A thin mudstone intercalation within channel sandstones of the Saltwick Formation (Middle Jurassic) of the Cleveland area of Yorkshire shows a succession of invertebrate traces followed by dinosaur tracks and then shrinkage cracks. The tridactyl prints, all made by the same type of small bipedal dinosaur, show an interesting range of morphologies, including imprints of the metatarsal area, consistent with their having been made in soft cohesive mud of varying moisture content.
Some of the tracks indicate that the foot was moved backwards during withdrawal. Such foot movement can also be observed in modern emu locomotion. The pattern of shrinkage cracks is partly controlled by the prints. This sequence is comparable to the sequence of traces and structures which have been observed in a recent ephemeral pool and is interpreted as having formed in a similar environment. Uniquely for the Yorkshire area, the prints and cracks are infilled by small, now sideritised, pellets possibly of invertebrate faecal origin.