Origins of dinosaur bonebeds in the Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada

Dinosaur bonebeds in Alberta, Canada, predominantly formed due to recurring flooding events capable of killing dinosaurs and preserving their remains. A study of 260 bonebeds reveals that these assemblages are mostly associated with river channel and alluvial wetland settings influenced by a subtropical to warm-temperate monsoonal climate. The 'coastal-plain-flooding hypothesis,' initially proposed for Dinosaur Provincial Park, is extended to explain bonebed origins across other Upper Cretaceous formations in central and southern Alberta. This mechanism suggests that seasonal coastal floods submerged vast areas, leading to the formation and preservation of these taphocoenoses.

Eberth, D. A. (2015). Origins of dinosaur bonebeds in the Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 52(8), 655–681. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjes-2014-0200