Arundel Formation | |
---|---|
Stratigraphic range: | |
Type | Geological Formation |
Unit of | Potomac Group |
Underlies | Patapsco Formation (Unconformity) |
Overlies | Patuxent Formation |
Thickness | up to 125 feet (40 m) [1] |
Lithology | |
Primary | Claystone, mudstone |
Other | Siderite nodules |
Location | |
Region | Maryland, Washington D. C. |
Country | United States |
Type section | |
Named for | Anne Arundel County, Maryland |
Named by | W. B. Clark, 1897 [1] |
The Arundel Formation, also known as the Arundel Clay, is a clay-rich sedimentary rock formation, within the Potomac Group, found in Maryland [2] of the United States of America. It dates to the Early Cretaceous, and is of late Aptian or (more likely) early Albian age. [3] This rock unit had been economically important as a source of iron ore, but is now more notable for its dinosaur fossils. [4] It is named for Anne Arundel County, Maryland. [5]
It consists of clay lenses within depressions in the upper part of the Patuxent Formation that may represent oxbow swamp facies. [4] The Arundel Formation contains a high number of terrestrial fauna, indicating that it was deposited in a freshwater fluvial environment, likely representing slow-moving river channels and oxbows. The Arundel Formation is the only major source for Early Cretaceous terrestrial vertebrates in eastern North America, and provides the best record of the dinosaurs that inhabited the region at the time. [3]
Dinosaurs present include the large theropod Acrocanthosaurus , [6] [7] [8] the giant sauropod Astrodon , the possible ornithischian Magulodon , [6] the poorly known theropods "Allosaurus" medius, "Creosaurus" potens , and "Coelurus" gracilis, the ornithomimosaurian "Dryosaurus" grandis, [9] as well as another indeterminate ornithomimosaurian (though it most likely is Nedcolbertia ), [10] the nodosaurid Priconodon , [11] a possible basal ceratopsian, [12] and potentially the ornithopod Tenontosaurus . [4] Other vertebrates are not as well known from the formation, but include a freshwater shark, a lungfish, [13] at least three genera of turtles, and several crocodilians. [4]
The dinosaurian fauna of the Arundel Formation is very similar to that found in the concurrent, more comprehensive geological formations from further west (i.e. the Antlers, Cloverly, and Cedar Mountain Formations). This supports the idea of a largely homogenous dinosaur fauna stretching across North America during the Early Cretaceous, until the formation of the Western Interior Seaway divided the continent and led to major faunal changes on both halves. [14] In contrast, among other vertebrate taxa, there are major differences between the Arundel and these western formations; in the Arundel, crocodylomorph and shark remains are far more common than those of bony fishes, whereas the opposite is true for the western formations. This may owe to differing environmental conditions on the Atlantic coast compared to the North American interior. [3]
Cartilaginous fish reported from the Arundel Formation | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
Egertonodus | E. basanus |
| Teeth, spine | A hybodont shark. | ||
Planohybodus | P. ensis |
| Teeth | A hybodont shark, formerly placed in Hybodus . |
Ray-finned fish reported from the Arundel Formation | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
cf. Lepidotes |
| Teeth, jaw | A semionotid. | |||
cf. Vidalamiinae |
| Teeth | An amiid. |
Lobe-finned fish reported from the Arundel Formation | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
Ceratodus | C. kranzi |
| Tooth plate | A ceratodontid lungfish. [15] |
Color key
| Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; |
Dinosaurs reported from the Arundel Formation | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
Acrocanthosaurus [6] [8] | A. cf. atokensis [8] |
| "Teeth", [6] "incomplete skeleton" [8] | A large carcharodontosaurid theropod. Presence long suspected but uncertain, but confirmed in 2024 following the discovery of more complete remains. [8] | ||
| "A." medius [16] |
| "Tooth." [17] | An indeterminate theropod tooth. | ||
A. johnstoni [18] | "Tooth." [20] | |||||
"C." potens |
| "Vertebra." [17] | A neotheropod possibly synonymous with Acrocanthosaurus. [22] | |||
| "C." gracilis | "Manual ungual and teeth." [17] | A dromaeosaurid synonymous with Deinonychus. [22] | |||
| "C." potens [16] | Reclassified as "Capitalsaurus" potens | ||||
cf. Deinonychus [16] | Indeterminate [16] |
| A dromaeosaurid | |||
| "D." grandis |
| "Limb elements." [23] | An indeterminate member of Ornithomimosauria. | ||
M. muirkirkensis [24] |
| "Tooth" [24] | Likely an ornithischian, this genus is a nomen nudum that has not been formally published. | |||
Neoceratopsia indet. [12] | Indeterminate [12] |
| "Teeth" [12] | An indeterminate member of Neoceratopsia. Initially believed to have belonged to an indeterminate member of Dryosauridae or the genus Tenontosaurus . | ||
| "O." affinis | Junior synonym of "Dryosaurus" grandis | ||||
P. altus [16] |
| "Tibia [and] fibula." [25] | A sauropod synonymous with Astrodon. | |||
P. nanus [16] |
| |||||
P. crassus [16] |
| "Teeth, tibia." [26] | A large nodosaurid. | |||
cf. Richardoestesia [3] | Indeterminate [3] |
| "Teeth" | A small theropod. | ||
cf. Tenontosaurus [27] | Indeterminate [27] |
| ||||
Unassigned pteradactyloid tracks. [28]
Color key
| Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; |
Pterosaurs of the Arundel Formation | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
Turtles reported from the Arundel Formation | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
Arundelemys | A. dardeni |
| "A single, incomplete skull lacking the lower jaws and cheek region" | A baenid. | ||
Glyptops | G. caelatus |
| "Carapace fragments probably pertaining to a single individual" | A pleurosternid. | ||
Naomichelys | N. sp. |
| "Shell fragments" | A helochelydrid. |
Crocodylomorphs reported from the Arundel Formation | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
cf. Bernissartiidae indet. | Indeterminate |
| Tooth | A likely bernissartiid. | ||
cf. Goniopholididae indet. | Indeterminate |
| Scutes, teeth | A likely goniopholidid, the most common crocodylomorph from the formation. | ||
cf. Pholidosauridae indet. | Indeterminate |
| Teeth | A likely pholidosaurid. |
Mammals reported from the Arundel Formation | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
Argillomys | A. marylandensis |
| Molar tooth | A multituberculate. | ||
Arundelconodon | A. hottoni |
| Dentary with teeth | A triconodontid. |
William Bullock Clark (1897) described lignitized trunks of trees often found in upright positions with their roots still intact. [1]
G. J. Brenner (1963) described spores and pollen within the formation. [29]
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Acrocanthosaurus is a genus of carcharodontosaurid dinosaur that existed in what is now North America during the Aptian and early Albian stages of the Early Cretaceous, from 113 to 110 million years ago. Like most dinosaur genera, Acrocanthosaurus contains only a single species, A. atokensis. It had a continent-wide range, with fossil remains known from the U.S. states of Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming in the west, and Maryland in the east.
Tenontosaurus is a genus of iguanodontian ornithopod dinosaur. It had an unusually long, broad tail, which like its back was stiffened with a network of bony tendons.
Astrodon is a genus of large herbivorous sauropod dinosaur, measuring 20 m (66 ft) in length, 9 m (30 ft) in height and 20 metric tons in body mass. It lived in what is now the eastern United States during the Early Cretaceous period, and fossils have been found in the Arundel Formation, which has been dated through palynomorphs to the Albian about 112 to 110 million years ago.
Priconodon is an extinct genus of ankylosaurian dinosaur, mainly known from its large teeth. Its remains have been found in the Aptian-Albian age Lower Cretaceous Arundel Formation of Muirkirk, Prince George's County, Maryland, USA and the Potomac Group, also located in Maryland. As an ankylosaur, Priconodon would have been a large armored quadrupedal herbivore, though no size estimation has been done due to the scarcity of described remains.
The Wealden Group, occasionally also referred to as the Wealden Supergroup, is a group in the lithostratigraphy of southern England. The Wealden group consists of paralic to continental (freshwater) facies sedimentary rocks of Berriasian to Aptian age and thus forms part of the English Lower Cretaceous. It is composed of alternating sands and clays. The sandy units were deposited in a flood plain of braided rivers, the clays mostly in a lagoonal coastal plain.
Ceratodus is an extinct genus of lungfish. It has been described as a "catch all", and a "form genus" used to refer to the remains of a variety of lungfish belonging to the extinct family Ceratodontidae. Fossil evidence dates back to the Early Triassic. A wide range of fossil species from different time periods have been found around the world in places such as the United States, Argentina, Greenland, England, Germany, Egypt, Madagascar, China, and Australia. Ceratodus is believed to have become extinct sometime around the beginning of the Eocene Epoch.
The Cedar Mountain Formation is the name given to a distinctive sedimentary geologic formation in eastern Utah, spanning most of the early and mid-Cretaceous. The formation was named for Cedar Mountain in northern Emery County, Utah, where William Lee Stokes first studied the exposures in 1944.
The Cloverly Formation is a geological formation of Early and Late Cretaceous age that is present in parts of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah in the western United States. It was named for a post office on the eastern side of the Bighorn Basin in Wyoming by N.H. Darton in 1904. The sedimentary rocks of formation were deposited in floodplain environments and contain vertebrate fossils, including a diverse assemblage of dinosaur remains. In 1973, the Cloverly Formation Site was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.
The Antlers Formation is a stratum which ranges from Arkansas through southern Oklahoma into northeastern Texas. The stratum is 150 m (490 ft) thick consisting of silty to sandy mudstone and fine to coarse grained sandstone that is poorly to moderately sorted. The stratum is cemented with clay and calcium carbonate. In places the sandstone may be conglomeratic or ferruginous.
The Maevarano Formation is a Late Cretaceous sedimentary rock formation found in the Mahajanga Province of northwestern Madagascar. It is most likely Maastrichtian in age, and records a seasonal, semiarid environment with rivers that had greatly varying discharges. Notable animal fossils recovered include the theropod dinosaur Majungasaurus, the early bird Vorona, the paravian Rahonavis, the titanosaurian sauropod Rapetosaurus, and the giant frog Beelzebufo.
The Twin Mountains Formation, also known as the Twin Mak Formation, is a sedimentary rock formation, within the Trinity Group, found in Texas of the United States of America. It is a terrestrial formation of Aptian age, and is notable for its dinosaur fossils. Dinosaurs from this formation include the large theropod Acrocanthosaurus, the sauropod Sauroposeidon, as well as the ornithopods Tenontosaurus and Convolosaurus. It is the lowermost unit of the lower Cretaceous, lying unconformably on Carboniferous strata. It is overlain by the Glen Rose Formation. It is the lateral equivalent of the lower part of the Antlers Formation.
Paleontology or palaeontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised feces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because humans have encountered fossils for millennia, paleontology has a long history both before and after becoming formalized as a science. This article records significant discoveries and events related to paleontology that occurred or were published in the year 1998.
The Vectis Formation is a geological formation on the Isle of Wight and Swanage, England whose strata were formed in the Barremian, approximately 125 million years ago. The environment of deposition was that of a freshwater coastal lagoon with occasional marine influence after the early Aptian marine transgression, transitioning from the floodplain environment of the underlying Wessex Formation. The primary lithology is of laminated grey mudstones. The Vectis Formation is composed of three geological members: the Shepherds Chine member, the Barnes High Sandstone member, and the Cowleaze Chine member. It is overlain by the fully marine Atherfield Clay Formation, part of the Lower Greensand Group. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.
The El Castellar Formation is a geological formation in La Rioja and Teruel, Spain whose strata date back to the possibly the Valanginian to the Barremian stages of the Early Cretaceous. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.
The Navesink Formation is a 66 to 70 mya greensand glauconitic marl and sand geological formation in New Jersey. It is known for its Cretaceous period fossil shell beds and dinosaur bones.
The Elrhaz Formation is a geological formation in Niger, West Africa.
The Marshalltown Formation is a Mesozoic geologic formation. Dinosaur remains diagnostic to the genus level are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.
The Xinlong Formation is an Early Cretaceous geologic formation in Guangxi, southern China.
The Xiguayuan Formation is an Early Cretaceous (Barremian) geologic formation in Hebei Province of China. Fossil ornithopod tracks have been reported from the formation. It was deposited in a shallow lacustrine setting and is noted for its hyperpycnite facies.
The Potomac Group is a geologic group in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia. It preserves fossils dating back to the Cretaceous period. An indeterminate tyrannosauroid and Priconodon crassus, a nodosaurid, are known from indeterminate sediments belonging to the Potomac Group. The Potomac Group was initially believed to have been Late Jurassic in age by Othniel Charles Marsh but later studies, such as Clark (1897), have found that the Potomac Group is in fact Early-Late Cretaceous (Aptian-Turonian) in age. The most famous member of the group is the Arundel Formation, which preserves a high diversity of terrestrial vertebrate fauna and provides the most comprehensive look at the dinosaurian fauna of eastern North America during the Early Cretaceous.