Forest Marble Formation Explained
Forest Marble Formation |
Type: | Geological formation |
Period: | Bathonian |
Prilithology: | Mudstone, Limestone |
Otherlithology: | Siltstone, Sandstone |
Namedfor: | Wychwood Forest |
Region: | Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Dorset |
Unitof: | Great Oolite Group |
Underlies: | Cornbrash Formation |
Overlies: | White Limestone Formation, Athelstan Oolite Formation, Chalfield Oolite Formation, Corsham Limestone Formation, Frome Clay |
Thickness: | Up to 5m thick in Buckinghamshire, 10 to 30m in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, 30 to about 50m in north Dorset, 30 to 75m in south Dorset |
The Forest Marble is a geological formation in England. Part of the Great Oolite Group, it dates to the late Bathonian stage of the Middle Jurassic.[1]
Lithology
The primary lithology of the formation typically consists of greenish grey variably calcareous silicate mudstone, with lenticular cross bedded limestone units deposited in a marine setting.[2]
Paleobiota
Despite the formation being nearly entirely marine, at several localities abundant remains of terrestrial microvertebrates are found, the primary locality being the Kirtlington Mammal Bed (designated 3p) in Kirtlington Quarry near Kirtlington, Oxfordshire.[3] Another important locality is Watton Cliff near Eype in Dorset.[4]
Fish
Dinosaurs
Ornithischians
Saurischians
Amphibians
Amphibians reported from the Forest Marble Formation |
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Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
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Anoualerpeton | A. priscus | Kirtlington | | | Albanerpetontid | |
Eodiscoglossus | E. oxoniensis | Kirtlington | | | Frog, probably not closely related to type species of genus. | |
Marmorerpeton | M. kermacki, M. freemani | Kirtlington, Watton Cliff | | | Neotenic stem-group salamander (Caudata) belonging to Karauridae | |
| Indeterminate | Kirtlington | | | 2 distinct taxa, one common one small, referred to as Kirtlington Salamander A and B, respectively | | |
Lepidosauromorphs
Crocodyliformes
Crocodyliformes reported from the Forest Marble Formation |
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Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
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cf. Goniopholis | Indeterminate | Kirtlington | | | | |
cf. Theriosuchus | Indeterminate | Kirtlington | | | | | |
Mammaliamorphs
Mammaliamorphs reported from the Forest Marble Formation |
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Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
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Amphitherium | Indeterminate | ?Kirtlington, Watton Cliff | | | The first Mesozoic mammal to be described. Initially believed to be a marsupial. Close relative of Palaeoxonodon and Peramuridae. | | |
Borealestes | B. serendipitus | Kirtlington, Watton Cliff | | molar fragments | Docodonta | |
Dobunnodon | B. mussetti | Kirtlington | | molar fragments | |
Gobiconodon | G. bathoniensis | Kirtlington, Watton Cliff | | | Gobiconodontid | |
Hahnotherium | H. antiquum | Kirtlington, Watton Cliff | | | Multituberculate | |
Kermackodon | K. multicuspis, K. oxfordensis | Kirtlington, Watton Cliff | | | Allotherian belonging to the family Kermackodontidae, K. oxfordensis previously placed in separate genus Eleutherodon. | |
Kirtlingtonia | K. catenata | Kirtlington | | | Haramiyid | |
Krusatodon | K. kirtlingtonensis | Kirtlington | | | Tegotheriid docodontan | |
Millsodon | M. superstes | Kirtlington, Watton Cliff | | | Haramiyid | |
Morganucodon | M. tardus | Watton Cliff | | | Morganucodontidae | |
Palaeoxonodon | P. ooliticus | Kirtlington, Watton Cliff | | | Amphitheriid | |
Paritatodon | P. kermacki | Kirtlington | | | Docodontan or Shuotheriidae | |
Peraiocynodon | P. major | Kirtlington | | | | |
Phascolotherium | P. simpsoni | Kirtlington, Watton Cliff | | | Amphilestidae | |
Simpsonodon | S. oxfordensis | Kirtlington | | | Docodonta | |
Shuotherium | Indeterminate | Kirtington | | | Shuotheriidae | |
Stereognathus | S. ooliticus | Kirtlington, Watton Cliff | | | Tritylodontidae | |
Stylidens | S. hookeri | Watton Cliff | | | Morganucodontidae | |
Wareolestes | W. rex | Kirtlington | | | Morganucodonta | |
| Indeterminate | Kirtlington | | | | |
| Indeterminate | Kirtlington | | | | |
Dryolestida | Indeterminate | | | Lower molars | | |
| Indeterminate | Watton Cliff | | | | | |
See also
References
- Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. 861 pp. .
Notes and References
- Weishampel, David B; et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution (Middle Jurassic, Europe)." In: Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 538–541. .
- Web site: Forest Marble Formation . . BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units . 1 November 2018.
- Web site: Kirtlington 3p (Mammal Bed) . 28 August 2018 . Paleobiology Database .
- Web site: Watton Cliff (West Cliff), Dorset . 28 August 2018 . Paleobiology Database .
- Rees . Jan . Underwood . Charlie J. . January 2008 . Hybodont Sharks of the English Bathonian and Callovian (Middle Jurassic) . Palaeontology . en . 51 . 1 . 117–147 . 10.1111/j.1475-4983.2007.00737.x . 0031-0239.
- Underwood . Charlie J. . Ward . David J. . May 2004 . Neoselachian sharks and rays from the British Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) . Palaeontology . en . 47 . 3 . 447–501 . 10.1111/j.0031-0239.2004.00386.x . 0031-0239.
- Listed as "cf. Alocodon sp." in "10.11 Oxfordshire, England; 6. Forest Marble Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 540.
- Listed as "?Hylaeosaurus sp." in "10.13 Wiltshire, England; 3. Forest Marble Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 540.
- "10.13 Wiltshire, England; 3. Forest Marble Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 540.
- Listed as "?Iguanodon sp." in "10.11 Oxfordshire, England; 6. Forest Marble Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 540.
- "10.11 Oxfordshire, England; 6. Forest Marble Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 540.
- "10.11 Oxfordshire, England; 6. Forest Marble Formation" and "10.13 Wiltshire, England; 3. Forest Marble Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 540.
- "Table 13.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 270.
- "10.11 Oxfordshire, England; 6. Forest Marble Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 538, 540.
- "Table 13.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 265.
- Wills . S. . Underwood . C. J. . Barrett . P. M. . 2023 . Machine learning confirms new records of maniraptoran theropods in Middle Jurassic UK microvertebrate faunas . Papers in Palaeontology . 9 . 2 . e1487 . 10.1002/spp2.1487. free .
- Yu . Yilun . Yi . Hongyu . Wang . Shiying . Pei . Rui . Zhang . Chi . Xu . Xing . December 1, 2023 . A Jurassic Tibetan theropod tooth reveals dental convergency and its implication for identifying fragmentary fossils . The Innovation Geoscience . en . 1 . 3 . 100040–10 . 10.59717/j.xinn-geo.2023.100040 . 2959-8753. free .
- Weishampel, et al. (2004). Pages 539-540.
- "10.3 Gloucestershire, England; 4. Forest Marble Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 538.
- "10.7 Dorset, England; 2. Forest Marble Formation" and "10.11 Oxfordshire, England; 6. Forest Marble Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Pages 539-540.
- "10.7 Dorset, England; 2. Forest Marble Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 539.
- Scheyer. Torsten M.. Anquetin. Jérémy. March 2008. Bone histology of the Middle Jurassic turtle shell remains from Kirtlington, Oxfordshire, England. Lethaia. 41. 1. 85–96. 10.1111/j.1502-3931.2007.00044.x. 0024-1164.