Dinosaur tracksites from the Cretaceous Sagok Formation in the Uiseong Regional Geopark, South Korea: historical, palaeobiological perspectives

The relatively large (1,600 m(2)) Jeo-ri dinosaur tracksite from the Lower Cretaceous Sagok Formation in the Uiseong County area in Gyeongsangbuk-do (North Gyeongsang Province) was the first dinosaur tracksite designated as a Korean Natural Monument (Number 373). However, it has never been described in any detail. It is shown to reveal more than 380 footprints attributed to theropods, sauropods and ornithopods. The trackways show a preferred orientation to the north and northwest with some similarly sized ornithopod trackways suggesting gregarious behaviour. A smaller tracksite from the Mancheon-ri site, representing the Sagok Formation also reveals theropod, sauropod and ornithopod trackways. These include trackways of two small ornithopods (footprint lengths similar to 19.5-22.8 cm) that indicate deceleration while transitioning from bipedal to quadrupedal progression. One trackway shows rare evidence of pausing to 'stand' and leave 'side-by-side' footprints. The Sagok Formation is considered correlative with the Haman Formation which is well known for its dinosaur tracksites in Gyeongsangnam-do (South Gyeongsang Province). This correlation underscores the importance of understanding the remarkable abundance and spatiotemporal distribution of dinosaur tracks in the Lower Cretaceous of Korea.

Automated summary

This article describes two dinosaur tracksites from the Lower Cretaceous in Korea, one of which is the first designated Korean Natural Monument. The study of these tracksites reveals different types of dinosaur footprints and emphasizes the importance of understanding their spatiotemporal distribution.