; the Tremp
Formation is comprised of more fluvial sandstones and alternating distinctive 
redbeds.


=====
Jaime A. Headden

  Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhr-gen-ti-na
  Where the Wind Comes Sweeping Down the Pampas!!!!

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