New Egypt Formation

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New Egypt Formation
Stratigraphic range: Late Maastrichtian
~69–67  Ma
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
Type Geological formation
Unit of Monmouth Group
Underlies Hornerstown Formation
Overlies Navesink Formation
Lithology
Primary Marl
Other Sandstone, claystone
Location
Coordinates 40°18′N74°06′W / 40.3°N 74.1°W / 40.3; -74.1
Approximate paleocoordinates 37°54′N41°30′W / 37.9°N 41.5°W / 37.9; -41.5
Region New Jersey
Country United States
Type section
Named for New Egypt, New Jersey
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New Egypt Formation (the United States)
USA New Jersey relief location map.svg
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New Egypt Formation (New Jersey)

The New Egypt Formation is a Late Cretaceous (late Maastrichtian-aged) geologic formation of the Monmouth Group in New Jersey, United States. [1]

Contents

Description

The basal New Egypt is a massive clayey, glauconitic marl that closely resembles the Navesink Formation into which it grades below. Ammonites and other invertebrates found at the Spheno Run site correlate well with the middle Severn Formation of Maryland. Spheno Run has so far produced a remarkable number of vertebrate specimens, especially from marine reptiles, including: carapace elements from at least two species of turtles, Peritresius ornatus and Taphrosphys sulcatus ; various bone elements from at least two species of mosasaurs including a sizable fragment of dentary bone from Prognathodon rapax and numerous shed teeth from Mosasaurus maximus .

Vertebrate remains also include material from sharks, particularly teeth and unusually large vertebral centra from an individual lamniform shark Squalicorax pristodontus , bony fish, and, rarely, dinosaurs. In addition to the vertebrate collection, Spheno Run also yields an abundance of invertebrate species including: twenty-two bivalves, seven gastropods, six cephalopods, and one each of echinoidea, porifera, and scaphopoda. It is rare to find such an extensive array of both vertebrate and invertebrate species within one horizon in New Jersey. [1] [2]

The famous painting Leaping Laelaps was inspired by Dryptosaurus remains found in the New Egypt Formation. Laelaps-Charles Knight-1897.jpg
The famous painting Leaping Laelaps was inspired by Dryptosaurus remains found in the New Egypt Formation.

The New Egypt Formation preserves the most complete late Maastrichtian-aged dinosaur fauna from the eastern United States, providing an important record of the dinosaurs that inhabited Appalachia around this time. These remains belong to dinosaurs whose carcasses were washed out to sea, and preserve evidence of being submerged in water and scavenged by sharks & marine invertebrates. The most notable taxon from this formation is the tyrannosauroid Dryptosaurus , one of the few predatory theropods known from eastern North America. In addition, remains of indeterminate hadrosaurs, including potential lambeosaurines, are also known. The potential presence of lambeosaurines is notable, as very few other remains are known from eastern North America, and is not thought to have still inhabited North America so late into the Maastrichtian. [3] [4]

Vertebrate paleobiota

Cartilaginous fish

The following taxa are known: [5]

Chimaeras

Chimaeras of the New Egypt Formation
GenusSpeciesMemberLocationMaterialNotesImagesImages
Edaphodon E. mirificusBarnsboro, Blackwood TerraceA callorhinchid chimaera. [6] [7] Edaphodon AMNH.jpg
Leptomylus L. forfexBarnsboroA chimaeriform of uncertain affinities. [6] [8]

Sharks

Sharks of the New Egypt Formation
GenusSpeciesMemberLocationMaterialNotesImages
Brachaelurus B. hornerstownensis ShrewsburyArneytown1 toothA blind shark. Type locality for species. Brachaelurus waddi csiro-nfc.jpg
Chiloscyllium C. sp.ShrewsburyArneytown1 toothA bamboo shark. Chiloscyllium indicum by jordan and richardson.png
Cretalamna C. appendiculataShrewsburyArneytown1 toothA megatooth shark. Cretalamna reconstruction.png
Ginglymostoma G. cuspidata ShrewsburyArneytown3 teethA nurse shark. Type locality for species. Ginglymostoma cirratum SI.jpg
Hemiscyllium H. sp.ShrewsburyArneytown1 toothA bamboo shark. Hemiscyllium trispeculare randall.jpg
Proheterodontus P. creamridgensisShrewsburyArneytown1 toothA bullhead shark. Type locality for species. [9]
Pseudodontaspis P. cf. herbstiShrewsburyArneytown1 toothA sand shark.
Scapanorhynchus S. texanusBlackwood TerraceA goblin shark. [7] Scapanorhynchus sp Sahel Alma Santonian.jpg
Serratolamna S. serrataShrewsburyArneytown1 toothA serratolamnid mackerel shark.
Squalicorax S. kaupiShrewsburyArneytown1 toothA crow shark. [7] [10] Squalicorax falcatus.jpg
S. pristodontusSpheno Run, Blackwood Terrace
Squatina S. hassei ShrewsburyArneytown4 teethAn angelshark. Sand devil.png

Rays

Rays of the New Egypt Formation
GenusSpeciesMemberLocationMaterialNotesImages
Dasyatis D. newegyptensis ShrewsburyArneytown3 teethA whiptail stingray. Type locality of species. Dasyatis bennettii by jordan and richardson.png
Ischyrhiza I. miraBlackwood TerraceAn sawskate. [7] Onchosaurus (Ischyrhiza) marrocanus Arambourg 1935 - Dalpiazia stromeri Checcia-Rispoli, 1933 7100.5122.jpg
Protoplatyrhina P. renaeShrewsburyArneytown1 toothA hypsobatid ray. [11]
Ptychotrygon P. sp.ShrewsburyArneytown1 toothA ptychotrygonid sawskate. Ptychotrygon sp.jpg
Rhinobatos R. casieri ShrewsburyArneytown2 teethA guitarfish. Rhinobatos sainsburyi csiro.jpg
Rhombodus R. binkhorstiShrewsburyArneytown2 teethA rhombodontid ray. Rhombodus NT small cropped.png
R. laevis1 tooth
Sclerorhynchus S. pettersiShrewsburyArneytown2 rostra piecesA sclerorhynchid sawskate. Sclerorhynchus lebanon.jpg

Ray-finned fish

Actinopterygii of the New Egypt Formation
GenusSpeciesMemberLocationMaterialNotesImagesImages
Anomoeodus A. phaseolusBlackwood TerraceA pycnodont. [7] Anomoeodus subclavatus.jpg

Reptiles

Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs of the New Egypt Formation
GenusSpeciesMemberLocationMaterialNotesImages
Dryptosaurus D. aquilunguisBarnsboroIncomplete skeletonA tyrannosauroid theropod, type locality of genus and species. One of the most complete theropod skeletons known from eastern North America. [3] [6] 2023-12-01 15 40 55 Dryptosaurus aguilunguis cast, late Cretaceous Period, New Egypt Formation, West Jersey Marl Company Pit, Mantua Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, on display at the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton, New Jersey.jpg
" Hadrosaurus ""H." minorBarnsboroA small-sized hadrosaurid ornithischian. Nomen dubium . [3] [6]
?Lambeosaurinae indet.BarnsboroPartial forelimbA hadrosaur bone potentially referable to a lambeosaurine. Notable for representing one of the only potential records of this group from eastern North America, and one of the latest records of this group from North America overall. [4] [6]

Crocodylomorphs

Crocodylomorphs of the New Egypt Formation
GenusSpeciesMemberLocationMaterialNotesImages
Hyposaurus H. rogersiiBarnsboroA dyrosaurid. [6]

Turtles

Turtles of the New Egypt Formation
GenusSpeciesMemberLocationMaterialNotesImages
Agomphus A. pectoralisBarnsboroA kinosternoid related to the hickatee. [6] Agomphus.jpg
Euclastes E. wielandiBarnsboroA pancheloniid sea turtle. [6] Euclastes sp.jpg
Osteopygis O. emarginatusBarnsboroA macrobaenid. [6] The American journal of science (1904) (18152226245).jpg
Peritresius P. ornatusSpheno RunA pancheloniid sea turtle. [10] Peritresius martini.png
Taphrosphys T. nodosusBarnsboro, Spheno RunA bothremydid side-necked turtle. [6] Taphrosphys sulcatus Carapace Fossil.jpg
T. sulcatus

Squamates

Squamates of the New Egypt Formation
GenusSpeciesMemberLocationMaterialNotesImages
Mosasaurus M. hoffmanni (=M. dekayi)Barnsboro, Spheno RunA mosasaurine mosasaur. [6] [10] Mosasaurus 21copy.jpg
Prognathodon P. rapaxBarnsboro, Spheno RunA mosasaurine mosasaur. [6] [10] Prognathodon saturator DB.jpg
Russellosaurina indet.BarnsboroA russellosaurine mosasaur. [6]

Invertebrate fossils

Bivalves
Cephalopods

See also

References

  1. 1 2 New Egypt Formation in the Paleobiology Database
  2. Carter et al., 2008
  3. 1 2 3 Brownstein, Chase D. (2018-02-08). "The biogeography and ecology of the Cretaceous non-avian dinosaurs of Appalachia". Palaeontologia Electronica. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
  4. 1 2 Brownstein, Chase Doran; Bissell, Immanuel (2021). "An elongate hadrosaurid forelimb with biological traces informs the biogeography of the Lambeosaurinae". Journal of Paleontology. 95 (2): 367–375. doi:10.1017/jpa.2020.83. ISSN   0022-3360.
  5. Case, Gerard Ramon; Borodin, Paul D.; Leggett, James J. (2001-05-28). "Fossil selachians from the New Egypt Formation (Upper Cretaceous, Late Maastrichtian) of Arneytown, Monmouth County, New Jersey" . Palaeontographica Abteilung A: 113–124. doi:10.1127/pala/261/2001/113.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "PBDB Collection". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "PBDB Collection". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
  8. "Leptomylus forfex | Shark-References". shark-references.com. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
  9. "Proheterodontus creamridgensis | Shark-References". shark-references.com. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "PBDB Collection". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
  11. "Protoplatyrhina renae | Shark-References". shark-references.com. Retrieved 2024-11-18.

Bibliography

Further reading