LOCAL NEWS

‘Spectacular’ discovery gives rare view of walking dinosaurs

May 23, 2018, 10:20 PM | Updated: 11:47 pm

LAKE POWELL — When veteran dinosaur tracker Andre Delgalvis first laid eyes on a giant slab of rock near Lake Powell a few weeks ago, he could hardly believe what he was seeing.

“This is something very, very special,” he said later about his remarkable discovery.

It is obvious — even to an untrained eye — that the huge rock was crisscrossed by dinosaurs millions of years ago. The slab’s ancient secrets were evidently withheld for eons until a recent rockfall brought dozens of dinosaur tracks into view. That recent thunderous event apparently stood the rock up vertically, facing the lake, for anyone to see. It’s a page from the past, tipped up for easy reading.

Delgalvis is not unfamiliar with dinosaur tracks. He’s spent years cruising Lake Powell and hiking its shoreline. In the last two decades, he said, he’s found “thousands” of ancient footprints. He’s truly written the book on the topic; several years ago he published a coffee-table book featuring his own photos from Lake Powell called “The Lost Tracks.”

A recent rockfall brought a dinosaur tracks on a rock slab near Lake Powell into view. Photo: Andre Delgalvis

While floating in one of Lake Powell’s bays on March 14, he made his biggest discovery yet.

“The sun was just at the right angle,” Delgalvis said. “It just illuminated this rock.”

He borrowed binoculars from a park ranger that day for a better look.

“And lo and behold, the block was just covered with dinosaur tracks,” he said in a recent interview.

When he hiked through some gnarly brush and up a steep slope of broken boulders to the slab, there was a big payoff.

“What we found was just an incredible treasure-trove of dinosaur tracks,” Delgalvis said.

A recent rockfall brought a dinosaur tracks on a rock slab near Lake Powell into view. Photo: Andre Delgalvis

On a recent return trip with a Deseret News reporter, the nearly vertical slab was in the shade at first. But it came to life just as the morning sun peeked around a corner of the rock. The side lighting created shadows that made the ancient tracks exceptionally visible. It’s a feast of dinosaur tracks on a slab estimated to be 52 feet wide and 68 feet high.

“The whole crew was just totally, totally, amazed at this,” Delgalvis recalled of that first close-up view.

He was accompanied that day by his nephew, Steve Dzelzgalvis, whose family uses a different spelling of the last name.

“My impression of the moment,” Dzelzgalvis said with a laugh, “was seeing the biggest smile I’d ever seen on the captain’s face, hah, hah.”

A recent rockfall brought a dinosaur tracks on a rock slab near Lake Powell into view. Photo: Andre Delgalvis

Because of worries that Lake Powell boaters might climb to the site and vandalize it, Delgalvis asked the Deseret News to keep the exact location secret.

Paleontologist Andrew Milner, who has visited the discovery, described it as “spectacular” in an email to the Deseret News. He wrote that he was “truly blown away” when he saw it and plans to return soon to create a 3D computer model of the slab.

“This is a really important site,” Milner wrote, “and it definitely has development potential for the public should the (National Park Service) agree to do so.”

Veteran dinosaur tracker Andre Delgalvis discovered a feast of dinosaur tracks — noted by the different colors — on a slab near Lake Powell on March 14, 2018. Photo: Andre Delgalvis

It’s hard to say how many dinosaurs left impressions on the rock. There are at least 96 footprints from several different animals walking in different directions.

“Yeah, I’m seeing one, two, three, four parallel lines,” Delgalvis said as he surveyed the slab’s trackways. The parallel lines of tracks were created as individual dinosaurs walked along and left a record of several consecutive steps. One reptile alone seems to have left 25 footprints in a single stroll about 200 million years ago.

At the time the dinosaurs left the tracks, Milner believes, they lived in a wind-blown desert resembling “the modern-day Sahara Desert in many ways both in appearance and climate.” He thinks they walked on an ancient sand dune that later fossilized into a block of Wingate sandstone. The sand dunes might have been pre-moistened by dew or rainfall.

“That would allow enough moisture on the surface for any animal that walked across to leave an impression,” Delgalvis said. “The sun would bake it, harden it, and that’s what we’re seeing. This is one of the only (trackway) blocks that I know of that is on a sand dune formation.”

“The track block,” Milner wrote, “shows a variety of animal behaviors that are rare to see alone, yet here we have them preserved on a single fallen block.”

Although scientific dating of the tracks has not been done yet, Milner believes the tracks were laid down roughly 200 million years ago near the beginning of the Jurassic period or possibly at the end of the Triassic.

Delgalvis believes the slab was originally part of a much higher cliff.

“Well, my conclusion is that this broke off and slid down within the last eight to 10 years,” he said while standing at the foot of the slab. “I explored this whole area eight to 10 years ago and, absolutely, this was not here.”

KSL 5 TV Live

Local News

The van losing control on the highway almost hitting UHP Trooper Juan Branchini. (Courtesy: Utah Hi...

Brianna Chavez

UHP trooper avoids potential crash, credits drivers for slowing down

A close call for some drivers in Layton Friday morning after a van slid across HWY 89 going northbound due to snow on the road.

13 hours ago

The "Star Spangled Babies" event. (KSL TV's Mark Wetzel)...

Michael Houck

Operation Homefront, Kent’s Market host ‘Star-Spangled Babies’ baby shower for local military mothers

The "Star-Spangled Babies" baby shower welcomed 75 new and expecting Utah military mothers on Friday. 

14 hours ago

Noah McArthur (left) in the hospital with his mother, Christine Sara (right) (Courtesy: Christine S...

Emma Benson

Local school district making changes after 3 students hit in crosswalks

After three teenagers were hit by a car in the last year, Wasatch School District is implementing new safety features on their city's streets.

16 hours ago

An artemia shrimp in a tank. (KSL TV)...

Jeff Dahdah, KSL TV

Great Salt Lake preservation key for global food security

A valuable food resource that supplies the world, could disappear with the Great Salt Lake if water levels are not maintained.

16 hours ago

Brighton Ski Resort (Mark Less, KSL TV)...

Alex Cabrero

Utah’s fastest lift opens at Brighton Resort

This lift is all about speed. It brings 2,400 people up to the top each hour. That's a thousand more than the old Crest lift.

17 hours ago

Blair Barfuss, the new Riverton Police chief. (The City of Riverton)...

Eliza Pace

Riverton Police Chief leaves office

Police Chief Blair Barfuss with the Riverton Police Department is no longer the Police Chief according to Riverton City. 

17 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

Stylish room interior with beautiful Christmas tree and decorative fireplace...

Lighting Design

Create a Festive Home with Our Easy-to-Follow Holiday Prep Guide

Get ready for festive celebrations! Discover expert tips to prepare your home for the holidays, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for unforgettable moments.

Battery low message on mobile device screen. Internet and technology concept...

PC Laptops

9 Tips to Get More Power Out of Your Laptop Battery

Get more power out of your laptop battery and help it last longer by implementing some of these tips from our guide.

Users display warnings about the use of artificial intelligence (AI), access to malicious software ...

Les Olson

How to Stay Safe from Cybersecurity Threats

Read our tips for reading for how to respond to rising cybersecurity threats in 2023 and beyond to keep yourself and your company safe.

Design mockup half in white and half in color of luxury house interior with open plan living room a...

Lighting Design

Lighting Design 101: Learn the Basics

These lighting design basics will help you when designing your home, so you can meet both practical and aesthetic needs.

an antler with large horns int he wilderness...

Three Bear Lodge

Yellowstone in the Fall: A Wildlife Spectacle Worth Witnessing

While most people travel to this park in the summer, late fall in Yellowstone provides a wealth of highlights to make a memorable experience.

a diverse group of students raising their hands in a classroom...

Little Orchard Preschool

6 Benefits of Preschool for Kids

Some of the benefits of preschool for kids include developing independence, curiosity, and learning more about the world.

‘Spectacular’ discovery gives rare view of walking dinosaurs