Lealt Shale Explained

Lealt Shale Formation
Type:	Geological formation
Period:	Bathonian
Prilithology:	Mudstone
Otherlithology:	Limestone
Namedfor:	Lealt, Skye
Region:	Europe
Unitof:	Great Estuarine Group
Subunits:	Kildonnan Member, Lonfearn Member
Underlies:	Valtos Sandstone Formation
Overlies:	Elgol Sandstone Formation
Thickness:	Between 45 and 50 m
Extent:	Inner Hebrides
Namedby:	Harris and Hudson
Year Ts:	1980
Location Ts:	Cliffs east of Lonfearn (partial), Coastal exposure 2.5 km north of Kildonnan, Eigg (partial)
Thickness Ts:	Lonfearn: 26 to 30 m (partial) Kildonnan: 23 m (partial)

The Lealt Shale Formation is a Middle Jurassic geologic formation in Scotland. Fossil ornithopod, theropod and stegosaur tracks, a theropod dinosaur tooth and the pterosaur Dearc have been reported from the formation.^{[1] [2] [3]} The lithology consists of silty fissile mudstones with subordinate thin limestones.^[4]

Fossil content

Dinosaurs

Theropoda

Fish

Fishes of the Lealt Shale Formation
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes	Images
Archaeotolithus^[6]	A. eiggensis				A ray-finned fish
	A. invernizziae
Leptolepis	L. flexuosus				a leptolepid fish
	L. skyensis

See also

• List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations
  • List of stratigraphic units with ornithischian tracks
    • Ornithopod tracks

References

• Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. 861 pp. .

Notes and References

1. Weishampel, et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution." Pp. 517-607.
2. Young. Chloe M. E.. Hendrickx. Christophe. Challands. Thomas J.. Foffa. Davide. Ross. Dugald A.. Butler. Ian B.. Brusatte. Stephen L.. May 2019. New theropod dinosaur teeth from the Middle Jurassic of the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Scottish Journal of Geology. 55. 1. 7–19. 10.1144/sjg2018-020. 0036-9276. 20.500.11820/063549bc-2a00-4ddc-bcf6-a1bc2f872c26. 134102042. free.
3. dePolo. Paige E.. Brusatte. Stephen L.. Challands. Thomas J.. Foffa. Davide. Wilkinson. Mark. Clark. Neil D. L.. Hoad. Jon. Pereira. Paulo Victor Luiz Gomes da Costa. Ross. Dugald A.. Wade. Thomas J.. 2020-03-11. Fiorillo. Anthony R.. Novel track morphotypes from new tracksites indicate increased Middle Jurassic dinosaur diversity on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. PLOS ONE. en. 15. 3. e0229640. 10.1371/journal.pone.0229640. 1932-6203. free. 7065758.
4. Web site: Lealt Shale Formation. 2022-02-22. BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units.
5. Jagielska . N. . O'Sullivan . M. . Funston . G. F. . Butler . I. B. . Challands . T. J. . Clark . N. D. L. . Fraser . N. C. . Penny . A. . Ross . D. A. . Wilkinson . M. . Brusatte . S. L. . 2022 . A skeleton from the Middle Jurassic of Scotland illuminates an earlier origin of large pterosaurs . . 32 . 6 . 1446–1453.e4 . 10.1016/j.cub.2022.01.073 . 35196508 . 247013664 . free . 2022CBio...32E1446J . 10023/27028 . free .
6. Schwarzhans . W. W. . Wakefield . M. I. . Otoliths from the Lealt Shale Formation, Great Estuarine Group, Middle Jurassic (Bathonian), Inner Hebrides, Scotland . 2024 . Scottish Journal of Geology . 60 . 2 . 002 . 10.1144/sjg2024-002 . 2024ScJG...60....2S .