Bet-Meir Formation

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Bet-Meir Formation
Stratigraphic range: Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian)
Marl Bet Meir formation road 593 from Ariel city in Shomron to road 60 2nd KM 4.jpg
Bet-Meir formation at Shomron
Type Geological formation
Unit ofJudea Group
Underlies Amminadav Formation
Overlies Kesalon Formation
Area West Bank
ThicknessUp to 60 m
Lithology
PrimaryDolostone
OtherChalk, limestone, marl
Location
RegionJudea and Samaria
CountryFlag of Palestine.svg  Palestine [1]
Extent Palestine (Judea and Samaria), west of Hebron, near Jericho
Type section
Named forBet Meir
Named byItzhaki et al., 1964


The Bet-Meir Formation is a Late Cretaceous sedimentary unit exposed in the central highlands of the West Bank (Palestine). [2] It belongs to the regional Judea Group and records sedimentation on a broad, shallow marine carbonate platform along the southern margin of the Tethys Ocean during the Early Cenomanian. [2] [3]

Contents

The formation is paleontologically significant. Vertebrate remains recovered from it include pterosaurs, several species of ray-finned fish, and early snakes. Many important specimens come from quarries near Ein Yabrud, north and east of Ramallah, where fossil-bearing beds occur close to the contact with the Amminadav Formation. Owing to the close stratigraphic relationship between the two units, it remains uncertain whether some of the vertebrate fossils should be assigned to the Bet-Meir Formation or to the overlying formation. [4]

Description

Modern analogue, Bacalar Lagoon Lake in Xula Mexico, Quintana Roo, Yucatan.JPG
Modern analogue, Bacalar Lagoon

The formation represents a warm, tropical carbonate platform interior, positioned between fully open marine shelf environments and more continental marginal settings, being composed mainly of dolostone that accumulated in tidal-flat and restricted lagoonal settings. [2] The area was under a greenhouse-climate shallow sea. [3] The absence of relatively complete or articulated terrestrial plants suggests that the locality was either far from the nearest landfall or very arid. [5] A good modern analogue is the Laguna Bacalar in Yucatán, as both settings share being a restricted circulation setting with abundant mud sitting on a carbonate platform. [6]

In many areas, these dolostones laterally replace the chalks and limestones assigned to the En Yorqeam Formation, reflecting local environmental differences across the platform. [7] The succession includes fine-grained dolomitic mudstones and siltstones, thin marly layers, laminated algal deposits, and occasional intraformational conglomerates. Features such as iron staining, erosion surfaces, and karstic cavities indicate periodic exposure of the sea floor during temporary drops in sea level. Much of the dolomitization is interpreted as secondary, linked to marine fluids circulating through the sediments during subsequent transgressive phases. [2]

Stratigraphically, the Bet-Meir Formation rests on the Kesalon Formation, whose uppermost beds frequently show signs of erosion and hardground development. It is overlain by the slightly younger Amminadav Formation, characterized by more open-marine carbonate sedimentation and Rudist-bearing limestones. Because the transition between these two formations can be gradual and locally intertonguing, distinguishing their fossil content is sometimes problematic. [1] [2] [4]

Paleobiota

The majority of species here cannot be confidently assigned the Bet-Meir Formation, and some may instead belong to the younger Amminadav Formation. [4] [8]

Invertebrates

Unnamed material of Decapodans, Echinoids, Starfish, Cephalopods and Bivalvia are seen along the outcrops. [9]

GenusSpeciesPresenceNotesImages
Graysonites [9] G. wacoenseEin Yabrud quarries Acanthoceratidae ammonite
Stoliczkaiella [9] S. amanaiEin Yabrud quarries Acanthoceratidae ammonite

Chondrichthyes

GenusSpeciesPresenceNotesImages
Batoidea [10] IndeterminateEin Yabrud quarriesRay

Bony Fish

GenusSpeciesPresenceNotesImages
Aipichthyoides [11] A. galeatus

A. formosus

Ein Yabrud quarriesAn aipichthyoidid lamprimorph
Dercetoides [12] D. venatorEin Yabrud quarriesA dercetid aulopiform
Enchodus [13] E. brevisEin Yabrud quarriesAn enchodontid aulopiform
Hastichthys [12] H. gracilisEin Yabrud quarriesA dercetid aulopiform
Judeichthys [14] J. haasiEin Yabrud quarriesA gonorynchid
Judeoberyx [11] J. princepsEin Yabrud quarriesA trachichthyoid trachichthyform
Pachyamia [15] P. latimaxillarisEin Yabrud quarriesAn amiid
Pharmacichthys [11] P. judensisEin Yabrud quarriesA pharmacichthyid lamprimorph
Life restoration of Pharmacichthys Pharmacichthys venenifer.jpg
Life restoration of Pharmacichthys
Ramallichthys [16] R. orientalisEin Yabrud quarriesA gonorynchid
Rhombichthys [17] R. intoccabilisEin Yabrud quarriesA paraclupeid clupeomorph
Life restoration of Rhombichthys Rhombichthys intocabilis.jpg
Life restoration of Rhombichthys
Saurorhamphus [18] S. judeaensisEin Yabrud quarriesA eurypholid aulopiform
Scalacurvichthys [19] S. naishiEin Yabrud quarriesA pycnodontid
Life restoration of Scalacurvichthys Image of SMNK-PAL. 8613.jpg
Life restoration of Scalacurvichthys
Serrilepis [20] S. longidensEin Yabrud quarriesA halecid aulopiform
Yabrudichthys [20] Y. striatusEin Yabrud quarriesAn enchodontoid aulopiform

Turtles

GenusSpeciesPresenceNotesImages
Algorachelus [21] A. parvaEin Yabrud quarriesA bothremyid side-necked turtle
Pelomedusidae [9] indet.Ein Yabrud quarriesAn indeterminate pelomedusid side-necked turtle

Squamates

GenusSpeciesPresenceNotesImages
Haasiasaurus [9] H. gittelmaniEin Yabrud quarriesAn early mosasaur
Haasiophis [22] H. terrasanctusEin Yabrud quarriesA simoliophiid snake, notable for its hindlimbs
Mesoleptos [23] M. zendrinii [24] Ein Yabrud quarriesA basal mosasauroid
Life restoration of Mesoleptos Mesoleptos zendrinii.png
Life restoration of Mesoleptos
Pachyrhachis [5] [10] P. problematicusEin Yabrud quarriesA simoliophiid snake, notable for its hindlimbs

Pterosaurs

GenusSpeciesPresenceNotesImages
Pterodactyloidea [25] indet.Ein Yabrud quarriesAn indeterminate pterosaur

Flora

The dominant component of the flora are encrusting green algae, while terrestrial flora is composed almost exclusively by leaves and stalks or stems of a mangrove gymnosperm (very likely Weichselia based on regional abundance). [26] [27]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Bet-Meir, West Bank, Palestine". mindat.org.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Moshe, B.; Hirsch, F. "Mid Cretaceous (Albian-Cenomanian) carbonate platforms in Israel and Palestine" (PDF). Cuadernos de geología ibérica (18): 59–82.
  3. 1 2 Buchbinder, Binyamin; Benjamini, Chaim; Lipson-Benitah, Shulamit (2000-12-01). "Sequence development of Late Cenomanian–Turonian carbonate ramps, platforms and basins in Israel". Cretaceous Research. 21 (6): 813–843. doi:10.1006/cres.2000.0228. ISSN   0195-6671.
  4. 1 2 3 "Bet Meir or Amminadav, West Bank, Palestine". mindat.org.
  5. 1 2 Scanlon, J.D.; Lee, M.S.Y.; Caldwell, M.W.; Shine, R. (1999). "The palaeoecology of the primitive snake Pachyrhachis". Historical Biology. 13 (2–3): 127–152. doi:10.1080/08912969909386578. ISSN   0891-2963.
  6. ↑ Gischler, Eberhard; Golubic, Stjepko; Gibson, Michael A.; Oschmann, Wolfgang; Hudson, J. Harold (2010-12-03), "Microbial Mats and Microbialites in the Freshwater Laguna Bacalar, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico", Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 187–205, ISBN   978-3-642-10414-5 , retrieved 2026-02-16{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)
  7. ↑ Ovechkina, Maria N.; Erba, Elisabetta; Bottini, Cinzia (2019-09-01). "Calcareous nannoplankton proxies for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the Albian–Cenomanian succession in North-western Israel (Mount Carmel Region)". Marine Micropaleontology. Calcareous Nannoplankton: indices of paleo-environmental, oceanographic and climatic changes. 152: 101742. doi:10.1016/j.marmicro.2019.04.001. ISSN   0377-8398.
  8. ↑ Bouziane Khalloufi, René Zaragüeta-Bagils & Hervé Lelièvre (2010). "Rhombichthys intoccabilis, gen. et sp. nov. (Ellimmichthyiformes, Clupeomorpha, Teleostei), from the Cenomanian (Upper Cretaceous) of Ein Yabrud, Middle East: anatomial descriptions and phylogenetic implications". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . 30 (1): 57–67. Bibcode:2010JVPal..30...57K. doi: 10.1080/02724630903409089 . S2CID   86625975.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 J, Polcyn Michael; Tchernov, Eitan; L, Jacobs Louis (1999). "The Cretaceous biogeography of the Eastern Mediterranean with a description of a new basal mosasauroid from 'Ein Yabrud, Israel". National Science Museum monographs. 15: 259–290. ISSN   1342-9574.
  10. 1 2 Haas, G (1979). "On a new snakelike reptile from the lower Cenomanian of ein Jabrud, near Jerusalem". Bulletin du Muséum national d’Historie naturelle, Paris, Série :. 4 (1): 51–64.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  11. 1 2 3 Gayet, M. (1980). "Recherches sur l'ichthyofaune cénomanienne des Monts de Judée: les "Acanthoptérygiens"". Annales de Paléontologie (Vertébrés). 66 (75–128).
  12. 1 2 Chalifa, Yael (1989-09-28). "Two new species of longirostrine fishes from the Early Cenomanian (Late Cretaceous) of Ein-Yabrud, Israel, with comments on the phylogeny of the Dercetidae". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 9 (3): 314–328. doi:10.1080/02724634.1989.10011765. ISSN   0272-4634. Archived from the original on 2023-11-18.
  13. ↑ Chalifa, Yael (1989). "New Species of Enchodus (Pisces: Enchodontoidei) from the Lower Cenomanian of Ein-Yabrud, Israel". Journal of Paleontology. 63 (3): 356–364. ISSN   0022-3360.
  14. ↑ GAYET, M (1985). "Gonorhynchiforme nouveau du Cénomanien inférieur marin de Ramallah (Monts de Judée): Judeichthys haasi nov. gen. nov. sp. (Teleostei, Ostariophysi, Judeichthyidae nov. fam.)". Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle. Section C, Sciences de la Terre, Paléontologie, Géologie, Minéralogie. 7 (1): 65–85. ISSN   0181-0642.
  15. ↑ Chalifa, Yael; Tchernov, Eitan (1982). "Pachyamia latimaxillaris, new genus and species (Actinopterygii: Amiidae), from the Cenomanian of Jerusalem". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 2 (3): 269–285. doi:10.1080/02724634.1982.10011935. ISSN   0272-4634. Archived from the original on 2022-06-19.
  16. ↑ ""Ramallicthys" Gayet du Cénomanien inférieur marin de Ramallah (Monts de Judée) - Scientific Publications of the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris". sciencepress.mnhn.fr. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
  17. ↑ Khalloufi, Bouziane; Zaragüeta-Bagils, René; Lelièvre, Hervé (2010-01-29). "Rhombichthys intoccabilis, gen. et sp. nov. (Ellimmichthyiformes, Clupeomorpha, Teleostei), from the Cenomanian (Upper Cretaceous) of Ein Yabrud, Middle East: anatomical description and phylogenetic implications". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 30 (1): 57–67. doi:10.1080/02724630903409089. ISSN   0272-4634.
  18. ↑ Chalifa, Yael (1985). "Saurorhamphus judeaensis (Salmoniformes: Enchodontidae), a New Longirostrine Fish from the Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of Ein-Yabrud, near Jerusalem". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 5 (3): 181–193. ISSN   0272-4634.
  19. ↑ Cawley, John J.; Kriwet, Jürgen (2017-06-14). "A new pycnodont fish,Scalacurvichthys naishigen. et sp. nov., from the Late Cretaceous of Israel". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 16 (8): 659–673. doi:10.1080/14772019.2017.1330772. ISSN   1477-2019.
  20. 1 2 Chalifa, Yael (1989). "Yabrudichthys and serrilepis, two new genera of Enchodontoids (Teleostei) from Lower cenomanian beds of 'ein-yabrūd, israel". Israel Journal of Zoology. doi:10.1080/00212210.1989.10688621. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09.
  21. ↑ Pérez-García, Adán (2025-01-06). "A taxonomic revision of the Cenomanian bothremydid turtle Algorachelus parva from Israel and morphological variation within its genus". Palaeontologia Electronica. 28 (1): 1–15. doi:10.26879/1398. ISSN   1094-8074.
  22. ↑ Tchernov, Eitan; Rieppel, Olivier; Zaher, Hussam; Polcyn, Michael J.; Jacobs, Louis L. (2000-03-17). "A Fossil Snake with Limbs". Science. 287 (5460): 2010–2012. doi:10.1126/science.287.5460.2010. ISSN   0036-8075.
  23. ↑ LEE, MICHAEL S.Y.; SCANLON, JOHN D. (2002-11-28). "The Cretaceous marine squamate Mesoleptos and the origin of snakes". Bulletin of The Natural History Museum. Zoology Series. 68 (2): 131–142. doi:10.1017/s0968047002000158. ISSN   0968-0470.
  24. ↑ Cabezuelo-Hernández, Alberto; Pérez-García, Adán (2023). "A New Species of the Pythonomorph Carentonosaurus from the Cenomanian of Algora (Guadalajara, Central Spain)". Animals. 13 (7): 1197. doi: 10.3390/ani13071197 . ISSN   2076-2615. PMC   10093179 . PMID   37048453.
  25. ↑ Kellner, A.W. A.; Mello, A.M.S.; Ford, T. (2007). "A survey of pterosaurs from Africa with the description of a new specimen from Morocco" (PDF). Paleontologia: Cenarios de Vida: 257–267.
  26. ↑ Jacobs, L.L.; Polcyn, M.J.; Taylor, L.H.; Ferguson, K. (2005). "Sea-surface temperatures and palaeoenvironments of dolichosaurs and early mosasaurs". Netherlands Journal of Geosciences. 84 (3): 269–281. doi:10.1017/s0016774600021053. ISSN   0016-7746.
  27. ↑ Dobruskina, I. A. (1997-02-01). "Turonian plants from the southern Negev, Israel". Cretaceous Research. 18 (1): 87–107. doi:10.1006/cres.1996.0051. ISSN   0195-6671.


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