Insights into an early Jurassic dinosaur habitat: Ichnofacies and enigmatic structures from the Portland Formation, Hoover Quarry, Massachusetts, U.S.A

Abstract

Jurassic sandstones of the Hartford Basin are well known for their dinosaur trackways, but few studies have characterized their invertebrate ichnofaunas. A notable Portland Formation exposure in this area is the Hoover Quarry in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, where vertebrate skeletal material (the type specimen of the crocodilian Stegomosuchus longipes) occurs in association with a diverse ichnofauna. Hoover Quarry ichnogenera include Eubrontes cf. gracilis, Planolites beverleyensis, Planolites montanus, probable Scoyenia burrows, and Skolithos isp. Also preserved at the site is Palaeophycus tortuosus, a sinusoidal burrow that had been previously synonymized with Palaeophycus tubularis. A probable Skolithos burrow termination with an unusual pattern of scratches also occurs, along with several problematic stellate structures. At this site, primary sedimentary structures on trace bearing surfaces are consistent with deposition in a shallow aquatic environment that was periodically emergent. Viewed in the context of nearby sections of the Portland Formation, Hoover Quarry exposures could have been deposited in fluvial, ephemeral lacustrine, or playa environments. Traces in the Hoover Quarry indicate Scoyenia-Skolithos-composite ichnofacies, elements of which are commonly produced in continental firmground environments. © Atlantic Geology, 2011.