Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Oleinik, Anton

Abstract

Analysis of fossilized Triceratops horridus remains within the Chicxulub Event Deposit of the uppermost Hell Creek Formation, and footprints of non-avian dinosaurs and flying reptiles from the excavated paleo surface underlying the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K/T) Boundary as marked by the Iridium anomaly, is used to interpret the very last moments of the terminal Cretaceous Period on the latest paleo surface available. The research included characterization of the Triceratops’ bone histology and taphonomy, in addition to the preservation and diversity of the footprints. The data is used to interpret a “temporal snapshot” of the last days to weeks of the Late Cretaceous, offering insight to the site`s paleoenvironment immediately prior to the K/T impact event. Data from the Triceratops histological analysis indicates the animal died in the Spring, coinciding with the end of the Cretaceous. The tracks indicate a diverse non-avian dinosaur population composed of several families and breeding age individuals.

Extent

216 p.

Comments

Includes bibliography.|Thesis (MS)--Florida Atlantic University, 2024.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.

Identifier

FA00014530

Format

pdf

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