Ancient Flash Floods Buried 75 Dinosaurs in a Pond, Creating a Major Fossil Site in the U.S.
For nearly a century, scientists have struggled to explain why the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry in Utah, USA, contains fossils of over 75 theropod dinosaurs that lived during the Jurassic period.
Allosaurus Dinosaur Fossil. (Image source: Newsweek).
In a study published in the journal PeerJ, researchers from Indiana University of Pennsylvania suggest that ancient flash floods may be the reason behind the unusually high density of theropod dinosaur fossils at this site, as reported by Newsweek on June 6.
By analyzing the processes affecting the dinosaur remains during fossilization and the minerals present in the sediment, the researchers found that the dinosaur quarry was once a stagnant pond. Remains from dinosaurs in various locations were swept into this area by flash floods.
The absence of crocodile fossils and other fish species indicates that they did not inhabit the pond due to the highly polluted environment created by the decaying dinosaur remains. Additionally, no bite marks were found on the dinosaur fossils at the site, suggesting that other contemporary dinosaurs did not consume the dead theropods.
This research also refutes previous theories regarding the unusually high dinosaur density at the Cleveland-Lloyd Quarry, such as droughts causing mass poisoning and death among the dinosaurs or dinosaurs becoming trapped in thick mud.
