Fleming Fjord Formation

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Fleming Fjord Formation
Stratigraphic range: Norian-Rhaetian
~222–202  Ma
Fleming Fjord Formation.png
The Buch Bjerg "Track-site" at the Fleming Fjord Formation
Type Geological formation
Unit of Scoresby Land Group
Sub-unitsEdderfugledal, Malmros Klint & Ørsted Dal Members
Underlies Kap Stewart Group
Overlies Gippsdalen Formation
Area3,000 km2 (1,200 sq mi)
Thickness200–300 m (660–980 ft)
Lithology
Primary Mudstone, claystone
Other Limestone, sandstone
Location
Coordinates 71°54′N22°34′W / 71.9°N 22.56°W / 71.9; -22.56
Approximate paleocoordinates 45°42′N2°48′W / 45.7°N 2.8°W / 45.7; -2.8
RegionEast Greenland
CountryFlag of Greenland.svg  Greenland
Extent Jameson Land
Type section
Named for Fleming Fjord
Greenland edcp relief location map.jpg
Pink ff0080 pog.svg
Fleming Fjord Formation (Greenland)

The Fleming Fjord Formation, alternatively called the Fleming Fjord Group is an Upper Triassic geological formation in the northeastern coast of Jameson Land, Greenland. It consists of terrestrial sediments and is known for its fossil content.

Contents

Description

It is of Norian to Rhaetian age and is subdivided into three members; at the base the Edderfugledal Member, followed by the Malmros Klint Member with the Ørsted Dal Member at the top. It was deposited in a large shallow to ephemeral lake. [1]

Paleobiota

The fauna of Fleming Fjord is diverse, including sauropodomorph dinosaurs, pterosaurs, temnospondyls, mammaliaforms, aetosaurs, and other taxa. [2] Freshwater unionid bivalves and conchostracans have been reported from the Malmros Klint Member. [3]

Fish

Lungfish, actinopterygian, and chondrichthyan teeth have been reported from the Malmros Klint Member. [3]

Fish of the Fleming Fjord Formation
Genus / TaxonSpeciesMemberNotes
Ceratodus C. tunuensis [4] Ørsted Dal MemberA lungfish, possibly synonymous with Ptychoceratodus rectangulus [5]
Ptychoceratodus P. rectangulus [5] Ørsted Dal MemberA lungfish

Amphibians

Amphibians of the Fleming Fjord Formation
Genus / TaxonSpeciesMemberNotesImages
Cyclotosaurus C. naraserluki [6] Ørsted Dal MemberA capitosaurian temnospondyl
Cyclotosaurus CyclotosaurusDB2 White background.jpg
Cyclotosaurus
Gerrothorax G. cf. pulcherrimus [7] Malmros Klint Member, [3]

Ørsted Dal Member

A plagiosaurid temnospondyl
Salientia indet. [8] Ørsted Dal MemberA potential stem-group anuran (frog)

Reptiles

Besides the forms described below, a diverse ichnofauna of small and large tracks has also been reported from the Malmros Klint Member, [3] as well as coprolites [9] [10] and additional theropod, pterosaur, and turtle fossils. [3] [11]

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.
Reptiles of the Fleming Fjord Formation
Genus / TaxonSpeciesMemberNotesImages
Aetosaurus A. ferratusØrsted Dal MemberA small aetosaur [11]
Eosauropus Footprints of Large, Triassic dinos in Greenland.png
Eosauropus
Issi saaneq Issiskull.png
Issi saaneq
Paratypothorax andressorum Paratypothorax andressorum.JPG
Paratypothorax andressorum
Proganochelys Proganochelys Quenstedti.jpg
Proganochelys
Arcticodactylus A. cromptonellusØrsted Dal MemberA eudimorphodontid pterosaur [11]
cf. Brachychirotherium Ørsted Dal MemberSmall quadrupedal tracks, likely produced by small or juvenile pseudosuchians [12]
Eosauropus sp.Ørsted Dal MemberLarge (>40 cm per footprint) quadrupedal tracks, likely produced by an early sauropod related to Eusauropoda [13]
Evazoum sp.Ørsted Dal MemberLarge (~36 cm per footprint) bipedal tracks, likely produced by a plateosaurian sauropodomorph. By far the largest prints assigned to this ichnogenus [13]
Grallator sp.Malmros Klint Member, Ørsted Dal MemberSmall bipedal tracks, likely produced by theropods [13] [11]
Issi [14] I. saaneqMalmros Klint MemberA plateosaurid sauropodomorph closely related to (and previously referred to) Plateosaurus
Paratypothorax P. andressorumØrsted Dal Member?A moderate-sized paratypothoracin aetosaur [11]
Phytosauria indet.Malmros Klint MemberIndeterminate phytosaur fossils, including adult and juvenile specimens [11]
Plateosauridae indet.Malmros Klint Member, Ørsted Dal MemberUndescribed fossils of plateosaurid sauropodomorphs, including complete skeletons. Plateosaurid skull material has been named as the species Issi saaneq [14]
cf. Proganochelys Ørsted Dal MemberTurtle fossils possibly referrable to Proganochelys [11] [15]
Testudinata indet.Malmros Klint Member?, Ørsted Dal MemberIndeterminate testudinatan (turtle) fossils [11]

Synapsids

Synapsids of the Fleming Fjord Formation
Genus / TaxonSpeciesMemberNotesImages
cf. Brachyzostrodon Ørsted Dal MemberA morganucodont mammaliaform [11]
Haramiyavia clemmenseni Haramiyavia clemmenseni life restoration.jpg
Haramiyavia clemmenseni
Haramiyavia H. clemmenseniØrsted Dal MemberA haramiyid mammaliaform [11]
Kalaallitkigun [16] K. jenkinsiØrsted Dal MemberA haramiyid mammaliaform
Kuehneotherium sp.Ørsted Dal MemberA kuehneotheriid mammaliaform [11]
Mitredon M. cromptoniØrsted Dal MemberA probainognathian cynodont with uncertain affinities [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jameson Land</span>

Jameson Land is a peninsula in eastern Greenland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plateosauridae</span> Extinct family of dinosaurs

Plateosauridae is a family of plateosaurian sauropodomorphs from the Late Triassic of Europe, Greenland, Africa and Asia. Although several dinosaurs have been classified as plateosaurids over the years, the family Plateosauridae is now restricted to Plateosaurus, Yimenosaurus, Euskelosaurus, and Issi. In another study, Yates (2003) sunk Sellosaurus into Plateosaurus. Gresslyosaurus is alternatively considered its own genus or a synonym of Plateosaurus.

<i>Lepidotes</i> Genus of fishes (fossil)

Lepidotes is an extinct genus of Mesozoic ray-finned fish. It has long been considered a wastebasket taxon, characterised by "general features, such as thick rhomboid scales and, for most of the species, by semi-tritorial or strongly tritorial dentition". with dozens of species assigned to it. Fossils attributed to Lepidotes have been found in Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks worldwide. It has been argued that Lepidotes should be restricted to species closely related to the type species L. gigas, which are only known from the Early Jurassic of Western and Central Europe, with most other species being not closely related, with other species transferred to new genera such as Scheenstia.Lepidotes belongs to Ginglymodi, a clade of fish whose only living representatives are the gars (Lepisosteidae). The type species L. gigas and close relatives are thought to be members of the family Lepidotidae, part of the order Lepisosteiformes within Ginglymodi, with other species occupying various other positions within Ginglymodi.

<i>Aetosaurus</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Aetosaurus is an extinct genus of pseudosuchian reptile belonging to the order Aetosauria. It is generally considered to be the most primitive aetosaur. Three species are currently recognized: A. ferratus, the type species from Germany and Italy; A. crassicauda from Germany; and A. arcuatus from eastern North America. Additional specimens referred to Aetosaurus have been found in the Chinle Group of the southwestern United States, and the Fleming Fjord Formation of Greenland. Specimens of Aetosaurus occur in Norian-age strata.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Octávio Mateus</span> Portuguese dinosaur paleontologist and biologist

Octávio Mateus is a Portuguese dinosaur paleontologist and biologist Professor of Paleontology at the Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa. He graduated in Universidade de Évora and received his PhD at Universidade Nova de Lisboa in 2005. He collaborates with Museu da Lourinhã, known for their dinosaur collection.

<i>Ceratodus</i> Extinct genus of fishes

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plateosauria</span> Extinct clade of dinosaurs

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geology of Greenland</span> Geology description

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<i>Cyclotosaurus</i> Extinct genus of temnospondyls

Cyclotosaurus is an extinct genus of temnospondyl within the family Mastodonsauridae. It was of great size for an amphibian, had an elongated skull up to 56 cm (22 in).

Mystriosuchus is an extinct genus of phytosaur that lived in the Late Triassic in Europe and Greenland. It was first named by Eberhard Fraas in 1896, and includes four species: M. planirostris, M. westphali, M. steinbergeri, and M. alleroq.

<i>Ptychoceratodus</i> Extinct genus of fishes

Ptychoceratodus is an extinct genus of lungfish living from Early Triassic to Middle Jurassic. It was established by Otto Jaekel for one species, transferred from Ceratodus genus. Type species is P. serratus from the Middle Triassic of Switzerland and Germany. Ptychoceratodus had two pairs of massive dental plates, bearing 4-6 acute ridges. Its skull roof was composed from massive, plate-like bones. In the central part of skull roof was localized an unossified fenestra. Most of the Ptychoceratodus findings are isolated dental plates, some associated with jaws. Other parts of skull or postcranial skeleton are relatively rarely found as fossils. The anatomy of skull is the best recognized in P. serratus, whereas less complete cranial material is available also for P. concinuus, P. phillipsi, and P. rectangulus. Although Ptychoceratodus is known exclusively from the Triassic and Jurassic, there were also Cretaceous specimens referred to this genus. However, they are more often regarded as representants of Metaceratodus. Ptychoceratodus is the only member of the family Ptychoceratodontidae. The first named species is P. phillipsi by Louis Agassiz in 1837 as a species of Ceratodus and later moved to Ptychoceratodus genus. Occurrences of Ptychoceratodus come mainly from Europe. However, occurrences from other continents suggest it was dispersed globally during the Triassic. After 2010, the new fossil material behind the Europe was reported from South America, India, and Greenland

<i>Paratypothorax</i> Genus of reptiles

Paratypothorax is an extinct genus of aetosaur, known from a single species, Paratypothorax andressorum. It was a broadly distributed member of the group found in Germany, North America, and possibly parts of Gondwana. The best specimens come from Germany, though for more than a century they were mistakenly considered phytosaur armor. Paratypothorax was a large and wide-bodied typothoracine aetosaur, as well as the namesake of the tribe Paratypothoracisini.

<i>Smok wawelski</i> Extinct species of reptiles

Smok is an extinct genus of large carnivorous archosaur. It lived during the latest Triassic period. Its remains have been found in Lisowice, southern Poland. The only species is Smok wawelski and was named in 2012. It is larger than any other known predatory archosaur from the Late Triassic or Early Jurassic of central Europe. The relation of Smok to other archosaurs has not yet been thoroughly studied; it may be a rauisuchid, prestosuchid, an ornithosuchid pseudosuchian or a theropod dinosaur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parasuchidae</span> Extinct clade of reptiles

Parasuchidae is a clade of phytosaurs more derived than Diandongosuchus, a basal phytosaur. It encompasses nearly all phytosaurs, including early Parasuchus-grade forms as well as a more restricted clade of more specialized phytosaurs. This more restricted clade is traditionally known as the family Phytosauridae and more recently as the subfamily Mystriosuchinae.

Lars Bjørn Clemmensen is a Danish Professor of Sedimentology in the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Copenhagen University. Lars was born in Valby (Copenhagen) and grew up in Hvidovre, before moving to Frederiksberg. He extensively worked with the geology of Greenland, mostly on the Late Triassic of Jameson Land, in East Greenland. He was part of 10 expeditions to Greenland. With a publication record over 100 titles that grant him an h-index of 27 mainly on sedimentology and stratigraphy. In 1997 a new mammal from the Triassic of East Greenland was named after him: Haramiyavia clemmenseni. Co-author of the species Cyclotosaurus naraserluki.

The Scoresby Land Group is a geologic group found in the Jameson Land Basin, Scoresby Land, East Greenland. It preserves fossils dating back to the Triassic period. It comprises the Wordie Creek Formation, Pingo Dal Formation, Gipsdalen Formation and the Fleming Fjord Formation. It is underlain by Upper Permian beds of the Schuchert Dal Formation and overlain by Rhaetian beds of the Kap Stewart Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unaysauridae</span> Extinct clade of dinosaurs

Unaysauridae is a clade of basal sauropodomorphs from the Late Triassic of India and Brazil.

Fleming Fjord is a fjord in King Christian X Land, eastern Greenland.

<i>Kalaallitkigun</i> Extinct genus of mammaliaforms

Kalaallitkigun is an extinct genus of haramiyidan mammaliaforms from the Late Triassic of Greenland. It contains a single species, Kalaallitkigun jenkinsi, which was described in 2020 from a partial dentary found in the Fleming Fjord Formation. More specifically, it was found in the mid-late Norian Carlsberg Fjord beds of the Ørsted Dal Member. It is the oldest of several mammaliaform species discovered in the Late Triassic sediments of Greenland. It is also the oldest mammaliaform with double-rooted teeth, and its pattern of tooth cusps help to clarify the evolution of haramiyidan teeth relative to their morganucodont-like ancestors.

<i>Issi</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Issi is a plateosaurid dinosaur described in 2021 from the Late Triassic Fleming Fjord Formation of Greenland. It contains one species, Issi saaneq; the full binomial name means "cold bone".

References

  1. Clemmensen, L.B.; Kent, D.V.; Jenkins, F.A. Jr. (1998). "A Late Triassic lake system in East Greenland: facies, depositional cycles and palaeoclimate" (PDF). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 140 (1–4). Elsevier: 135–159. Bibcode:1998PPP...140..135C. doi:10.1016/s0031-0182(98)00043-1 . Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  2. Clemmensen, Lars B.; Milàn, Jesper; Adolfssen, Jan Schulz; Estrup, Eliza Jarl; Frobøse, Nicolai; Klein, Nicole; Mateus, Octávio; Wings, Oliver (2015-12-16). "The vertebrate-bearing Late Triassic Fleming Fjord Formation of central East Greenland revisited: stratigraphy, palaeoclimate and new palaeontological data". Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 434 (1): 31–47. doi:10.1144/sp434.3. ISSN   0305-8719. S2CID   130069487.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Sulej, Tomasz; Wolniewicz, Andrzej; Bonde, Niels; Błażejowski, Błażej; Niedźwiedzki, Grzegorz; Tałanda, Mateusz (2014-12-10). "New perspectives on the Late Triassic vertebrates of East Greenland: preliminary results of a Polish−Danish palaeontological expedition". Polish Polar Research. 35 (4): 541–552. doi:10.2478/popore-2014-0030. ISSN   2081-8262. S2CID   44113380.
  4. Agnolin, Federico L.; Mateus, Octávio; Milàn, Jesper; Marzola, Marco; Wings, Oliver; Adolfssen, Jan Schulz; Clemmensen, Lars B. (2018-03-04). "Ceratodus tunuensis , sp. nov., a new lungfish (Sarcopterygii, Dipnoi) from the Upper Triassic of central East Greenland". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 38 (2): e1439834. Bibcode:2018JVPal..38E9834A. doi:10.1080/02724634.2018.1439834. ISSN   0272-4634. S2CID   90666275.
  5. 1 2 Pawlak, Wojciech; Tałanda, Mateusz; Sulej, Tomasz; Niedźwiedzki, Grzegorz (2020). "Dipnoan from the Upper Triassic of East Greenland and remarks about palaeobiogeography of Ptychoceratodus". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 65. doi: 10.4202/app.00679.2019 . S2CID   219423302.
  6. Marco Marzola; Octávio Mateus; Neil H. Shubin; Lars B. Clemmensen (2017). "Cyclotosaurus naraserluki, sp. nov., a new Late Triassic cyclotosaurid (Amphibia, Temnospondyli) from the Fleming Fjord Formation of the Jameson Land Basin (East Greenland)". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 37 (2): e1303501. Bibcode:2017JVPal..37E3501M. doi:10.1080/02724634.2017.1303501. hdl: 10362/33003 . S2CID   134255506.
  7. Farish A. Jenkins, Jr.; Neil H. Shubin; Stephen M. Gatesy; Anne Warren (2008). "Gerrothorax pulcherrimus from the Upper Triassic Fleming Fjord Formation of East Greenland and a reassessment of head lifting in temnospondyl feeding". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . 28 (4): 935–950. Bibcode:2008JVPal..28..935J. doi:10.1671/0272-4634-28.4.935. S2CID   86523094.
  8. Jésus, Valerian J. P.; Mateus, Octávio; Milàn, Jesper; Clemmensen, Lars B. (2022-08-24). "First occurrence of a frog-like batrachian (Amphibia) in the Late Triassic Fleming Fjord Group, central East Greenland" (PDF). Bulletin of the Geological Society of Denmark. 70: 117–130. doi:10.37570/bgsd-2022-70-08. ISSN   2245-7070. S2CID   251787823.
  9. Hansen, Bitten Bolvig; Milàn, Jesper; Clemmensen, Lars B.; Adolfssen, Jan Schulz; Estrup, Eliza Jarl; Klein, Nicole; Mateus, Octávio; Wings, Oliver (2015-12-17). "Coprolites from the Late Triassic Kap Stewart Formation, Jameson Land, East Greenland: morphology, classification and prey inclusions". Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 434 (1): 49–69. doi:10.1144/sp434.12. ISSN   0305-8719. S2CID   130321311.
  10. Milàn, Jesper; Mateus, Octávio; Mau, Malte; Rudra, Arka; Sanei, Hamed; Clemmensen, Lars B. (2021). "A possible phytosaurian (Archosauria, pseudosuchia) coprolite from the late triassic fleming fjord group of jameson land, central east Greenland". Bulletin of the Geological Society of Denmark. 69: 71–80. doi:10.37570/bgsd-2021-69-05. hdl: 10362/125319 . ISSN   0011-6297. S2CID   237873890.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Marco Marzola; Octávio Mateus; Jesper Milàn; Lars B. Clemmensen (March 2018). "A review of Palaeozoic and Mesozoic tetrapods from Greenland". Bulletin of the Geological Society of Denmark: 21–46.
  12. Klein, Hendrik; Milàn, Jesper; Clemmensen, Lars B.; Frobøse, Nicolaj; Mateus, Octávio; Klein, Nicole; Adolfssen, Jan S.; Estrup, Eliza J.; Wings, Oliver (2015-12-16). "Archosaur footprints (cf.Brachychirotherium) with unusual morphology from the Upper Triassic Fleming Fjord Formation (Norian–Rhaetian) of East Greenland". Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 434 (1): 71–85. doi:10.1144/sp434.1. ISSN   0305-8719. S2CID   56216714.
  13. 1 2 3 Lallensack, Jens; Klein, Hendrik; Milán, Jesper; Wings, Oliver; Mateus, Octávio; Clemmensen, Lars (2017). "Sauropodomorph dinosaur trackways from the Fleming Fjord Formation of East Greenland: evidence for Late Triassic sauropods". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 62. doi: 10.4202/app.00374.2017 . hdl: 10362/33146 . ISSN   0567-7920.
  14. 1 2 Beccari, V.; Mateus, O.; Wings, O.; Milàn, J.; Clemmensen, L. B. (2021). "Issi saaneq gen. et sp. nov.—A New Sauropodomorph Dinosaur from the Late Triassic (Norian) of Jameson Land, Central East Greenland". Diversity. 13 (11): 561. doi: 10.3390/d13110561 . hdl: 10362/128951 .
  15. Prothero, D. R. (2015). The Story of Life in 25 Fossils: Tales of Intrepid Fossil Hunters and the Wonders of Evolution. New York, NY: Columbia University Press. ISBN   9780231539425.
  16. Tomasz Sulej; Grzegorz Krzesiński; Mateusz Tałanda; Andrzej S. Wolniewicz; Błażej Błażejowski; Niels Bonde; Piotr Gutowski; Maksymilian Sienkiewicz; Grzegorz Niedźwiedzki (2020). "The earliest-known mammaliaform fossil from Greenland sheds light on origin of mammals". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 117 (43): 26861–26867. Bibcode:2020PNAS..11726861S. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2012437117 . PMC   7604429 . PMID   33046636. S2CID   222320190.

Bibliography