Kallamedu Formation

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Kallamedu Formation
Stratigraphic range: Maastrichtian
~70.6–65.5  Ma
Type Geological formation
Underlies Niniyur Formation
Overlies Archean Basement
ThicknessVariable, typically 5–5,000 km (3.1–3,106.9 mi)
Lithology
Primary Claystone, siltstone limestone
Other Conglomerate
Location
Coordinates 11°41′46″N79°24′46″E / 11.6962°N 79.4127°E / 11.6962; 79.4127
CountryFlag of India.svg  India
ExtentKallamedu
Type section
Named for Kallamedu village

The Kallamedu Formation is a Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) geologic formation located in the Ariyalur district of Tamil Nadu, India that forms part of the Ariyalur Group. [1] It dates to the Maastrichtian of the Late Cretaceous. Dinosaur remains and petrified wood samples are among the known fossils recovered from this formation. [2]

Contents

Lithology

The Kallamedu formation likely represented a fluvial environment. It is composed of siltstones, clays and sandstones. The high organic carbon content of some of the rocks are consistent with a swamp. [3]

Paleofauna

Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs from the Kallamedu Formation
GenusSpeciesMaterialNotes
Abelisauridae indet. [4] "Disassociated remains"
Bruhathkayosaurus [5] B. matleyiilium and ischium, femur, tibia, radius and part of a vertebra (specifically a platycoelous caudal centrum). Remains no longer existInitially described as a Theropod, it was reclassified as a Titanosaur
Carnosauria indet.? [5] "Fragmentary remains" Carnosauria was often used as a wastebasket taxon
Fusioolithus [6] F. baghensis Dinosaur eggs
Sauropoda indet. [7] "fragmentary remains."
Stegosauria indet.? [8] Dermal plate or misinterpreted sauropod boneOther more plausible Stegosaur material is known from Cretaceous India
Titanosauria indet. [6] solitary egg.
Troodontidae indet. [4] One isolated tooth (DUGF/52)

Crocodylomorphs

Crocodylomorphs from the Kallamedu Formation
GenusSpeciesMaterialNotes
Crocodilia indet. [9] Teeth
Notosuchia indet. [9] TeethRelated to Simosuchus

Turtles

Turtle from the Kallamedu Formation
GenusSpeciesMaterialNotes
Kurmademys [10] K. kallamedensisNearly complete skullA Side-necked Turtle

Related Research Articles

<i>Bruhathkayosaurus</i> Sauropod dinosaur genus from India

Bruhathkayosaurus is a controversial genus of sauropod dinosaur found in the Kallamedu Formation of India. The fragmentary remains were originally described as a theropod, but it was later determined to be a titanosaurian sauropod. Length estimates by researchers exceed those of the titanosaur Argentinosaurus, as longer than 35 metres (115 ft) and weighing over 80 tonnes. A 2023 estimate placed Bruhathkayosaurus as potentially weighing approximately 110–170 tonnes. If the upper estimates of the 2023 records are accurate, Bruhathkayosaurus may have rivalled the blue whale as one of the largest animals to ever exist. However, all of the estimates are based on the dimensions of the fossils described in Yadagiri and Ayyasami (1987), and in 2017, it was reported that the holotype fossils had disintegrated and no longer exist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ariyalur district</span> District in Tamil Nadu, India

Ariyalur district is an administrative district, one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The district headquarters is located at Ariyalur. The district encompasses an area of 1,949.31 km2.

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References

  1. Memoirs of the Geological Survey of India. Oxford University. 1865. pp. 107–140.
  2. Weishampel, David B; et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution (Late Cretaceous, Asia)." In: Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria , 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 593–600. ISBN   0-520-24209-2.
  3. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263426844_SEDIMENTOLOGICAL_STUDIES_OF_KALLAMEDU_FORMATION_IN_ARIYALUR_AREA_TAMIL_NADU_INDIA
  4. 1 2 Goswami, A.; Prasad, G. V. R.; Verma, O.; Flynn, J. J.; Benson, R. B. J. (2013). "A troodontid dinosaur from the latest Cretaceous of India". Nature Communications. 4: 1703. Bibcode:2013NatCo...4.1703G. doi: 10.1038/ncomms2716 . PMID   23591870.
  5. 1 2 Yadagiri, P. and Ayyasami, K. (1987). "A carnosaurian dinosaur from the Kallamedu Formation (Maestrichtian horizon), Tamilnadu." In M.V.A. Sastry, V.V. Sastry, C.G.K. Ramanujam, H.M. Kapoor, B.R. Jagannatha Rao, P.P. Satsangi, and U.B. Mathur (eds.), Three Decades of Development in Palaeontology and Stratigraphy in India. Volume 1. Precambrian to Mesozoic. Geological Society of India Special Publication, 11(1): 523–528.
  6. 1 2 Dhiman, Harsha; Prasad, Guntupalli V. R.; Goswami, Anjali (2018). "Parataxonomy and palaeobiogeographic significance of dinosaur eggshell fragments from the Upper Cretaceous strata of the Cauvery Basin, South India". Historical Biology: 1–13. doi:10.1080/08912963.2018.1450408. S2CID   89969203.
  7. R. Lydekker. (1877). Notices of new and other Vertebrata from Indian Tertiary and Secondary rocks. Records of the Geological Survey of India 10(1):30–43
  8. Peter M. Galton; Krishnan Ayyasami (2017). "Purported latest bone of a plated dinosaur (Ornithischia: Stegosauria), a "dermal plate" from the Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) of southern India". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen. 285 (1): 91–96. doi:10.1127/njgpa/2017/0671.
  9. 1 2 Prasad, G. V. R., Verma, O., Flynn, J. J. & Goswami, A. (2013) A new Late Cretaceous vertebrate fauna from the Cauvery basin, South India: implications for Gondwanan palaeobiogeography. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
  10. Gaffney, Eugene S; Chatterjee, Sankar; Rudra, Dhiraj K. (2001). "Kurmademys, a new side-necked turtle (Pelomedusoides: Bothremydidae) from the Late Cretaceous of India" (pdf). American Museum Novitates (3321): 1–16. doi:10.1206/0003-0082(2001)321<0001:kansnt>2.0.co;2. hdl:2246/2938. S2CID   53980146.