Werfen Formation Explained

Werfen Formation
Type:	Formation
Age:	Changhsingian-Ladinian ~
Period:	Ladinian
Prilithology:	Mudstone, lime mudstone, limestone
Otherlithology:	Siltstone, sandstone, marl
Namedfor:	Werfen
Region:	Upper Austria, Bolzano, South Tyrol, Trentino, Veneto
Country:	Austria Italy Bosnia and Herzegovina
Coordinates:	46.8°N 12.1°W
Paleocoordinates:	7.4°N 22.9°W
Unitof:	Costabella Group
Subunits:	Campil, Cencenighe, Gastropod Oolite, Tesero Oolite, Mazzin, Siusi, Val Badia Members
Extent:	Dinaric, Southern Limestone & Salzburg Slate Alps, Tennen Mountains

The Werfen Formation is a geologic formation in the Southern Limestone Alps and Dinaric Alps of Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Italy. It preserves fossils dating back to the Triassic period.^[1]

Fossil content

The formation has provided numerous fossils typical of a shallow lagoon environment, including:

• Eotiaris teseroensis (a crown-group echinoid from Changhsingian aged beds of the Tesero Member)^[2]
• Orbicoelia sp. (a brachiopod)^[2]
• Teserina nerii (a brachiopod)^[2]

Griesbachian aged layers of the formation also preserve an unexpectedly diverse ichnotaxon assemblage, including the ichnogenera Catenichnus, Helminthopsis, Lockeia, Palaeophycus, Planolites, Rhizocorallium, Spongeliomorpha, Taenidium and Thalassinoides.^[3]

See also

• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Austria
• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Bosnia and Herzegovina
• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Italy

References

Bibliography

Further reading

• E. Farabegoli, M. C. Perri, and R. Posenato. 2007. Environmental and biotic changes across the Permian-Triassic boundary in western Tethys: The Bulla parastratotype, Italy. Global and Planetary Change 55:109-135
• E. Kustatscher, M. Wachtler, and J.H.A. Konijnenburg-van Cittert. 2004. A number of additional and revised taxa from the Ladinian flora of the Dolomites, Northern Italy. Geo.Alp 1:57-69
• R. Posenato. 2009. Survival patterns of macrobenthic marine assemblages during the end-Permian mass extinction in the western Tethys (Dolomites, Italy). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 280:150-167
• A. Bittner. 1890. Brachiopoden der alpinen Trias. Abhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Geologischen Reichsanstalt 14:1-325

Notes and References

1. https://paleobiodb.org/classic/displayStrata?geological_group=&formation=Werfen&group_formation_member=Werfen Werfen Formation
2. Thompson . Jeffrey R. . Posenato . Renato . Bottjer . David J. . Petsios . Elizabeth . 2019 . Echinoids from the Tesero Member (Werfen Formation) of the Dolomites (Italy): implications for extinction and survival of echinoids in the aftermath of the end-Permian mass extinction . PeerJ . 7 . e7361 . 10.7717/peerj.7361 . 31531267 . 6718154 . free .
3. Hofmann . Richard . Goudemand . Nicolas . Wasmer . Martin . Bucher . Hugo . Hautmann . Michael . 2011 . New trace fossil evidence for an early recovery signal in the aftermath of the end-Permian mass extinction . Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology . 310 . 3–4 . 216–226 . 10.1016/j.palaeo.2011.07.014 . 2011PPP...310..216H.