Upper Cretaceous dinosaur-bearing localities in in Bakony Hills, Hungary: geology and palaeontology (OTKA T38045)

In April 2000 the first dinosaur body fossils in Hungary were found in the Bakony Hills. Besides an almost complete skeleton of a 4 m long armored ankylosaurid dinosaur three other dinosaur taxa, abundant remains of fishes, amphibians, turtles, crocodiles, lizards, and pterosaurs were found during the ongoing excavations.

Thorough geological investigation of the enclosing Upper Cretaceous stratigraphic succession (stratigraphy, sedimentology, palaeopedology, magnetostratigraphy) is planned within the framework of the project. Study of spores and pollen, of fossil plants (leaves and tree trunks) will reveal the ecosystem and climatic conditions where these dinosaurs lived. Detailed collecting practices outline the processes of embedding in the sediment (taphonomy), and study of diagenesis helps to understand fossilization.

Recent progress of the studies indicate that there was an alluvial plain ecosystem in the Bakony Hills, with a shallow river network enclosing forested islands.

Comparison with other European localities (Romania, Austria, Italy, and France) helps to understand the palaeobiogeography of large vertebrates in late Cretaceous time: the evolution of island faunas is one of several particularly interesting aspects.

An international cooperation was formed involving researchers from Romania and the United States. We are grateful for continuing support of the Hungarian Natural History Museum, the Pro Renovanda Cultura Hungariae Foundation, the Hungarian National Science Foundation, and the National Geographic Society.