Anoual Formation | |
---|---|
Stratigraphic range: | |
Type | Geological formation |
Unit of | Anoual Syncline |
Sub-units | Lower Member, Upper Member |
Underlies | Unconformity with Ksar Metlili Formation |
Overlies | Pholadomya Marls and Limestones Formation |
Thickness | ~500 m (1,600 ft) |
Lithology | |
Primary | Mudstone (Lower), limestone (Upper) |
Other | Sandstone, limestone, marl (Lower) |
Location | |
Coordinates | 32°30′N3°06′W / 32.5°N 3.1°W |
Approximate paleocoordinates | 26°54′N0°54′E / 26.9°N 0.9°E |
Region | Figuig Province |
Country | Morocco |
Extent | High Atlas |
Type section | |
Named for | Anoual |
The Anoual Formation is a geological formation in the High Atlas of Morocco. It is early Bathonian in age. It consists of two members. The lower member is several hundred metres thick, and consists largely of mudstone with lens beds of cross bedded sandstone, with thin intercalations of limestone that was deposited in a freshwater continental setting, likely lacustrine or palustrine, with small marine influences. [1] The upper member is several tens of metres thick and consists of limestone deposited in a shallow marine setting. The formation is fossiliferous, with several of the limestone intercalations yielding a diverse fauna, including amphibians, reptiles, dinosaurs and mammals. [2]
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic Position | Material | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Burmirhynchia [3] |
| Anoual | Lower Member | Isolated shells | A brachiopod of the family Tetrarhynchiidae | |
Kallirhynchia [3] |
| Anoual | Lower Member | Isolated shells | A brachiopod of the family Tetrarhynchiidae | ![]() |
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic Position | Material | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Asciocythere [3] |
| Anoual | Lower Member | Isolated Valves | A Marine Ostracod of the family Schulerideidae. | |
Bythocypris [3] |
| Anoual | Lower Member | Isolated Valves | A Marine Ostracod of the family Bythocyprididae | |
Asciocythere [3] |
| Anoual | Lower Member | Isolated Valves | A Marine Ostracod of the family Schulerideidae. | |
Cypridea [3] |
| Anoual | Upper Member | Isolated Valves | A Freshwater Ostracod of the family Cyprididae | |
Cypris [3] |
| Anoual | Upper Member | Isolated Valves | A Freshwater Ostracod of the family Cyprididae | |
Darwinula [3] |
| Anoual | Upper Member | Isolated Valves | A Freshwater Ostracod of the family Darwinulidae | |
Fabanella [3] |
| Anoual | Upper Member | Isolated Valves | A Freshwater Ostracod of the order Podocopida | |
Fastigocythere [3] |
| Anoual | Lower Member | Isolated Valves | A Marine Ostracod of the order Podocopida | |
Klieana [1] |
| Anoual | Upper Member | Isolated Valves | A Freshwater Ostracod of the order Cytherideidae | |
Kinkelinella [1] |
| Anoual | Lower Member | Isolated Valves | A Freshwater/Brackish Ostracod of the family Protocytheridae | |
Mantelliana [1] |
| Anoual | Upper Member | Isolated Valves | A Freshwater Ostracod of the family Cyprididae | |
Metacypris [3] |
| Anoual | Upper Member | Isolated Valves | A Freshwater/Brackish Ostracod of the family Limnocytheridae | |
Paracypris [3] |
| Anoual | Lower Member | Isolated Valves | A Marine Ostracod of the family Candonidae. Dominant marine taxon | |
Pneumatocythere [3] |
| Anoual | Lower Member | Isolated Valves | A Marine Ostracod of the order Podocopida | |
Praeschuleridea [3] |
| Anoual | Lower Member | Isolated Valves | A Marine Ostracod of the family Candonidae. | |
Procytheridea [1] |
| Anoual | Lower Member | Isolated Valves | A Marine Ostracod of the order Podocopida | |
Scabriculocypris [1] |
| Anoual | Upper Member | Isolated Valves | A Freshwater Ostracod of the family Cyprididae | |
Theriosynoecum [1] |
| Anoual | Upper Member | Isolated Valves | A Freshwater/Brackish Ostracod of the family Limnocytheridae |
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic Position | Material | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lymnaeidae [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Isolated shells | Freshwater snails | |
Nerineidae [1] | Indeterminate | Anoual | Lower Member | Isolated shells | Marine snails | |
Planorbidae [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Isolated shells | Freshwater snails | |
Provalvata [1] | P. sp. | Anoual | Upper Member | Isolated shells | Freshwater snail of the family Provalvatidae | |
Valvatidae [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Isolated shells | Freshwater snails |
Abundant osteichthyan ichthyoliths are known. An isolated spine displaying characters seen in extant cypriniform or siluriform fishes has been recovered, alternatively can belong to a member of Myriacanthidae. [2]
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic Position | Material | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arganodus [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Isolated tooth plates | Lungfish | ![]() |
Lepidotes / Scheenstia [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Isolated teeth and scales | Lepidotidae bony fish | ![]() |
cf. Ionoscopiformes [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Rhomboidal scales | Tentatively assigned to Ophiopsidae | |
Mawsoniidae [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Skull bones including a parasphenoid | Coelacanth | |
Osteoglossiformes [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Squamules (small scales) | The oldest record of the group |
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic Position | Material | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Albanerpetontidae [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Incomplete premaxilla and incomplete frontal | Likely represents a new taxon | |
Caudata? [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Fragment of a dentary | ||
Lissamphibia? [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Fragment of a maxilla |
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic Position | Material | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Testudinata [2] | "Morphotype 1" | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Fifty plate fragments | Similar to Solemydidae and Pleurosternidae turtles | |
"Morphotype 2" | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Single neural plate | Plate slightly longer than wide | ||
"Morphotype 3" | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Multiple plates | By far the most abundant, maybe a larger taxon with smooth plates | ||
"Morphotype 4" | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Two costal plates | Similar to Araripemys and some Trionychidae |
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic Position | Material | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Parviraptor [2] | Cf.P.sp. | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Four vertebral centra | Squamatan, previously identified as a stem-snake | |
Rhynchocephalia [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | One fragment of dentary bearing two incomplete teeth; one fragment of maxilla bearing the bases of two teeth. | Similar to the co-regional but younger genus Tingitana , but also to Clevosaurus . | |
Scincomorpha [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | A fragment of bone bearing teeth; potentially a fragment of bone bearing one complete tooth | Squamatan | |
Squamata [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Incomplete maxilla, incomplete dorsal vertebra, one proximal part of femur |
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic Position | Material | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Choristodera [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Fragmentary dentary, centrum of an anterior caudal vertebra, possibly centrum of a dorsal vertebra | Similar to Cteniogenys |
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic Position | Material | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ornithischia [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Tooth | Similar to Alocodon | ![]() |
cf.Stegosauria [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Poorly preserved tooth | ||
Theropoda [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Several teeth |
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic Position | Material | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pterosauria [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Teeth | Similar to wukongopterids | |
Rhamphorhynchidae [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Teeth |
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic Position | Material | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Atoposauridae [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Teeth | ||
Teleosauridae [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Teeth | ||
Thalattosuchia [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Teeth, various skeletal elements probably belonging to a single individual | ||
Theriosuchus [2] | Cf.T. sp. | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Teeth | An Atoposaurid |
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic Position | Material | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amphitheriidae [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Fragment of juvenile right dentary; fragment of an edentulous right dentary, probably middle-posterior part. | If true is the 1st Gondwanic member of the family | |
Cf.Dryolestida/Donodontidae [2] | Indeterminate | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Fragment of a tooth bearing one cusp and one root | Similar to Donodon |
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic Position | Material | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aclistochara [4] | A. africana | Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Gyrogonites | A Characean algae of the family Characeae | |
Porochara [3] | P. hians | Anoual | Upper Member | Oogonia | A characean algae of the family Porocharaceae |
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic Position | Material | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alisporites [2] |
| Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Pollen | Affinities with the families Peltaspermaceae or Corystospermaceae | |
Araucariacites [2] |
| Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Pollen | Affinities with Araucariaceae inside Coniferae. | ![]() |
Callialasporites [2] |
| Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Pollen | Affinities with Araucariaceae inside Coniferae. | |
Classopollis [2] |
| Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Pollen | Affinities with Cheirolepidiaceae inside Coniferae. | |
Cyathidites [2] |
| Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Spores | Affinities with the family Cyatheaceae inside Cyatheales. Arboreal Fern Spores | |
Cycadopites [2] |
| Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Pollen | Affinities with the Cycadopsida inside Cycadales. Pollen related with modern Cycas | ![]() |
Inaperturopollenites [2] |
| Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Pollen | Affinities with the Pinidae inside Coniferae. | ![]() |
Ischyosporites [2] |
| Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Spores | Affinities with Pteridopsida, likely derived from a member of Anemiaceae | ![]() |
Leptolepidites [2] |
| Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Spores | Affinities with the family Dennstaedtiaceae in the Polypodiales. Forest fern spores. | ![]() |
Pityosporites [2] |
| Guelb el Ahmar | Upper Member | Pollen | Affinities with the Pinidae inside Coniferae. |
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic Position | Material | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Agathoxylon [2] |
|
| Upper Member | Fossil Wood | Conifer fossil wood of the family Araucariaceae | |
Metapodocarpoxylon [2] |
|
| Upper Member | Fossil Wood | Conifer fossil wood of the family Podocarpaceae | |
Protopodocarpoxylon [2] |
|
| Upper Member | Fossil Wood | Conifer fossil wood of the family Hirmeriellaceae | |
Phyllocladoxylon [2] |
|
| Upper Member | Fossil Wood | Conifer fossil wood of the family Podocarpaceae |