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student. The discovery of the three-toed Cretaceous period
dinosaur was made last week during a UAF Department of Geology and Geophysics field camp. Dr. Paul McCarthy, associate professor of geology, was showing
two students, Susi Tomsich and Jeremiah Drewel, a sedimentary rock
that commonly preserves dinosaur track, when Tomsich pointed to the
dinosaur track and asked, "like this one?"
The track is about six inches wide by nine inches long. The track
was found June 27 near the Igloo Campground, about 35 miles west of
the park entrance. The area has been closed to public entry while
the park develops a plan to preserve the fossil. The dinosaur track
found in rocks called the Cantwell Formation is the first evidence
of dinosaurs found in Denali National Park and Preserve. The
University of Alaska Fairbanks Department of Geology and Geophysics,
through the efforts of Dr. Rainer Newberry and Bill Witte, have been
working closely with Murie Science and Learning Center and Denali
National Park and Preserve to conduct a field geology mapping
course, which started in 2003. Through these efforts, the park has
benefited by gaining a more detailed understanding of the park's
geologic resources.
Dr. Anthony Fiorillo, curator of earth sciences at the Dallas Museum
of Natural History, has persistently advocated the search for
dinosaur remains in the Cantwell Formation due to its age and
geological properties. This discovery by the students provides
confirmation and inspiration for ongoing paleontological efforts.
Dr. Fiorillo partnered with Dr. McCarthy earlier this year for his
expertise on fossil soils that provides a critical sedimentological
context for this discovery. Dr. Fiorillo has visited the park to
search for dinosaur evidence in 2000, 2001, and 2004, and plans to
continue the research this summer with assistance from Phil Brease,
Denali National Park and Preserve Geologist.
The work is supported through the NPS Challenge Cost Share Program
grant, a program which facilitates partnerships with other
organizations and neighboring communities. The NPS has partnered
with the Dallas Museum of Natural History and University of Alaska
Fairbanks Department of Geology and Geophysics for continued
investigations. This discovery confirms that conditions exist in the
park that will make future dinosaur discoveries in Denali likely.
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