Sainte-Barbe Clays Formation

Sainte-Barbe Clays Formation
Stratigraphic range: Barremian-early Aptian ~126–124  Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Type	Geological formation
Underlies	Albian aged "Meules"
Overlies	Breccia, Pennsylvanian basement
Thickness	Variable, 50 m (160 ft) at Bernissart
Lithology
Primary	Clay
Other	Lignite
Location
Coordinates	50°30′N3°36′E / 50.5°N 3.6°E / 50.5; 3.6
Approximate paleocoordinates	40°42′N13°42′E / 40.7°N 13.7°E / 40.7; 13.7
Country	Belgium
Extent	Localised within the northern margins of the Mons Basin
Sainte-Barbe Clays Formation (Belgium)

The Sainte-Barbe Clays Formation is a geological formation in Belgium. It is found in localised areas of the northern margin of the Mons Basin, alongside the equivalently aged Hautrage and Baudour Clay Formations. ^[1] It is Upper Barremian-Lower Aptian in age. ^[2] It predominantly consists of laminated clay, with some lignite. ^[3] It is well known for the "Iguanodon sinkhole" locality near Bernissart where many specimens of Iguanodon bernissartensis were described by Louis Dollo in the late 19th century.

Geologic context

The Sainte-Barbe Clays Formation are part of the stratigraphy of the Mons Basin, a Cretaceous-Cenozoic sedimentary basin in western Belgium. The subsidence of the basin floor is caused by the dissolution of anhydrite in the Carboniferous basement. Wealden facies are the oldest units within the basin, and are only found on the northern margin of the basin, being absent from the central and southern parts of the basin. Localised areas of significant subsidence, referred to as "sinkholes" are observed. The Wealden facies are overlain by "mixed siliciclastic–carbonate formations" called Meules dating to the Albian. ^[1]

Fossil content

Tetrapods

Tetrapods of the Sainte-Barbe Clays Formation
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Abundance	Notes	Images
Anteophthalmosuchus	A. epikrator [4]	Bernissart		"Two ... fully articulated skeletons, one missing the skull and mandible." [5]	Goniopholidid crocodyliform
Bernissartia	B. fagesii			IRSNB R46, mostly complete skeleton	Bernissartiid crocodyliform
Chitracephalus	C. dumonii			Carapace with preserved limbs	Cryptodiran turtle [6]
Iguanodon	I. bernissartensis			Multiple skeletons	Iguanodontian dinosaur
Mantellisaurus	M. atherfieldensis			IRSNB 1551, single mostly complete skeleton	Iguanodontian dinosaur, formerly considered holotype of "Dollodon bampingi" [7]
Hylaeobatrachus	H. croyii			Slab and counterslab of a complete skeleton	Salamander
Peltochelys	P. duchastelii			Shell fragments	Paracryptodire, probable close relative of Compsemys [8]
Theropoda	Indeterminate			Phalanx

Fish

Fish of the Sainte-Barbe Clays Formation
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Abundance	Notes	Images
Aethalionopsis	A. robustus	Bernissart			Formerly referred to Anaethalion
Amiopsis	A. dolloi
Barbalepis	B. macroptera				Coccolepid fish, formerly referred to Coccolepis [9]
Pleuropholis	P. germinalis				Pleuropholid fish [10]
Callopterus	C. insignis				Genus is later considered as nomen nudum and Ainia is used for Jurassic species, but validity of this species is not discussed [11]
Pattersonella	P. formosa				Formerly referred to Leptolepis
Scheenstia	S. bernissartensis			Multiple specimens	Previously referred to Lepidotes, L. brevifulcratus is a junior synonym. [12]
Turbomesodon	T. bernissartensis			Multiple specimens	Previously referred to Mesodon and Macromesodon . [13]

Other fish

• Leptolepis attenuatus ^[14]
• L. brevis ^[14]
• Notagogus parvus ^[14]
• Nybelinoides brevis ^[15]
• Ophiopsiella dorsalis ^[16]
• Ophiopsis penicillatus ^[17]
• Arratiaelops vectensis ^{[14] [18]}
• Pholidophorus obesus ^[14]
• Scheenstia mantelli ^[17]
• Belonostomus sp. ^[17]
• Caturus sp. ^[17]
• Pholidophorus sp. ^[17]
• Polypsephis sp. ^[17]
• Typodus sp. ^[14]

Insects

The Tettigarctid cicada Hylaeoneura lignei is known from the formation. ^[19]

Parasites

• Ascarites gerus ^[20]
• A. priscus ^[20]
• Digenites proterus ^[20]
• Entamoebites antiquus ^[20]

Flora

• Alethopteris elegans ^[16]
• Cladophlebis dunkeri ^[14]
• Conites minuta ^[14]
• Laccopteris dunkeri ^[14]
• Leckenbya valdensis ^[14]
• Matonidium goepperti ^[14]
• Onychiopsis mantelli ^[14]
• Pecopteris conybeari ^[16]
• P. polymorpha ^[16]
• Pinites solmsi ^[14]
• Polypodites mantelli ^[16]
• Ruffordia goepperti ^[14]
• Sagenopteris mantelli ^[14]
• Sphenopteris delicatissima ^[14]
• S. fittoni ^[14]
• S. roemeri ^[16]
• Stellatopollis hughesii ^[21]
• Weichselia mantelli ^[14]
• Adiantites sp. ^[14]
• Equisetites sp. ^[14]
• Gleichenia sp. ^[22]
• Gleichenites sp. ^[22]
• Hausmannia (Protorhipis) ^[14]
• Lycopodites sp. ^[14]
• cf. Taeniopteris sp. ^[14]

Ichnofossils

• Algites sp. ^[14]

See also

• List of dinosaur bearing rock formations
• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Belgium

References

1. Godefroit, Pascal (2012). "A Short Introduction to the Geology of the Mons Basin and the Iguanodon Sinkhole, Belgium". Bernissart dinosaurs and early Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystems. Indiana University Press. pp. 35–42. ISBN   978-0-253-35721-2. OCLC   721905743.
2. Dejax, J.; Pons, D.; Yans, J. (April 2007). "Palynology of the dinosaur-bearing Wealden facies in the natural pit of Bernissart (Belgium)". Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. 144 (1–2): 25–38. Bibcode:2007RPaPa.144...25D. doi:10.1016/j.revpalbo.2005.10.004.
3. Schnyder, Johann; Dejax, Jean; Keppens, Edward; Nguyen Tu, Thanh Thuy; Spagna, Paul; Boulila, Slah; Galbrun, Bruno; Riboulleau, Armelle; Tshibangu, Jean-Pierre; Yans, Johan (October 2009). "An Early Cretaceous lacustrine record: Organic matter and organic carbon isotopes at Bernissart (Mons Basin, Belgium)" . Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 281 (1–2): 79–91. Bibcode:2009PPP...281...79S. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.07.014.
4. Ristevski, Jorgo; Young, Mark T.; de Andrade, Marco Brandalise; Hastings, Alexander K. (April 2018). "A new species of Anteophthalmosuchus (Crocodylomorpha, Goniopholididae) from the Lower Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom, and a review of the genus" . Cretaceous Research. 84: 340–383. Bibcode:2018CrRes..84..340R. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2017.11.008.
5. Martin, Jeremy E.; Delfino, Massimo; Smith, Thierry (2016-11-01). "Osteology and affinities of Dollo's goniopholidid (Mesoeucrocodylia) from the Early Cretaceous of Bernissart, Belgium". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 36 (6): e1222534. Bibcode:2016JVPal..36E2534M. doi:10.1080/02724634.2016.1222534. hdl: 2318/1635521 . ISSN   0272-4634. S2CID   89199731.
6. Pérez-García, Adán (September 2012). "The European Early Cretaceous Cryptodiran Turtle Chitracephalus dumonii and the Diversity of a Poorly Known Lineage of Turtles". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 57 (3): 575–588. doi: 10.4202/app.2011.0065 . ISSN   0567-7920.
7. McDonald, Andrew T. (February 2012). "The status of Dollodon and other basal iguanodonts (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Lower Cretaceous of Europe" . Cretaceous Research. 33 (1): 1–6. Bibcode:2012CrRes..33....1M. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2011.03.002.
8. Joyce, Walter G.; Rollot, Yann (2020-05-14). "An alternative interpretation of Peltochelys duchastelii as a paracryptodire". Fossil Record. 23 (1): 83–93. Bibcode:2020FossR..23...83J. doi: 10.5194/fr-23-83-2020 . ISSN   2193-0074.
9. Olive, Sébastien; Taverne, Louis; López-Arbarello, Adriana (March 2019). "A new genus of coccolepidid actinopterygian from the Cretaceous Iguanodon-bearing locality of Bernissart, Belgium" . Cretaceous Research. 95: 318–335. Bibcode:2019CrRes..95..318O. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2018.11.020. S2CID   134207366.
10. Olive, Sébastien; Taverne, Louis; Brito, Paulo M. (2022-04-28). "Pleuropholis germinalis n. sp., a new Pleuropholidae (Neopterygii, Teleostei) from the Early Cretaceous of Bernissart, Belgium". Geodiversitas. 44 (17). doi: 10.5252/geodiversitas2022v44a17 . ISSN   1280-9659. S2CID   248516226.
11. Rauhut, O. W. M.; López-Arbarello, A.; Röper, M.; Rothgaenger, M. (2017). "Vertebrate fossils from the Kimmeridgian of Brunn: the oldest fauna from the Solnhofen Archipelago (Late Jurassic, Bavaria, Germany)" (PDF). Zitteliana. 89: 305–329.
12. Cavin, Lionel; Deesri, Uthumporn; Olive, Sébastien (2020-03-18). "Scheenstia bernissartensis (Actinopterygii: Ginglymodi) from the Early Cretaceous of Bernissart, Belgium, with an appraisal of ginglymodian evolutionary history" . Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 18 (6): 513–527. Bibcode:2020JSPal..18..513C. doi:10.1080/14772019.2019.1634649. ISSN   1477-2019. S2CID   199631685.
13. Poyato-Ariza, F. J.; Wenz., S. (2004). "The new pycnodontid fish genus Turbomesodon, and a revision of Macromesodon based on new material from the Lower Cretaceous of Las Hoyas, Cuenca, Spain". Mesozoic Fishes 3—Systematics, Paleoenvironments and Biodiversity.: 341–378.
14. Quinet, 1969
15. Schrøder, Ane Elise; Carnevale, Giorgio (2023-02-01). "The argentiniform Surlykus longigracilis gen. et sp. nov., the most abundant fish from the Eocene Fur Formation of Denmark". Bulletin of the Geological Society of Denmark. 72: 1–18. doi: 10.37570/bgsd-2023-72-01 . ISSN   2245-7070.
16. Dupont, 1892
17. du Pauw, 1902
18. Taverne, L. (1999). "Ostéologie et position systématique d'Arratiaelops vectensis gen. nov., téléostéen élopiforme du Wealdien (Crétacé inférieur) d'Angleterre et de Belgique" (PDF). Bulletin de l'Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique (in French). 69: 77–96.
19. Lameere & Severin, 1897
20. Poinar & Boucot, 2006
21. Yans et al., 2006
22. Woodward, 1885

Bibliography

• Poinar, G.; Boucot, A. J. (2006), "Evidence of intestinal parasites of dinosaurs", Parasitology , 133 (Pt 2): 245–249, doi:10.1017/S0031182006000138, PMID   16623965
• Yans, J.; Dejax, J.; Pons, D.; Taverne, L.; Bultynck, P. (2006), "The iguanodons of Bernissart (Belgium) are middle Barremian to earliest Aptian in age", Bulletin de l'Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Sciences de la Terre , 76: 91–95
• Quinet, G.-E (1969), Bernissart...il y a 125.000.000 d'Années. Le Règne des Iguanodons - Bernissart...125,000,000 Years Ago. The Reign of the Iguanodon, ., pp. 1–86
• du Pauw, L. F (1902), Notes sur les Fouilles du Charbonnage de Bernissart. Découverte, Solidification et Montage des Iguanodons - Notes on the excavations of the Bernissart coal mine. Discovery, solidification, and mounting of the Iguanodons, ., pp. 1–25
• Lameere, A.; Severin, G. (1897), "Les insectes de Bernissart", Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique , 41: 35–38
• Dupont, É (1892), "Le gisement des Iguanodons de Bernissart - The locality of the Iguanodons of Bernissart", Bulletin de la Société Belge de Géologie, de Paléontologie et d'Hydrologie , 6: 86–92
• Woodward, H (1885), "On Iguanodon mantelli, Meyer", Geological Magazine, Decade 3, 2 (1): 10–15, Bibcode:1885GeoM....2...10W, doi:10.1017/S0016756800188211

Further reading

• P.-J. Van Beneden. 1878. Sur la découverte de reptiles fossiles gigantesques dans le charbonnage de Bernissart près de Péruwelz [On the discovery of gigantic fossil reptiles in the Bernissart coal mine near Péruwelz]. Bulletin de l'Academie Royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, série 2 45:578-579