Gosau Group

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Gosau Group
Stratigraphic range: Late Cretaceous-Eocene
~90–50  Ma
Imster Muttekopf.jpg
Rocks of the Gosau Group exposed in the Imster Muttekopf
Type stratigraphic group
Sub-units
Overlies Unconformity with folded and faulted Permian to Lower Cretaceous rocks
Thickness2,200–2,600 m (7,200–8,500 ft)
Location
Coordinates 47°36′N13°30′E / 47.6°N 13.5°E / 47.6; 13.5
Approximate paleocoordinates 32°06′N15°36′E / 32.1°N 15.6°E / 32.1; 15.6
Region Central Europe
CountryAustria
Germany
Slovakia
Extent Gosau Basin, Limestone Alps
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Gosau Group (Austria)

The Gosau Group (German: Gosau-Gruppe) is a geological stratigraphic group in Austria, Germany and western Slovakia whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous to Eocene. [1] [2] It is exposed in numerous sporadic isolated basins within the Northern Calcareous Alps. It is divided into two subgroups, the Lower Gosau Subgroup which dates from the Turonian to Campanian, approximately 90 to 75 Ma and the Upper Gosau Subgroup which dates to the Santonian to Eocene, about 83.5 to 50 Ma. The formations within each subunit vary significantly between basins. The sequence is largely marine, but the Grünbach Formation represents a terrestrial deposit. Many of the units of the group are fossiliferous, typically providing marine fossils such as ammonites, though terrestrial remains including those of dinosaurs are known from the Grünbach Formation and Schönleiten Formation.

Contents

Fossil content

Among others, the following fossils have been described from the Gosau Group: [3] [4]

reptiles
GenusSpeciesPresenceNotesImages
Struthiosaurus S. austriacus Niederösterreich, Austria [5]
Struthiosaurus austriacus.jpg
Mochlodon M. suessiA rhabdodontid iguanodont [5]
Mochlodon vorosi.png
Rhadinosaurus R. alcinusPossible indeterminate ankylosaur remains [5]
" Crataeomus "C. lepidophorusLater found to be synonymous with Struthiosaurus austriacus [5]
C. pawlowitschiiLater found to be synonymous with Struthiosaurus austriacus in partim [5]
" Danubiosaurus "D. ancepsLater found to be indeterminate ankylosaurian and Struthiosaurus austriacus remains in partim [5]
"Indeterminate fragments" [6]
" Hoplosaurus "H. ischyrusLater found to be synonymous with Struthiosaurus austriacus [5]
" Leipsanosaurus "L. noricusLater found to be synonymous with Struthiosaurus austriacus [5]
" Pleuropeltus "P. suessiLater found to be synonymous with Struthiosaurus austriacus in partim [5]
" Megalosaurus "M. pannoniensisLater found to be indeterminate theropod remains [5]
Ornithocheiridae indet. [7] [8]
Mollusca
GenusSpeciesPresenceNotesImages
" Trochactaeon "T. conicus' Nördliche Kalkalpen, Niederösterreich, AustriaVery common fossil, rock forming
Trochactaeon conicus.tif
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.

See also

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References

  1. Höfling, 1985
  2. McCann, 2008
  3. Gosau Group at Fossilworks.org
  4. Lower Gosau Group at Fossilworks.org
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Weishampel, 2004, pp. 588-593
  6. "Table 17.1," in Weishampel et al., 2004, p.367
  7. Zitteliana
  8. Agnolin & Varricchio, 2012

Bibliography

Further reading