GeolCarp_Vol65_No2_99

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, APRIL 2014, 65, 2, 99—115 doi: 10.2478/geoca-2014-0007

Introduction

Three sites with dinosaur footprints have previously been re-
ported  from  Iran,  all  of  which  belong  to  the  Carnian—Bajo-
cian Shemshak Group (Shemshak Formation of Lapparent &
Davoudzadeh  1972).  The  first  reported  dinosaur  footprint
occurrence from the group is from the northern Kerman area
of  east  central  Iran  (Lapparent  &  Davoudzadeh  1972;
Fig. 1A). The 23 dinosaur footprints discovered in the upper-
most layers of the Ab-e-Haji Formation (Kellner et al. 2012)
are grouped into five size classes and were attributed to orni-
thopod  and  theropod  (Coelurosaur)  dinosaurs.  The  second
occurrence of dinosaur footprints from Iran is a single tridac-
tyl theropod footprint from the Zirab area in the central Al-
borz Mountains named Iranosauripus zerabensis (Lapparent
& Nowgol Sadat 1975; Fig. 1A). Finally, theropod dinosaur
footprints  have  also  been  described  from  the  vicinity  of
Harzavil  village,  the  Manjil  area  in  the  west  Alborz  Moun-
tains (Abbassi 2006; Fig. 1A).

Here we present two new dinosaur track sites in Iran, both

from the Shemshak Group. The first is located north of the
town of Baladeh in the central Alborz Mountains region on
the Royan road and is referred to herein as the Royan section
(Fig. 1B, and C). The other occurrence was discovered west
of Baladeh on the road to Yush and is here referred to as the
Bol-Yasel section, after the neighbouring villages (Fig. 1C).
Together, the sites preserve an abundant and diverse assem-
blage of dinosaur tracks, including the first evidence for sau-
ropod dinosaurs in Iran.

Dinosaur tracks from the Jurassic Shemshak Group in the

Central Alborz Mountains (Northern Iran)

NASROLLAH ABBASSI

and SAEED MADANIPOUR

Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Zanjan, Zanjan 45371—138791, Iran; abbasi@znu.ac.ir

Department of Geology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Jalal Ale Ahmad Highway, Tehran, Iran;

madanipour.saeed@gmail.com

(Manuscript received October 3, 2013; accepted in revised form December 10, 2013)

Abstract: The Shemshak Group includes alternating layers of coal-bearing shale and siliciclastic sediments in the
Baladeh area in the central Alborz Mountains of northern Iran. A diverse and abundant Jurassic dinosaur footprint
assemblage is now recognized in the group, which is Toarcian to Bajocian in age in the northern Baladeh. This is the
first report of a diverse dinosaur ichnoassemblage from Iran that includes the footprints of sauropods. These tracks can
be assigned to three groups of trackmakers: theropods, ornithopods and sauropods. Those of theropods are typically
tridactyl in shape, their trackways reflecting bipedal movement. Theropod footprints are very abundant in both northern
and western Baladeh. The studied theropod tracks themselves are divided into three major dimensional groups. The
medium sized footprints (footprint length, 11—15 cm) are abundant and have a stride length, digit and pace angles like
the coelurosaurs footprints and trackway. Theropod footprints were identified as similar to Schizograllator otariensis,
Talmontopus tersi and Wildeichnus isp. Ornithopod footprints are tridactyl with rounded and thick toes and belong to
bipeds. Some didactyl imprints were also observed. Skin imprints were well preserved in these footprints. The ornithopod
tracks resemble Jiayinosorupus johnsoni, as well as Velociraptorichnus sichuanensis for didactyl footprints. Sauropod
footprints found in the western part of Baladeh are assigned here to Eosauropus isp., which are pentadactyl pes imprints
of a quadruped. The assemblage from Iran resembles similar associations from eastern Asia.

Key words: Jurassic, Iran, Alborz Mountains, ichnology, Dinosaur.

Materials and methods

The geometry of the studied footprints was examind using

the  methods  of  Thulborn  1990.  These  dimensions  are  foot-
print  length  (FL),  footprint  width  (FW),  pace  angulations
(PA), stride (S), trackway width (TW) and digit length (DL).
The shape of footprints and trackway patterns were mapped
on the transparent papers. Some footprints were sampled; in-
cluding  six  footprints  of  horizons 2—4  of  the  Royan  section
and two footprints of the uppermost layer of horizon 2 of the
Bol-Yasel  section.  Four  plaster  casts  prepared  in  the  field
from  the  well-preserved  footprints  of  the  Royan  section  in-
clude  footprint  numbers  of  f

11—12

in horizon 4 and 5a

from

the horizon 5. These samples were deposited in the Geologi-
cal Museum of the Department of Geology of the University
of Zanjan, with code numbers GMZU09-40-49.

Geological setting

Upper Triassic sediments conformably underlay the Lower

Jurassic  deposits  found  in  the  Middle  Iranian  Plateau  (MIP),
which  includes  the  Alborz  Mountains,  central  Iran,  and  the
Sanandaj-Sirjan  zones  (e.g.  Assereto  1966;  Stöcklin  1974).
The  Shemshak  Group,  first  described  by  Assereto  (1966)  in
his study of the Lazin pass area in the north-eastern part of
Tehran City in the central Alborz Mountains, can be found as
outcrops  along  the  MIP  from  the  north-western  parts  of  the
Alborz  Mountains  to  east-central  Iran.  The  Shemshak  Group

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is generally composed of alternating layers of varying thick-
ness (1000—3000 m) of sandstones, siltstones, shales, clay-
stones and coal seams and is Late Triassic to Middle Jurassic
in age. The Shemshak Group contains some local formations
in the Alborz Mountains or Tabas and Kerman areas in east-
central Iran (Aghanabati 1998; Fürsich et al. 2009; Fig. 2).

The Shemshak Group has extensive fault-controlled out-

crops in the Baladeh area and is mainly in contact with Upper
Paleozoic units such as the Carboniferous Mobarak Formation
or the Permian Dorud, Ruteh and Nasan formations (Fig. 1C).

The sedimentary basin of the coal-bearing Shemshak Group

(Carnian—Bajocian) was formed in a foreland basin (e.g. Für-
sich et al. 2005). The sedimentary environment was a peat bog
with predominantly fluvial or deltaic conditions throughout
(Wilmeson et al. 2009) but with deep marine conditions still
existing in some locations. It was finally infilled with fluvio-
deltaic sediments until the Mid Cimmerian orogenic event.

It was under these conditions that the Shemshak Group of

Baladeh formed as a fault controlled basin. The Shirindasht
Formation (Fig. 2) indicates a continental environment finally

Fig. 1. Geological map and studied
sections in Baladeh area, and loca-
tion  of  previously  reported  dino-
saur  tracks  from  Iran.  A  –  the
location map of the Alborz Moun-
tains  in  the  northern  part  of  Iran
and  previously  reported  dinosaur
tracks  from  Iran;  a  –  north  Ker-
man,  central  Iran  (Lapparent  &
Davoudzadeh  1972);  b  –  Zirab
area,  Central  Alborz  Mountains
(Lapparent & Nowgol Sadat 1975);
c – Harzavil area, Manjil district,
west  Alborz  Mountains  (Abbassi
2006);  d  –  Baladeh  area,  central
Alborz  Mountains  (this  report).
B  –  the  outcrop  pattern  of  the
Shemshak  Group  in  the  central
Alborz  Mountains  and  Baladeh
region  with  the  position  of  the
study area (quadrangle) (modified
after Fürsich et al. 2005). C – de-
tail of study area and surveyed sec-
tions  indicated  by  footprint  icon;
a  –  Royan  section,  which  is  ac-
cessible by the Baladeh—Nur road;
b and c – Bol-Yasel section, acces-
sible by Baladeh—Yush road (modi-
fied after Ghasemi & Saeedi 1993).
Abbreviations:  TJ  –  Shemshak
Group  (Late  Triassic—Middle  Ju-
rassic);  TJc  –  Massive-,  thick-
bedded conglomerate; TJs – Grey
sandstone;  Jms  –  Micaceous  ar-
gilitic sandstone with coal steams;
Jsh – Coal bearing shale.

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accumulated by marine sediments the Fillzamin Formation in
the western Baladeh. The Shemshak Basin returned to conti-
nental conditions by deposition of the sediments of the Dan-
sirit  Formation.  The  marine  conditions  of  the  Fillzamin
Formation  do  not  seem  to  extend  to  the  hanging  wall  of  the
Baladeh  thrust  (Royan  section).  Since  the  dinosaur  tracks  of
Baladeh were found in a fluvial-deltaic environment, they are
scattered, and rare in the Shirindasht Formation. Nevertheless,
abundant and diverse dinosaur tracks were found in the north-
ern and western sections of the Dansirit Formation of Baladeh.

In the following two chapters, we will describe the geolog-

ical characteristics of both the Royan and Bol-Yasel sections
of the Shemshak Group.

Royan section

The Shemshak Group in the outcrop at kilometer 18 of the

Baladeh—Nur Road is conformably reposed on the light grey
limestone and yellow marl of the Elika Formation, which is
Triassic in age. Dinosaur footprints were studied in sections
of this outcrop from this locale to the first thrust fault 8.3 ki-
lometers south of Loos village (point a in Fig. 1C). The coor-
dinates  of  this  section  are  36°17’16”N—51°48’59”E  to
36°10’41”N—51°45’17”E.  At  the  site  on  the  Baladeh—Nur
Road,  the  Shemshak  Group  is  1655 m  thick  and  consists  of
green  and  grey  sandstones,  grey  shales,  coal  veins,  and  con-
glomerates (Fig. 3). Plant macrofossils in this section includ-
ing two florizone assemblages indicate that the Royan section
sediments are probably Early to Middle Jurassic in age (?Het-
tangian—Toarcian to Bajocian) (Vaez Javadi & Abbassi 2012).

The lower units of the Royan section (1110 m in thick-

ness)  are  comparable  to  the  Shirindasht  Formation  (Fürsich
et  al.  2009;  Wilmsen  et  al.  2009),  which  is  probably  Toar-
cian—Aalenian  in  age  based  on  its  plant  macrofossil  assem-
blage.  Beneath  the  sandstone  cross-beds  lies  a  basal
conglomerate  comprised  of  alternating  layers  of  sandstone,
shales,  and  darker,  thickly-bedded  shales-bearing  plant  fos-
sils.  These  sediments  correlate  with  the  Dansirit  Formation

Fig. 2. Lithostratigraphic units of the Shemshak Group in the Alborz Mountains (modified after
Aghanabati 1998, with slight changes).

that  is  Aalenian—Bajocian  in  age.
There is no evidence of the deep ma-
rine  shales  commonly  found  in  the
Fillzamin  Formation  between  the
Shirindasht  and  Dansirit  Formations
in the northern Baladeh area. The di-
nosaur  footprints  described  below
were  found  within  five  horizons  of
the  Royan  section  of  the  Shemshak
Group. Three horizons in the Shirin-
dasht  Formation  yield  single  foot-
prints,  while  two  other  horizons  in
the Dansirit Formation’s basal layers
contain dinosaur trackways (Fig. 3).

Bol-Yasel section

The lower faulted boundary of the

Shemshak Group at this section
(820 m in thickness), which is located
west of Bol Village, is restricted to

the Ruteh Formation (Upper Permian) (Fig. 1C). The coordi-
nates  of  this  section  are  36°11’48”N—51°46’14”E  to
36°10’53”N—51°46’52”E. The footwall splays of the Bala-
deh  fault  successively  repeat  the  sediments  of  the  Shemshak
Group at this section. Sandstone and shale make up the lower
parts  of  the  Bol-Yasel  section,  while  the  top  units  are  com-
posed  predominantly  of  thick-bedded  sandstone  layers  con-
taining  plant  fossils  and  coal  veins  (Fig. 4).  The  dinosaur
tracks found in the upper layers of this section (b and c points
in  Fig. 1C)  are  common  and  comprise  sauropod,  ornithopod,
and  abundant  theropod  footprints.  There  are  no  biostra-
tigraphic relevant plant fossils and other paleontological data
for  this  section,  but  its  lithofacies  correlates  with  the  Shirin-
dasht  (Pliensbachian—Aalenian),  Fillzamin  (Aalenian)  and
Dansirit (Aalenian—Bajocian) Formations (Fig. 4). No inverte-
brate body fossils were discovered in the Bol-Yasel section.

Dinosaur footprints

Royan section

Dinosaur footprints of the Royan section occur in five dis-

tinct horizons (Fig. 3). Here we give a description of foot-
prints and footprint layers (see also Table 1).

Horizon 1 – The first horizon, between 710—720 m, is

composed of green silty shale layers containing Protovirgu-
laria isp., Cochlichnus isp. and plant fossils. Within this ho-
rizon, there is a poorly preserved, single tridactyl dinosaur
footprint (Fig. 5A,B). It shows thin digits with irregular mar-
gins, rounded tips and wide divarication angles obviously
due to the substrate conditions. The mean height measured at
hip ( h

) of the trackmaker is estimated at 72.2 cm according

to the known methods of Avnimelech (1966), Alexander
(1976), Lockley et al. (1983) and Thulborn (1990).

Horizon 2 – This horizon, located at 845 m, provided two

dinosaur footprints of differing size (Fig. 5C,D). The first is
a small, fully-preserved concave epirelief footprint that is

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symmetrical and tridactyl with pointed digits and a semicir-
cular metapodium area (Fig. 5Da). The digits show longitu-
dinal  skin  drag  marks  and  no  phalangeal  pads.  In  contrast,
only  the  digits  are  preserved  in  the  large,  incomplete  foot-
print  (Fig. 5Db).  These  show  sharp  pointed  tips.  The  para-

Fig. 3.

Stratigraphic

column

the

Shirindasht

and

Dansirit

Formation

the

Shemshak

Group,

Royan

section,

north

Baladeh.

meter of h

in the small footprint of the second horizon is

about 25.8 cm.

Horizon 3 – This horizon is located in the middle of the

stratigraphic section ( ~ 1165 m) and belongs to the Dansirit
Formation. The dinosaur footprint from this horizon is a tri-

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hip is about 27 cm, indicating that it was likely
made by a small ornithopod.

Horizon 4 – The fourth horizon contains

more than 160 tridactyl dinosaur footprints pre-
served as concave epireliefs and found in me-
dium-bedded,  finely  laminated,  coarse-grained
siltstone  located  in  the  Dansirit  Formation  at
1197 m  (Fig. 6A).  Unfortunately,  the  steep
slope of the bed was destroyed by a large land-
slide in the spring of 2011 (Fig. 6B), forcing us
to rely on the partial map and photographs pro-
vided  in  the  summer  of  2010  (Fig. 6C,D).
Mapped trackways include 69 footprints of a

1—4

, c, d, e, f, and g track lines (Figs. 6D, and 7).

These footprints were traced as 16 trackways
and have been classified into two major sets:
(a) A group of tracks (a

1—4

trackways in Fig. 6D)

that show abundant, overlapping prints (c in
Fig. 6D). There are also some trackways radiat-
ing from point c towards the south or north (b

1—4

trackways  in  Fig. 6D).  (b)  The  remaining
trackways  arranged  in  different  directions
(mainly  east—west  or  north—south  trending).
These trackways are marked by the letters d to o
in  Fig. 6D.  The  footprints  are  similar  in  shape,

Table 1: Geometry of measured dinosaur footprints of the Royan section. Dimensions are in cm and angles are in degrees. Abbreviations:
F – frequency, FL – footprint length, FW – footprint width, P – pace, PA – pace angulations, S – stride, T – trackway,
TW – trackway width.

Horizon T

F S P PA

FW Interdigital

angles

II-III

III-IV

1 a 1 – – – –

20 64 70

–

b 1 – – – –

–

15 35 –

–

6.3

7.5

68.9

37.8

162

16.1

11.3

11.8

–

12.7

10.6

5 55.8

28.6

158

12.9 30 41

–

11.2

28.5

60.8

34.8

128

12.6

11.7

2 –

39.5

– –

11.5

12.2

45 49

–

11.3

d 1 – – – –

12 60 75

59.7

135

–

11.6

10.6

57.5

125

13.3

g 1 – – – –

11.9

13 25 85

149

b 1 – – – –

19 56 62

Fig. 5. Tridactyl theropod footprints from the Shirin-
dasht  Formation  in  the  Royan  section.  A  –  large,
convex  hyporelief  tridactyl  footprint  of  horizon  one
with  wide  digit  imprints;  B  –  graphed  footprint  of
Fig. 4A;  C  –  large  and  small  sized  tridactyl    foot-
prints from horizon two, preserved as concave epire-
lief  ;  D  –  graphed  footprint  of  Fig. 4C,  that  shows
position of small (a) and large (b) footprints; E – tri-
dactyl  ornithopod    footprints  of  horizon  three  in  the
Dansirit Formation, as convex hyporeliefs. Scale bar
equals 5 cm.

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and  the  measured  dimensions  of  the  mapped  footprints  are
presented in Table 1. Most of the well-preserved footprints ex-
hibit tridactyl symmetry and have digit IV that are fused into a
semi-rounded metapodium area with no clear evidence of pad
imprints.  Nevertheless,  there  is  a  wide  extramorphological
(substrate-related) variation of the footprints affecting the ab-
sence/presence  or  shape  of  claw  impressions  as  well  as  the
imprint width and morphology of digits (Fig. 8). Some digits
exhibit  asymmetry  and  digits  are  straight  to  strongly  curved
outward or inward. In some prints, three digit pads are visibly
conjoined  to  the  metapodium  area,  while  others  show  two
conjoined digit pads, some with a rim around them. The digits
vary in width, metapodium marks are visible in most but not

Fig. 6. Tridactyl bipedal theropod footprints from horizon four. A – outcrop of central and western parts of horizon four; B – horizon
four damaged by mass landslide in spring 2011; C – map redrawn from Fig. 5A showing the general scattering of the footprints, with
mapped footprints areas in the dashed polygons; D – trackways indicated by a—o letters. Scale bar equals 1 m.

the a and b trackways are crosscutting each other (Fig. 8), and
have the same imprint depth and preservation. The footprints
were likely produced by 16 theropod dinosaurs. The mean
stride length to footprint length (SL/FL) ratio is calculated at
4.81, a value similar to that of carnosaurs (Thulborn 1990;
Table 2). However, these footprints more closely resemble co-
elurosaur footprints in both size and morphology.

Horizon 5 – Horizon five is located near horizon four at

1198 m and contains six tridactyl pes imprints preserved as
concave epireliefs, five of which belong to one trackway, the
others left by individual dinosaurs (Fig. 9). Footprints within
trackways are symmetrical in shape and have either rounded
or pointed tips of digits, with all digits showing full contact

c d e f g

1.04 0.83 0.86 0.86 0.92 1.06 0.94 0.94 0.91 0.82 1.09

SL
FL

6.08

–

3.72

–

4.81

–

5.12 4.32

–

52.2 58.5 68.1 58.6 57

52.2 54

53.3 59.8 54.3

Table 2: Footprint proportions in the surveyed a

—a

, b

1—2

, and c—g trackways of fourth ho-

rizon of Royan section. Abbreviations: FL – footprint length, FW – footprint width,
h

– mean height at hip in cm, SL – stride length.

all  of  the  footprints.  These  metapodium
marks  also  vary  in  width  and  often  ex-
hibit a semicircular, but occasionally tri-
angular,  posterior  rim.  Marks  were
found  in  some  footprints  as  a  result  of
the third digit dragging or the heel slid-
ing across the sediment. This horizon in-
cludes  numerous  theropod  footprints
that  appear  to  have  been  left  coevally
based on their arrangement, preservation
style,  and  crosscutting  relationship.  For
example,  track  numbers  a

and b

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with the metapodium. Heel imprints are extended and round.
An isolated footprint in this bed is tridactyl and exhibits evi-
dence  of  sliding  and  radial  striations.  The  dimensions  of  the
footprints  are  presented  in  Table 1.  The  ratio  of  FW/FL  and
the  h

value are respectively 1.01 and 79.5 cm in this trackway.

Bol-Yasel section

The upper and lower boundaries of this section are marked

by  zones  of  faulting  and  include  the  Shirindasht,  Fillzamin
and  Dansirit  Formations  of  the  Shemshak  Group.  An  abun-
dant  and  diverse  array  of  footprints,  like  those  found  in  the

Fig. 8. Some graphed theropod footprints of horizon 4 of the Royan section. Trackways are
labelled by letters, footprints by numbers. Footprints are tridactyl with right digits and
rounded or sharp tips (a

, a

, b

); curved digits (a

, a

, b

); asymmetric digits (d

, e

no metapodium mark (a

); with slipped heel imprint (a

, c

) or dragged mid-digit

, g

, f

) or lateral digit (c

, a

); deformed (c

, c

) and crossing each other (a

, b

Abbreviations: L – left, R – right. Scale bar equals 2 cm.

Royan  section,  were  discovered  in  the
uppermost  beds  of  the  surveyed  sect-
ions  of  the  Dansirit  Formation.  Table 3
shows the dimensions of these footprints.
The two horizons of the Bol-Yasel sec-
tion  where  footprints  were  found  are
separated as follows:

Horizon 1 – This horizon is located

at  750 m  and  is  accessible  24 km  west
of the Baladeh to Yush road. It contains
three  excellently  preserved  narrow-
gauge  sauropod  trackways  with  con-
cave  epirelief  footprints  located  on  a
steep  outcrop  of  thickly-bedded  sand-
stone  (Fig. 10).  The  first  trackway  is
oriented in a southwest—northeast direc-
tion,  and  the  two  other  adjacent  track-
ways  run  northeast—southwest.  We
studied  the  southwest—northeast  ward
trackway  in  detail  (track  line  a;
Fig. 10A) because of its relatively good
preservation.  Forty-four  tracks  (22  pes-
manus sets) of a sauropod are visible in
this trackway, although the seventh left
and  right  tracks  were  damaged  by  a
large  joint  in  the  slab.  Nine  pairs  of
tracks  have  been  outlined,  photo-
graphed,  and  measured  (Figs. 10B—D,
11). The pes imprints are large, with the
impressions of five rounded digits with
a  distinctive  front  edge  visible  on  each
and  a  circular  rim  around  the  prints
caused by the displacement of the sedi-
ment.  The  boundaries  between  digits
are  often  indistinct,  making  it  difficult
to  differentiate  between  three  or  four
digits  present  on  certain  prints.  Al-
though  no  claw  imprints  were  found,
the  tips  of  some  digits  (e.g.  digit I  of
first right pes imprint or digit V of sixth
left pes imprints) are pointed. The ante-
rior portion of the metapodium area left
a deeper imprint than the posterior por-
tion,  averaging  6 cm  at  the  deepest
point. The semicircular manus imprints
are  positioned  right  in  front  of  the  pes
imprints. Most manus digits are not pre-

served  in  the  imprints;  however,  some  footprints  show  evi-
dence of either three or four digits. The depth of the manus
imprints  is  identical  to  the  pes  imprints.  Pes  imprints  are
turned  outward  relative  to  the  trackway  midline,  while
manus  prints  point  inward  (Fig. 10D).  Mean  stride  length
and  pace  angulations  in  the  surveyed  trackway  are  respec-
tively  154 cm  and  95 cm,  which  are  smaller  in  most  track-
ways at other localities. This parameter indicates that it was
made  by  a  small  sauropod.  Its  SL/FL  ratio  is  4.8,  which  is
less  than  average  (Thulborn  1990).  The  mean  height  at  hip
(h

) of Baladeh’s sauropods is 156 cm (Alexander 1976;

Lockley et al. 1983 and Thulborn 1990).

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Fig. 9. Tridactyl bipedal theropod footprints of horizon five of the Royan section. A – dinosaur trackways, trackway (a) includes five foot-
prints in the northeast to southwest direction and trackway (b) includes single trackway in south to north direction; B – the close up view
of trackway (a); C – detail graph of footprints in trackway (a); D – graphed footprint of trackway (b) with slipped metapodium mark and
deformed back imprints. Abbreviations: L – left, R – right. Scale bar of Fig. A—C equals 0.5 m and scale bar of Fig. D equals 5 cm.

Table 3: Geometry of measured dinosaur footprints of Bol-Yasel section. Dimensions are in cm and angles are in degrees. Abbreviations:
F – frequency, FL – footprint length, FW – footprint width, L – layer, LBP – lower bedding plane, m – manus, P – pace, p – pes,
PA – pace angulations, S – stride, T – trackway, TW – trackway width, UBP – upper bedding plane.

L T F S P PA

Interdigital

angles

Horizon

II-III

III-IV

–

154

128

32 p

44 p

–

12 m

35 m

–

1 a 2 – 25 –

165

b 2 – 10 – – 20 16 50 20

c 1 – – – – 22

178

160

f 1 – – – – 14

g 1 – – – –

–

b 2 – 70 –

18 17 60 53

–

d 1 – – – – 23

–

f 2 – 64 –

14 16 55 40

g 2 –

5 – – – 12 – –

4 LBP

–

15.7

13.2

–

15.1

12.8

UBP

a 1 – – – – 20

b 1 – – – –

17.7

c 1 – – – – – – – –

d 1 – – – – 18

e 1 – – – – 12

30 –

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Fig. 10. Sauropod footprints of the Bol-Yasel section. A – three sauropod footprints from horizon one. Arrows show the number and di-
rection of trackways, view is toward the northeast and the white rectangle represents the position of Fig. 10D; B—C – a close up view of
some footprints from the trackway (a); D – part of trackway (b) in detail, note manus inward and pes outward orientations relative to mid-
line of trackway. Scale bar of Fig. 10B—C equals 10 cm and Scale bar of Fig. 10D equals 0.5 m.

Horizon 2 – This uppermost horizon is located at 810—

815 m. The dinosaur footprints were found on bedded layers
of  fining-upward  sandstone  containing  shale  intercalations
bearing  plant  fossils.  Some  volcano-shaped  reliefs  were
present  on  the  upper  bedding  plains  within  the  first  layer  of
horizon two, infilled with sediments rich in coal and iron dio-
xide, likely the remains of tree stumps (Fig. 12A, B). This layer
contains  two  large  tridactyl  footprints  preserved  as  concave
epireliefs  that  are  part  of  a  trackway  within  a  trackway
(Fig. 12C).  The  digits  of  the  footprints  in  this  trackway  are

curved,  slender,  and  have  pointed  tips.  The  metapodium  im-
prints are small and connected to the digits, and the posterior
edge of each footprint is curved and shallow. Within the sec-
ond layer, in a 1.5 square meter outcrop, 14 tridactyl tracks of
a  biped  showing  varying  size  and  completeness  were  found
(Fig. 13A). These footprints were arranged in seven trackways
(A—G  trackways  in  Fig. 13B),  three  of  which  were  oriented
west—east and the other three east—west, with one footprint ori-
ented  in  a  southwest—northeast  direction  (Fig. 13C).  Long
drag-marks, some straight and some curved, evidently extended

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Fig. 12. The sandstone succession of horizon 2 in the north Yasel village (section c of Fig. 1). A – volcano-shaped tree pillar remains on
the upper bedding planes; B – close up view of the upper right corner of Fig. 12A that shows three volcano-shaped mounds as tree pillar
remains; C – tridactyl bipedal dinosaur trackway of layer one. Scale bar equals 1 m in B and 10 cm (upper scale) in C.

from the tips of the digits of the A

and E

footprints

(Fig. 13B). These footprints clearly indicate a digitigrade
posture of the pes. A variety of sizes are present due to pres-
ervation differences and perhaps due to variation in the age
of the dinosaurs. These footprints show h

values ranging

from 30—116 cm (mean 73.4 cm).

The third layer of this horizon contains both complete and

incomplete tridactyl bipedal imprints, which is located 0.5 m
above  the  second  layer  (Fig. 13D).  There  are  17  footprints
preserved  as  concave  epireliefs  constituting  10  trackways
(Fig. 13E,  and  F),  which  are  mostly  oriented  northwest—
southeast and that have a displacement rim around the digits
or  metapodium  that  indicates  a  high  plasticity  of  substrates
at the time of footprint formation.

The fourth layer of horizon two in the Bol-Yasel section

contains large tridactyl tracks found in a 0.5

×0.5 m slab.

These footprints were preserved as concave epirelief in the up-
per bedding plane and either concave epirelief or convex hy-
porelief in the middle laminated bedding planes. The skin of
the metapodium pads has been preserved in these imprints

(Fig. 14).  Two  large  footprints  showing  wide  digits  and  no
pad imprints were found in the lower bedding plane. V-shaped
wrinkles  cover  the  digit’s  imprint  surface  forming  a  central
longitudinal furrow (Fig. 14A,B). Eight footprints preserved
as  concave  epireliefs  and  convex  hyporeliefs,  respectively,
were found in the mid surface of the slab, two of them didactyl
and  the  others  tridactyl  like  the  aforementioned  footprints  of
the lower bedding plane (Fig. 14C,D). These imprints are also
wrinkled and include visible striations from crosscutting wrin-
kles, reticulating the surface (Fig. 14E). These footprints have
distinctive  metapodium  marks  and  wide  digits  with  rounded
tips and small angles between them and made by ornithopod
dinosaurs. The  h

value is 80 cm in these samples.

Discussion

Theropod footprints are the most common type found in the

Baladeh area. The north and west-bound theropod trackways of
Baladeh are morphologically comparable to Schizograllator

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Fig. 13. Tridactyl bipedal theropod footprints of layer two (A) and layer three (D) in horizon 2 of the Bol-Yasel section and their graphed
figures (B and E) with trackway directions (C and F). Scale bar equals 10 cm.

otariensis  (Matsukawa  et  al.  2005;  Lockley  et  al.  2007),  in
digit shape, divarication angle and footprint length is greater
than  width.  Schizograllator  otariensis  have  been  reported
from  Jurassic  sediments  in  Japan,  also  (Matsukawa  et  al.
2005). Although these footprints are the same size, the Bala-
deh  theropod  trackways  do  not  show  a  clear  imprint  of  the
pads of digits. Matsukawa et al. (2005) reported some foot-
prints that are similar to Baladeh samples and are Valangin-
ian—Baremian  in  age,  but  they  are  larger  in  digit  III.
Talmontopus  tersi,  reported  from  the  Hettangian  of  France,
has  wider  digits  than  the  Baladeh  theropod  footprints

(Haubold 1986). The footprints found in the Baladeh area are
different  from  Grallator,  because  the  Baladeh  samples  have
small size and lack of digit pads. They are also distinct from
Wildeichnus  casamiquela,  which  was  reported  from  Lower
Jurassic  sediments  of  Morocco  (Gierliński  et  al.  2009a),  and
from  Lower  and  Upper  Jurassic  sediments  of  Poland  (Gier-
liński  2007;  Gierliński  et  al.  2009b),  because  of  their  larger
size, lack of tips on digits, and digits that connect to sole im-
prints without a change in relief. However, if size is not used
as the main taxonomic diagnostic factor for Wildeichnus, the
theropod footprints of the second horizon of Bol-Yasel section

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Fig. 14. Dinosaur footprints on slabs from the fourth layer of horizon 2 at the Bol-Yasel section. A – convex hyporelief preserved in lower
bedding plane; B – skin imprint on metapodium marks in the graphed footprint of Fig. 14A; C – didactyl and tridactyl footprints in the
middle part of the studied slab; D – graphed footprint of Fig. 4C; E – one tridactyl footprint in detail shows wrinkles arrangements. Scale
bar equals 10 cm.

are attributable to it. Finally, theropod footprints of the fourth
horizon of Royan are dimensionally identical to Iranosauripus
zerabensis, but they differ in digit forms as Iranosauripus
zerabensis have strongly straight digits with sharp tips.

At first, ornithopods appeared as small forms such as those

of the Fabrosauridae and Heterodontosauridae families of the
Late Triassic to Middle Jurassic.  However, true ornithopods
achieved  great  abundance  in  the  Cretaceous  Period  with  the
emergence  of  better  known  families  such  as  Iguanodontidae.
Ornithopod footprints were found in two horizons in the Bala-
deh area: the third horizon of the Royan and the latest layer in
horizon  two  of  the  Bol-Yasel  section.  A  single  footprint  in
horizon  three  of  the  Royan  section  in  northern  Baladeh  was
likely made by a small ornithopod, as shown by its broad digit
imprints with rounded tips and its symmetry about its elon-
gated,  slightly  hollow  metapodium  mark.  The  size  of  this
footprint can give us information about the age of the ornitho-
pod that left it (Cotton et al. 1998). Ten closely-spaced foot-
prints  in  the  fourth  layer  of  horizon  two  of  the  Bol-Yasel
section  are  ornithopod  footprints  as  well.  They  have  broad
digits  with  predominantly  rounded  tips  and  distinctive  sole
marks.  Most  of  these  footprints  exhibit  skin  imprints  on  the
plantar  surface.  Skin  imprints  are  well  known  from  dinosaur
footprints (e.g. Avanzini et al. 2001; Klein & Haubold 2007).
The specimens examined here show an organized orientation
to the wrinkles, which are oblique to the midline of digits (e.g.
left footprint of Fig. 14B), and reach each other as rhomboidal
from  the  central  part  of  the  metapodium.  These  footprints
could  be  classified  as  belonging  to  Atreipus  milefordensis
(Bock 1952), but this ichnospecies essentially established for
the Grallator-like footprints includes tridactyl manus impres-

sions (Olsen & Brird 1986). One of the footprints from layer 4
of  the  second  horizon  of  Bol-Yasel  section  shows  claw  im-
print  (Fig. 14Db),  like  the  Therangospodus  isp.  (Gierliński
et  al.  2009a:  fig. 3D),  but  these  footprints  are  attributed  to
theropods (Lockley et al. 1998). These footprints differ from
Eubrontes  giganteus  (Hitchcock,  1845)  because  of  a  lack  of
claw  and  pad  imprints  (Olsen  &  Baird  1986;  Olsen  et  al.
1998).  Ornithopod  footprints  of  the  west  Baladeh  resemble
Jiayinosorupus  johnsoni  (Dong  et  al.,  2003)  that  belong  to
tracks without manus and tail traces (Xing et al. 2009). They
are the same as the broadly tridactyl foot and possessed wide
and thick digits, but webbing is not found in the Baladeh foot-
prints, as in the ornithopod track from the Upper Cretaceous
Zhutian Formation of China (Xing et al. 2009: fig. 2D). Two
distinctive  didactyl  footprints  belong  to  Velociraptorichnus
sichuanensis and have been reported from Poland (Gierliński
2007) and East Asia (Lockley et al. 2007).

Most sauropod dinosaurs range in size from about 1 to

more  than  35 m  but  with  broadly  similar  skeletal  structure.
Sauropodomorpha  includes  the  first  huge  terrestrial  herbi-
vores  at  and  before  the  Triassic—Early  Jurassic  boundary,
while sauropods gain dominance in the Early Jurassic. These
dinosaurs are quadrupedal and produced the largest dinosaur
footprints known (Lockley et al. 2007). The sauropod manus
and  pes  morphology  is  variable  in  either  digit  pads  or  size
and position of claws (Allain et al. 2004; Milàn et al. 2005).
Most sauropod footprints have been found as large, rounded
or  ellipsoid  hollows,  and  digit  imprints  are  visible  in  well-
preserved samples. Sauropod footprints of the Baladeh show
five  digits  in  the  pes  and  up  to  five  digit  imprints  in  the
manus  in  well-preserved  footprints.  Early—Middle  Jurassic

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sauropods  include  the  Vulcanodontidae,  Cetiosauridae  and
Barapasauridae  families.  Since  the  Dansirit  Formation  of
western  Baladeh  is  Early  Jurassic  in  age,  Vulcanodon  and
Tazoudasaurus  are  also  candidates  as  track-makers.  There
are  numerous  studies  on  sauropod  footprints  (e.g.  Wright
2005)  and  the  Baladeh  sauropod  footprints  are  identical  to
those  reported  from  China  or  from  Lesotho,  identified  as
Pseudotetrasauropus  (Haubold  1986).  Pseudotetrasauropus
is a problematic name, which was revised by Lockley et al.
(2006). The shape and outlines of the sauropod footprints in
the Baladeh area, however, are similar to Eosauropus that re-
ported by (Klein & Lucas 2010; Xing et al., in print).

When compared with other Early to Middle Jurassic dino-

saur footprints, the Baladeh footprints most closely resemble
reported  footprints  from  eastern  Asia  (Lockley  et  al.  2002;
Matsukawa et al. 2005; Wright 2005; Lockley et al. 2007) in
both morphology and complex footprints. This is consistent
with the paleogeographical reconstructions of the area, which
show  that  the  Middle  Iran  Plateau  was  near  China  and  the
territories  of  central  Eurasia  in  the  Early  to  Middle  Jurassic,
after its separation from Gondwana in the Carnian (Fig. 15).

Conclusions

The Shirindasht and Dansirit Formations of the Shemshak

Group in the central Alborz Mountains of northern Iran pro-
vided numerous footprints of theropod, ornithopod and sau-
ropod  dinosaurs  in  the  northern  and  western  parts  of  the
town of Baladeh. These footprints are described here for the
first  time,  organized  by  the  two  major  areas  in  which  they
were  found,  the  Royan  and  Bol-Yasel  sections.  There  are
four horizons within the Royan section in northern Baladeh
that include theropod footprints and one horizon that provided
possible ornithopod footprints. The theropod footprints from
this  section  themselves  are  classifiable  into  three  classes
based  on  their  sizes:  (1)  the  smallest  theropod  footprint  is
6 cm  in  length  and  was  found  in  the  second  horizon  of  the
Royan section; (2) medium-sized theropod footprints include

footprints  found  in  the  fourth  horizon,  which  are  11—15 cm
in length and abundant. The mean dimensions of these foot-
prints  are  similar  to  coelurosaurian  footprints;  (3)  large
theropod  footprints  found  in  the  first  and  fifth  horizons  of
the  Royan  section  are  16—20 cm  in  length.  These  footprints
are morphologically similar to the footprints from horizon 4.

The dinosaur trackways of the fourth horizon of Royan in-

clude more than 160 footprints, and are arranged in west—east
or  south—north  orientations  within  sixteen  trackways.  The
Dansirit  Formation  contains  theropod,  possible  ornithopod
and  sauropod  dinosaur  footprints  in  two  horizons  in  western
Baladeh. Sauropod footprints are arranged in three trackways
and are described from Iran for the first time. The second hori-
zon  of  the  Dansirit  Formation  contains  several  theropod  and
possible ornithopod footprints. The size variation of the thero-
pod footprints can be attributed to different preservation of the
footprints  in  soft  sediments.  The  possible  ornithopod  foot-
prints have wide toes with rounded tips and small angles be-
tween the toes and skin imprint. Paleogeographical data show
that the Middle Iranian Plateau was originally near China and
Central Asia during the Early to Middle Jurassic period, mak-
ing  the  similarities  between  dinosaur  footprints  from  these
areas and those found near Baladeh consistent with what we
might expect.

Acknowledgments:  This  manuscript  resulted  from  a  re-
search project of the Research Affairs Office of the University
of  Zanjan  (RAOUZ)  with  Grant  No.  1388-8848.  We  thank
the manager of RAOUZ for his support. Reviewers Spencer
G.  Lucas  (NM  Museum  of  Natural  History),  Hendrik  Klein
(Saurierwelt  Paläontologisches  Museum),  Anne  Schulp
(Naturalis Biodiversity Center), Ricardo N. Melchor (Univer-
sidad Nacional de La Pampa), Martin Kundrát (Uppsala Uni-
versitet)  and  Majid  Mirzaei  Ataabadi  (University  of  Zanjan)
made constructive suggestions for improvement of the manu-
script. We thank Patrick Druckenmiller (University of Alaska
Museum) and Eva Chorvátová (Slovak Academy of Sciences)
for their courtesy and useful comments. The  authors would
like to thank Miss Meg O’Connor for her help.

Fig. 15. Paleogeographical location of the Middle Iran Plateau including the Alborz-central Iran and Sanandaj—Sirjan zones during Middle
Jurassic time (Modified after Golonka & Ford 2000). Abbreviations: MIP – Middle Iran Plateau, NIP – North Iran Plateau, SIP – South
Iran Plateau.

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