Pant-y-Ffynnon Quarry explained

Pant-y-Ffynnon Quarry fissure fills
Type:Fissure fill
Age:Rhaetian,
~
Period:Rhaetian
Prilithology:Breccia
Region:South Wales
Country:Wales
Coordinates:51.458°N -3.374°W
Overlies:Friars Point Limestone Formation

Pant-y-Ffynnon Quarry is a stone quarry in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, around 3 kilometers east of Cowbridge. It contains fissure fill deposits dating to the Late Triassic (Rhaetian), hosted within karsts of Carboniferous aged limestone, primarily the Friars Point Limestone Formation. Remains of numerous small vertebrates, notably archosaurs, are known from the fissure fills in the quarry, similar to other Late Triassic-Early Jurassic fissure fill deposits known from Southwest England and southern Wales.

History

The quarry was likely in use since at least the 1910s, and the first fossil specimens discovered at the quarry were collected by palaeontologists Kenneth Kermack and Pamela Robinson of University College London between 1951 and 1952, and were first presented at a talk in 1953 and later written on briefly in 1956.[1]

The quarry was abandoned during the 1960s and few fossil discoveries have been made there since. Much of the remains discovered between 1951-52 were left undescribed until the 21st century, with most only initially being briefly described upon discovery.

Vertebrate paleofauna

!Taxon!Species!Presence!Notes!Images
Aenigmaspina[2] A. pantyffynnonensisGeographically present in Pantyffynnon[3] Remains include osteoderms, vertebrae, ribs and a scapula clustered tightly together, as well as more pieces from the forelimb and additional vertebrae that likely belong to this individual. Nicknamed 'Edgar'.
Clevosaurus[4] C. cambrica, C. sp.Geographically present in PantyffynnonPartial cranial and post-cranial remains from several specimens, with bite marks belonging to Terrestrisuchus present.
CrinoideaIndeterminateGeographically present in PantyffynnonReworked from older Carboniferous sediments.
Crocodylomorpha[5] IndeterminateGeographically present in PantyffynnonIsolated bones associated with the holotype of Pendraig. Likely the same animal as Terrestrisuchus
DiphydontosaurusD. sp.Geographically present in PantyffynnonLeft dentary.
KuehneosaurusK. sp.Geographically present in PantyffynnonIndeterminate remains,[6] with Keeble et al. (2018) unable to source this specimen.
LepidosauriaIndeterminateGeographically present in PantyffynnonIndeterminate remains.
Pantydraco[7] P. caducusGeographically present in PantyffynnonRemains include a skull, a partial jawbone, and vertebrae of the cervix, an incomplete right pelvic bone, and partial forelimbs.
Pendraig[8] P. milneraeGeographically present in PantyffynnonRemains include a partial pelvis, vertebrae and a left femur that is from the same individual was found disarticulated from the main block.
RhynchocephaliaIndeterminateGeographically present in PantyffynnonRepresented by one or two indeterminate species.
Terrestrisuchus[9] T. gracilis, T. sp.?Geographically present in PantyffynnonSeveral well-preserved articulated partial skeletons and various isolated bones.

Notes and References

  1. Kermack. K. A.. 1956. An ancestral crocodile from South Wales. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London. 166. 1–2. 10.1111/j.1095-8312.1956.tb00747.x.
  2. Patrick. Erin L.. Whiteside. David I.. Benton. Michael J.. 2019. A new crurotarsan archosaur from the Late Triassic of South Wales. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 39. 3. e1645147. 10.1080/02724634.2019.1645147. 202848499. https://web.archive.org/web/20190830221411/https://cpb-eu-w2.wpmucdn.com/blogs.bristol.ac.uk/dist/6/525/files/2019/08/2019Edgar.pdf. 30 August 2019.
  3. Book: The dinosauria. 2004. University of California Press. David B. Weishampel, Peter Dodson, Halszka Osmólska. 978-0-520-94143-4. 2nd. Berkeley, Calif.. 801843269.
  4. Keeble. Emily. Whitestide. David I.. Benton. Michael J.. 2018. The terrestrial fauna of the Late Triassic Pant-y-ffynnon Quarry fissures, South Wales, UK and a new species of Clevosaurus (Lepidosauria: Rhynchocephalia). Proceedings of the Geologists' Association. 129. 2. 99–119. 10.1016/j.pgeola.2017.11.001. 1983/5afdc677-3ea0-4519-813d-6052ef8370ec.
  5. Warrener, D. (1983) "An Archisaurian Fauna from a Welsh Locality". (Unpublished PhD thesis in Zoology, University of London, London: 384 p).
  6. Fraser, N. C. (1986). Terrestrial vertebrates at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary in south West Britain, Modern Geology 10, 147–157
  7. Yates. Adam M.. 2003. A new species of the primitive dinosaur Thecodontosaurus (Saurischia: Sauropodomorpha) and its implications for the systematics of early dinosaurs. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. en. 1. 1. 1–42. 10.1017/S1477201903001007. 55906527. 1477-2019.
  8. Spiekman. Stephan N. F.. Ezcurra. Martín D.. Butler. Richard J.. Fraser. Nicholas C.. Maidment. Susannah C. R.. 2021. Pendraig milnerae, a new small-sized coelophysoid theropod from the Late Triassic of Wales. Royal Society Open Science. en. 8. 10. 210915. 10.1098/rsos.210915. 34754500. 8493203. 2054-5703.
  9. Crush. P. J.. 1984. A late upper Triassic sphenosuchid crocodilian from Wales. Palaeontology. 27. 1. 131–157.