Leprechaun Dino Trackway

[Iceaxe]

Sunday we discovered a Dinosaur Trackway in Leprechaun Canyon. The site consists of about 6 or 7 large three-toed tracks probably belonging to an Allosaurus, which was the most common carnivore during the period in which this trackway was formed.

If you have canyoneered the East Fork (Right Fork) you have walked over the trackway before. The tracks are hard to see because they have been eroded to a high degree. The trackway is located in the obvious mudstone layer about 75 yards above the only required rappel in the canyon.

Fossil footprints are a rare, non-renewable resource. Please help preserve and protect them.

[jumar]

Wow! How many times have i walked over them and didn't notice!

[Iceaxe]

Funny part is I've checked this mudstone for dino tracks before and just didn't "see" them. It's just such a primo place for tracks I decided to check it out again... after I located the first track everyone started finding some. When we had finished you could see where the dinosaur had walked. and that there were at least two distinct trackways.

:popcorn:

[icthys]

Very cool indeed.

It makes you wonder what they were doing in the canyon?

[Iceaxe]

It makes you wonder what they were doing in the canyon?

Well..... they were canyoneering of course :roflol:

[Sombeech]

It makes you wonder what they were doing in the canyon?

Well..... they were canyoneering of course :roflol:

Hope they had helmets on.

That's cool stuff. Was it advertised anywhere that there are dino tracks there? Or did you really discover them?

[stefan]

although i am sure everyone knows that there weren't canyons like there is now during the time of the dinosaurs, it's very amusing to picture a dinosaur canyoneering. course i am sure some would be up in arms about the destruction their claws would do downclimbing, and whether using them would be dumbing down the canyon. okay i'll stop now....

[Sombeech]

I think we should ban dinosaurs from entering these kinds of canyons. Or at least they can become certified. You never know how bad a T-Rex can tear apart some of those formations.

[Iceaxe]

That's cool stuff. Was it advertised anywhere that there are dino tracks there? Or did you really discover them?

To the best of my knowledge we discovered them. We had no prior information. I have contacted some of my friends in the BLM to see if they had been reported before.

I've actually "discovered" several dino items including a couple of dino fossils. If you know where to look when using my entrance into Eardley you can see a partial dino skeleton and some huge fossilized leaves. Really cool stuff.

Look for trackways in mudstone and for fossils in the same layer the Uranium mines dig in, I think they call it the Mossback layer or something like that.

:cool2:

[jumar]

And when we did Eardley with you, you didn't show us the fossils because......??

[Iceaxe]

And when we did Eardley with you, you didn't show us the fossils because......??

I thought I did..... They are near the bottom of the death gulley. I thought I found the leif's but couldn't find the dino.....

[ratagonia]

although i am sure everyone knows that there weren't canyons like there is now during the time of the dinosaurs, it's very amusing to picture a dinosaur canyoneering. course i am sure some would be up in arms about the destruction their claws would do downclimbing, and whether using them would be dumbing down the canyon. okay i'll stop now....

Uh, why not? There most likely were very fine canyons during the Mesozoic, just probably not there, where those mudstones were deposited. Dinosaurs might have enjoyed canyoneering, but like most of the early canyoneers, they kept their beta close to their chest. (And since they preceded the Sony Betamax by 170 million years, they would not have called it "Beta").

Tom

[Alex]

Ya, but where are the pics to prove it???? No pics = no trip, everyone knows that! :ne_nau:

[stefan]

although i am sure everyone knows that there weren't canyons like there is now during the time of the dinosaurs
Uh, why not? There most likely were very fine canyons during the Mesozoic, just probably not there, where those mudstones were deposited.


sure there were canyons and perhaps there were sandstone slot canyons elsewhere accessible by dinosaurs ... since sandstone requires cementing and pressure, not occuring as a top layer, uplifts and/or severe erosion are usually needed to occur to reveal them and to form slot canyons. perhaps such uplifts and slot occured during the mesozoic, associated lower layers, though obviously not the navajo, which i suppose is what i was referring to.

[Iceaxe]

Canyoneering Dinosaur :lol8:

[Sombeech]

Canyoneering Dinosaur :lol8:


Where's his helmet? :frustrated: :angryfire: :wallbash: :2guns: :hair:

Seriously, I knew this dinosaur who didn't think he needed a helmet. Then, one clear day in Blue John's....

[stefan]

yeah ... no kidding, tom would be pissed!

[Iceaxe]

Just for the curious..... I spoke with the BLM and our report of the dino tracks was the first they had heard about them. They had never been reported before so it looks like we get to claim the discovery..... sweet. :2thumbs:

That and $3 will get ya a cup of coffee at Starbucks :haha:

[stefan]

sheesh ... i'll have to remember to look next time. nice! :2thumbs:

[Scott Card]

Just for the curious..... I spoke with the BLM and our report of the dino tracks was the first they had heard about them. They had never been reported before so it looks like we get to claim the discovery..... sweet. :2thumbs:

That and $3 will get ya a cup of coffee at Starbucks :haha:

Are they now going to close the canyon down to pay homage to the large dumb beasts??? and oh ya, they are dead too. They are way past endangered. :ghost: Should we report this sort of thing? Am I being paranoid as to the access issues? :popcorn:

[Iceaxe]

Should we report this sort of thing? Am I being paranoid as to the access issues? :popcorn:

Yeah you can report this type of thing...... this is the BLM and not the National Park Service.

I report this stuff to the BLM because basically I have a really good relationship with many of them and in my opinion they do a good job with the resources they are allotted. Of course anyone in my book who routinely tells SUWA to kiss off is doing a good job. If this was in Zion National Park canyon I might have second thoughts about reporting it. I'm extremely unhappy with Zion Park management.

:popcorn:

[rockgremlin]

Mother nature has done much more damage to those tracks in the form of streambed erosion than any human could ever do.

[Sombeech]

So, do you get to name them?

[Iceaxe]

I believe the only honor is getting to tell you screw balls about them :lol8: