This is a list of stratigraphic units from which dinosaur body fossils have been recovered. Although Dinosauria is a clade which includes modern birds, this article covers only Mesozoic stratigraphic units. Units listed are all either formation rank or higher (e.g. group).
Here the units are sorted by the number of genera that have been reported as being represented in their respective fossil yields. Since the creation or synonymy of genera can be subjective, the sorting of the units can only roughly approximate their known paleobiodiversities.
Name | Age | Location | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Campanian | |||
Santonian | |||
Middle Campanian (?) [3] | has a few alternate spellings | ||
Campanian | |||
Cenomanian to Santonian [4] | has many alternate spellings | ||
Barremian to basal Cenomanian | |||
Aptian-Cenomanian | |||
Middle Campanian [8] | has many alternate spellings | ||
Norian to Sinemurian | |||
Late Maastrichtian [11] | |||
Late Maastrichtian [12] | |||
Late Maastrichtian [13] | |||
Early Maastrichtian [14] | |||
Cenomanian | |||
?Campanian [15] | |||
Campanian | |||
Kimmeridgian to Late Tithonian [18] | |||
Late Maastrichtian | |||
Late Maastrichtian [22] | |||
Late Maastrichtian [23] | |||
late Kimmeridgian-earliest Berriasian | |||
Hettangian | |||
Kimmeridgian to Early Tithonian | |||
Maastrichtian | |||
Early Maastrichtian [26] | has a few alternate spellings | ||
Callovian [28] | |||
Campanian | |||
Late Maastrichtian [30] | |||
Callovian-Oxfordian | |||
Maastrichtian-Thanetian | |||
Norian-Rhaetian | |||
Campanian | |||
Early Campanian to Late Maastrichtian | |||
Barremian [35] | |||
Name | Age | Location | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Late Cretaceous [39] [40] | |||
Kimmeridgian [42] | |||
Cenomanian to Coniacian [47] | |||
Candeleros Formation | |||
Sinemurian [52] | |||
Late Aptian [53] | |||
Late Aptian [55] | |||
Campanian [57] | |||
Early Maastrichtian [58] | |||
Carnian [60] | |||
Campanian [64] | |||
Early Campanian [65] | |||
Late Maastrichtian [69] | |||
Hauterivian to Valanginian [70] | |||
Name | Age | Location | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Late Cretaceous [71] | |||
Dorotea Formation | Late Cretaceous | ||
Late Sinemurian to Early Pliensbachian | |||
Sinemurian to Pliensbachian | |||
Barremian [82] | |||
Norian [83] | |||
Toqui Formation | |||
Udurchukan Formation | Maastrichtian | Russia | |
Turonian | |||
Cenomanian [85] | |||
Zhoutian Formation [86] | Turonian–early Coniacian | China | |
This list includes stratigraphic units that have produced dinosaur remains, although none of these remains have been referred to a specific genus.
Name | Location | Description |
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USA | Description | |
Description | ||
Description | ||
Description | ||
Description | ||
Description | ||
Description | ||
Description | ||
Name | Age | Location | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Jurassic |
Name | Age | Location | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Kimmeridgian [115] | |||
The Bushveld Sandstone is a geological formation dating to roughly between 201 and 189 million years ago and covering the Carnian to Norian stages. The Bushveld Sandstone is found in Transvaal, South Africa, and is a member of the Stormberg Group. As its name suggests, it consists mainly of sandstone. Fossils of the prosauropod dinosaur Massospondylus have been recovered from the Bushveld Sandstone.
The Río Colorado Subgroup, formerly named as Río Colorado Formation, is a Late Cretaceous geologic subgroup of the Neuquén Basin in northern Patagonia, Argentina. It belongs to the Neuquén Group and contains the Anacleto and Bajo de la Carpa Formations. The subgroup overlies the Río Neuquén Subgroup and is overlain by the Allen Formation of the Malargüe Group, separated by an unconformity dated to 79 Ma. Dinosaur remains diagnostic to the genus level are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.
The Alcobaça Formation, previously known as the Guimarota Formation and also known as the Consolação Unit, is a geological formation in Portugal. It dates back to the Kimmeridgian stage of the Late Jurassic. It is an important source of information on the diversity of Late Jurassic mammals. Many of the fossils were collected from the now disused and flooded Camadas de Guimarota coal mine.
The Kakanaut Formation is a geological formation in Siberia, whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian). Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation. The flora of the formation is relictual, containing some of the youngest remains of the extinct plant orders Bennettitales and Czekanowskiales.
The Trichinopoly Group is a geological formation in India whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous. It lies between the Ootatoor and Ariyalur Groups. It is broad in its southern extremity but thins as it gradually proceeds northwards as it ultimately meets the Ariyalur Group. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.
The Kallakurichi Formation, alternatively spelled as Kallankurichchi or Kallankurichi Formation, is a geological formation of the Ariyalur Group in Tamil Nadu, southern India whose strata date back to the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous. Dinosaur eggs of Megaloolithus cylindricus are among the fossils that have been recovered from the sandy limestones of the formation.
The Minhe Formation is a geological formation in northwestern China, whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous period.
The Lecho Formation is a geological formation in the Salta Basin of the provinces Jujuy and Salta of northwestern Argentina. Its strata date back to the Early Maastrichtian, and is a unit of the Salta Group. The fine-grained bioturbated sandstones of the formation were deposited in a fluvial to lacustrine coastal plain environment.
The Wadi Milk Formation is a geological formation in Sudan whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous. Originally, the formation was thought to be Albian to Cenomanian, later research has provided dating to the Campanian to Maastrichtian. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation. It stretches from the lower Wadi Al-Malik across the Wadi Muqaddam into the Bayuda Desert.
The Ankarafantsika Formation is a Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) geologic formation of the Mahajanga Basin in the Boeny region of Madagascar, Africa. The fine-grained sandstones of the formation were deposited in a fluvial to lacustrine environment.
The Matsuo Group is an Early Cretaceous geologic formation in Japan. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation, although none have yet been referred to a specific genus ("Tobasaurus").
The Kalahari Deposits is an Early Cretaceous (Aptian) geologic formation in South Africa. Dinosaur remains diagnostic to the genus level are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation. The depositional environment is described as a crater lake where poorly lithified, concretionary conglomerate and volcaniclastic, intraclastic, calcareous mudstone were deposited under quiet subaqueous conditions, probably a "crater-fill succession above an olivine-melilitie intrusion".
The Sengoku Formation is an Early Cretaceous geologic formation. Dinosaur remains diagnostic to the genus level are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.
The Black Creek Group is a geologic group in North Carolina. It preserves fossils dating back to the Late Cretaceous period.
The Chipping Norton Limestone is a geological formation in the Cotswolds, England. It preserves fossils dating back to the Bathonian. Including those of dinosaurs Cetiosaurus, Megalosaurus and Cruxicheiros as well as the Tritylodontid Stereognathus. It primarily consists of ooidal limestone.