Grünbach Formation Explained
The Grünbach Formation is an Austrian geological formation that dates to the early Campanian age of the Late Cretaceous. it forms part of the Gosau Group, and represents a marine regression event, representing a coastal/brackish environment, being underlain by the marine carbonate Maiersdorf Formation and overlain by the deep marine siliciclastic Piesting Formation. The main lithology is clay, marl, siltstone and sandstone, with a minor conglomerate component. Coal seams have also been noted.[1] [2] It is notable for its fossils including those of dinosaurs and plants.
Vertebrate paleofauna
All remains have been found at a single locality, which is a thin marl seam in the Konstantin mining tunnel, within the Felbering Mine in the Neue Welt area north west of Muthmannsdorf in Lower Austria.[3] The initial remains were discovered in 1859 after an ornithopod tooth was found in a piece of coal in a dump outside the mine by Professor Ferdinand Stoliczka, and the productive seam discovered thereafter. The first material was described by Emanuel Bunzel in 1871[4] and then additional material was described by Harry Seeley in 1881. Due to mining activity in the area ceasing at the end of the 19th century, no additional remains have been recovered since.
Crocodyliformes
| Crocodyliformes of the Grünbach Formation |
|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
|---|
| Doratodon | D. carcharidens | Muthmannsdorf | | "incomplete mandible, a fragmentary right maxilla, a parietal fragment, and isolated teeth"[6] | | |
| Eusuchia | Indeterminate | Muthmannsdorf | | "mandible fragment and some postcranial material" | | | |
Turtles
| Turtles of the Grünbach Formation |
|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
|---|
| Dortokidae | Indeterminate | Muthmannsdorf | | Shell fragments | | |
| cf. Kallokibotioninae | Indeterminate | Muthmannsdorf | | Shell fragments | | | |
Pterosaurs
| Pterosaurs of the Grünbach Formation |
|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
|---|
| "Ornithocheirus" | "O". buenzeli | Muthmannsdorf | | | Remains found not diagnostic, remains referred to Azdarchidae and Pterodactyloidea indet. | |
| Azdarchidae | Indeterminate | Muthmannsdorf | | "Proximal portion of a humerus"[8] | Previously referred to "O". buenzeli | |
| Pterodactyloidea | Indeterminate | Muthmannsdorf | | "Articular region of a lower jaw, crushed phalangeal fragments" | Previously referred to "O". buenzeli | | |
Non-avian dinosaurs
| Dinosaurs of the Grünbach Formation |
|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
|---|
| Mochlodon | M. suessi | Muthmannsdorf | | Cranial and postcranial elements | | |
| Struthiosaurus | S. austriacus | Muthmannsdorf | | Cranial and postcranial elements | | |
| Tetanurae | Indeterminate | Muthmannsdorf | | "Two fragmentary teeth" | Referred to by the dubious name ‘Megalosaurus pannoniensis’ Nearly identical to teeth known from the Csehbánya Formation[9] | | |
Flora
Most of these specimens were recovered from mining dumps near Grünbach am Schneeberg in lower Austria. The flora of the formation is considered to represent that of a high humidity subtropical climate, typical of the Euro-Sinian phytogeographical region.[10] [11] [12]
Lycopodiophyta
| Lycopodiophytes of the Grünbach Formation |
|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic Position | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|
| Camarozonosporites | Indeterminate | | | | Spore, representative of Lycopodiaceae | |
| Retitriletes | Indeterminate | | | | Spore, representative of Lycopodium | | |
Pteridophytes
| Pteridophytes of the Grünbach Formation |
|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic Position | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|
| Appendicisporites | A. tricuspidatus | | | | Spore, probable affinities with Schizaeaceae | |
| Cicatricosisporites | Indeterminate | | | | Spore, probable affinities with Schizaeaceae | |
| Cingulatisporites | Indeterminate | | | | Spore, affinities with Anemia | |
| Cladophlebis | C. gosauensis | | | | | |
| Coniopteris | ? | | | | | |
| Cyathidites | Indeterminate | | | | Spore | |
| Echinatisporites | Indeterminate | | | | Spore | |
| Equisetites | Indeterminate | | | | A horsetail | |
| Gosauopteris | G. danaeoides | | | | Probable affinities with Marattiaceae | |
| Gleicheniidites | G. senonicus | | | | Spore | |
| Leiotriletes | Indeterminate | | | | Spore, representative of Lygodium | |
| Marsileaceaephyllum | M. campanica | | | | Marsileaceae, very similar to extant Marsilea | |
| Matonisporites | Indeterminate | | | | Spore, Found in situ with Monheimia | |
| Microphyllopteris | M. austriaca | | | | | |
| Microtaenia | M. austriaca | | | | | |
| Monheimia | M. ungerii | | | | affinities with Matoniaceae, particularly Phanerosorus | |
| Polypodiaceoisporites | Indeterminate | | | | Spore | |
| Raphaelia | R. lobifolia | | | | | |
| Sphenopteris | S. gruenbachiana, S. ungeri | | | | Probable affinities with Schizaeaceae | | |
Gymnosperms
| Gymnosperms of the Grünbach Formation |
|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic Position | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|
| Geinitzia | G. formosa, G. reichenbachii | | | | Pinopsida, Taxodioid affinity | |
| cf. Lindleycladus | L. lanceolatus | | | | | |
| Nilsonia | N. cf. holyi | | | | Bennettitales | |
| Pagiophyllum | Indeterminate | | | | | |
| Pityosporites | Indeterminate | | | | Pollen | |
| Podozamites | Indeterminate | | | | | |
| Taxiodiaceaepollenites | Indeterminate | | | | Pollen, at least 2 taxa | | |
Angiosperms
Monocots
| Monocots of the Grünbach Formation |
|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic Position | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|
| Arecipites | Indeterminate | | | | Pollen, representative of Palmae | |
| Lysichiton | L. austriacus | | | | Araceae, genus extant | |
| Gruenbachia | G. pandanoides | | | | Pandanaceae, reproductive organs of Pandanites | |
| Pandanites | P. trinervis | | | | Pandanaceae | |
| Sabalites | S. longirhachis | | | | Palm | |
| Spinizonocolpites | Indeterminate | | | | Pollen, representative of extant Nypa palm | |
| Theiaiphyllum | T. kollmannii | | | | | | |
Dicots
| Dicots of the Grünbach Formation |
|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic Position | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|
| Brasenites | B. krasserii | | | | affinity with Brasenia | |
| Celastrophyllum | Indeterminate, C. johannae | | | | Hamamelidae | |
| Ceratoxylon | Indeterminate | | | | Reproductive structure | |
| Clavatipollenites | Indeterminate | | | | Pollen, representative of Chloranthaceae | |
| Complexiopollis | Indeterminate | | | | | |
| Compositiphyllum | C. serratum | | | | | |
| Debeya | D. insignis | | | | | |
| Dicotylophyllum | Indeterminate | | | | | |
| Ettingshausenia | E. gruenbachiana, E. cf. laevis, Indeterminate | | | | Platanaceae | |
| Extremipollis | Indeterminate | | | | Pollen | |
| Grebenkia | G. europeica | | | | | |
| cf. Grevilleophyllum | G. constans | | | | | |
| Hungaropollis | Indeterminate | | | | Pollen | |
| Juglandiphyllites | J. pelagicus | | | | possible affinity with Juglandaceae | |
| Krutzschipollites | Indeterminate | | | | Pollen | |
| Laudaypollis | Indeterminate | | | | Pollen | |
| Leguminosites | L. mucronata | | | | | |
| Longanulipollis | Indeterminate | | | | Pollen | |
| Menispermites | M. ettingshausenii, M. summesbergerii | | | | | |
| Momipetes | Indeterminate | | | | Pollen, similar to extant Engelhardtia | |
| Myricophyllum | M. cf. zenkeri, M. serratum | | | | Affinities with Myrica | |
| Myrtacaedites | Indeterminate | | | | Pollen, Representative of Myrtaceae | |
| Normapolles | Indeterminate | | | | Pollen, very abundant. possibly associated with Juglandaceae | |
| Oculipollis | O. sp, O. parvoculus O.zaklinskaiaiae | | | | Pollen | |
| cf. Pandemophyllum | Indeterminate, P. cf. proteoides | | | | | |
| Pseudoplicapollis | Indeterminate | | | | Pollen | |
| Quereuxia | Q. angulata | | | | Possible affinity with Trapa | |
| Rogersia | Indeterminate | | | | | |
| Semioculipollis | Indeterminate | | | | Pollen | |
| Suemegipollis | Indeterminate | | | | Pollen | |
| Ternstroemites | T. (?) neueweltensis | | | | | |
| Tricolpopollenites | Indeterminate | | | | Pollen, At least 8 distinct taxa | |
| Viburniphyllum | V. ermannii, V. austriacum | | | | | | |
Notes and References
- Draganits. Erich. Wagreich. Michael. Hofer. Gerald. Hofmann. Christa-Charlotte. Reischenbacher. Doris. Grundtner. Marie-Louise. Neuhuber. Stephanie. Bottig. Magda. 2011. Stratigraphy and geochemical characterisation of Upper Cretaceous non-marine - marine cycles (Grünbach Formation, Gosau Group, Austria. Austrian Journal of Earth Sciences. 104. 2. 90–107.
- Grundtner. Marie-Louise. 2011. Sedimentologie und Sedimentpetrographie der Gosau-Gruppe bei Dreistetten-Muthmannsdorf (Niederösterreichische Kalkalpen) . Master's thesis . University of Vienna . 10.25365/thesis.17461 . 21–35, 51–57, 71.
- Sachs. Sven. Hornung. Jahn J.. May 2006. Juvenile ornithopod (Dinosauria: Rhabdodontidae) remains from the Upper Cretaceous (Lower Campanian, Gosau Group) of Muthmannsdorf (Lower Austria). Geobios. 39. 3. 415–425. 10.1016/j.geobios.2005.01.003. 0016-6995.
- Bunzel. Emanuel. 1871. Die Reptilfauna der Gosau-Formation in der Neuen Welt bei Wiener-Neustadt. Abhandlungen der Kaiserlich-königlichen Geologischen Reichsanstalt. 5. 1–18.
- Seeley. H. G.. 1881-02-01. The Reptile Fauna of the Gosau Formation preserved in the Geological Museum of the University of Vienna: With a Note on the Geological Horizon of the Fossils at Neue Welt, west of Wiener Neustadt, by Edw. Suess, Ph.D., F.M.G.S., &c., Professor of Geology in the University of Vienna, &c. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society. 37. 1–4. 620–706. 10.1144/GSL.JGS.1881.037.01-04.49. 219235284. 0370-291X.
- Buffetaut. Eric. 1979. Revision der Crocodylia (Reptilia) aus den Gosau-Schichten (Ober-Kreide) von Österreich. Beiträge zur Paläontologie von Österreich. 6. 89–105.
- Buffetaut. Eric. 1989. Erster nachweis von Choristodera (Reptilia, Diapsida) in der Oberkreide Europas: Champsosaurierwirbel aus den Gosau-Schichten (Campan) Niederösterreichs. Sitzungsberichten der Österreichs Akademis der Wissenschaften Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Klasse, Abteilung. 197. 389–394.
- Buffetaut. Eric. Ősi. Attila. Prondvai. Edina. March 2011. The pterosaurian remains from the Grünbach Formation (Campanian, Gosau Group) of Austria: a reappraisal of 'Ornithocheirus buenzeli'. Geological Magazine. 148. 2. 334–339. 10.1017/S0016756810000981. 2011GeoM..148..334B. 131376979. 1469-5081.
- Csiki-Sava. Zoltan. Buffetaut. Eric. Ősi. Attila. Pereda-Suberbiola. Xabier. Brusatte. Stephen L.. 2015-01-08. Island life in the Cretaceous - faunal composition, biogeography, evolution, and extinction of land-living vertebrates on the Late Cretaceous European archipelago. ZooKeys. 469. 1–161. 10.3897/zookeys.469.8439. 1313-2970. 4296572. 25610343. free.
- Herman. Alexei B.. KVAČEK. JIŘÍ. 2007. Early Campanian Grünbach flora of Austria: systematic composition and palaeoclimatic interpretations. Acta Palaeobotanica. 47. 1. 37–55.
- KVACEK. JIRÍ. HERMAN. ALEXEI. 2004. The Campanian Grünbach Flora of Lower Austria: palaeoecological interpretations. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien. 106 A.
- Book: B., Herman, Alexei. Late Cretaceous Grünbach Flora of Austria. 2010. Naturhistorisches Museum. Kvaček, Jiří.. 9783902421432. Wien. 517260675.
