| Cantwell Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Cretaceous | |
 Denali National Park tectonic history | |
| Type | Formation |
| Location | |
| Region | Alaska |
| Country | United States |
The Cantwell Formation is a geologic formation in Alaska. It preserves fossils dating back to the Cretaceous period, it has also yielded numerous dinosaur tracks at Denali National Park. Contemporary therizinosaurid and hadrosaurid trackways in the formation indicate that the area was once a major point of immigration between Asia and North America during the Late Cretaceous for many families of dinosaur. Fossil plants similar to water lilies found in the same area suggest the area was a wetland or marsh, with ponds and other large standing bodies of water.
Footprints discovered in the formation include those of theropods, hadrosaurs, ceratopsians, ankylosaurs, pterosaurs and birds, notably the Magnoavipes denaliensis.
See also
References
- ^ Fiorillo, A. R.; McCarthy, P. J.; Kobayashi, Y.; Tomsich, C. S.; Tykoski, R. S.; Lee, Y.-N.; Tanaka, T.; Noto, C. R. (2018). "An unusual association of hadrosaur and therizinosaur tracks within Late Cretaceous rocks of Denali National Park, Alaska". Scientific Reports. 8 (11706). doi:10.1038/s41598-018-30110-8. PMC 6076232. PMID 30076347.
- Capps, D.; McLane, S.; Chang, L. (2016). Denali National Park and Preserve Geology Road Guide (PDF). Denali National Park and Preserve, Denali Park, Alaska: National Park Service. pp. 34−37. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
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