Eumeralla Formation | |
---|---|
Stratigraphic range: | |
Type | Geological formation |
Unit of | Otway Group |
Sub-units | Windermere Sandstone Member, Heathfield Sandstone Member |
Underlies | Sherbrook Group |
Overlies | Katnook Sandstone, Laira Formation (Crayfish Subgroup) |
Thickness | Up to 3,000 m (9,800 ft) |
Lithology | |
Primary | Volcanilithic sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, conglomerate |
Location | |
Coordinates | 38°48′S143°18′E / 38.8°S 143.3°E |
Approximate paleocoordinates | 74°48′S115°48′E / 74.8°S 115.8°E |
Region | Victoria |
Country | Australia |
Extent | Otway Basin |
Type section | |
Named for | Eumeralla River |
Named by | Reynolds, M.A |
Year defined | 1971 |
Exposure of the Eumeralla Formation in green at the bottom-left |
The Eumeralla Formation is a geological formation in Victoria, Australia whose strata date back to the Early Cretaceous. It is Aptian to Albian in age. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation, particularly from the Dinosaur Cove locality. [1]
The Eumeralla Formation was deposited within the Otway Basin, which at the time of deposition was part of an extensional rift valley system formed between Australia and Antarctica. The lithology primarily consists of fluvially deposited siliciclastics derived from volcanic material. The strata of the Eumeralla Formation are folded as a result of northwest–southeast crustal compression during the Neogene, which also reactivated some Cretaceous aged normal faults. [2] It is one of three major fossiliferous deposits in Victoria dating to the Early Cretaceous, including the older Wonthaggi Formation and the Koonwarra fossil bed (which some authors have considered part of the Eumeralla Formation). [3]
Invertebrate traces named as Skolithos sp. and Arenicolites sp. , [4] as well as indeterminate ornithischian tracks are present in Victoria, Australia. [1] Indeterminate ornithopod remains are present at Eric the Red West locality and Elliot River, including material that possibly belongs to a new taxon. [5] Indeterminate theropod and possible indeterminate dromaeosaurid remains are present in Victoria, Australia. [1] An indeterminate unenlagiine is known from the formation. [6] [7]
Ornithischians of the Eumeralla Formation | |||||
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Genus | Species | Presence | Material | Notes | Images |
Ankylosauria [8] | Indeterminate | Dinosaur Cove | Dorsal vertebra | ||
A. loadsi [1] |
| "Maxilla [and] teeth." [9] | Elasmarian ornithopod | ||
D. pickeringi [2] | Eric the Red West locality | Partial postcranial skeleton. [2] | Elasmarian ornithopod | ||
cf. Galleonosaurus | G. dorisae [5] | Eric the Red West locality | Maxillae | Elasmarian ornithopod | |
Leaellynasaura [1] | L. amicagraphica [1] |
| Skull fragments, teeth, maxillae. Postcranial remains associated with the taxon cannot be confidently referred to it | Elasmarian ornithopod |
Dinosaurs of the Eumeralla Formation | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Presence | Material | Notes | Images |
cf. Australovenator [10] | cf. A. wintonensis | Eric the Red West locality | "two teeth, two manual unguals, and a right astragalus" | Megaraptoran theropod | |
Indeterminate | Footprints belonging to a crane-sized bird, determined to be an ornithurine or enantiornithe. | Possibly from a species also found at the Wonthaggi Formation (single furcula). | |||
Elaphrosaurinae [12] | Indeterminate | Eric the Red West locality | Single cervical vertebra | ||
Indeterminate | Dinosaur Cove | Known from a left ulna. | Probably a megaraptorid. Previously referred to Megaraptor. [15] | ||
Megaraptoridae [10] | Indeterminate | Eric the Red West locality | Known from a single cervical vertebra. | Previously thought to be a Baryonyx -related spinosaurid. [16] | |
Timimus [1] | T. hermani [1] | Dinosaur Cove | Femur | Possible tyrannosauroid theropod |
Other taxa of the Eumeralla Formation | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Presence | Notes | Images |
Ceratodus | C. nargun | A lungfish | ||
Kryoryctes | K. cadburyi | Dinosaur Cove | A monotreme | |
Sundrius | S. ziegleri | A monotreme | ||
Otwayemys | O. cunicularius | Dinosaur Cove | A meiolaniform turtle | |
Pterosauria | Indeterminate | Dinosaur Cove | ||
Plesiosauria | Indeterminate | Dinosaur Cove | ||
Mesoeucrocodylia | Indeterminate | Dinosaur Cove [17] | Distinct from other known Australian crocodilians |
Leaellynasaura is a genus of small herbivorous ornithischian dinosaurs from the late Aptian to early Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous, around 118-110 million years ago. It was first discovered in Dinosaur Cove, Australia. The only known species is Leaellynasaura amicagraphica. It was described in 1989, and named after Leaellyn Rich, the daughter of the Australian palaeontologist couple Tom Rich and Patricia Vickers-Rich who discovered it. The specific name, amicagraphica, translates to "friend writing" and honours both the Friends of the Museum of Victoria and the National Geographic Society for their support of Australian paleontology.
Atlascopcosaurus is a genus of herbivorous basal iguanodont dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Eumeralla Formation of Australia.
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.
Timimus is a genus of small coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Australia. It was originally identified as an ornithomimosaur, but now it is thought to be a different kind of theropod, possibly a tyrannosauroid.
Fulgurotherium is a dubious genus of ornithischian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Griman Creek Formation. It lived in what is now Australia.
The Winton Formation is a Cretaceous geological formation in central-western Queensland, Australia. It is late Albian to early Turonian in age. The formation blankets large areas of central-western Queensland. It consists of sedimentary rocks such as sandstone, siltstone and claystone. The sediments that make up these rocks represent the remnants of the river plains that filled the basin left by the Eromanga Sea - an inland sea that covered large parts of Queensland and central Australia at least four times during the Early Cretaceous. Great meandering rivers, forest pools and swamps, creeks, lakes and coastal estuaries all left behind different types of sediment.
Macrogryphosaurus is a genus of elasmarian dinosaur from the Coniacian age Upper Cretaceous Sierra Barrosa Formation of Argentina in Patagonia. It was described by Jorge Calvo and colleagues in 2007, with M. gondwanicus as the type and only species.
The Cerro Barcino Formation is a geological formation in South America whose strata span the Early Cretaceous to the earliest Late Cretaceous. The top age for the formation has been estimated to be Cenomanian. Earlier estimates placed the formation until the Campanian.
The Toolebuc Formation is a geological formation that extends from Queensland across South Australia and the Northern Territory in Australia, whose strata date back to the Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous. Dinosaurs, pterosaurs, plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, protostegid turtles, sharks, chimaeroids and bony fish remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.
The Allaru Formation, also known as the Allaru Mudstone, is a geological formation in Queensland, Australia, whose strata date back to the Early Cretaceous. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.
The Griman Creek Formation is a geological formation in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland, Australia whose strata date back to the Albian-Cenomanian stages of the mid-Cretaceous. It is most notable being a major source of opal, found near the town of Lightning Ridge, New South Wales. Alongside the opal opalised fossils are also found, including those of dinosaurs and primitive monotremes.
The Wonthaggi Formation is an informal geological formation in Victoria, Australia whose strata date back to the Early Cretaceous. It is part of the Strzelecki Group within the Gippsland Basin. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation. It is partially equivalent to the Eumeralla Formation.
Australovenator is a genus of megaraptoran theropod dinosaur from Cenomanian -age Winton Formation of Australia. Some specimens from the Albian-aged Eumeralla Formation may belong to Australovenator. It is known from partial cranial and postcranial remains which were described in 2009 by Scott Hocknull and colleagues, although additional descriptions and analyses continue to be published. It is the most complete predatory dinosaur discovered in Australia. It has been suggested that Australovenator is a sister taxon to Fukuiraptor, although some phylogenetic analyses find it to be a more derived member of the Megaraptora, possibly being part of the main Megaraptoridae family itself.
Wintonotitan is a genus of titanosauriform dinosaur from Cenomanian -age Winton Formation of Australia. It is known from partial postcranial remains.
The Molecap Greensand is a Late Cretaceous geologic formation, located in the state of Western Australia in Australia.
The Oum ed Diab Member is a middle-upper Albian geologic member, part of the Ain el Guettar Formation of Tunisia. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.
Kryoryctes is a genus of prehistoric monotreme mammal from the Early Cretaceous (Albian) Eumeralla Formation of Victoria, Australia from the Otway Group of Dinosaur Cove. It is known only from a partial right humerus, estimated at 106 million years old, and contains one species, Kryoryctes cadburyi. The holotype, NMV P208094, was described in 2005 and is currently housed in the Museums Victoria Palaeontological Collection.
Diluvicursor is a genus of small ornithischian from the Lower Albian of Australia. It is known from one species, the type species D. pickeringi. The two known specimens, a vertebra and a partial juvenile postcranium discovered in 2005 from the Eumeralla Formation, are known, and they were named in early 2018.
Galleonosaurus is a genus of basal ornithopod dinosaur from the Wonthaggi Formation of the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. The type and only species is Galleonosaurus dorisae.