- Glen Rose Formation
The Glen Rose Formation, located in the
Dinosaur Valley State Park inGlen Rose, Texas , is afossil bearing bed dating from theAptian -Albian boundary of the early-Cretaceous . The Glen RoseTrackway is located at the base of the formation, which covers convert|1500|acre|km2. It was designated aNational Natural Landmark in 1969.Fauna
Fossils in the formation include fossilized
ammonite s,worm tubes, internal molds ofsnail s,bivalve s,scallop s,urchin s,clam s, and small crocodile relatives like "Pachycheilosuchus ". The fossil remains of "Acrocanthosaurus " have been discovered there as well.Vertebrates
Glen Rose Trackway
The trackway is composed of two different types of fossilized footprints. The first belong to sauropods of 30 to 50 feet in length, probably "
Pleurocoelus ". Discovered in 1930 byBarnum Brown and Roland T. Bird, they were the first sauropod footprints ever found. Some are as large as three feet across.The second set of footprints are 15 to convert|25|in|mm long and are those of three-toed
carnosaurs approximately 20 to convert|30|ft|m in length. The sharp-clawedtheropod s are most likely acrocanthosaurs.The prints are thought to have been preserved originally in a
tidal flat or alagoon , pressed intolimestone -rich mud by sauropods on a migration and theropods on a hunting mission.Parts of the tracks are obscured at times of the year by the
Paluxy River portion of theBrazos River .Alleged "human" footprints
Outside Dinosaur Valley State Park, in the limestone deposits along the Paluxy River, "twin sets" of tracks were found. Originally discovered in the 1930s, starting in the 1960s and 1970s
creationists alleged that one set of tracks were human (the "Glen Rose Man") and the other dinosaur to support their beliefs of flaws inevolutionary theory . [John D. Morris . [http://www.icr.org/index.php?module=articles&action=view&ID=81 The Pauluxy River Tracks] .Institute for Creation Research , 2007.] However, as biologistMassimo Pigliucci noted, geologists in the 1980s "clearly demonstrated that no human being left those prints," but rather "they were in factmetatarsal dinosaur tracks, together with a few pure and simple fakes." [Massimo Pigliucci "" (Sinauer, 2002, p. 246): ISBN 0878936599 ] The family of George Adams, the man who originally made the claims, later admitted it was a hoax.cite news | url=http://www.star-telegram.com/news/story/820344.html | title=Human footprints along with dinosaur tracks? | publisher=Star-Telegram |date=Aug. 10, 2008 | first= | last= | accessdate = 2008-08-10] "My grandfather was a very good sculptor," said Zana Douglas, from the Adams family who found many of Glen Rose’s real dinosaur tracks. She explained that in the 1930s and the Depression, Glen Rose residents made money by makingmoonshine and selling dinosaur fossils. The fossils were bought for $15 to $30 and when the supply ran low, George Adams, Zana's grandfather "just carved more, some with human footprints thrown in."See also
*
List of fossil sites "(with link directory)"
*List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations References
External links
* [http://paleo.cc/paluxy/gr-fossils.htm Common Fossils in the Glen Rose Limestone]
* [http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/paluxy/dvsp.html Dinosaur Valley State Park] fromtalk.origins
* [http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/paluxy.html The Texas Dinosaur/"Man Track" Controversy] by Glen J. Kuban fromtalk.origins
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