A report on Dinosaur Park Formation

Dinosaur Park Formation exposed along the Red Deer River in Dinosaur Provincial Park, southeastern Alberta, Canada.
Restoration of the megafaunal dinosaurs of the Dinosaur Park Formation. From left to right: Chasmosaurus, Lambeosaurus, Styracosaurus, Scolosaurus, Prosaurolophus, Panoplosaurus, and a herd of Styracosaurus in the background

Uppermost member of the Belly River Group , a major geologic unit in southern Alberta.

- Dinosaur Park Formation
Dinosaur Park Formation exposed along the Red Deer River in Dinosaur Provincial Park, southeastern Alberta, Canada.

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Styracosaurus

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Genus of herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaur from the Cretaceous Period (Campanian stage), about 75.5 to 74.5 million years ago.

Genus of herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaur from the Cretaceous Period (Campanian stage), about 75.5 to 74.5 million years ago.

Excavation of the holotype specimen
Styracosaurus "parksi" skeleton, specimen AM5372
Holotype frill of S. ovatus, which was previously in the genus Rubeosaurus
Possible anagenesis, with S. albertensis (bottom) evolving into Stellasaurus and later centrosaurines
Size compared to a human
Life restoration
Ceratopsid skull casts positioned in a phylogenetic tree, in the Natural History Museum of Utah, with Styracosaurus at the far left
Skull of the holotype specimen
Biogeography of centrosaurine dinosaurs during the Campanian
Restoration
Close-up of the AM5372 skull, American Museum of Natural History
Variation in frill morphology; the top row are subadults, the rest are mature.
Depiction of the megaherbivores in the Dinosaur Park Formation, Styracosaurus third from left, with herd in the right background

The first fossil remains of Styracosaurus were collected in Alberta, Canada by C. M. Sternberg (from an area now known as Dinosaur Provincial Park, in a formation now called the Dinosaur Park Formation) and named by Lawrence Lambe in 1913.

Lambeosaurus

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Genus of hadrosaurid dinosaur that lived about 75 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous period (Campanian stage) of North America.

Genus of hadrosaurid dinosaur that lived about 75 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous period (Campanian stage) of North America.

L. lambei skull being excavated in Alberta, Canada
Type specimen of Procheneosaurus praeceps (AMNH 5340), American Museum of Natural History
Skeletons of L. lambei (front) and L. magnicristatus, Royal Tyrrell Museum
Profiles of various specimens, once assigned to their own species, now interpreted as different growth stages and sexes of L. lambei
Left premaxilla of the holotype specimen of Magnapaulia laticaudus
A life restoration of L. magnicristatus
A life restoration of head and neck of tall-crested L. magnicristatus
Specimen of related genus Corythosaurus
Skull of an adult, AMNH
Skull of a juvenile with a small crest
Megafaunal dinosaurs of the Dinosaur Park Formation, L. lambei second from left
Life restoration of L. magnicristatus being chased by Gorgosaurus

In the same publication Trachodon altidens, a left upper jaw (GSC 1092) from the Dinosaur Park Formation was also described by Lambe.

Alberta

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One of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.

One of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.

A topographic map of Alberta, showing cities, towns, municipal district (county) and rural municipality borders, and natural features
Moraine Lake at Banff National Park. The Alberta Mountain forests makes up the southwestern boundary of Alberta.
Köppen climate types in Alberta
Southeastern Alberta features a semi-arid steppe climate.
The wild rose is the provincial flower of Alberta.
A bighorn sheep in Kananaskis Country. The bighorn sheep is the provincial mammal of Alberta.
Specimens at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, located in the Horseshoe Canyon Formation at Dinosaur Provincial Park. Some of the specimens, from left to right, are Hypacrosaurus, Edmontosaurus, Lambeosaurus, Gorgosaurus (both in the background), Tyrannosaurus, and Triceratops.
Blackfoot Confederacy warriors in Macleod in 1907
Fort Chipewyan, a trading post and regional headquarters for the Hudson's Bay Company in 1820
Downtown Calgary was one of several areas afflicted during the 2013 Alberta floods.
Population density of Alberta
Petroleum resources in Alberta
Cows in Rocky View. Nearly one-half of Canadian beef is produced in Alberta.
A canola field in Alberta
The Three Sisters at Bow Valley Provincial Park in Canmore
Bronco riding at the Calgary Stampede. The event is one of the world's largest rodeos
Distribution of Alberta's 6 specialized municipalities (red) and 74 rural municipalities, which include municipal districts (often named as counties) (orange), improvement districts (dark green) and special areas (light green) (2020)
The Alberta Legislative Building serves as the meeting place for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers in St. Albert. The RCMP provides municipal policing throughout most of Alberta.
The University of Alberta in 2005. The institution is the oldest, and largest university in Alberta.
Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary is the largest hospital in Alberta.
Calgary International Airport, the province's largest airport by passenger traffic.
A Via Rail passenger train passing by freight trains in the background, at Jasper station
Highway 1 (the Trans-Canada Highway) at Alberta Highway 22 (Cowboy Trail).

The Foremost Formation, Oldman Formation and Dinosaur Park Formations collectively comprise the Judith River Group and are the most thoroughly studied dinosaur-bearing strata in Alberta.

Parasaurolophus

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Genus of herbivorous hadrosaurid ornithopod dinosaur that lived in what is now North America and possibly Asia during the Late Cretaceous Period, about 76.5–73 million years ago.

Genus of herbivorous hadrosaurid ornithopod dinosaur that lived in what is now North America and possibly Asia during the Late Cretaceous Period, about 76.5–73 million years ago.

Holotype specimen of P. walkeri, showing the pathologic v-shaped notch
Holotype skulls of the three species arranged by age
Size comparison of P. cyrtocristatus (left, violet) and P. walkeri (right, blue)
Restoration of P. walkeri
P. walkeri head with scalation detail.
Juvenile skeleton RAM 14000 (nicknamed Joe)
Reconstruction of a juvenile skeleton, based on RAM 14000
Diagram showing internal features of the crest
Comparison drawing between the crests of P. cyrtocristatus (above) and P. walkeri (below)
Restoration of P. walkeri with hypothetical skin frill
Locations of fossil finds, written in French.
Teratophoneus attacking a P. cyrtocristatus

These rocks are now known as the Campanian-age Upper Cretaceous Dinosaur Park Formation.

Hoodoos at Dinosaur Provincial Park

Dinosaur Provincial Park

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UNESCO World Heritage Site situated a two hour drive east of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; or 48 km, about a half-hour drive northeast of Brooks.

UNESCO World Heritage Site situated a two hour drive east of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; or 48 km, about a half-hour drive northeast of Brooks.

Hoodoos at Dinosaur Provincial Park
Chasmosaurus belli, which was found in the Park, on display at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology
The badlands near the entrance of the park
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It is overlain by a complete section of the terrestrial Dinosaur Park Formation, which is in turn overlain by the base of the marine Bearpaw Formation.

Corythosaurus

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Genus of hadrosaurid "duck-billed" dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Period, about 77–75.7 million years ago.

Genus of hadrosaurid "duck-billed" dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Period, about 77–75.7 million years ago.

Fossil holotype specimen AMNH 5240 partially covered in skin impressions
Excavation of the holotype specimen of C. casuarius by the Red Deer River
Quarry with one of the specimens lost at sea in 1916
Size of C. casuarius (left, red) and C. intermedius (right, yellow) compared to a human.
ROM 845, mounted skeleton of Corythosaurus cf. intermedius cf. excavatus Parks 1935 at the Royal Ontario Museum
Skull of the type specimen
Abdominal skin impressions from Brown (1916)
Skeleton at AMNH
ROM 870, the skull of a subadult, originally named as a separate species, C. brevicristatus
Mounted skeleton at the Academy of Natural Science, Drexel University, Philadelphia
Outdated 1916 restoration showing C. casuarius as semi-aquatic
ROM 759, a juvenile skull, originally named as a separate species, Tetragonosaurus erectofrons
Skull growth of Parasaurolophus sp., Corythosaurus casuarius and Casuarius sp. The stars represent the age at which crest development starts
Skeleton from Dinosaur Provincial Park
Herbivores of the Oldman Formation, Corythosaurus in the background

The two species of Corythosaurus are both present in slightly different levels of the Dinosaur Park Formation.

Centrosaurus

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Genus of herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Canada.

Genus of herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Canada.

Life restoration
The "Monoclonius nasicornus" skeleton
Size comparison with human
A large hook from the back of a Centrosaurus frill. These hooks are diagnostic of the genus.
Complete skulls arranged in ontogenetic order
Cast of AMNH 5427, Museum of Victoria
Restoration of a herd swimming, as hypothesised by mega-bonebeds
Skin impression of AMNH 5427

Their remains have been found in the Dinosaur Park Formation, dating from 76.5 to 75.5 million years ago.

Judith River Group

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Group of geologic formations in western North America dating from the late Cretaceous and noted as a site for the extensive excavation of dinosaur fossils.

Group of geologic formations in western North America dating from the late Cretaceous and noted as a site for the extensive excavation of dinosaur fossils.

It comprises the Judith River Formation in north central Montana, as well as the Foremost, Oldman, and Dinosaur Park formations in Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada.

Dinosaurs of the Oldman Formation

Oldman Formation

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Stratigraphic unit of Late Cretaceous age that underlies much of southern Alberta, Canada.

Stratigraphic unit of Late Cretaceous age that underlies much of southern Alberta, Canada.

Dinosaurs of the Oldman Formation

It conformably overlies the Foremost Formation, and is separated from the overlying Dinosaur Park Formation by a regional disconformity.

Contact (red arrow) between the underlying marine shales of the Bearpaw Formation and the coastal Horseshoe Canyon Formation.

Bearpaw Formation

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Geologic formation of Late Cretaceous age.

Geologic formation of Late Cretaceous age.

Contact (red arrow) between the underlying marine shales of the Bearpaw Formation and the coastal Horseshoe Canyon Formation.
Bearpaw shale being excavated to recover ammonites for ammolite production.
A specimen of Placenticeras ammolite from the Bearpaw Formation.

The Bearpaw Formation conformably overlies the Dinosaur Park Formation of the Belly River Group in central Alberta, and the Judith River Formation in the plains to the east and Montana.