Hesseltal Formation

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Hesseltal Formation
Stratigraphic range: Late Cenomanian-Early Turonian
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Type Geological formation
Unit of Planerkalk Group
Lithology
Primary Marl, limestone
Other Black shale
Location
Country Germany
Extent North Rhine-Westphalia
Lower Saxony
Type section
Named byHiss, Kaplan & Wiese
Year defined2007

The Hesseltal Formation or Blackcoloured Formation is a Late Cretaceous (late Cenomanian to early Turonian) geological formation from northern Germany. It consists of lithified marls and limestone, with a unique series of black shales deposited in anoxic conditions during the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary event. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Contents

It provides an important record of the fauna of the proto-North Sea basin. The formation's diversity of fossil fish is thought to be due to a consequence of an expanding oxygen minimum zone that caused mass mortalities among different communities of fish, including both those associated with warm surface waters and those associated with colder waters from upwelling. The anoxic conditions allowed for detailed preservation of some of these fish, including bony fish with their stomach contents preserved and even a few partial body fossils of cartilaginous fish. [5] [7] Fossil ammonites with preserved soft parts are also known. [8]

The formation's deposition also documents the Plenus Cold Event, an enigmatic, brief but severe cooling event that occurred during the otherwise rapid global warming from the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary event, possibly as a consequence of changing ocean circulation. [5]

Paleobiota

Most fish are documented in Diedrich (2012) and a species list from Amalfitano et al (2020). [7] [9]

Bony fish

GenusSpeciesLocationMaterialNotesImages
Apateodus A. striatusAn ichthyotringid aulopiform. Apateodus corneti Naturalis.JPG
Armigatus A. brevissimusAn ellimmichthyiform clupeomorph. Ellimmichthyiformes - Armigatus brevissimus.JPG
Anomoeodus A. angustusA pycnodont. FOS471.jpg
A. muensteri
Aulolepis A. typusA ctenothrissiform. Aulolepis (36908826841).jpg
Apsopelix A. anglicusA crossognathid crossognathiform. Apsopelix anglicus LACM.jpg
Bananogmius B. ornatusA plethodid tselfatiiform. Preserved with Clupavus in the stomach. Bananogmius 2 (cropped).jpg
Belonostomus B. cinctusAn aspidorhynchid.
Cimolichthys C. levesiensisA cimolichthyid aulopiform. Cimolichthys nepaholica.png
Clupavus C. maroccanusA basal ostariophysian. The most common fish of the formation.
Cylindracanthus C. cf. minorRostral fragmentA fish of uncertain affinities. Cylindracanthus rectus.jpg
Dercetis (=Leptotrachelus)D. sp.A dercetid aulopiform. Dercetis sp.jpg
? Dixonanogmius D. sp. [10] A plethodid.
Elopopsis E. microdonA pachyrhizodontid crossognathiform.
Enchodus E. lewesiensisAn enchodontid aulopiform. Enchodus petrosus.png
E. venator
Hoplopteryx H. lewesiensisA trachichthyiform. FMIB 51907 Hoplopteryx lewessiensis (Manfall), restored English Cretaceous Family Berycidae 2.jpeg
Ichthyodectes I. sp.An ichthyodectid. Ichthyodectes ctenodon 2.jpg
Ichthyotringa I. africanaAn ichthyotringid aulopiform. Dans l'ombre des dinosaures - Ichthyotringa - 011.jpg
Njoerdichthys N. dyckerhoffi [11] Galgenknapp Quarry, Hohne QuarryA pycnodont.
Osmeroides O. lewesiensisAn osmeroidid elopiform. Osmeroides sardinoides.jpg
Pachyrhizodus P.subulidensA pachyrhizodontid crossognathiform. Pachyrhizodus.png
P. sp.
Paranursallia P. gutturosaA pycnodont. Nursallia cf N Gutturosum.JPG
Protosphyraena P. sp.A billfish-like pachycormid. Protosphyraena perniciosa.png
" Pycnodus ""P." scrobiculatusA pycnodont.
Rhamphoichthys R. taxidiotis [10] DIMAC QuarryA billfish-like plethodid. Rhamphoichthys flipped.jpg
Rharbichthys R. feroxAn aulopiform.
Rhynchodercetis R. sp.A dercetid aulopiform. Rynchodercetis hakelensis.JPG
Protostomias P. maroccanusA dragonfish-like teleost.
Tselfatia T. formosaA plethodid. Tselfatia formosa 65.JPG
Xiphactinus X. sp.An ichthyodectid. Xiphactinus audax.png

Chondrichthyans

GenusSpeciesLocationMaterialNotesImages
Cantioscyllium C. decipiensA nurse shark.
Carcharias C. sp.A sand shark. Carcharias taurus in UShaka Sea World WB.png
Chiloscyllium C. greeneiA bamboo shark. Chiloscyllium indicum by jordan and richardson.png
Cretalamna C. appendiculataAn otodontid shark. Cretalamna reconstruction.png
Cretascyliorhinus C. aff. destombesiA scyliorhinid shark.
Cretodus C. semiplicatusA pseudoscapanorhynchid shark. Cretodus simiplicatus.jpg
Cretoxyrhina C. denticulataA cretoxyrhinid shark. Cretoxyrhina mantelli 21DB.jpg
C. mantelli
Diprosopovenator D. hilperti [5] Partial body fossilsA pseudoscyliorhinid shark (formerly Paraorthacodus sp.)
? Eostriatolamia ?E. subulataA sand shark.
Heterodontus H. caniculatusA bullhead shark. Heterodontus zebra csiro-nfc.jpg
H. polydictyos
Paranomotodon P. angustidensA thresher shark.
Protolamna P. acutaA pseudoscapanorhynchid shark. FOS2809.jpg
P. sokolovi
Pseudoscyliorhinus P. schwarzhansiA pseudoscyliorhinid shark
Posadaia P. nolfiA sand shark.
Pseudospinax P. pusillusA bamboo shark.
Ptychodus P. decurrensArticulated specimen, teethA ptychodontid shark. Ptychodus22DB.jpg
P. mammilaris
Polyacrodus P. polyptychusA hybodontid shark. Polyacrodus polycyphus 9834.jpg
Scapanorhynchus S. raphiodonA goblin shark. Scapanorhynchus raphiodon cropped.jpg
Squalicorax S. falcatusA crow shark. Squalicorax falcatus.jpg
Squatina (Cretascyllium)S. craneiAn angelshark. Squatina squatina.jpg
Squatirhina S. westfalicaA ray of uncertain affinities.
Turoniabatis T. ornataA ray of uncertain affinities.

Reptiles

GenusSpeciesLocationMaterialNotesImages
Coniasaurus C. crassidens [12] DIMAC quarryDentary, teethA dolichosaurid squamate Coniasaurus.jpg
Dolichosaurus D. longicollis [12] DIMAC quarryDorsal vertebraA dolichosaurid squamate Dolichosaurus.jpg
Mosasauroidea indet. [12] DIMAC quarryArticulated tailThe oldest articulated mosasaur remains from Europe.

References

  1. "PBDB Strata Results". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
  2. Voigt, Silke; Aurag, Aissa; Leis, Florian; Kaplan, Ulrich (2007-01-15). "Late Cenomanian to Middle Turonian high-resolution carbon isotope stratigraphy: New data from the Münsterland Cretaceous Basin, Germany" . Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 253 (1): 196–210. Bibcode:2007E&PSL.253..196V. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2006.10.026. ISSN   0012-821X.
  3. Diedrich, Cajus G. (2013-04-01). "Facies related phylostratigraphy of the benthic neoselachian Ptychodus from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian/Turonian) of the Pre-North Sea Basin of Europe" . Cretaceous Research. 41: 17–30. Bibcode:2013CrRes..41...17D. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2012.10.007. ISSN   0195-6671.
  4. Hetzel, Almut; März, Christian; Vogt, Christoph; Brumsack, Hans-Jürgen (2011). "Geochemical environment of Cenomanian - Turonian black shale deposition at Wunstorf (northern Germany)" . Cretaceous Research. 32 (4): 480–494. Bibcode:2011CrRes..32..480H. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2011.03.004. ISSN   0195-6671.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Stumpf, Sebastian; Scheer, Udo; Kriwet, Jürgen (2019-03-04). "A new genus and species of extinct ground shark, † Diprosopovenator hilperti , gen. et sp. nov. (Carcharhiniformes, †Pseudoscyliorhinidae, fam. nov.), from the Upper Cretaceous of Germany". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 39 (2): e1593185. Bibcode:2019JVPal..39E3185S. doi:10.1080/02724634.2019.1593185. ISSN   0272-4634.
  6. van Helmond, N. a. G. M.; Sluijs, A.; Sinninghe Damsté, J. S.; Reichart, G.-J.; Voigt, S.; Erbacher, J.; Pross, J.; Brinkhuis, H. (2015-03-18). "Freshwater discharge controlled deposition of Cenomanian–Turonian black shales on the NW European epicontinental shelf (Wunstorf, northern Germany)". Climate of the Past. 11 (3): 495–508. Bibcode:2015CliPa..11..495V. doi: 10.5194/cp-11-495-2015 . ISSN   1814-9324.
  7. 1 2 Hunt, Adrian P.; Milàn, Jesper; Lucas, Spencer G.; Spielmann, Justin A. (2012). Vertebrate Coprolites: Bulletin 57. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science.
  8. Klug, Christian; Riegraf, Wolfgang; Lehmann, Jens (2012). "Soft–part preservation in heteromorph ammonites from the Cenomanian–Turonian Boundary Event (OAE 2) in north–west Germany". Palaeontology. 55 (6): 1307–1331. Bibcode:2012Palgy..55.1307K. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2012.01196.x. ISSN   0031-0239.
  9. Amalfitano, Jacopo; Giusberti, Luca; Fornaciari, Eliana; Carnevale, Giorgio (2020-04-03). "UPPER CENOMANIAN FISHES FROM THE BONARELLI LEVEL (OAE2) OF NORTHEASTERN ITALY". Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia. 126 (2). doi:10.13130/2039-4942/13224. ISSN   2039-4942.
  10. 1 2 El Hossny, Tamara; Cavin, Lionel; Kaplan, Ulrich; Schwermann, Achim H.; Samankassou, Elias; Friedman, Matt (2023). "The first articulated skeletons of enigmatic Late Cretaceous billfish-like actinopterygians". Royal Society Open Science. 10 (12): 231296. Bibcode:2023RSOS...1031296E. doi:10.1098/rsos.231296. ISSN   2054-5703. PMC   10698480 . PMID   38077217.
  11. Cawley, John; Lehnmann, Jens; Wiese, Frank; Kriwet, Jürgen (2020). "Njoerdichthys dyckerhoffi gen. et sp. nov. (Pycnodontiformes, lower Turonian) northward migration caused by the Cretaceous Thermal Maximum". Cretaceous Research . 116. Bibcode:2020CrRes.11604590C. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104590. PMC   7611863 . PMID   34690488.
  12. 1 2 3 Smith, Krister T.; Schwermann, Achim H.; Wilmsen, Markus (2019). "The oldest articulated mosasaurian remains (earliest Turonian) from Germany". Geologie und Paläontologie in Westfalen. 91: 3–23.