Swarms of thirsty dinosaurs apparently trampled an eolian interdune area of the Navajo Sandstone in the Coyote Buttes area of Arizona, possibly attracted by the pluvial conditions from groundwater saturation.
That's the conclusion of University of Utah geologists Winston Seiler and Marjorie Chan in an article in Palaios published today.
They report that the surface "displays an unusual combination of multiple overlapping track types and sizes, distinct to modified footprint features that include claws and toes and rare tail traces. The trampled surface covers
3000 m2 with an average density of 12 impressions/m2."On a personal note, Margie Chan set me up at a small dinner party with my future wife, who was a visiting professor in engineering seismology at the Univ. of Utah.