Re: Sauropods in wet versus dry environments... a tip of the hatto some past artists (Was Re. Lost Worlds)

[Graydon <graydon@dsl.ca>]

On Wed, Jan 16, 2002 at 08:18:55PM -0800, Tracy L. Ford scripsit:
> Ok, educate us. How could a terrestrial, dry track be fossilized without it
> being covered up by sediment from an aquatic force? (Had to think how to
> write that one :) ).

There are burrows that have been preserved by being filled by
wind-blown, rather than water-borne, sediments, and the famous hominid
tracks that were preserved by ashfall from a volcano. These are much
more recent than any dinosaur period, but it seems possible that
sauropod tracks in a relatively dry soil could be covered by fine,
sufficently distinct air borne particles that they would be preserved.

I don't know of any cases were this happened.

Similarly, it's just possible that tracks in a clay soil could be
preserved by being fired into a ceramic by a forest fire, but that would
go beyond good luck.

-- 
graydon@dsl.ca   |  Hige sceal þe heardra, heorte þe cenre,
                 |  mod sceal þe mare þe ure maegen lytlað.
                 |   -- Beorhtwold, "The Battle of Maldon"