Kirtland Formation: Cretaceous New Mexico 77 Ma by adorety ()
Vue • Animals • posted on Jun 07, 2020
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Description
In this image we see Pentaceratops in the foreground, a species of Parasaurolophus in the mid left and an early Tyrannosaurid called Bistahieversor in the back right. Bista was about 30 or so feet long and is one of three Tyrannosaurids that lived in the southwest, yet never crossed paths with the Tyrannosaurids of the north such as Gorgosaurus, Daspletosaurus and Albertasaurus that all lived at about the same time. The Western Interior Seaway and mountains to the north of what is now New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and parts of California cut off access to the northern portion of the small continent we call Laramidia. High sea levels and lower lands of the mid-west North America (pre Rocky Mountains) allowed the Western Interior Seaway extend from the Arctic Sea to the Tethys (Gulf of Mexico) in the south at its peak.
The Rockies were just starting to form at this time as the Pacific plate began subducting under the North American plate. However, instead of a mountain range forming a the border, the Pacific plate subducted in a more shallow fashion and slipped far under the continent to start forming the Rockies further inland from the Pacific Ocean. Imagine a throw rug on a polished wood floor and you begin pushing it with your foot. Often the rug will start bundle and fold further in rather than at the edge. And that is where the Rockies formed fro the next 35 million years and the great plains rose in elevation drying up the seaway.
Appalachia in the east and Laramidia in the west would eventually reconnect towards the end or the Cretaceous, but the seaway would remain a large inland bay for a while and into the mammal age before it would disappear completely.
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Image Comments (11)
rhol_figament () 9:56PM | Sun, 07 June 2020
One of my favorite memories as a kid was a beach that we would visit in the summer time. Tall red cliffs formed a bay that was nice even to my young mind. The best thing, however, was the fossils of sea creatures we found. So cool to feel that long stretch of time and be conected somehow... 
Always super dino and plant work!
crender () Online Now! 12:20AM | Mon, 08 June 2020
Excellent ! 
Tracesl () 1:41AM | Mon, 08 June 2020
excellent
adrie () 2:49AM | Mon, 08 June 2020
Fantastic work on this awesome dinosaurus scene my friend, love it.
Ken _Gilliland () 8:01AM | Mon, 08 June 2020
nicely done!
eekdog () Online Now! 11:15AM | Mon, 08 June 2020
excellent time period render Arthur.
RG19 () 2:06PM | Mon, 08 June 2020
Beautiful environment and wonderful information!!!
iborg64 () Online Now! 1:59PM | Tue, 09 June 2020
Nice collection of dinosaurs all getting along together it seems at the moment all in a wonderful looking prehistoric landscape
RodS () 4:49PM | Tue, 09 June 2020
As always, a fantastic job on this prehistoric scene, Art! You do these so perfectly, and they're always gorgeous as well as accurate.
nabob21 () 2:25PM | Mon, 15 June 2020
I always really enjoy your prehistoric renders and the descriptions that go with them. Keep up the fantastic work.
On another note, I find myself looking at your images now with a sense of sadness as I recently found out that Dinoraul, the maker of so many of the Poser world dinosaur, pterosaur and prehistoric mammal figures, had passed away back in October of 2019. For may years I would eagerly await a new release by him and I believe I have all of them with the exception of some of the fantasy figures. It is great to know that his legasy lives on through the work of talented artists like yourself.
I did not know that. I am really saddened by that now. If there was anything mentioned here on Rendo I did not see it. There really should be. I guess I can make a memorial image. The new finds on Spinosaurus seem appropriate and I'm in the middle of making another one. I get the sense he was rather young, relatively speaking, to pass on. Oh well, that sucks. He and his modeling will be sorely missed.
shadownet () 8:07PM | Fri, 26 June 2020
Dinos rule! Excellent!
