This volume contains the most recent revisions to our understanding of the geology and paleontology of the Late Cretaceous marine deposits of the Dakotas. Included are diverse subjects such as history, stratigraphy, geochemistry, and paleontology of most major invertebrate and vertebrate groups. Of particular interest are the elevation of the Pierre Shale to group status, naming of new Pierre Shale members, dating of lithostratigraphic units, correlation based upon geochemistry of bentonites and rare earth elements, and identification of the stratigraphic source of the first reptile collected from the American West based on rare earths. This book also examines invertebrate fossils including some associated with a shell-crushing marine reptile, the first undoubted recognition of a North American mosasaur—Hainosaurus, the largest mosasaur from the Missouri River Trench, a new species of short-necked plesiosaur, two new mosasaurs, a new species of diving bird, and dinosaurs and other vertebrates from the Late Cretaceous of North Dakota. |
