Diverse dinosaur tracks from the Upper Jurassic – Lower Cretaceous Chacarilla Formation of Quebrada de Arcas, northeast Chile: Evidence of high ichnodiversity in an arid palaeoenviroment

Abstract

We report diverse dinosaur tracks from siltstone to fine-grained sandstone facies of the Chacarilla Formation, Quebrada de Arcas of northeast Chile. Track-bearing surfaces were studied using 3D modelling and false-colour depth maps, derived from UAV photographs. Five morphotypes are identified based on morphology and morphometric criteria. Morphotype I comprises rounded tracks with a consistent narrow-gauge and resembles the sauropod ichnogenus, Parabrontopodus; diplodocids or titanosaurids are probable trackmakers. Morphotype II is assigned to the theropod ichnotaxon Abelichnus astigerrae and comprises some of the largest theropod tracks ever recorded from South America with a maximum footprint length of 51 cm; the trackmaker was most likely a large carcharodontosaurid, such as Giganotosaurus carolinii. Morphotype III is an indeterminate theropod track, which shows a distinctive and prominent metatarsal impression, but does not closely match any ichnotaxon although it bears some morphometrical affinity to Changpeipus carbonicus. The Morphotypes IV and V both belong to small-sized theropod trackmakers, and resemble Grallatoridae and Kayentapus-like forms, respectively. Additional theropod material cannot be assigned to specific morphotypes or trackmakers, due to poor preservation. Our findings show the existence of three distinct size classes (small, medium and large) of theropod morphotypes and point to a high ichnodiversity at the Jurassic-Cretaceous transition in the subtropical arid environments of Gondwana.