Yarenskian Gorizont

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Parotosuchus, an index fossil of the Yarenskian. Parotosuchus orenb12DB.jpg
Parotosuchus , an index fossil of the Yarenskian.

The Yarenskian Gorizont ("Yarenskian Horizon") is a major biostratigraphic unit in Russia corresponding to Upper Olenekian-age terrestrial sediments. It lies above the Ustmylian Gorizont of the Vetlugian Supergorizont, and is located below a short unconformity overlain by the Donguz Gorizont. Some paleontologists elevate the Yarenskian to a supergorizont and subdivide it into two smaller units: the older Fedorovskian Gorizont (Fedorovkian Horizon) and the younger Gamskian Gorizont (Gamian Horizon). Others prefer to consider the Fedorovskian and Gamskian to be subgorizonts or members of the Yarenskian. Vertebrate index fossils of the Fedorovskian include the lungfish Gnathorhiza, the trematosaurid Inflectosaurus, and the procolophonid Burtensia . In the Gamskian, these index fossils are replaced by Ceratodus , Trematosaurus , and Kapes , respectively. The Yarenskian as a whole is characterized by the capitosaur amphibian Parotosuchus , and has also been known as the Parotosuchus fauna. [1] [2] A few geographical influence on the faunas can be observed; erythrosuchids and rhytidosteids are more common in southern exposures while procolophonids and putative "rauisuchids" are more common in the north. [2] [3]

The Yarenskian encompasses several svitas (equivalent to geological formations). The most fossiliferous and best-exposed is the Petropavlovskaya Svita (anglicized as Petropavlovka Formation), a Fedorovskian-age assemblage in the Cis-Ural region (near the Ural River in Orenburg Oblast). Another productive unit is the Gamskian-age Lipovskaya Formation, which is found near the Don River in Volgograd Oblast. The Caspian Depression includes coastal sediments equivalent to the Yarenskian (such as the Bogdo or Bogdinskaya Svita), [2] though there is some controversy over how the stratigraphy of the area should be defined. [4] Thin exposures of Yarenskian units are also known further north in the Vyatka, Vychegda, Luza, and Pechora basins. [2]

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bukobay Svita</span>

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The Sludkian Gorizont is a Lower Triassic biostratigraphic unit in Western Russia. The Sludkian Gorizont is a part of the Vetlugian Supergorizont and corresponds to the middle part of the early Olenekian stage, lying above the Rybinskian Gorizont and below the Ustmylian Gorizont. The Sludkian and Ustmylian Gorizonts are together encompassed by the "Wetlugasaurus fauna", named after a capitosaur amphibian index fossil. The Sludkian is characterized by Wetlugasaurus angustifrons, while the Ustmylian is characterized by Wetlugasaurus malachovi.

The Rybinskian Gorizont is a Lower Triassic biostratigraphic unit in Western Russia. It is a part of the Vetlugian Supergorizont and corresponds to the earliest part of the Olenekian stage, lying above the late Induan-age Zaplavnian Horizon and below the Sludkian Gorizont. The Rybinskian Gorizont is sometimes known as the Benthosuchus fauna, due to abundant fossils of Benthosuchus, a temnospondyl amphibian index fossil. Related amphibians such as Thoosuchus also increase in abundance, and the interval additionally hosts the oldest fossils of procolophonines and putative true archosaurs in the region.

References

  1. Tverdokhlebov, Valentin P.; Tverdokhlebova, Galina I.; Surkov, Mikhail V.; Benton, Michael J. (2003). "Tetrapod localities from the Triassic of the SE of European Russia". Earth-Science Reviews. 60 (1): 1–66. doi:10.1016/S0012-8252(02)00076-4. ISSN   0012-8252.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Shishkin, M.A.; Ochev, V.G.; Lozovskii, V.R.; Novikov, I.V. (2000). "Tetrapod biostratigraphy of the Triassic of Eastern Europe". In Benton, M.J.; Shishkin, M.A.; Unwin, D.M.; Kurochkin, E.N. (eds.). The Age of Dinosaurs in Russia and Mongolia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 140–159. ISBN   9780521545822.
  3. Shishkin, M.A.; Sennikov, A.G.; Novikov, I.V.; Ilyina, N.V. (2006). "Differentiation of Tetrapod Communities and Some Aspects of Biotic Events in the Early Triassic of Eastern Europe". Paleontological Journal. 40 (1): 1–10. doi:10.1134/S0031030106010011. S2CID   129895753.
  4. Ochev, V.G.; Shishkin, M.A.; Kukhtinov, D.A.; Tverdokhlebov, V.P.; Makarova, I.S. (2004). "Some Unsolved Problems of Triassic Stratigraphy in Eastern Europe". Stratigraphy and Geological Correlation. 12 (3): 262–274.