We describe the partially preserved femur of a large-bodied theropod dinosaur from the Cenomanian "Kem Kem Compound Assemblage" (KKCA) of Morocco. The fossil is housed in the Museo Geologico e Paleontologico "Gaetano Giorgio Gemmellaro" in Palermo (Italy). The specimen is compared with the theropod fossil record from the KKCA and coeval assemblages from North Africa. The combination of a distal...

The Early Cretaceous was a time of dramatic change for sauropod dinosaurs in North America. Between the Late Jurassic-aged Morrison Formation and overlying Early Cretaceous strata, there was a dramatic decline in sauropod diversity. Here, we describe a new sauropod that adds to the diversity of the Early Cretaceous, from strata that can be no older than the early Aptian, (125 Ma) some 25 millio...

Statistical studies on Palynology contents of Late Cretaceous to Paleocene age Gurpi Formation in a surface section in Zagros Basin,SW Iran indicate changes in abundance, species diversity, ratio of Spiniferites to Cyclonephelium (S/C), palynological marine index(PMI) values and organic facies. These palynological variations clearly reflect fluctuations in relative sea-level and depositionalenv...

Based on the results from previous research Mesozoic igneous rocks, as well tectonic environments in northern South China Sea and southern East (NSCS-SECS), geophysical parameters, strata, characteristics of seismic facies NSCS-SECS were investigated. These findings combined with analysis balanced profile evolution to re-evaluate SECS since Jurassic. Furthermore, burial history simulation wells...

The Peirópolis paleontological site (Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian) in Minas Gerais State, Brazil yielded an important assemblage of fossil vertebrates. The typical occurrence of South American widespread taxa in Peirópolis is important for correlation between the Brazilian Bauru Basin and Argentinean Late Cretaceous basins. The fishes, turtles, anuran, crocodilians and dinosaurs known from Pe...

The multituberculate Mangasbaatar udanii gen. et sp. n., represented by two specimens from Udan Sayr locality in the Gobi desert (Mongolia), is a derived member of a speciose group of Late Cretaceous Mongolian multituberculates (LCMM), clustering together with large-size forms such as Catopsbaatar, Tombaatar, and Djadochtatherium, forming a monophyletic group. Tombaatar sabuli is the sister tax...

Testing models of macroevolution, and especially the sufficiency of microevolutionary processes, requires good collaboration between molecular biologists and paleontologists. We report such a test for events around the Late Cretaceous by describing the earliest penguin fossils, analyzing complete mitochondrial genomes from an albatross, a petrel, and a loon, and describe the gradual decline of ...

planktonic foraminifera are useful in determining the relative age of the upper cretaceous strata. based on distribution of planktonic foraminifera in kuh-e siah section (212 m thickness), eight biozones have been recognized including dicarinella concavata interval zone (earliest santonian), dicarinella asymetrica total range zone (santonian to earliest campanian), globotruncanita elevata parti...

Nuurcala obesa sp. n., in the cockroach family Caloblattinidae, is described from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation (Liaoning Province, China) based on a combination of differential characters of fore- and hind wing venation, colouration and body structures. Systematically, Nuurcala (Vršanský, 2003), known from the Cretaceous sediments of Bon Tsagaan and Khurilt, Mongolia, is closely relate...

-The Mesozoic to Eocene sedimentary succession of Hazara Basin dominated by carbonates is characterized by a distinct package of sediments punctuated by a number of diastems, hiatus and unconformities. The Hazara Basin evolved in Hettangian with the development of lagoonal to upper shoreface conditions on the northern margin of northward flying India. It was followed by a thick pile of middle J...