Phu Kradung Formation | |
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Stratigraphic range: Jurassic-Early Cretaceous ~ | |
Type | Geological formation |
Unit of | Khorat Group |
Underlies | Phra Wihan Formation |
Overlies | Nam Phong Formation |
Lithology | |
Primary | Siltstone, mudstone |
Other | Sandstone |
Location | |
Coordinates | 17°12′N102°24′E / 17.2°N 102.4°E |
Approximate paleocoordinates | 14°42′N108°30′E / 14.7°N 108.5°E |
Region | Isan |
Country | Thailand |
Extent | Khorat Plateau |
Type section | |
Named by | Ward & Bunnag |
Year defined | 1964 |
The Early Cretaceous Phu Kradung Formation is the lowest member of the Mesozoic Khorat Group which outcrops on the Khorat Plateau in Isan, Thailand. This geological formation consists of micaceous, brown to reddish-brown siltstone beds with minor brown and grey shale and sandstone beds. Occasional lime-noduled conglomerate occurs. [1]
The Phu Kradung Formation sediments were deposited in a lake-dominated floodplain cut by meandering and occasionally braided river channels. [2]
The Phu Kradung Formation is considered, on the basis of recent vertebrae fossil discoveries, to be Late Jurassic in age. However, new palynology and biostratigraphic data suggests an age of Early Cretaceous for the upper section. [2] [3]
More recent datations trought detrital zircon U–Pb ages of samples from the conglomerates have stablished a lowermost age of late Early Jurassic (Toarcian), with a maximum depositional age of 180 Ma, which is older than the previously estimated Late Jurassic–Berriasian age based on fossil evidence. [4] This discrepancy suggests the absence of syn-depositional zircons. The zircon data also help clarify the timing of the Indosinian III Event, placing the Indosinian III Unconformity between 201-182 Ma, marking a hiatus of about 20 million years. The Phu Kradung Formation deposition likely occurred after the Nam Phong Formation and may correlate with the Upper part of the last in the Khorat Basin subsurface. [4]
Dinosaur remains have been recovered from this formation, although few have been referred to a specific genus. [5] [6]
Chalawan , an extinct genus of pholidosaurid mesoeucrocodylian, is currently known solely from its holotype, a nearly complete mandible collected in the early 1980s from a road-cut near the town of Nong Bua Lamphu in the upper part of the Phu Kradung Formation. This single specimen is the most well preserved vertebrate fossil that has been found from the formation. It contains a single species, Chalawan thailandicus. [7]
Color key
| Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; |
Amphibians reported from the Phu Kradung Formation | |||||
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Genus | Species | Presence | Material | Notes | Images |
Brachyopidae indet. | Phu Noi locality, Kham Muang district, Kalasin province. [8] | Posterior part of the skull (KS34-1481) and two intercentra (KS34-1474 and KS34-1489). [8] | |||
Brachyopoidea indet. | Intercentra (TF 3328, TF 3329, and TF 3144). [8] | Also found in the Klong Min Formation. | |||
Khao Wong locality, Khao Wong district, Kalasin province. [8] | Intercentrum (KS37-8). [8] | ||||
Dinosaurs reported from the Phu Kradung Formation | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Presence | Material | Notes | Images |
Mamenchisauridae indet. | Kalasin province. [9] | "Isolated posterior cervical vertebra" [5] [6] [9] | |||
Metriacanthosaurinae indet. | "a nearly complete left tibia" [10] [11] | ||||
Metriacanthosaurinae indet. | "Skull elements such as teeth, premaxillae, and maxillae as well as appendicular materials of more than one individual." [11] | ||||
Minimocursor | M. phunoiensis | Phu Noi, Kalasin province. [12] | Partial articulated skeleton, isolated lower jaw & left leg. [12] | A basal neornithischian. | |
Stegosauridae indet. | "Single dorsal vertebra". [5] [13] [14] | Informally known as "Siamodracon altispinus". | |||
Tyrannosauroidea indet. | Phu Noi, Kalasin province. [15] | Three isolated teeth. [15] | A basal tyrannosauroid, related to Guanlong and Proceratosaurus . |
Pseudosuchians reported from the Phu Kradung Formation | |||||
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Genus | Species | Presence | Material | Notes | Images |
Chalawan | C. thailandicus | Mandible. [5] [7] | A pholidosaurid. | ||
Indosinosuchus | I. kalasinensis | [16] | A teleosaurid. | ||
I. potamosiamensis | Skulls and postcrania. [17] | A teleosaurid. | |||
Sunosuchus | S. thailandicus | A mandible. [7] | Reassigned to Chalawan . | ||
Cf. Theriosuchus | Cf. T. sp. | Chong Chat, Nong Bua Lamphu province. [18] | Part of a left dentary (CCC-1) and a lanceolate tooth (PRCMR 283). [18] | An atoposaurid. | |
Pterosaurs reported from the Phu Kradung Formation | |||||
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Genus | Species | Presence | Material | Notes | Images |
Rhamphorhynchidae indet. | Humerus. [19] | Originally identified as an azhdarchid. [20] | |||
Turtles reported from the Phu Kradung Formation | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Presence | Material | Notes | Images |
Basilochelys | B. macrobios | Kham Phok, Mukdahan Province. [21] | A trionychoid. | ||
Eucryptodira indet. | [5] | ||||
Kalasinemys | K. prasarttongosothi | Phu Noi locality, Kalasin Province. [22] | Skull and shell material. [22] | A xinjiangchelyid. | |
Phunoichelys | P. thirakhupti | Phu Noi locality, Kalasin Province. [23] | Shell remains. [23] | A xinjiangchelyid. | |
Yakemys | Y. multiporcata | Khorat Plateau. [24] | Shell elements. [24] | A macrobaenid. | |
Bony fish reported from the Phu Kradung Formation | |||||
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Genus | Species | Presence | Material | Notes | Images |
Ferganoceratodus | F. annekempae | Phu Noi. [25] | A lungfish. | ||
Isanichthys | I. lertboosi | Phu Noi locality, Kalasin province. [26] | 4 specimens. | A lepisosteiform. | |
I. palustris | A single, nearly complete specimen. [27] | A lepisosteiform. | |||
Khoratichthys | K. gibbus | "Impression of a single articulated fish". [28] | A ginglymodian. | ||
Thaiichthys | T. buddhabutrensis | Phu Nam Jun, Kalasin Province. [29] | A lepisosteiform. |
Multiple fin spines have been found in the Phu Kradung Formation which cannot be precisely identified. [30]
Cartilaginous fish reported from the Phu Kradung Formation | |||||
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Genus | Species | Presence | Material | Notes | Images |
Acrodus | A. kalasinensis | Kalasin province. [30] | Teeth. [30] | A hybodontiform. | |
Heteroptychodus | H. cf. H. kokutensis | One almost complete tooth and 20 fragmentary crowns. [30] | |||
?Hybodontidae | Dermal denticles of 2 morphotypes. [30] | A hybodontid. | |||
Hybodus | aff. H. sp. | "One almost complete anterior crown (SM2012-1-004) and a complete posterior tooth (SM2012-1-005)". [30] | |||
H. sp. | Teeth. [30] | "Similar to the teeth of H. huangnidanensis (which is probably a junior synonym of H. antingensis)". | |||
Jiaodontus | J. sp. | 10 teeth. [30] | A hybodontiform. | ||
Lonchidion | L. sp. A | SM2012-1-015-6 and 12 crowns. [30] | A hybodontiform. | ||
L. sp. B | Teeth and crowns. [30] | A hybodontiform. | |||
Plants reported from the Phu Kradung Formation | |||||
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Genus | Species | Presence | Material | Notes | Images |
Xenoxylon | X. phyllocladoides | Fossil wood. [31] | |||
Siamotyrannus is a genus of theropod dinosaur from the early Cretaceous of Thailand.
Siamosaurus is a genus of spinosaurid dinosaur that lived in what is now known as China and Thailand during the Early Cretaceous period and is the first reported spinosaurid from Asia. It is confidently known only from tooth fossils; the first were found in the Sao Khua Formation, with more teeth later recovered from the younger Khok Kruat Formation. The only species Siamosaurus suteethorni, whose name honours Thai palaeontologist Varavudh Suteethorn, was formally described in 1986. In 2009, four teeth from China previously attributed to a pliosaur—under the species "Sinopliosaurus" fusuiensis—were identified as those of a spinosaurid, possibly Siamosaurus. It is yet to be determined if two partial spinosaurid skeletons from Thailand and an isolated tooth from Japan also belong to Siamosaurus.
Kinnareemimus is an extinct genus of ornithomimosaurian theropod dinosaur that was discovered in the Early Cretaceous Sao Khua Formation in what is now Thailand. The genus contains only the type species, K. khonkaenensis. The specific epithet is after Khon Kaen Province, which is in northeastern Thailand, where the remains of the animal were discovered.
Phuwiangosaurus is a genus of titanosaur dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous (Valanginian-Hauterivian) Sao Khua Formation of Thailand. The type species, P. sirindhornae, was described by Martin, Buffetaut, and Suteethorn in a 1993 press release and was formally named in 1994. The species was named to honor Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand, who was interested in the geology and palaeontology of Thailand, while the genus was named after the Phu Wiang area, where the fossil was discovered. The precise affinities of Phuwiangosaurus among titanosauriform sauropods are uncertain, though several studies have classified it as a euhelopodid.
Ferganoceratodus is a genus of prehistoric lungfish known from the Mesozoic of Asia and Africa. Based on morphological evidence, it has either been recovered as a basal member of the Ceratodontiformes or to be the sister group of the Neoceratodontidae.
The Sao Khua Formation is a middle member of the Khorat Group. It consists of an alteration of pale red to yellowish-gray, fine to medium-grained sandstone and grayish-reddish brown siltstone and clay. Rare pale red to light gray conglomerates, containing carbonate pebbles, are also characteristic of this formation. This geological formation in Thailand dates to the Early Cretaceous age, specifically the Valanginian through Hauterivian stages.
Basilochelys is an extinct genus of land turtle which existed during the early Cretaceous period (Berriasian). Containing the sole species Basilochelys macrobios, its fossils have been found in the Phu Kradung Formation of Northeast Thailand. It is considered to be the most basal member of the group Trionychoidae.
The Xinlong Formation is an Early Cretaceous geologic formation in Guangxi, southern China.
Sunosuchus is an extinct genus of goniopholidid mesoeucrocodylian. Fossils are known from China, Kyrgyzstan, and Thailand and are Jurassic in age, although some may be Early Cretaceous. Four species are currently assigned to the genus: the type species S. miaoi and the species S. junggarensis, S. shartegensis, and S. shunanensis. All species are from China. Goniopholis phuwiangensis, also from Thailand, was reassigned to Sunosuchus by Andrade et al. (2011). The material from Kyrgyzstan has not been assigned to any species.
The Khok Kruat Formation is a rock formation found in northeastern Thailand. It is the uppermost formation of the Khorat Group. It is dated to the Aptian stage of the Early Cretaceous period, and is notable for its fossils of dinosaurs. It is equivalent to the Gres superieurs Formation of Laos. The group is a fluvial formation consisting primarily of red siltstones and sandstones.
Chalawan is an extinct genus of pholidosaurid mesoeucrocodylian known from the Late Jurassic or Early Cretaceous Phu Kradung Formation of Nong Bua Lamphu Province, northeastern Thailand. It contains a single species, Chalawan thailandicus, with Chalawan shartegensis as a possible second species.
Xinjiangchelyidae is an extinct family of turtles known from the Lower Jurassic to the Middle Cretaceous of Asia and western Europe. They have generally been interpreted as either being basal cryptodires or placed outside of crown Testudines.
Sinamiidae is an extinct family of ray-finned fish. They are halecomorph fishes endemic to Early Cretaceous freshwater environments in East and Southeast Asia.
Varavudh Suteethorn, or Warawut Suteethorn is a Thai palaeontologist and geologist. He is the current director of the Palaeontological Research and Education Centre, Mahasarakham University. He is best known for his work on vertebrate paleontology in northeastern Thailand, having contributed to the discovery of many fossil taxa and dig sites in the Khorat Plateau, as a part of a long-standing collaboration between Thai and French scientists.
Anatolemys is an extinct turtle genus in the family Macrobaenidae. Two species are known, both of which lived in the Late Cretaceous. Fossils were discovered in the Yalovach Formation of Tajikistan, the Kulbikin Member and Khodzhakul and Bissekty Formations of Uzbekistan and the Bostobe Formation of Kazakhstan. With 70 cm (2.3 ft) in carapace length, Anatolemys maximus was one of the three largest macrobaenids along with Early Cretaceous Yakemys multiporcata and Paleocene Judithemys backmani.
Phuwiangvenator is an extinct genus of megaraptoran theropod that lived during the Early Cretaceous period in what is now Thailand. It contains only the type species, P. yaemniyomi. The generic name of Phuwiangvenator comes from the Phu Wiang mountains, where the holotype was discovered, and the Latin word "venator" meaning hunter. The specific name, "yaemniyomi", is in honor of Sudham Yaemniyom, who was a historical paleontologist from Thailand and the first person to discover fossils there.
Indosinosuchus is a genus of teleosaurid neosuchian that lived during the Late Jurassic or Early Cretaceous in what is now Thailand. It contains two species, the type species I. potamosiamensis and I. kalasinensis, both recovered from the lower Phu Kradung Formation. It is unique among teleosauroids as it is the only named genus known from a freshwater environment, while most other members of the group are marine. Indosinosuchus is placed in the family Teleosauridae, but has a relatively robust skull that bears resemblance to members of the Machimosauridae. Biomechanical analysis of its mandible and teeth suggest that it would have had a substantial bite force comparable to animals like Lemmysuchus. The two Indosinosuchus species however differ in the speed at which they could open and close their jaws, impacting their respective ecology and possibly explaining how they coexisted in the same environment. All known specimens of this genus were recovered from a single locality, which has been interpreted as a mass death site, possibly caused by a drought or flash flood. The precise age of Indosinosuchus is unclear, as the vertebrate fossils of the Phu Kradung Formation support a Late Jurassic age, while palynological data suggests an Early Cretaceous (Berriasian) age.
Yakemys is an extinct genus of macrobaenid turtles from the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous (Tithonian-Valanginian?) lower Phu Kradung Formation of Thailand. It is monotypic, containing a single species, Yakemys multiporcata.
Minimocursor is a genus of basal neornithischian dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Phu Kradung Formation of Thailand. The type species is Minimocursor phunoiensis.
Phunoichelys is an extinct genus of xinjiangchelyid turtle that inhabited Thailand during the Jurassic period and is known from a single species, P. thirakhupti.