The Many Farms Desmatosuchus Quarry

As part of our weekend in the Chinle Valley, Jeff, Steve, and I revisted the quarry near Many Farms Lake where the Museum of Northern Arizona collected a fairly complete skeleton of the aetosaur Desmatosuchus spurensis in 1999.  This specimen was the basis for my Masters thesis (Parker, 2003) and a subsequent paper describing this specimen and revising the genus (Parker, 2008).  I spent a lot of time in this place but had not visited since 2003.  The excavation pit is still visible, but is reclaiming nicely.  I took a few photos of the site and the surrounding area:

Jeff Martz examining ripple laminated sandstone near the quarry

Many Farms Desmatosuchus Quarry

Slightly different view of the quarry outcrop

Looking north from the quarry at the local Chinle units.  Blue Mesa Member in foreground, ridge is distance capped by Sonsela Member.

 REFERENCES

Parker, W. G. 2003. Description of a new specimen of Desmatosuchus haplocerus from the Late Triassic of Northern Arizona. Unpublished M. S. thesis, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, 315 p.

Parker, W. G. 2008. Description of new material of the aetosaur Desmatosuchus spurensis (Archosauria: Suchia) from the Chinle Formation of Arizona and a revision of the genus Desmatosuchus. PaleoBios 281–40.