Ornatenton Formation

Last updated
Ornatenton Formation
Stratigraphic range: Callovian
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
Type Geological formation
Sub-unitsMacrocephalae Subformation, Ornatenton Subformation, Glaukonitsandmergel Subformation
Underlies Kandern Formation, Impressamergel Formation
Overlies Variansmergel Formation
Thicknessup to 50 m (160 ft)
Lithology
Primary Mudstone
Other Sandstone
Location
Country Germany
Type section
Named for Kosmoceras ornatum
Named byBloos, Dietl and Schweigert
Year defined2005

The Ornatenton Formation is a Jurassic marine formation in Germany that is middle Callovian in age. The formation represents a shallow marine environment. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

History and naming

The Ornatenton Formation was named by Gert Bloos, Gerd Dietl and Günter Schweigert in 2005. This southern German Jurassic layer had already been previously referred to as the 'Ornatenton' by Friedrich August von Quenstedt in 1857. The formation was named after the ammonite Ammonitus ornatus, today known as Kosmoceras ornatum . A type locality has not yet been determined.

Definition and distribution area

The Ornatenton Formation is composed mainly of mudstone with some iron-oolith benches, glauconitic sandstones, and a horizon of carbonate concretions. It stretches from the Eastern Alps to the Rhine valley, and the facies area stretches into Switzerland where it is known as the 'argovian' facies. In southern Germany, the formation is underlain by the Variansmergel Formation and regionally overlapped by the Kandern or Impressamergel Formation, while in the Wutach area it is replaced by the Wutach Formation. Further east, in the French Alps, it dovetails with the Sengenthal Formation. Its thickness varies from a few meters in the Swabian Jura up to about 50 metres (160 ft) in the Plettenberg area.

Stratigraphic context of the Ornatenton Formation Lithostratigraphie suddeutscher Jura.svg
Stratigraphic context of the Ornatenton Formation

Time frame and subdivision

The Ornatenton Formation is divided into three subformations: the Macrocephalae Subformation, the Ornatenton Subformation, and the Glaukonitsandmergel Subformation. Some of the sediments of the Ornatenton Formation are dated to the upper Bathonian, but most were deposited during the Callovian. The formation locally reaches into the lower Oxfordian.

Paleofauna

The remains of dinosaurs and marine reptiles are known from the Ornatenton Formation alongside a rich invertebrate fauna including the oyster Gryphaea dilatata along with the ammonites Clydoniceras discus , Bullatimorphies bullatus , Macrocephalites gracilis , Reineckeia anceps , Erymnoceras coronatum , Peltoceras athleta , Quenstedtoceras lamberti , Quenstedtoceras mariae , and Cardioceras cordatum . [1] [4] [5]

Vertebrates reported from the Ornatenton Formation
GenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImages

Wiehenvenator

W. albati

Partial skeleton belonging to a single individual. [1]

A large megalosaurid theropod.

Wiehenvenator Wiehenvenator albati by Midiaou.jpg
Wiehenvenator
Torvosaurus T. spFragmentary maxilla [6] A large megalosaurid theropod
Torvosaurus Torvosaurus tanneri Reconstruction.png
Torvosaurus

Megalosauroidea indet.

unknown

Pedal phalanx [6] Probably belongs either to the same specimen as the Ornatenton maxilla of Torvosaurus or the holotype of Wiehenvenator [6]

Liopleurodon

L. sp.

Vertebral centra and teeth. [1]

A pliosaurid plesiosaurian.

Liopleurodon Liopleurodon after Tarlo.jpg
Liopleurodon

Metriorhynchus

M. sp.

A skull and lower jaws. [1]

A metriorhynchid thalattosuchian.

Metriorhynchus Metriorhynchus superciliosum.jpg
Metriorhynchus

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solnhofen Limestone</span> Geological formation preserving rare fossils in Germany

The Solnhofen Limestone or Solnhofen Plattenkalk, formally known as the Altmühltal Formation, is a Jurassic Konservat-Lagerstätte that preserves a rare assemblage of fossilized organisms, including highly detailed imprints of soft bodied organisms such as sea jellies. The most familiar fossils of the Solnhofen Plattenkalk include the early feathered theropod dinosaur Archaeopteryx preserved in such detail that they are among the most famous and most beautiful fossils in the world. The Solnhofen beds lie in the German state of Bavaria (Bayern), halfway between Nuremberg (Nürnberg) and Munich (München) and were originally quarried as a source of lithographic limestone. The Jura Museum situated in Eichstätt, Germany has an extensive exhibit of Jurassic fossils from the quarries of Solnhofen and surroundings, including marine reptiles, pterosaurs, and one specimen of the early bird Archaeopteryx.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carnosauria</span> Extinct Infraorder of theropod dinosaurs

Carnosauria is an extinct large group of predatory dinosaurs that lived during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Starting from the 1990s, scientists have discovered some very large carnosaurs in the carcharodontosaurid family, such as Giganotosaurus, Mapusaurus, Carcharodontosaurus and Tyrannotitan which are among the largest known predatory dinosaurs.

<i>Torvosaurus</i> Megalosaurid theropod dinosaur genus from Late Jurassic Period

Torvosaurus is a genus of large megalosaurine theropod dinosaur that lived approximately 165 to 148 million years ago during the Callovian to Tithonian ages of the late Middle and Late Jurassic period in what is now Colorado, Portugal, Germany, and possibly England, Spain, Tanzania, and Uruguay. It contains two currently recognized species, Torvosaurus tanneri and Torvosaurus gurneyi, plus a third unnamed species from Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxford Clay</span> Jurassic rock formation in southeast England

The Oxford Clay is a Jurassic marine sedimentary rock formation underlying much of southeast England, from as far west as Dorset and as far north as Yorkshire. The Oxford Clay Formation dates to the Jurassic, specifically, the Callovian and Oxfordian ages, and comprises two main facies. The lower facies comprises the Peterborough Member, a fossiliferous organic-rich mudstone. This facies and its rocks are commonly known as lower Oxford Clay. The upper facies comprises the middle Oxford Clay, the Stewartby Member, and the upper Oxford Clay, the Weymouth Member. The upper facies is a fossil poor assemblage of calcareous mudstones.

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

Procompsognathus is an extinct genus of coelophysid theropod dinosaur that lived approximately 210 million years ago during the later part of the Triassic Period, in what is now Germany. Procompsognathus was a small-sized, lightly built, ground-dwelling, bipedal carnivore, that could grow up to 1 m (3.3 ft) long.

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

Eustreptospondylus is a genus of megalosaurid theropod dinosaur, from the Oxfordian stage of the Late Jurassic period in southern England, at a time when Europe was a series of scattered islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Megalosauridae</span> Extinct family of dinosaurs

Megalosauridae is a monophyletic family of carnivorous theropod dinosaurs within the group Megalosauroidea. Appearing in the Middle Jurassic, megalosaurids were among the first major radiation of large theropod dinosaurs. They were a relatively primitive group of basal tetanurans containing two main subfamilies, Megalosaurinae and Afrovenatorinae, along with the basal genus Eustreptospondylus, an unresolved taxon which differs from both subfamilies.

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

Juravenator is a genus of small coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur, which lived in the area which would someday become the top of the Franconian Jura of Germany, about 151 or 152 million years ago. It is known from a single, juvenile specimen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marnes de Dives</span> Geological formation in Normandy, France

The Marnes de Dives is a geological formation in Normandy, France. It dates back to the upper part of the Callovian stage of the Middle Jurassic. And is partially equivalent to the Oxford Clay in England. It predominantly consists of ooidal marl, rich in pyrite and lignite, interbedded with thin limestone horizons. It is best exposed at the base of the Falaises des Vaches Noires as well as the foreshore at low tide. It is known for its fossils, notably those of ammonites, marine crocodiles and fragmentary remains of dinosaurs, mostly theropods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Posidonia Shale</span> Early Jurassic geological formation of south-western Germany

The Posidonia Shale geologically known as the Sachrang Formation, is an Early Jurassic geological formation of southwestern and northeast Germany, northern Switzerland, northwestern Austria, southern Luxembourg and the Netherlands, including exceptionally well-preserved complete skeletons of fossil marine fish and reptiles.

The Chari Formation is a Jurassic geologic formation in Gujarat, western India. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation, although none have yet been referred to a specific genus. The ammonite Reineckeia has also been found here.

The Qigu Formation is a Late Jurassic (Oxfordian) geologic formation in the Southern Junggar Basin in China. Indeterminate Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation, including theropod teeth and a fibula. a stegosaur dorsal vertebra and a Eusauropod tooth. Xinjiangtitan was erroneously thought to be from this formation, but it is actually from the older Qiketai Formation, which is in a different basin. The term "Qigu Formation" is also used to sediments of equivalent age in the Turpan Basin, but this might better be treated as a separate formation. It is laterally equivalent to the Shishugou Formation.

The Tereñes Formation or Tereñes Marl is a Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) geologic formation in Asturias, Spain. The grey marls of the formation were deposited in a lagoonal environment at a muddy coast along a temporary inland sea. The lower section of the formation comprises silty and chalky sandstones with desiccation cracks and ripple marks, then becomes a bituminous, prominently ostracod-bearing, pelecypod shell chalk, lime chalk marl and marl. Fossil tracks have been reported from the formation.

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

Wiehenvenator is a genus of megalosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic (Callovian) of north western Germany. The genus contains a single species, W. albati.

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

The Cañadón Asfalto Formation is a geological formation from the Lower to Middle Jurassic. The Cañadón Asfalto Formation is located in the Cañadón Asfalto Basin, a rift basin in the Chubut Province of northwestern Patagonia, southern Argentina. The basin started forming in the earliest Jurassic.

The Ruhpolding Formation is a sedimentary formation of the Northern Calcareous Alps deposited during the Upper Jurassic. The open marine radiolarite is very rich in silica.

<i>Ostromia</i> Extinct genus of birds

Ostromia is a genus of anchiornithid theropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Painten Formation of Germany. The genus contains a single species, O. crassipes, named by Christian Foth and Oliver Rauhut in 2017.

<i>Alcmonavis</i> Extinct genus of birds

Alcmonavis is a basal genus of avialan dinosaur that during the Late Jurassic lived in the area of present Germany. The only named species in the genus is Alcmonavis poeschli. Its only known fossil was originally reported as a specimen of Archaeopteryx.

The Qiketai Formation is a geological formation in Xinjiang, China. It is found within the Turpan-Hami Basin. It is roughly equivalent in age to the nearby Toutunhe Formation and Wucaiwan Formation of the Southern and Northern Junggar Basin, respectively. Tuffites within the unit have been dated to the Callovian stage of the Jurassic approximately 164.6 ± 1.4 ma. The dinosaur Xinjiangtitan is known from the formation.

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

The Saubach Formation is a geological formation in Austria and Germany, dating to about 180–174 million years ago. It was described originally as Saubachschichten in 1975, and classified as part of the Lower Jurassic Adnet Group.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Rauhut, Oliver W.M., Hübner, Tom R., and Lanser, Klaus-Peter, 2016, "A new megalosaurid theropod dinosaur from the late Middle Jurassic (Callovian) of north-western Germany: Implications for theropod evolution and faunal turnover in the Jurassic", Palaeontologia Electronica 19.2.26A: 1-65
  2. Mönnig, E. 1993, "Die Ornatenton-Formation in NW Deutschland." Newsletter in Stratigraphy, 28(2/3):131-150. (In German)
  3. Riegraf, W. 1994, "Der Ornatenton in Deutschland und seine Äquivalente", pp. 7-72. In Martill, D.M. and Hudson, J.D. (eds.), Fossilien aus Ornatenton und Oxford Clay. Goldschneck-Verlag, Korb. (In German)
  4. Lange, W. 1973, "Ammoniten und Ostreen (Biostratigraphie, Ökologie, Zoogeographie) des Calloviums - Oxfordium Grenzbereichs im Wiehengebirge." Münstersche Forschungen Geologie und Paläontologie, 27:1-209. (In German)
  5. Klassen, H. 1984. Geologie des Osnabrücker Berglandes XVI. Naturwissenschaftliches Museum, Osnabrück. (In German)
  6. 1 2 3 Oliver W. M. Rauhut, Achim H. Schwermann, Tom R. Hübner & Klaus-Peter Lanse. "The oldest record of the genus Torvosaurus (Theropoda: Megalosauridae) from the Callovian Ornatenton Formation of north-western Germany" (PDF). Geologie und Paläontologie in Westfalen. 93: 1–13.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)