Arnstadt Formation

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Arnstadt Formation

Stratigraphic range: Norian
Type Formation
Unit of Keuper
Underlies Exter Formation
Thickness150 m (in Thuringia)
Lithology
Primary Sandstone, Clay
Location
ExtentGermany

The Arnstadt Formation is a geological formation Germany. It is Late Triassic (Norian) in age, and forms part of the Keuper system. It was deposited in a variety of environments, including alluvial plains and playa. [1]

Paleobiota

Reptiles of the Arntadt Formation
GenusNoteImages
Plateosaurus A sauropodomorph dinosaur
Parvosaurus A rhynchocephalian reptile
Proganochelys A testudinatan (stem-turtle)
Elachistosuchus A reptile of uncertain position
Nicrosaurus A phytosaur

Related Research Articles

Phytosaurs are an extinct group of large, mostly semiaquatic Late Triassic archosauriform reptiles. Phytosaurs belong to the order Phytosauria. and are sometimes referred to as parasuchians. Phytosauria, Parasuchia, Parasuchidae, and Phytosauridae have often been considered equivalent groupings containing the same species. Some recent studies have offered a more nuanced approach, defining Parasuchidae and Phytosauridae as nested clades within Phytosauria as a whole. Phytosaurs were long-snouted and heavily armoured, bearing a remarkable resemblance to modern crocodilians in size, appearance, and lifestyle, as an example of convergence or parallel evolution

The Rhaetian is the latest age of the Triassic Period or the uppermost stage of the Triassic System. It was preceded by the Norian and succeeded by the Hettangian. The base of the Rhaetian lacks a formal GSSP, though candidate sections include Steinbergkogel in Austria and Pignola-Abriola in Italy. The end of the Rhaetian is more well-defined. According to the current ICS system, the Rhaetian ended 201.4 ± 0.2 Ma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carnian</span> First age of the Late Triassic epoch

The Carnian is the lowermost stage of the Upper Triassic Series. It lasted from 237 to 227 million years ago (Ma). The Carnian is preceded by the Ladinian and is followed by the Norian. Its boundaries are not characterized by major extinctions or biotic turnovers, but a climatic event occurred during the Carnian and seems to be associated with important extinctions or biotic radiations. Another extinction occurred at the Carnian-Norian boundary, ending the Carnian age.

The Late Triassic is the third and final epoch of the Triassic Period in the geologic time scale, spanning the time between 237 Ma and 201.4 Ma. It is preceded by the Middle Triassic Epoch and followed by the Early Jurassic Epoch. The corresponding series of rock beds is known as the Upper Triassic. The Late Triassic is divided into the Carnian, Norian and Rhaetian ages.

<i>Liliensternus</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Liliensternus is an extinct genus of basal neotheropod dinosaur that lived approximately 210 million years ago during the latter part of the Triassic Period in what is now Germany. Liliensternus was a moderate-sized, bipedal, ground-dwelling carnivore, that could grow up to 5.15 m (16.9 ft) long. It is the best represented Triassic theropod from Europe and one of the largest known.

<i>Camposaurus</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Camposaurus is a coelophysid dinosaur genus from the Norian stage of the Late Triassic period of North America. The pertinent fossil remains date back to the early to middle Norian stage, and is widely regarded as the oldest known neotheropod.

<i>Elachistosuchus</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Elachistosuchus is an extinct genus of neodiapsid reptile, most likely basal archosauromorph, known from the Late Triassic Arnstadt Formation of Saxony-Anhalt, central Germany. It contains a single species, Elachistosuchus huenei, known from a single individual E. huenei, originally considered a pseudosuchian archosaur and then a rhynchocephalian lepidosaur, was largely ignored in the scientific literature, as its small size and fragility did not permit further mechanical preparation and examination. More recently however, a non-invasive μCT scanning was performed to resolve its placement within Reptilia, and found it to represent a more basal reptile, potentially closely related to several early archosauromorph clades.

<i>Nicrosaurus</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Nicrosaurus (/nɪkroʊˈsɔrəs/) is an extinct genus of phytosaur reptile existing during the Late Triassic period. Although it looked like a crocodile, it was not closely related to these creatures, instead being an example of parallel evolution. The main difference between Nicrosaurus and modern crocodiles is the position of the nostrils – Nicrosaurus's nostrils, or external nares, were placed directly in front of the forehead, whereas in crocodiles, the nostrils are positioned on the end of the snout. A 2013 study has also found that ilium of Nicrosaurus is quite distinctive from all other phytosaurs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plateosauria</span> Extinct clade of dinosaurs

Plateosauria is a clade of sauropodomorph dinosaurs which lived during the Late Triassic to the Late Cretaceous. The name Plateosauria was first coined by Gustav Tornier in 1913. The name afterwards fell out of use until the 1980s.

<i>Cyclotosaurus</i> Extinct genus of temnospondyls

Cyclotosaurus is an extinct genus of temnospondyl within the family Mastodonsauridae. It was of great size for an amphibian, had an elongated skull up to 56 cm (22 in).

<i>Angistorhinus</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Angistorhinus is an extinct genus of phytosaur known from the Late Triassic period of Texas and Wyoming, United States. It was first named by Mehl in 1913 and the type species is Angistorhinus grandis. Other species from Texas and Wyoming, A. alticephalus, A. gracilis and A. maximus, are cospecific with the type species. Angistorhinus is known from the holotype UC 631, partial skull and lower jaws recovered from the Popo Agie Formation, Chugwater Group, Wyoming and from the associated paratype UM 531, a partial skull, TMM 31098-1, skull and lower jaws and ROM 7977, partial skull and lower jaws, recovered from the 'Pre-Tecovas Horizon' in the Dockum Group, Texas. A possible second species, A. talainti is known from the Triassic of Morocco. In 1995, Long and Murry created the new combination, Angistorhinus megalodon by synonymy for Brachysuchus. Hungerbühler and Sues (2001) hypothesised that Angistorhinus is a junior synonym of Rutiodon. However, in 2010 Michelle R. Stocker retained the validity of Brachysuchus and of A. grandis.

The Cooper Canyon Formation is a geological formation of Norian age in Texas and New Mexico. It is one of several formations encompassed by the Dockum Group.

<i>Paratypothorax</i> Genus of reptiles

Paratypothorax is an extinct genus of aetosaur, known from a single species, Paratypothorax andressorum. It was a broadly distributed member of the group found in Germany, North America, and possibly parts of Gondwana. The best specimens come from Germany, though for more than a century they were mistakenly considered phytosaur armor. Paratypothorax was a large and wide-bodied typothoracine aetosaur, as well as the namesake of the tribe Paratypothoracisini.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Main Dolomite</span> Rock formation in the Alps of Europe

Main Dolomite is a lithostratigraphic unit in the Alps of Europe. Formation was defined by K.W. Gümbel in 1857.

The Norian is a division of the Triassic Period. It has the rank of an age (geochronology) or stage (chronostratigraphy). It lasted from ~227 to 208.5 million years ago. It was preceded by the Carnian and succeeded by the Rhaetian.

The Hassberge Formation is a geologic formation in Bavaria, Germany. It preserves fossils dating back to the Carnian stage of the Triassic period.

Ademosynidae is an extinct family of beetles, known from the Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous. There are at least six genera and 11 species in Ademosynidae. Members of the family were small oval beetles, with a length generally smaller than 1 cm. Characteristics of the family include a pronotum without anterior angles and a rounded anterior margin, and elytra with 9–12 punctate striae. The systematic position of the family within the order Coleoptera is currently uncertain: they can be considered early examples of the suborder Polyphaga, or unusual examples of Archostemata.

<i>Oncodella</i> Extinct genus of jawless fishes

Oncodella is an extinct genus of Late Triassic conodont. The genus was given the type species Oncodella idiodentica by Mosher (1968), on the basis of fossils from the Late Triassic of Austria. However, Mosher (1969) later revised the species name to Oncodella paucidentata, since identical fossils from the same area were previously given the name Hindeodella paucidentata by Mostler (1967).

Land vertebrate faunachrons (LVFs) are biochronological units used to correlate and date terrestrial sediments and fossils based on their tetrapod faunas. First formulated on a global scale by Spencer G. Lucas in 1998, LVFs are primarily used within the Triassic Period, though Lucas later designated LVFs for other periods as well. Eight worldwide LVFs are defined for the Triassic. The first two earliest Triassic LVFs, the Lootsbergian and Nonesian, are based on South African synapsids and faunal assemblage zones estimated to correspond to the Early Triassic. These are followed by the Perovkan and Berdyankian, based on temnospondyl amphibians and Russian assemblages estimated to be from the Middle Triassic. The youngest four Triassic LVFs, the Otischalkian, Adamanian, Revueltian, and Apachean, are based on aetosaur and phytosaur reptiles common in the Late Triassic of the southwestern United States.

<i>Parvosaurus</i> Extinct species of reptile

Parvosaurus is an extinct species of rhynchocephalian reptile known from the Late Triassic of Germany.

References

  1. Shukla, U. K.; Bachmann, G. H.; Beutler, G.; Barnasch, J.; Franz, M. (2006-10-31). "Extremely distal fluvial sandstone within the playa system of Arnstadt Formation (Norian, Late Triassic), Central Germany". Facies. 52 (4): 541–554. doi:10.1007/s10347-006-0049-1. ISSN   0172-9179.