Qigu Formation

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Qigu Formation
Stratigraphic range: Oxfordian-Early Kimmeridgian,
160.8–155.3  Ma
Type Geological formation
Underlies Kalaza Formation
Overlies Toutunhe Formation (Junggar) Qiketai Formation (equivalent unit in the Turpan Basin)
ThicknessOver 520 m (1,710 ft)
Lithology
Primary Siltstone, sandstone
Location
Coordinates 43°36′N87°18′E / 43.6°N 87.3°E / 43.6; 87.3
Approximate paleocoordinates 42°54′N97°30′E / 42.9°N 97.5°E / 42.9; 97.5
Region Xinjiang
CountryFlag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
ExtentSouthern Junggar Basin (blue)
 Turpan Basin (disputed) (cyan)
China Xinjiang Northern relief location map.svg
Blue pog.svg
Cyan pog.svg
Blue pog.svg
Qigu Formation (Dzungaria)

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. [1] a stegosaur dorsal vertebra [2] and a Eusauropod tooth. [3] Xinjiangtitan was erroneously thought to be from this formation, but it is actually from the older Qiketai Formation, which is in a different basin. [4] 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.

Contents

Fossil content

The mass accumulation of Jurassic freshwater turtle fossils belonging to the genus Annemys , discovered in 2009 at a site nicknamed "Mesa Chelonia" in Shanshan County, Xinjiang is thought to likely belong to the Qigu Formation, though it belongs to the strata of the Turpan Basin. [5] [6] Remains of indeterminate dinosaurs, including ankylosaurs, metriacanthosaurids, and dromaeosaurids are known from the formation. [7] [8] [9]

The remains of indeterminate rhamphorhynchid pterosaurs have been recovered from the formation. Among others, the following fossils have been found in the formation: [10]

Crocodyliformes
TaxaSpeciesMaterialLocationNotesImages
Nominosuchus IndeterminateLiuhuanggou bonebed
Sunosuchus
Theriosuchus
Mammaliamorphs [11]
TaxaSpeciesMaterialLocationNotesImages
Nanolestes N. mackennaiLiuhuanggou bonebed
Tegotherium Indeterminate
Dsungarodon D. zuoi Docodontan
Sineleutherus S. uyguricus
Eutriconodonta Indeterminate

See also

Related Research Articles

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Jiaodontus is an extinct genus of lonchidiid cartilaginous fish which existed in Liuhuanggou, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, northwestern China, during the late Jurassic. Fossils have been found in the Qigu Formation, China. It was first named by Stefanie Klug, Thomas Tütken, Oliver Wings, Hans-Ulrich Pfretzschner and Thomas Martin in 2010 and the type species is Jiaodontus montaltissimus.

Nanolestes is an extinct genus of mammals in the order Amphitheriida from the Late Jurassic of Eurasia. Two species, N. krusati and N. drescherae are known from the Alcobaça Formation in Portugal. Another species, N. mackennai, was described from the Oxfordian aged Qigu Formation of China by Thomas Martin, Alexander O. Averianov and Hans-Ulrich Pfretzschner in 2010.

<i>Xinjiangtitan</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Xinjiangtitan is an extinct genus of mamenchisaurid sauropod that lived during the Middle Jurassic of what is now Xinjiang, northwestern China. Its type and only species is Xinjiangtitan shanshanesis, known from a single incomplete skeleton recovered from the Qiketai Formation. The holotype preserves one of the most complete vertebral columns of any sauropod found in Asia, and has the longest complete neck known for any animal.

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Tegotherium is an extinct mammaliaform from the Late Jurassic of East Asia. The type species T. gubini is known from the Shar Teeg Beds of Mongolia and an indeterminate species is also known from the Late Jurassic Qigu Formation of China. It belongs to the clade Docodonta.

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.

References

  1. Maisch, Michael W.; Matzke, Andreas T. (October 2003). "Theropods (dinosauria, saurischia) from the middle Jurassic Toutunhe Formation of the Southern Junggar Basin, NW China". Paläontologische Zeitschrift. 77 (2): 281–292. Bibcode:2003PalZ...77..281M. doi:10.1007/BF03006942. ISSN   0031-0220. S2CID   129631182.
  2. Wings, Oliver; Pfretzschner, Hans-Ulrich; Maisch, Michael W. (2007-01-01). "The first evidence of a stegosaur (Dinosauria, Ornithischia) from the Jurassic of Xinjiang/China". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen. 243 (1): 113–118. doi:10.1127/0077-7749/2007/0243-0113. ISSN   0077-7749.
  3. Maisch, Michael W.; Matzke, Andreas T. (2019-01-01). "First record of a eusauropod (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) from the Upper Jurassic Qigu-Formation (southern Junggar Basin, China), and a reconsideration of Late Jurassic sauropod diversity in Xinjiang". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen. 291 (1): 109–117. doi:10.1127/njgpa/2019/0792. ISSN   0077-7749. S2CID   135213577.
  4. Weishampel, et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution." Pp. 517-607.
  5. Wings, Oliver; Rabi, Márton; Schneider, Jörg W.; Schwermann, Leonie; Sun, Ge; Zhou, Chang-Fu; Joyce, Walter G. (2012), "An enormous Jurassic turtle bone bed from the Turpan Basin of Xinjiang, China", Naturwissenschaften, 114 (11): 925–935, Bibcode:2012NW.....99..925W, doi:10.1007/s00114-012-0974-5, PMID   23086389, S2CID   17423081
  6. Gannon, Megan (October 31, 2012), "Jurassic turtle graveyard found in China", Livescience.com
  7. Augustin, Felix J.; Matzke, Andreas T.; Maisch, Michael W.; Pfretzschner, Hans-Ulrich (2020-12-15). "A theropod dinosaur feeding site from the Upper Jurassic of the Junggar Basin, NW China". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 560: 109999. Bibcode:2020PPP...56009999A. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.109999. ISSN   0031-0182. S2CID   225210438.
  8. Augustin, Felix J.; Matzke, Andreas T.; Maisch, Michael W.; Pfretzschner, Hans-Ulrich (July 2020). "First evidence of an ankylosaur (Dinosauria, Ornithischia) from the Jurassic Qigu Formation (Junggar Basin, NW China) and the early fossil record of Ankylosauria". Geobios. 61: S0016699520300504. Bibcode:2020Geobi..61....1A. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2020.06.005. S2CID   225545154.
  9. Maisch, Michael W.; Matzke, Andreas T. (2020-01-01). "Small theropod teeth (Dinosauria) from the Upper Jurassic Qigu Formation of the southern Junggar Basin, NW China". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen. 295 (1): 91–100. doi:10.1127/njgpa/2020/0869. S2CID   213709095.
  10. Qigu Formation at Fossilworks.org
  11. Thomas Martin; Alexander O. Averianov; Hans-Ulrich Pfretzschner (2010). "Mammals from the Late Jurassic Qigu Formation in the Southern Junggar Basin, Xinjiang, Northwest China". Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments. 90 (3): 295–319. Bibcode:2010PdPe...90..295M. doi:10.1007/s12549-010-0030-4. S2CID   129008041.

Bibliography