This EPOD was originally published January 20, 2010

Photographer: Phil Dombrowski

Summary Author: Phil Dombrowski

I came upon this dinosaur imprint a while ago while exploring the East Berlin formation near Berlin, Connecticut. The track is negative, meaning it’s the elevated imprint of the next layer of sandstone and shale. I’m rather confident that the maker of this track was likely a Coelophysis, which was quite common during the late Triassic/early Jurassic period, approximately 200 million years ago. Close inspection shows the claws on this three-toed carnivore. These fossil prints are believed to have formed at the bottom of a very shallow lake bed or muddy stratum. The sedimentary layers here are loaded with dinosaur prints. Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, which has well-known dinosaur trackways, is nearby where the above specimen was found. 

Dinosaur State Park, Connecticut Coordinates: 41.651856, -72.656819

Related Links:

Scientists Use NASA Landsat Data to Hunt for Dinosaur Fossils

Paleontology in Connecticut

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Photographer: Philippe Moussette

Summary Author: Philippe Moussette