San Angelo Formation Explained

San Angelo Formation
Type:Formation
Region:Texas
Country:United States
Unitof:Pease River Group
Underlies:Blaine Formation
Overlies:Clear Fork Group
Period:Kungurian

The San Angelo Formation is a geologic formation in Texas. It preserves fossils dating back to the Permian period. Along with the Chickasha Formation is one of the two geologically youngest formations in North America to preserve fossils of caseids, and it is the youngest one to preserve remains of undoubted sphenacodontids, namely, Dimetrodon angelensis.

Stratigraphy and age

Some studies argued that the San Angelo Formation belongs to the Kungurian stage of the Cisuralian series because it underlies the Blaine Formation, which is, according to the same studies, either upper Kungurian or lower Guadalupian. However, a recent study concluded that Olson was correct in regarding the San Angelo Formation as belonging to the Roadian, and that the Blaine Formation also dates from the Roadian.[1]

Fossil content

Everett C. Olson regarded the San Angelo Formation as preserving some of the oldest known therapsids, several of which he classified in a taxon he called Eotheriodonta. These taxa are now interpreted as caseids and sphenacodontids, not therapsids.

Synapsids

Genus Species Location Material Notes Images
AngelosaurusA. dolaniA caseid
CaseoidesC. sanangeloensisA caseid
CaseopsisC. agilisA caseid
CotylorhynchusC. hancockiA caseid
DimacrodonD. hottoni
DimetrodonD. angelensisA sphenacodontid
DriveriaD. ponderosa
EosyodonE. hudsoniA dubious sphenacodontid
GorgodonG. minutus
KnoxosaurusK. niteckii
MastersoniaM. driverensis
SteppesaurusS. gurleyi
TappenosaurusT. magnus

See also

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Laurin . Michel . Hook . Robert W. . The age of North America’s youngest Paleozoic continental vertebrates: a review of data from the Middle Permian Pease River (Texas) and El Reno (Oklahoma) Groups . BSGF - Earth Sciences Bulletin . 2022 . 193 . 10 . 10.1051/bsgf/2022007 . en.