| Fleming Fjord Formation | |
| Type: | Geological formation |
| Age: | Norian-Rhaetian ~ |
| Period: | Rhaetian |
| Prilithology: | Mudstone, claystone |
| Otherlithology: | Limestone, sandstone |
| Namedfor: | Fleming Fjord |
| Region: | East Greenland |
| Coordinates: | 71.9°N -22.56°W |
| Paleocoordinates: | 45.7°N -2.8°W |
| Unitof: | Scoresby Land Group |
| Subunits: | Edderfugledal, Malmros Klint & Ørsted Dal Members |
| Underlies: | Kap Stewart Group |
| Overlies: | Gippsdalen Formation |
| Thickness: | 200- |
| Extent: | Jameson Land |
| Area: | 3000km2 |
The Fleming Fjord Formation, alternatively called the Fleming Fjord Group is an Upper Triassic geological formation in the northeastern coast of Jameson Land, Greenland. It consists of terrestrial sediments and is known for its fossil content.
It is of Norian to Rhaetian age and is subdivided into three members; at the base the Edderfugledal Member, followed by the Malmros Klint Member with the Ørsted Dal Member at the top. It was deposited in a large shallow to ephemeral lake.[1]
The fauna of Fleming Fjord is diverse, including sauropodomorph dinosaurs, pterosaurs, temnospondyls, mammaliaforms, aetosaurs, and other taxa.[2] Freshwater unionid bivalves and conchostracans have been reported from the Malmros Klint Member.
Lungfish, actinopterygian, and chondrichthyan teeth have been reported from the Malmros Klint Member.
| Fish of the Fleming Fjord Formation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus / Taxon | Species | Member | Notes | |
| Ceratodus | C. tunuensis[3] | Ørsted Dal Member | A lungfish, possibly synonymous with Ptychoceratodus rectangulus[4] | |
| Ptychoceratodus | P. rectangulus | Ørsted Dal Member | A lungfish | |
| Amphibians of the Fleming Fjord Formation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus / Taxon | Species | Member | Notes | Images |
| Cyclotosaurus | C. naraserluki[5] | Ørsted Dal Member | A capitosaurian temnospondyl | |
| Gerrothorax | G. cf. pulcherrimus[6] | Malmros Klint Member,Ørsted Dal Member | A plagiosaurid temnospondyl | |
| Salientia indet.[7] | Ørsted Dal Member | A potential stem-group anuran (frog) | ||
Besides the forms described below, a diverse ichnofauna of small and large tracks has also been reported from the Malmros Klint Member,[8] as well as coprolites[9] [10] and additional theropod, pterosaur, and turtle fossils.[11]
| Reptiles of the Fleming Fjord Formation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus / Taxon | Species | Member | Notes | Images |
| Aetosaurus | A. ferratus | Ørsted Dal Member | A small aetosaur | |
| Arcticodactylus | A. cromptonellus | Ørsted Dal Member | A eudimorphodontid pterosaur | |
| cf. Brachychirotherium | Ørsted Dal Member | Small quadrupedal tracks, likely produced by small or juvenile pseudosuchians[12] | ||
| Eosauropus sp. | Ørsted Dal Member | Large (>40 cm per footprint) quadrupedal tracks, likely produced by an early sauropod related to Eusauropoda[13] | ||
| Evazoum sp. | Ørsted Dal Member | Large (~36 cm per footprint) bipedal tracks, likely produced by a plateosaurian sauropodomorph. By far the largest prints assigned to this ichnogenus | ||
| Grallator sp. | Malmros Klint Member, Ørsted Dal Member | Small bipedal tracks, likely produced by theropods | ||
| Issi[14] | I. saaneq | Malmros Klint Member | A plateosaurid sauropodomorph closely related to (and previously referred to) Plateosaurus | |
| Paratypothorax | P. andressorum | Ørsted Dal Member? | A moderate-sized paratypothoracin aetosaur | |
| Phytosauria indet. | Malmros Klint Member | Indeterminate phytosaur fossils, including adult and juvenile specimens | ||
| Plateosauridae indet. | Malmros Klint Member, Ørsted Dal Member | Undescribed fossils of plateosaurid sauropodomorphs, including complete skeletons. Plateosaurid skull material has been named as the species Issi saaneq | ||
| cf. Proganochelys | Ørsted Dal Member | Turtle fossils possibly referrable to Proganochelys[15] | ||
| Testudinata indet. | Malmros Klint Member?, Ørsted Dal Member | Indeterminate testudinatan (turtle) fossils | ||
| Synapsids of the Fleming Fjord Formation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus / Taxon | Species | Member | Notes | Images |
| cf. Brachyzostrodon | Ørsted Dal Member | A morganucodont mammaliaform | ||
| Haramiyavia | H. clemmenseni | Ørsted Dal Member | A haramiyid mammaliaform | |
| Kalaallitkigun[16] | K. jenkinsi | Ørsted Dal Member | A haramiyid mammaliaform | |
| Kuehneotherium sp. | Ørsted Dal Member | A kuehneotheriid mammaliaform | ||
| Mitredon | M. cromptoni | Ørsted Dal Member | A probainognathian cynodont with uncertain affinities | |