Cambridge Greensand

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Cambridge Greensand
Stratigraphic range: Earliest Cenomanian ~100  Ma
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Type Member
Unit ofWest Melbury Marly Chalk Formation
Underlies Chalk Group
Overlies Gault Formation
Thickness0.1–1 m (0.33–3.28 ft)
Lithology
Primary Glauconitic marl
Other Phosphorite
Location
Coordinates 52°12′N0°06′E / 52.2°N 0.1°E / 52.2; 0.1
Approximate paleocoordinates 41°00′N1°48′E / 41.0°N 1.8°E / 41.0; 1.8
Region England
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  UK
ExtentNorth Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire
Type section
Named for Cambridge
LocationArlesey Brickpit
England relief location map.jpg
Lightgreen pog.svg
Cambridge Greensand (England)

The Cambridge Greensand is a geological unit in England whose strata are earliest Cenomanian in age. [1] It lies above the erosive contact between the Gault Formation and the Chalk Group in the vicinity of Cambridgeshire, and technically forms the lowest member bed of the West Melbury Marly Chalk Formation. [2] It is a remanié deposit, containing reworked fossils of late Albian age, including those of dinosaurs and pterosaurs.

Contents

Description

The lithology is made out of glauconitic marl, described as a "chalk mud", containing abundant ostracod, coccolith and foram remains, with a concentration of phosphatic nodules and bones at the base. [1] [2]

Vertebrate paleofauna

Birds

Birds
GenusSpeciesLocalityMaterialNotesImages
Enaliornis E. barretteBraincases, vertebrae, pelvis [and] limb elements [3] This genus is the oldest known hesperornithine
E sedgwickiHindlimb elements [3]
E. seeleyiAssorted cranial and postcranial elements

Dinosaurs

Ornithischians

Color key
Taxon Reclassified taxonTaxon falsely reported as presentDubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon
Notes
Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited.
Ornithischians
GenusSpeciesLocalityMaterialNotesImages
Anoplosaurus A. curtonotus"Partial postcranium" [4]
A.major"Cervical vertebrae." [4] "Vertebrae." [5]
Acanthopholis A. eucercus"[Two] caudal centra." [4] Nomen dubium
A. platypus"Phalanx, caudal centra." [4] Nomen dubium
A. macrocercus"Osteoderms." [4] "Vertebrae, fragmentary skeleton elements." [5] Reassigned to Syngonosaurus
A. stereocercus"Osteoderms." [4] "Vertebrae." [5] Nomen dubium
Eucercosaurus E. tanyspondylus"Vertebrae." [4]
Trachodon T. cantabrigiensis"Dentary tooth." [6] Nomen dubium

Saurischians

Saurischians
GenusSpeciesLocalityMaterialNotesImages
Macrurosaurus M. semnus "Caudal vertebrae" [7] Titanosauriform sauropod or indeterminate macronarian

Pterosaurs

Color key
Taxon Reclassified taxonTaxon falsely reported as presentDubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon
Notes
Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited.
Pterosaurs
GenusSpeciesLocalityMaterialNotesImages
Aerodraco [8] A. sedgwickii [8] Anterior rostrum
Amblydectes A. crassidens [9] Jaw fragments
A. eurygnathus [10] Jaw fragmentsPossibly a junior synonym of A. crassidens [9]
Camposipterus C. colorhinus [10] Anterior rostra fragments
C. nasutus [10] Partial rostrum
Draigwenia D. platystomus [10] Anterior rostrum fragmentsFormerly Amblydectes platystomus [9]
Lonchodraco L. machaerorhynchus [10] May [11] or may not [12] be referrable to Ikrandraco
L. microdon [10] Junior synonym of L. machaerorhynchus [11]
Nicorhynchus N. capito [10] [13] Jaw fragmentsPossibly synonymous with Coloborhynchus [14]
Ornithocheirus O. simus [10] [15]
"Ornithocheirus" denticulatus [10]
"Ornithocheirus" polyodon [10]
Ornithostoma [16] [17] O. sedgwickiJaw fragmentsAzhdarchoid pterosaur [17]
Indeterminate azhdarchoid Jaw fragmentsLikely represents a distinct taxon from Ornithostoma [18]

Ichthyosaurs

Ichthyosaurs
GenusSpeciesLocalityMaterialNotesImages
Cetarthrosaurus C. walkeri [19]
Maiaspondylus M. cantabrigiensis
Pervushovisaurus P. campylodon
Sisteronia S. seeleyi

Lepidosauria

Color key
Taxon Reclassified taxonTaxon falsely reported as presentDubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon
Notes
Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited.
Lepidosauria
GenusSpeciesLocalityMaterialNotesImages
Patricosaurus P. merocratus [20] Chimeric specimen

Invertebrates

Ammonites

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Tropeognathus</i> Genus of anhanguerid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous

Tropeognathus is a genus of large pterosaurs from the late Early Cretaceous of South America. This genus is considered to be a member of the family Anhangueridae, however, several studies have also recovered it within another family called Ornithocheiridae. Both of these families are diverse groups of pterosaurs known for their keel-tipped snouts and large size. Tropeognathus is regarded as the largest pterosaur found in the Southern Hemisphere, only rivaled by the huge azhdarchids. The type and only species is Tropeognathus mesembrinus. Fossil remains of Tropeognathus have been recovered from the Romualdo Formation, which is a Lagerstätte located in the Santana Group of the Araripe Basin in northeastern Brazil.

<i>Ornithostoma</i> Genus of azhdarchoid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous

Ornithostoma is a genus of pterodactyloid pterosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous period of Europe, around 110 million years ago. Ornithostoma was once thought to have been a senior synonym of the pteranodontid Pteranodon due to its toothless anatomy and prior naming.

<i>Siroccopteryx</i> Genus of anhanguerid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous

Siroccopteryx is an extinct genus of anhanguerid pterodactyloid pterosaur which lived in Morocco during the Cenomanian stage of the Late Cretaceous. Some researchers, such as David M. Unwin, consider the genus a junior synonym of Coloborhynchus.

<i>Coloborhynchus</i> Genus of anhanguerid pterosaur from the Cretaceous period

Coloborhynchus is a genus of pterodactyloid pterosaur belonging to the family Anhangueridae, though it has also been recovered as a member of the Ornithocheiridae in some studies. Coloborhynchus is known from the Lower Cretaceous of England, and depending on which species are included, possibly the Albian and Cenomanian ages as well. Coloborhynchus was once thought to be the largest known toothed pterosaur, however, a specimen of the closely related Tropeognathus is now thought to have had a larger wingspan.

<i>Ludodactylus</i> Genus of anhanguerid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous

Ludodactylus is a genus of anhanguerid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous period of what is now the Crato Formation of the Araripe Basin in Ceará, Brazil. The type and only species is L. sibbicki. The generic name Ludodactylus refers to the fact that the animal had the combination of teeth and a Pteranodon-like head crest, similar to many toy pterosaurs, and no such creature was known to exist until the discovery of Ludodactylus. However, Ludodactylus is not the only pterosaur known to possess these features, its very close relative Caulkicephalus is another example.

<i>Lonchodectes</i> Genus of lonchodectid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous

Lonchodectes was a genus of lonchodectid pterosaur from several formations dating to the Turonian of England, mostly in the area around Kent. The species belonging to it had been assigned to Ornithocheirus until David Unwin's work of the 1990s and 2000s. Several potential species are known; most are based on scrappy remains, and have gone through several other generic assignments. The genus is part of the complex taxonomy issues surrounding Early Cretaceous pterosaurs from Brazil and England, such as Amblydectes, Anhanguera, Coloborhynchus, and Ornithocheirus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lonchodectidae</span> Family of pteranodontoid pterosaurs

Lonchodectidae or Lonchodraconidae is a group of pterosaurs within the clade Pterodactyloidea. It has variously been considered to be within Ctenochasmatoidea, Azhdarchoidea and Pteranodontoidea. They are notable for their high, conical tooth sockets and raised alveolar margins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ornithocheiridae</span> Family of ornithocheiran pterosaurs

Ornithocheiridae is a group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea. These pterosaurs were among the last to possess teeth. Members that belong to this group lived from the Early to Late Cretaceous periods, around 140 to 90 million years ago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kem Kem Group</span> Geological group in eastern Morocco

The Kem Kem Group is a geological group in the Kem Kem region of eastern Morocco, whose strata date back to the Cenomanian stage of the Late Cretaceous. Its strata are subdivided into two geological formations, with the lower Ifezouane Formation and the upper Aoufous Formation used for the strata on the eastern side of the Atlas Mountains (Tinghir), with the Gara Sbaa Formation and Douira Formation used in the southern Tafilalt region. It is exposed on an escarpment along the Algeria–Morocco border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chaoyangopteridae</span> Family of azhdarchoid pterosaurs

Chaoyangopteridae is a family of pterosaurs within the larger group Azhdarchoidea. Chaoyangopterids lived mostly during the Early Cretaceous period, though possible members, Microtuban, Xericeps and Argentinadraco, may extend the fossil range to the Late Cretaceous.

<i>Uktenadactylus</i> Genus of anhanguerid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous

Uktenadactylus is a genus of anhanguerid pterodactyloid pterosaurs from the Lower Cretaceous Paw Paw Formation of Texas, United States and the Wessex Formation on the Isle of Wight, England. Fossil remains of Uktenadactylus dated back to the Early Cretaceous period, from about 125 to 100 million years ago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ornithocheirae</span> Clade of pteranodontoid pterosaurs

Ornithocheirae is an extinct clade of pteranodontoid pterosaurs from the Early Cretaceous to the Late Cretaceous of Asia, Europe, North America and South America. It was named by Harry Seeley in 1870 as a family that contains Ornithocheirus and its relatives. The name was emended to Ornithocheiridae, to match the requirements of the ICZN Code that a family-ranked clade should end with an -idae suffix. Brian Andres (2010) in his review of pterosaur phylogeny, defined the name Ornithocheirae phylogenetically, as a node-based taxon consisting of the last common ancestor of Anhanguera and Ornithocheirus and all its descendants. Thus Ornithocheirae is defined to include two families, the Anhangueridae and the Ornithocheiridae, following the opinion of Alexander Kellner and Andres that these families should not be synonymized based on their original phylogenetical definitions. However, subsequent studies in 2019 have found Ornithocheirae to be a more inclusive group containing both Anhangueria and Targaryendraconia.

<i>Lonchodraco</i> Genus of lonchodraconid pterosaur from the Cretaceous period

Lonchodraco is a genus of lonchodraconid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous of southern England. The genus includes species that were previously assigned to other genera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anhangueria</span> Clade of ornithocheiran pterosaurs from the Cretaceous period

Anhangueria is a group of pterosaurs belonging to the clade Pteranodontoidea. Fossil remains of this group date back from the Early to Late Cretaceous periods, around 140 to 92.5 million years ago. Anhangueria was named by paleontologists Taissa Rodrigues and Alexander Kellner in a review of Ornithocheirus species in 2013, they defined the clade as a branch-based taxon consisting of all pteranodontoids more closely related to Anhanguera blittersdorffi than to Istiodactylus latidens and Cimoliopterus cuvieri.

<i>Maaradactylus</i> Genus of anhanguerid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous

Maaradactylus is a genus of anhanguerid pterodactyloid pterosaur known from the Lower Cretaceous period of the Romualdo Formation of northeastern Brazil.

<i>Apatorhamphus</i> Genus of azhdarchoid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous

Apatorhamphus is an extinct genus of azhdarchoid pterosaur from the Kem Kem Group of Morocco. It might have been part of the Chaoyangopteridae. It is only known from a few snout fragments and it likely had a wingspan of between 3–7 metres (9.8–23.0 ft)

<i>Nicorhynchus</i> Genus of anhanguerid pterosaur from the Cretaceous period

Nicorhynchus is a genus of anhanguerid pterosaur from the Cretaceous period. It contains two species, the type species, N. capito, from the Cambridge Greensand of England, and N. fluviferox from the Kem Kem Group of Morocco. These species were previously assigned to Coloborhynchus.

<i>Aerodraco</i> Genus of anhanguerid pterosaur from the Cretaceous period

Aerodraco is a genus of anhanguerid pterosaur from the Albian–Cenomanian-age Cambridge Greensand of England. It contains only one species, Aerodraco sedgwickii. It was originally assigned to the genus Pterodactylus.

<i>Akharhynchus</i> Genus of anhanguerian pterosaurs

Akharhynchus is an extinct genus of tropeognathine pteranodontoid pterosaurs possibly from the Cretaceous Kem Kem Group of Morocco. The genus contains a single species, A. martilli, known from a small fragment of the premaxillae.

References

  1. 1 2 Hart, Malcolm B.; Fox, Lyndsey R. (2020). "Micropalaeontology and stratigraphical setting of the Cambridge Greensand". Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 498 (1): 147–163. Bibcode:2020GSLSP.498..147H. doi:10.1144/SP498-2018-144. ISSN   0305-8719. S2CID   210304478.
  2. 1 2 Cambridge Greensand at BGS
  3. 1 2 "Table 11.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 215.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Table 17.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 367.
  5. 1 2 3 "Table 19.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 417.
  6. "Table 20.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 443.
  7. "Table 13.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 270.
  8. 1 2 Holgado, B.; Pêgas, R.V. (2020). "A taxonomic and phylogenetic review of the anhanguerid pterosaur group Coloborhynchinae and the new clade Tropeognathinae". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 65. doi: 10.4202/app.00751.2020 .
  9. 1 2 3 Holgado, Borja (2021). "On the validity of the genus Amblydectes Hooley 1914 (Pterodactyloidea, Anhangueridae) and the presence of Tropeognathinae in the Cambridge Greensand". Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências. 93 (suppl 2). doi:10.1590/0001-3765202120201658. ISSN   1678-2690.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Rodrigues, Taissa & Kellner, Alexander Wilhelm Armin (2013). "Taxonomic review of the Ornithocheirus complex (Pterosauria) from the Cretaceous of England". ZooKeys (308): 1–112. Bibcode:2013ZooK..308....1R. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.308.5559 . PMC   3689139 . PMID   23794925.
  11. 1 2 Averianov, A.O. (2020). "Taxonomy of the Lonchodectidae (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea)". Proceedings of the Zoological Institute RAS. 324 (1): 41–55. doi: 10.31610/trudyzin/2020.324.1.41 .
  12. Pêgas, Rodrigo V. (2024-06-10). "A taxonomic note on the tapejarid pterosaurs from the Pterosaur Graveyard site (Caiuá Group, ?Early Cretaceous of Southern Brazil): evidence for the presence of two species". Historical Biology : 1–22. doi:10.1080/08912963.2024.2355664. ISSN   0891-2963.
  13. Holgado, B.; Pêgas, R.V. (2020). "A taxonomic and phylogenetic review of the anhanguerid pterosaur group Coloborhynchinae and the new clade Tropeognathinae". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 65. doi: 10.4202/app.00751.2020 .
  14. Smith, Roy E.; Ibrahim, Nizar; Longrich, Nicholas; Unwin, David M.; Jacobs, Megan L.; Williams, Cariad J.; Zouhri, Samir; Martill, David M. (September 2023). "The pterosaurs of the Cretaceous Kem Kem Group of Morocco". PalZ. 97 (3): 519–568. Bibcode:2023PalZ...97..519S. doi: 10.1007/s12542-022-00642-6 . ISSN   0031-0220.
  15. Unwin D.M., 2001, "An overview of the pterosaur assemblage from the Cambridge Greensand (Cretaceous) of Eastern England", Mitteilungen aus dem Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin, Geowissenschaftliche Reihe 4: 189–221
  16. Averianov A.O. (2012). "Ornithostoma sedgwicki – valid taxon of azhdarchoid pterosaurs". Proceedings of the Zoological Institute RAS. 316 (1): 40–49. doi:10.31610/trudyzin/2012.316.1.40.
  17. 1 2 Smith, Roy E.; Martill, David M.; Unwin, David M.; Steel, Lorna (February 2021). "Edentulous pterosaurs from the Cambridge Greensand (Cretaceous) of eastern England with a review of Ornithostoma Seeley, 1871". Proceedings of the Geologists' Association. 132 (1): 110–126. Bibcode:2021PrGA..132..110S. doi:10.1016/j.pgeola.2020.10.004.
  18. Smith, Roy E.; Martill, David M.; Zouhri, Samir (2023). "Distinctive azhdarchoid pterosaur jaws from the mid-Cretaceous Cambridge Greensand of eastern England and the Kem Kem Group of Morocco". Proceedings of the Geologists' Association. 134 (3): 269–275. doi:10.1016/j.pgeola.2023.03.002.
  19. Valentin Fischer; Nathalie Bardet; Myette Guiomar & Pascal Godefroit (2014). "High Diversity in Cretaceous Ichthyosaurs from Europe Prior to Their Extinction". PLOS ONE. 9 (1): e84709. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...984709F. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084709 . PMC   3897400 . PMID   24465427.
  20. P. M. Barrett and S. E. Evans. 2002. A reassessment of the Early Cretaceous reptile 'Patricosaurus merocratus' Seeley from the Cambridge Greensand, Cambridgeshire, UK. Cretaceous Research 23:231-240
  21. C. W. Wright and W. J. Kennedy. 1979. Origin and evolution of the Cretaceous micromorph ammonite family Flickiidae. Palaeontology 22:685-704