Muwaqqar Chalk-Marl Formation

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Muwaqqar Chalk-Marl Formation
Stratigraphic range: Maastrichtian to late Paleocene [1]
Type Geological formation
Underlies Um Al'Rijam Chert-Limestone Formation
Overlies Alhisa Phosphorite Formation
Lithology
Primary Chalk, marl
Other Oil shales
Location
Coordinates 31°42′N36°30′E / 31.7°N 36.5°E / 31.7; 36.5
Approximate paleocoordinates 14°54′N29°48′E / 14.9°N 29.8°E / 14.9; 29.8
CountryFlag of Jordan.svg  Jordan
Type section
Named for Al-Muwaqqar
Named byM. Masri
Year defined1963
Reliefkarte Jordanien.png
Green pog.svg
Muwaqqar Chalk-Marl Formation (Jordan)

The Muwaqqar Chalk-Marl Formation or Muwaqqar Formation is a Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) and early Paleogene-aged geological formation in Jordan, cropping out across the Jordanian Highlands from north to south. It is the geological formation containing Jordan's famous oil shales, which are among the largest in the world. [2] [3] Some outcrops of the formation contain extremely well-preserved fossils, making it a lagerstätte. [4] [5]

Contents

Environment

The formation appears to have been deposited in a pelagic subtropical environment on the outer continental shelf of the Afro-Arabian continent, with the Harrana locality being deposited no deeper than 100 metres (330 ft) below the surface, based on the occurrence of depth-limited fauna such as nurse sharks. [4] The formation of this habitat likely originates from a major marine transgression of the Tethys Ocean at the same time as this depositional event, turning it into an open water ecosystem. The oil shales may have formed from cold upwelling currents from the Tethys that increased the region's planktonic productivity, with these fossilized plankton eventually turning into oil. [2] [3] The sites of excellent fossil preservation may have been formed by anoxic conditions on the seafloor hindering the decomposition of organic matter as well as rapid burial of fossils, although the presence of bottom-dwelling scavengers suggests that anoxic conditions must have been relatively moderate. [4]

While the formation as a whole lasts from the early Maastrichtian to the end of the Paleocene based on foraminifera-based dating, a significant uncomformity exists in some localities at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, which may be due to a drop in sea levels at the time, with deposition continuing following a second sea level rise in the Paleocene. [1] In addition, the highly fossiliferous portion of the formation was only deposited in the span of a few hundred thousand years at the end of the Maastrichtian. [6]

Paleobiota

A locality in Harrana is a Konservat-Lagerstätte with extremely well-preserved fossils that were deposited during the latest Maastrichtian, around 66.5 to 66.1 million years ago, [6] making it one of the last lagerstatten to be deposited before the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event. The preservation is akin to that of the older, more well-known Sannine Formation from Lebanon. Fossils are contained in concretions exposed by limestone mining, which started in the Harrana region around 1995. Notable fossils from this locality include articulated fish and mosasaur skeletons, mosasaur skin impressions, and evidence of mosasaur carcasses scavenged by nurse sharks & other fishes. [4]

The fossil potential of the Harrana locality was documented by geologist Hani Kaddumi, who described most of the formation's taxa in a 2009 book. Many fossils from this locality are held in the Eternal River Museum of Natural History in Jordan. [4]

The following list of biota is based primarily on Kaddumi (2009). Unless stated otherwise, a majority are from the Harrana locality: [4]

Cartilaginous fish

GenusSpeciesMaterialNotesImages
Batoidea indet.Articulated pectoral wingA gigantic ray of uncertain affinities.
Cretalamna C. biauriculataTeethAn otodontid shark. Cretalamna reconstruction.png
Ginglymostoma G. sp.TeethA nurse shark, teeth found embedded in a fossil mosasaur carcass. Nurse shark.jpg
Harranahynchus H. minutadens3 articulated specimens, one nearly completeA sawskate.
Lamniformes indet.Nearly complete specimenA nearly complete mackerel shark.
Myliobatidae indet.Complete specimenA complete, fully-preserved eagle ray.
Schizorhiza S. stromeriNearly complete rostrum A sawskate. Schizorhiza (7992001442).jpg
Squalicorax S. pristodontusTeethA crow shark. Squalicorax2DB.jpg

Bony fish

GenusSpeciesMaterialNotesImages
'Beryciformes' indet.Complete skeletonsA "beryciform" under the sensu lato interpretation, but potentially a veliferid. [7]
Cimolichthys sp.Articulated skeletonA cimolichthyid aulopiform.
Dercetidae indet.Complete skeletonA dercetid aulopiform, similar to Dercetis triqueter and possibly a new species of Dercetis.
Elopidae indet.Complete skeletonA relative of ladyfish.
Enchodus E. harranaensisArticulated partial specimens, isolated teethAn enchodontid aulopiform.
E. petrosus, a related species Enchodus petrosus.png
E. petrosus, a related species
Eurypholis E. sp.Articulated skeletonsAn enchodontid aulopiform.
E. boissieri, a related species Eurypholis boissieri.JPG
E. boissieri, a related species
Ichthyodectes I. sp.Articulated skull, rest of the skeleton most likely lostAn ichthyodectid ichthyodectiform. Ichthyodectes ctenodon 2.jpg
Ichthyodectidae indet.Poorly-preserved articulated skull & vertebral columnAn indeterminate ichthyodectid with very large teeth.
Percomorpha indet.Complete skeletonA moonyfish-like percomorph (initially identified as a perciform). [7]
Postredectes P. harranaensisArticulated skull with associated remainsAn ichthyodectid ichthyodectiform. Postredectes harranaensis.jpg
Stratodus S. apicalisFour fully articulated skullsA dercetid aulopiform. Stratodus DB12.jpg
Saurocephalus S. longicorpusSix articulated specimens, the most complete known for the genus.A saurodontid ichthyodectiform.
S. lanciformis, a related species Saurocephalus lanciformis.JPG
S. lanciformis, a related species
Teleostei indet.Complete skeletonA bizarre fish with a deeply forked tail and a stooped forehead akin to that of a dolphinfish. Taxonomic identity uncertain.

Reptiles

GenusSpeciesMaterialNotesImages
Rarosaurus R. singularisRostrum with teethAn indeterminate marine reptile, initially described as a late-surviving polycotylid plesiosaur, but more recently found to possibly be a marine crocodylomorph. [8]

Mosasaurs

GenusSpeciesMaterialNotesImages
Carinodens C. palistinicusA complete skull, some vertebrae, and digits from front flippers.A globidensine, the most completely known member of its genus. Likely adapted to a pelagic lifestyle.
C. belgicus, a related species Carinodens belgicus 1.jpg
C. belgicus, a related species
Harranasaurus H. khuludaeRight dentary A small durophagous globidensine. Remains very rare. Harranasaurus mandible.jpg
Mosasauridae indet.Articulated hind paddleA mosasaur of uncertain affinities.
Mosasaurus M. hoffmaniTeethA mosasaurine. Mosasaurus 21copy.jpg
M. sevcikiHindlimbs, sacral vertebrae, preserved scales
M. sp. 1Front paddle, humerus
M. sp. 2Vertebra
Plioplatecarpini indet.Hind paddleA plioplatecarpine.
Prognathodon P. hashimi (= Tenerasaurus )Complete post-cranial skeleton missing skull.A prognathodontine. P. primus has the first known complete mosasaur skull from the Middle East.
P. hudaeLeft dentary.
P. primusComplete skull.
P. sp. 1Cranium with teeth
P. sp. 2Partial dentary with teeth
P. sp. 3Cranial elements including left maxilla with teeth.
P. sp. 4Lumbar vertebrae and pygal
P. sp. 5Two teeth
Tylosaurinae indet.Front paddle.A tylosaurine.

Turtles

GenusSpeciesMaterialNotesImages
Cheloniidae indet.Articulated pectoral girdle.A very large cheloniid sea turtle.
Chelonioidea indet. 1A right humerusA very large sea turtle.
Chelonioidea indet. 2.Front paddleA very large sea turtle.
Gigantatypus G. salahiA right humerus.A very large cheloniid sea turtle. Gigantatypus humerus.jpg

Pterosaurs

GenusSpeciesMaterialLocalityNotesImages
Inabtanin I. alarabiaJaws, vertebrae, and front limb bones.Tal Inab 6An azhdarchoid pterosaur, one of the most complete from the region. [5] Inabtanin alarabia reconstruction.png
Nyctosauridae indet.Wing bones.HarranaA nyctosaurid pterosaur.

Mollusca

Based on Krewesh et al (2014) and Jagt et al (2017): [2] [6]

Cephalopoda

GenusSpeciesMaterialNotesImages
Baculites B. ovatusJebal Khuzaym, HarranaA baculitid ammonite. SouthDakotaBaculites.jpg
Libycoceras L. acutidorsatusHarranaA sphenodiscid ammonite.
L. cf. ismaeliJebal Khuzaym
Menuites M.fresvillensisHarranaA pachydiscid ammonite. Menuites portlocki (fossil ammonite) (Mesaverde Group, Late Cretaceous; Wyoming, USA) 2.jpg
Pachydiscus P. dossantosiHarranaA pachydiscid ammonite. Pachydiscus perfidus.jpg
Sphenodiscus S. lobatusJebal KhuzaymA sphenodiscid ammonite. Sphenodiscus species1.jpg

Bivalvia

GenusSpeciesMaterialNotesImages
Lyropecten L. mayereymariA scallop. [9]
Tenuipteria T. argenteaAn inoceramid.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maastrichtian</span> Sixth and last age of the Late Cretaceous

The Maastrichtian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) geologic timescale, the latest age of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or Upper Cretaceous Series, the Cretaceous Period or System, and of the Mesozoic Era or Erathem. It spanned the interval from 72.1 to 66 million years ago. The Maastrichtian was preceded by the Campanian and succeeded by the Danian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mosasaurinae</span> Subfamily of reptiles

The Mosasaurinae are a subfamily of mosasaurs, a diverse group of Late Cretaceous marine squamates. Members of the subfamily are informally and collectively known as "mosasaurines" and their fossils have been recovered from every continent except for South America.

<i>Globidens</i> Extinct genus of lizards

Globidens is an extinct genus of mosasaurid oceanic lizard classified as part of the Globidensini tribe in the Mosasaurinae subfamily. Globidens belongs to the family Mosasauridae, which consists of several genera of predatory marine lizards of various sizes that were prevalent during the Late Cretaceous. Specimens of Globidens have been discovered in Angola, Brazil, Morocco, Syria and the United States. Among mosasaurs, Globidens is probably most well known for the highly rounded, globe-like teeth that give it its name.

<i>Prognathodon</i> Extinct genus of lizards

Prognathodon is an extinct genus of marine lizard belonging to the mosasaur family. It is classified as part of the Mosasaurinae subfamily, alongside genera like Mosasaurus and Clidastes. Prognathodon has been recovered from deposits ranging in age from the Campanian to the Maastrichtian in the Middle East, Europe, New Zealand, and North America.

Carinodens is an extinct genus of Cretaceous marine lizard belonging to the mosasaur family. "Carinodens" means "keel teeth" and was named in 1969 as a replacement name for Compressidens, "compressed teeth", which was already in use for a gadilidan scaphopod mollusk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ichthyodectiformes</span> Extinct order of ray-finned fishes

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maastricht Formation</span> Geological formation in the Netherlands and Belgium

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wadi Harrana</span> Geographic region of eastern Jordan

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<i>Gigantatypus</i> Extinct genus of turtles

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Harranahynchus is an extinct genus of schizorhizid sawskate that lived during the Late Cretaceous. It contains one valid species, Harranahynchus minutadens. It is known from relatively complete cranial and body fossils found in the Muwaqqar Chalk Marl Formation of Jordan, dating back to the late Maastrichtian. Its rostral denticles are extremely small and are arranged in batteries like its close relative Schizorhiza. It has an estimated length of around 2 m (6.6 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nyctosauridae</span> Family of pteranodontian pterosaurs

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Globidensini</span> Tribe of lizards

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<i>Harranasaurus</i> Extinct genus of lizards

Harranasaurus is an extinct genus of globidensin mosasaur from Jordan. The genus contains one known species, H. khuludae from the Muwaqqar Chalk Marl Formation of Jordan.

<i>Thalassotitan</i> Large bodied African mosasaur

Thalassotitan is an extinct genus of large mosasaurs that lived during the late Maastrichtian of the Cretaceous period in what is now Morocco, around 66 million years ago. The only known species is T. atrox, described in 2022 from fossils discovered in the Ouled Abdoun Basin, where many other mosasaurs have been found. It was assigned to the tribe Prognathodontini alongside other mosasaurs like Prognathodon and Gnathomortis. The prognathodontines are separated from other mosasaurs based on their massive jaws and robust teeth.

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<i>Inabtanin</i> Genus of azhdarchoid pterosaurs

Inabtanin is an extinct genus of azhdarchoid pterosaurs from the Late Cretaceous Muwaqqar Formation of Jordan. The genus contains a single species, I. alarabia, known from a partial skeleton. Inabtanin represents one of the most complete pterosaur taxa known from the Afro-Arabia region.

References

  1. 1 2 Farouk, Sherif; Marzouk, Akmal M.; Ahmad, Fayez (2014-11-01). "The Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary in Jordan". Journal of Asian Earth Sciences. 94: 113–125. doi:10.1016/j.jseaes.2014.08.015. ISSN   1367-9120.
  2. 1 2 3 Khrewesh, Amani M.; Hamad, Abdullah Abu; Abed, Abdulkader M. (December 2014). "Late Cretaceous Muwaqqar Formation Ammonites in Southeastern Jordan" (PDF). Jordan Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
  3. 1 2 Sokol, Ella V.; Kozmenko, Olga A.; Khoury, Hani N.; Kokh, Svetlana N.; Novikova, Sofya A.; Nefedov, Andrey A.; Sokol, Ivan A.; Zaikin, Pavel (2017-06-01). "Calcareous sediments of the Muwaqqar Chalk Marl Formation, Jordan: Mineralogical and geochemical evidences for Zn and Cd enrichment". Gondwana Research. 46: 204–226. doi:10.1016/j.gr.2017.03.008. ISSN   1342-937X.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kaddumi, Hani Faig (2009). Fossils of the Harrana fauna : and the adjacent areas. Jordan: Eternal River Museum of Natural History. OCLC   709582892.
  5. 1 2 Rosenbach, Kierstin L.; Goodvin, Danielle M.; Albshysh, Mohammed G.; Azzam, Hassan A.; Smadi, Ahmad A.; Mustafa, Hakam A.; Zalmout, Iyad S. A.; Wilson Mantilla, Jeffrey A. (2024-09-05). "New pterosaur remains from the Late Cretaceous of Afro-Arabia provide insight into flight capacity of large pterosaurs". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. doi:10.1080/02724634.2024.2385068. ISSN   0272-4634.
  6. 1 2 3 Jagt, John W.M.; Jagt-Yazykova, Elena A.; Kaddumi, Hani F.; Lindgren, Johan (2018-10-02). "Ammonite dating of latest Cretaceous mosasaurid reptiles (Squamata, Mosasauroidea) from Jordan—preliminary observations". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 42 (4): 587–596. doi:10.1080/03115518.2017.1308011. ISSN   0311-5518.
  7. 1 2 Matt, Friedman; James V., Andrews; Hadeel, Saad; Sanaa, El-Sayed (2023). "The Cretaceous–Paleogene transition in spiny-rayed fishes: surveying "Patterson's Gap" in the acanthomorph skeletal record". Geologica Belgica. 26 (1–2). doi: 10.20341/gb.2023.002 .
  8. Alhalabi, Wafa A.; Bardet, Nathalie; Sachs, Sven; Kear, Benjamin P.; Joude, Issam B.; Yazbek, Muhammed K.; Godoy, Pedro L.; Langer, Max C. (2024-07-01). "Recovering lost time in Syria: New Late Cretaceous (Coniacian-Santonian) elasmosaurid remains from the Palmyrides mountain chain". Cretaceous Research. 159: 105871. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2024.105871. ISSN   0195-6671.
  9. Farouk, Sherif; Marzouk, Akmal M.; Ahmad, Fayez (2014-11-01). "The Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary in Jordan". Journal of Asian Earth Sciences. 94: 113–125. doi:10.1016/j.jseaes.2014.08.015. ISSN   1367-9120.