The Early Jurassic Epoch is the earliest of three epochs of the Jurassic Period. The Early Jurassic starts immediately after the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event, 201.3 Ma, and ends at the start of the Middle Jurassic 174.7 ±0.8 Ma.
Ichthyosaurus is a genus of ichthyosaurs from the Early Jurassic of Europe. Some specimens of the ichthyosaurid Protoichthyosaurus from England and Switzerland have been erroneously referred to this genus in the past. It is among the best known ichthyosaur genera, as it is the type genus of the order Ichthyosauria.
The Hettangian is the earliest age and lowest stage of the Jurassic Period of the geologic timescale. It spans the time between 201.3 ± 0.2 Ma and 199.3 ± 0.3 Ma. The Hettangian follows the Rhaetian and is followed by the Sinemurian.
Temnodontosaurus is an extinct genus of ichthyosaur from the Early Jurassic period. They lived between 200 and 175 million years ago (Hettangian-Toarcian) in what is now Western Europe and possibly other countries including Switzerland and Chile. It lived in the deeper areas of the open ocean. University of Bristol paleontologist Jeremy Martin described the genus Temnodontosaurus as "one of the most ecologically disparate genera of ichthyosaurs," although the number of valid Temnodontosaurus species has varied over the years.
Sarcosaurus is a genus of basal neotheropod dinosaur, roughly 3.5 metres (11 ft) long. It lived in what is now England and maybe Ireland and Scotland during the Hettangian-Sinemurian stages of the Early Jurassic, about 199-196 million years ago. Sarcosaurus is one of the earliest known Jurassic theropods, and one of only a handful of theropod genera from this time period. Along with Dracoraptor hanigani it is one of the two described neotheropods from the lowermost Jurassic of the United Kingdom.
Dapedium is an extinct genus of primitive marine neopterygian ray-finned fish. The first-described finding was an example of D. politum, found in the Lower Lias of Lyme Regis, on the Jurassic Coast of England. Dapedium lived in the Late Triassic to the Middle Jurassic period, from the late Norian to the early Aalenian.
Blue Anchor to Lilstock Coast SSSI is a 742.8 hectare geological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Blue Anchor and Lilstock in Somerset, notified in 1971.
Excalibosaurus is a monotypic genus of marine prehistoric reptiles (ichthyosaurs) that lived during the Sinemurian stage of the Early Jurassic period in what is now England. It is characterized by the extreme elongation of the rostrum, with the lower jaw about three-quarters the length of the upper jaw, giving the animal a swordfish-like look. The only known species is Excalibosaurus costini.
The Saltrio Formation is a geological formation in Italy. It dates back to the Early Sinemurian, and would have represented a pelagic or near-epicontinental environment, judging by the presence of marine fauna such as the nautiloid Cenoceras. The Fossils of the Formation were described on the late 1880s and revised on 1960s, finding first marine biota, such as Crinoids, Bivalves and other fauna related to Epicontinental basin deposits.
The Lias Group or Lias is a lithostratigraphic unit found in a large area of western Europe, including the British Isles, the North Sea, the Low Countries and the north of Germany. It consists of marine limestones, shales, marls and clays.
The Zagaje Formation is a Latest Triassic-Early Jurassic Epoch (Rhaetian-Sinemurian) geologic formation located mostly in Poland with layers also exposed in north Germany. This unit is known for its diverse Ichnofossil assemblages, with traces of invertebrates along vertebrate footprints, as well plants, large coal accumulations, invertebrate remains and ichnofossils. The Zagaje Formation correlates with The lower part of the Höganäs Formation in Scania, as well the Munkerup Member and the Gassum Formation in Denmark.
Omma is a genus of beetles in the family Ommatidae. Omma is an example of a living fossil. The oldest species known, O. liassicum, lived during the final stage of the Triassic (Rhaetian), over 200 million years ago, though the placement of this species in Omma has been questioned. Numerous other fossil species are known from the Jurassic and Cretaceous of Europe and Asia. The only living species is Omma stanleyi, which is endemic to Australia. Three other extant species endemic to Australia that were formerly part of this genus were moved to the separate genus Beutelius in 2020.Omma stanleyi is strongly associated with wood, being found under Eucalyptus bark and exhibiting thanatosis when disturbed. Its larval stage and many other life details are unknown due to its rarity. Males are typically 14–20 mm in length, while females are 14.4-27.5 mm. Omma stanleyi occurs throughout eastern Australia from Victoria to Central Queensland.
The Hasle Formation is a geologic formation on the island on Bornholm, Denmark. It is of early to late Pliensbachian age. Vertebrate fossils have been uncovered from this formation. The type section of the formation is found at the south of the costal Hasle Town, and it is composed by rusty yellow to brownish siltstones and very fine-grained sandstones. The southernmost arch, Hvjdoddebuen, is not as fossil-bearing as the type unit in Hasle. The formation can be separated in two different petrographic types: type 1 sandstones are friable with layers and lenses of concretionary siderite and type 2 well-cemented sandstones. Both types where deposited in a relatively high-energy marine environment with a diagenetic pattern that demonstrates a close relation to various phases of subsidence and uplift in the tectonically unstable Fennoscandian Border Zone. Most of its deposition happened on a storm-dominated shoreface, with the exposed parts deposited in an open marine shelf within 1–2 km distance from the fault-controlled coastlines. However, recent works have recovered terrestrial fauna from it, including a footprint, suggesting easterly winds and low tide could have exposed the inner parts of the upper shoreface, and create long-lasting Floodplain-type environments. Field works since 1984 have shown a mostly hummocky cross-stratified deposition, with great complexity of the sediments that suggests very complicated and variable flow conditions, with Megaripples derived from storm events. Storms were frequent and the coastline faced a wide epeiric sea with a fetch towards the west of possibly 1000 kilometers. The Jamesoni–Ibex Chronozone in the Central European Basin represents a clear sea Transgression, due to the appearance of ammonites from Thuringia and southern Lower Saxony, showing a full marine ingression towards the west. This rise in the sea level is also measured in the north, as is proven by the presence of Uptonia jamesoni in Kurremölla and Beaniceras centaurus plus Phricodoceras taylori on the Hasle Formation. The whole Hasle Sandstones are a result of this rise in the sea level, where the marine sediments cover the deltaic layers of the Rønne Formation. The rise in the sea level is observed on palynology, as on the Hasle Formation Nannoceratopsis senex (Dinoflajellate) and Mendicodinium reticulaturn appear, indicating a transition from paralic and restricted marine to fully marine.
The Charmouth Mudstone Formation is a geological formation in England, dating to the Early Jurassic (Sinemurian–Pliensbachian). It forms part of the lower Lias Group. It is most prominently exposed at its type locality in cliff section between Lyme Regis and Charmouth but onshore it extends northwards to Market Weighton, Yorkshire, and in the subsurface of the East Midlands Shelf and Wessex Basin. The formation is notable for its fossils, including those of ammonites and marine reptiles and rare dinosaur remains. The formation played a prominent role in the history of early paleontology, with its Lyme Regis-Charmouth exposure being frequented by fossil collectors including Mary Anning.
The Lilstock Formation is a geologic formation in England. It preserves bivalve, insect and other invertebrate fossils, as well as fossil fish of Agkistracanthus mitgelensis and the basal theropod dinosaur Newtonsaurus cambrensis dating back to the Rhaetian of the Triassic period.
The Scunthorpe Mudstone is a geologic formation in England. It preserves plesiosaur fossils dating back to the Late Triassic (Rhaetian) to Early Jurassic (Hettangian) period. It predominantly consists of grey mudstone with thin beds of argillaceous limestone and calcareous siltstone. The Ichthyosaur Wahlisaurus is known from the formation. As is the holotype specimen of the dinosaur Sarcosaurus.
The Beacon Limestone Formation, historically known as the Junction Bed, is a formation of the early Jurassic age (Pliensbachian–Toarcian). It lies above the Dyrham Formation and below the Bridport Sand Formation. It forms part of the Lias Group. It is found within the Wessex Basin and parts of Somerset, in England. It is well known for the Strawberry Bank Lagerstätte, which contains the 3-dimensionally preserved remains of vertebrates, including marine crocodyliformes, ichthyosaurs and fish, as well as insect compression fossils.
Dermapteridae is an extinct family of earwigs known from the Late Triassic to Mid Cretaceous, it is part of the extinct suborder Archidermaptera, alongside Protodiplatyidae and Turanovia. It was first named as a subfamily by Vishniakova in 1980, and elevated to family status by Engel in 2003 without discussion.
Protorthophlebia is an extinct genus of scorpionflies, known from the Triassic and Jurassic periods of Eurasia. It was originally considered a member of the family Orthophlebiidae, but was later placed as the only genus within the family Protorthophlebiidae within the superfamily Panorpoidea.
Ichthyotitan is an extinct genus of giant ichthyosaur from the Late Triassic (Rhaetian), known from the Westbury Mudstone Formation in Somerset, England. It is believed to be a shastasaurid, extending the family's range by 13 million years up to the latest Triassic. The discovery of Ichthyotitan has been considered evidence that shastasaurids were still thriving until their disappearance in the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event.
