The Deadhorse Coulee Member of the Milk River Formation of southern Alberta preserves one of the oldest well-documented non-marine vertebrate assemblages in Canada. In this study, the taxonomic diversity of this member is updated, and vertebrate localities are placed in geographic and stratigraphic context. The stratigraphic provenance of specimens indicates all vertebrate material from this member is latest Santonian (83.5 Ma). A new species of turtle is described. Analyses of the rank and relative abundances of taxa support interpretations of this member as a prograding clastic wedge with localities approximately 40 km from the palaeoshoreline at time of deposition. Results support high local abundances of vertebrates in western North America, with faunal provincialism regulated by distance to the palaeoshoreline and mean annual temperatures. Morphologic changes in small theropod taxa through the latest Cretaceous of western North America act as a case study for evaluating species turnover of vertebrate microfossil material. / Systematics and Evolution
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:AEU.10048/1312 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Larson, Derek W. |
| Contributors | Currie, Philip J. (Biological Sciences), Brinkman, Donald B. (Biological Sciences), Wilson, Mark V. H. (Biological Sciences), Wolfe, Alexander P. (Earth and Atmospheric Sciences) |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 36798766 bytes, application/pdf |
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