Hadrosaurs from the Prince Creek Formation. Image by Masato Hattori.
The Prince Creek Formation is a geological formation in northern Alaska from around 80-61.7 million years ago (Campanian-Paleogene). It is a major source of paleontological discoveries in Alaska as many of the dinosaurs found in the state come from there.
Sub units[]
The Prince Creek Formation consists of four sub-units:
- Kikak-Tegoseak Quarry (70.6-69.1 mya); located in the middle of the formation, where most fossils come from
- Coleville River Bluff (81-72 mya)
- Kogosukruk Tongue (72-71 mya)
- Ocean Point (66-48 mya)
Environment[]
The North Slope was warmer during the Cretaceous than it is now; the average temperature would have been around 40 degrees Fahrenheit (5-6 °C). Much of the formation would have been covered by forest unlike the barren flat terrain that covers it now. During the winters, the formation would be plunged into approximately 4 months (~120 days) of darkness due to the high paleolatitude of 80°–85°N.
Paleofauna[]
- Alaskacephale gangloffi
- Cimolodon nitidus
- Dromaeosaurus albertensis
- Edmontosaurus "kuukpikensis"
- Gruipeda vegrandiunis (Ichnotaxon)
- Gypsonictops sp.
- Indeterminate Lambeosaurine
- Indeterminate Leptoceratopsid (likely Leptoceratops)
- Indeterminate Marsupial
- Indeterminate Multituberculate
- Nanuqsaurus hoglundi
- Indeterminate ornithomimosaur
- Indeterminate ornithopod
- Pachyrhinosaurus perotorum
- Indeterminate saurornitholestine
- Saurornitholestes langstoni
- Sikuomys mikros
- Indeterminate thescelosaurine
- Troodon sp. (nomen dubium)
- Unnuakomys hutchisoni
In Popular Culture[]
- Several episodes of Prehistoric Planet have segments set in the Prince Creek Formation.
- The second episode, "Our Frozen Past", of the Dinosauria web series is also set in the Prince Creek Formation.
- The Prince Creek Formation is one of the formations in Jurassic World Evolution and it's sequel. This is the dig site where Troodon fossils can be found. Strangely, Edmontosaurs appears in both games and Pachyrhinosaurus appears in the second yet they can not be excavated from this formation.
- The Prince Creek Formation is also a dig site in Prehistoric Kingdom. Edmontosaurus kuukpikensis and Pachyrhinosaurus perotorum can be excavated from here.