A dinosaur graveyard in the Late Campanian (Late Cretaceous) at Cerro de Angostura near Porvenir de Jalpa, Coahuila, northeast Mexico

• Antragsteller: Professor Dr. Eberhard Frey; Professor Dr. Wolfgang Stinnesbeck
• Fachliche Zuordnung: Paläontologie
• Förderung: Förderung von 2012 bis 2015
• Projektkennung: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 234371563

In the Cañon Cerro de Angostura near the hamlet Porvenir de Jalpa, Coahuila, we discovered about ten clusters of weathered-out dinosaur bones in an area of only about 200 metres long and 30 metres wide. Sediments belong to the Cerro del Pueblo Formation and are of Late Campanian age. The bones come from articulated skeletons that are still partially embedded in a 1 m thick unit of yellow silty sandstone. In the debris we found remnants of small dinosaurs, turtles, crocodiles and plants. Layers below and above are rich in shallow marine invertebrates (e.g., oysters and other bivalves, gastropods) and characean cysts. In the debris fans we discovered remnants of small dinosaurs, turtles, crocodilians and plants. The layers below and above are rich in shallow marine invertebrates (e.g. oysters and other bivalves) and characean cysts. We plan to map the clustered vertebrate material in the valley, collect the weathered out bones, invertebrates and plants, as well as debris samples for microfossil screen scanning, and survey the yellow sediment unit in order to prepare a scientific excavation in the near future. We will also take a detailed geological section and collect samples for lithological, micropalaeontological, microfacial and stable isotope analyses. A survey of the adjacent area is essential for the understanding of the geological and palaeontological context of the dinosaur site.

• DFG-Verfahren: Sachbeihilfen
• Internationaler Bezug: Mexiko
• Beteiligte Personen: Dr. Arturo González González; Professor Dr. Norbert Lenz