Griman Creek Formation

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Griman Creek Formation
Stratigraphic range: late Albian-early-mid Cenomanian
~106–98  Ma
Type Geological formation
Unit of Rolling Downs Group
Sub-unitsCoocoran Claystone & Wallangulla Sandstone Members
Underlies Unconformity with Oligo-Miocene Cumborah Gravel
Overlies Surat Siltstone, Wallumbilla Formation
ThicknessUp to 345 m (1,132 ft)
Lithology
Primary Sandstone, siltstone, mudstone
Other Conglomerate, coal
Location
Coordinates 29°24′S147°42′E / 29.4°S 147.7°E / -29.4; 147.7
Approximate paleocoordinates 64°24′S134°54′E / 64.4°S 134.9°E / -64.4; 134.9
RegionFlag of Queensland.svg  Queensland
Flag of New South Wales.svg  New South Wales
CountryFlag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Extent Surat Basin
Type section
Named forGriman Creek
Named byReiser
Year defined1970
Australia relief map.jpg
Green pog.svg
Griman Creek Formation (Australia)

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. [1] 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. [2]

Contents

Description

As a whole, the formation primarily consists of thinly bedded medium to fine sandstone, siltstone and mudstone, with sporadic coal seams. In the vicinity of Lightning Ridge, it is divided up into two informal members the underlying Wallangulla Sandstone Member which primarily consists of red fine grained sandstone, light siltstone and grey claystone and is up to 30 metres (98 ft) thick while the overlying Coocoran Claystone consists of about 10 metres of claystone. The contact between the two units is sudden and unconformable. Discontinuous clay lens beds within the Wallangulla Sandstone Member near Lightning Ridge, referred to as the Finch Clay Facies, are one of Australia's primary sources of commercial precious opal, with many mines dug in the area. These deposits are also the primary source of fossils within the formation, a large proportion of which are preserved as semi-precious opalized pseudomorphs. The fauna found in lightning ridge indicates that the depositional environment of the Finch Clay Facies was in near-coastal freshwater lagoons. [1]

Background

Australia was located near the South Pole in the Early and Middle Cretaceous
GPlates reconstruction for 100 Ma (Albian-Cenomanian and Early and Late Cretaceous boundary) Geology of Asia 100Ma.jpg
Australia was located near the South Pole in the Early and Middle Cretaceous
GPlates reconstruction for 100 Ma (Albian-Cenomanian and Early and Late Cretaceous boundary)
Paleogeography of the Turonian (90 Ma)
Original map by Ron Blakey 90 Ma - Late Cretaceous paleogeography with known distribution of Arcellites disciformis indicated.jpg
Paleogeography of the Turonian (90 Ma)
Original map by Ron Blakey

Fossil content

Indeterminate avialan, euornithopod, and sauropod remains that were once misidentified as brachiosaurid are present in New South Wales, Australia. [2] Euornithopod tracks are also present in New South Wales.[ citation needed ]

Dipnoi

Dipnoi of the Griman Creek Formation
TaxaSpeciesPresenceMaterialNotesImages
Ceratodus [3] C. diutinusIsolated tooth plates
Metaceratodus [3] M. wollastoniIsolated tooth plates
Neoceratodus [4] N. potkoorokiIsolated tooth plates

Actinopterygii

Actinopterygians of the Griman Creek Formation
TaxaSpeciesPresenceMaterialNotesImages
Calamopleurus ? [4] sp.Isolated jaw bones

Mammals

Monotremes

Mammals
GenusSpeciesPresenceMaterialsNotesImages
Dharragarra [5] D. auroraA partial left mandibular ramus.A monotreme.
Kollikodon [5] K. ritchieiAn opalised dentary fragment, with one premolar and two molars in situ, as well as a referred maxillary fragment containing the last premolar and all four molarsA monotreme.
Opalios [5] O. splendensA fragmentary left dentary.A monotreme.
Parvopalus P. clytieiA partial left dentary.A monotreme.
Steropodon S. galmaniA monotreme
Steropodon BW.jpg
Stirtodon S. elizabethaeA large isolated premolars.A monotreme

Crocodyliformes

Crocodyliformes
GenusSpeciesPresenceMaterialsNotesImages
Isisfordia I. molnariLightning RidgeBraincase and referred maxillary fragment [6] A crocodyliform.
Isisfordia.jpg

Dinosaurs

Indeterminate ornithopods and iguanodontians are known from the formation. [1] Indeterminate avetheropods and megaraptorans are known from the formation. [1] Two species of titanosauriforms and one species of titanosaur are known from teeth. [7]

Dinosaurs
GenusSpeciesPresenceNotesImages
Fostoria F. dhimbangunmalNew South WalesA member of Rhabdodontomorpha.
Fulgurotherium F. australeNew South Wales [2]
Rapator R. ornitholestoidesNew South WalesA megaraptoran; "Manual element" [2] [8]
Rapator.png
Walgettosuchus W. woodwardiNew South Wales"Vertebra" [2] [9]
Later determined to be an indeterminate theropod [2]
Walgettosuchus.png
Weewarrasaurus W. pobeniNew South WalesAn ornithopod known from an isolated dentary [1]
Ankylosauria IndeterminateOsteoderm [10]
Enantiornithes IndeterminatePartial femora[ citation needed ]
Megaraptora ("Lightning Claw")IndeterminateNew South WalesPartial skeleton including parts of the lower arm, claws, lower leg, part of the hip, and pieces of ribs. [11]
Noasauridae IndeterminateCervical vertebra [12]
Sauropoda IndeterminateA tooth

Pterosaurs

Pterosaurs
GenusSpeciesPresenceNotesImages
Anhangueria Indeterminate"two isolated tooth crowns", possible limb elements[ citation needed ]

Testudines

Turtles
GenusSpeciesPresenceNotesImages
Spoochelys S. ormondea Perichelydian stem-turtle [13] [14]
Chelidae Indeterminate [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ornithorhynchidae</span> Family of monotremes

The Ornithorhynchidae are one of the two extant families in the order Monotremata, and contain the platypus and its extinct relatives. The other family is the Tachyglossidae, or echidnas.

<i>Kollikodon</i> Extinct genus of mammals

Kollikodon is an extinct species of mammal, considered to be an early monotreme. It is known only from an opalised dentary fragment, with one premolar and two molars in situ, as well as a referred maxillary fragment containing the last premolar and all four molars. The fossils were found in the Griman Creek Formation at Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia. Kollikodon lived in the Late Cretaceous period, during the Cenomanian age. Several other monotremes are known from the Griman Creek Formation, including Dharragarra, Opalios, Parvopalus, Steropodon, and Stirtodon.

<i>Steropodon</i> Extinct genus of monotremes

Steropodon is a genus of prehistoric platypus-like monotreme, or egg-laying mammal. It contains a single species, Steropodon galmani, that lived about 100.2–96.6 million years ago during the Cretaceous period, from early to middle Cenomanian. It is one of the oldest monotremes discovered, and is one of the oldest Australian mammal discoveries. Several other monotremes are known from the Griman Creek Formation, including Dharragarra, Kollikodon, Opalios, Parvopalus, and Stirtodon.

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

Walgettosuchus is a dubious or possibly invalid genus of extinct tetanuran theropod dinosaur that lived in Australia during the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian). It is known from a single caudal vertebra.

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

Rapator is a genus of theropod dinosaur from the Griman Creek Formation of New South Wales, Australia, dating to the Cenomanian age of the Cretaceous period. It contains only the type species, Rapator ornitholestoides, which was originally named by Friedrich von Huene in 1932.

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

Fulgurotherium is a dubious genus of ornithischian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Griman Creek Formation. It lived in what is now Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winton Formation</span> Geological formation in 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wonthaggi Formation</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eumeralla Formation</span> Geological formation in Victoria, Australia

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

Australovenator is a genus of megaraptoran theropod dinosaur from Cenomanian -age Winton Formation of Australia. 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.

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

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The Molecap Greensand is a Late Cretaceous geologic formation, located in the state of Western Australia in Australia.

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<i>Weewarrasaurus</i> Genus of ornithopod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period

Weewarrasaurus is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of the Griman Creek Formation near Lightning Ridge, in New South Wales, Australia. The type and only species is W. pobeni, known from the holotype, an isolated dentary preserved in opal, as well as a secondary referred dentary. It is thought to have co-existed with multiple other ornithopods of different sizes and lineages.

<i>Fostoria dhimbangunmal</i> Extinct species of dinosaur

Fostoria is a genus of iguanodontian ornithopod dinosaur from the Griman Creek Formation of New South Wales, Australia. The type and only species, Fostoria dhimbangunmal was described in 2019.

Opalios is an extinct genus of monotreme mammal from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Griman Creek Formation of Australia. The genus contains a single species, O. splendens, known from a fragmentary left dentary.

Dharragarra is an extinct genus of monotreme mammal from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Griman Creek Formation of Australia. The genus contains a single species, D. aurora, known from a partial left mandibular ramus. Dharragarra was likely more closely related to the living platypus than many other monotremes of the Cretaceous.

Parvopalus is an extinct genus of monotreme mammal from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Griman Creek Formation of Australia. The genus contains a single species, P. clytiei, known from a partial left dentary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ornithorhynchoidea</span> Superfamily of monotreme mammals

Ornithorhynchoidea is a superfamily of mammals containing the only living monotremes, the platypus and the echidnas, as well as their closest fossil relatives, to the exclusion of more primitive fossil monotremes of uncertain affinity.

Stirtodon is an extinct genus of monotreme mammal from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Griman Creek Formation of Australia. The genus contains a single species, S. elizabethae, known from a large isolated premolar. Stirtodon may be the largest toothed monotreme discovered. Several other monotremes are known from the Griman Creek Formation, including Dharragarra, Kollikodon, Opalios, Parvopalus, and Steropodon.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Bell et al. 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Weishampel, Dodson & Osmólska 2004, pp. 573–574.
  3. 1 2 Kemp, A. (1997). "Four species of Metaceratodus (Osteichthyes: Dipnoi, Family Ceratodontidae) from Australian Mesozoic and Cenozoic deposits". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . 17 (1): 26–33. doi:10.1080/02724634.1997.10010949. ISSN   0272-4634. Wikidata   Q104114935.
  4. 1 2 Berrell, Rodney W.; Cavin, Lionel; Trinajstic, Kate; Boisvert, Catherine; Smith, Elizabeth T. (August 2023). "The first record of amiid fishes (Halecomorphi, Amiiformes, Amiidae, Calamopleurini?) from Eastern Gondwana". Cretaceous Research. 148: 105538. Bibcode:2023CrRes.14805538B. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2023.105538.
  5. 1 2 3 Flannery, Timothy F.; McCurry, Matthew R.; Rich, Thomas H.; Vickers-Rich, Patricia; Smith, Elizabeth T.; Helgen, Kristofer M. (2024-05-26). "A diverse assemblage of monotremes (Monotremata) from the Cenomanian Lightning Ridge fauna of New South Wales, Australia". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology: 1–19. doi:10.1080/03115518.2024.2348753. ISSN 0311-5518.
  6. Hart et al. 2019.
  7. Frauenfelder et al. 2021.
  8. "Table 4.1," in Weishampel, Dodson & Osmólska 2004 , p. 74
  9. "Table 4.1," in Weishampel, Dodson & Osmólska 2004 , p. 78
  10. Bell, Burns & Smith 2018.
  11. Bell et al. 2016.
  12. Birch, Smith & Bell 2020.
  13. T-Bone Extension, Coocoran Opal Fields at Fossilworks.org
  14. Smith & Kear 2013.
  15. Smith, Elizabeth T. (September 2010). "Early Cretaceous chelids from Lightning Ridge, New South Wales". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 34 (3): 375–384. Bibcode:2010Alch...34..375S. doi:10.1080/03115518.2010.488117. S2CID   129726482.

Bibliography