Since the early days of the discovery of the Gray Fossil Site (GFS), meticulous efforts to preserve the spatial data were a priority. Direct surveying of fossils prior to recovery, as well as grid mapping the site, provided relative spatial data within a square meter. Such efforts meant that even fragments and microfossils, recovered during the screening operations and eventual concentrate picking, maintained some spatial data. Available spatial data are used to identify smaller deposits within the greater system, as well as non-random distribution patterns among a number of GFS taxa. Patterns are particularly pronounced in the large-bodied taxa, Teleoceras aepysoma and the GFS mammutid, as well as microvertebrates. Results suggest that controlling factors include taphonomic constraints related to body size, proximity to near-shore or shallow areas, underlying geological features, and to a lesser extent “ecological role”. Results of this research may help guide future excavation and collection methods.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ETSU/oai:dc.etsu.edu:etd-5736 |
| Date | 01 May 2023 |
| Creators | Haugrud, Shawn |
| Publisher | Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University |
| Source Sets | East Tennessee State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Electronic Theses and Dissertations |
| Rights | Copyright by the authors. |
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