The Anoual Formation is a geological formation in the High Atlas of Morocco. It is early Bathonian in age. It consists of two members. The lower member is several hundred metres thick, and consists largely of mudstone with lens beds of cross bedded sandstone, with thin intercalations of limestone that was deposited in a continental setting. The upper member is several tens of metres thick and consists of limestone deposited in a shallow marine setting. The formation is fossiliferous, with several of the limestone intercalations yielding a diverse fauna, including amphibians, reptiles, dinosaurs and mammals.[1]
Anoual Formation | |
---|---|
Stratigraphic range: | |
Type | Geological formation |
Unit of | Anoual Syncline |
Sub-units | Lower Member, Upper Member |
Underlies | Unconformity with Ksar Metlili Formation |
Overlies | Pholadomya Marls and Limestones Formation |
Thickness | ~500 m (1,600 ft) |
Lithology | |
Primary | Mudstone (Lower), limestone (Upper) |
Other | Sandstone, limestone, marl (Lower) |
Location | |
Coordinates | 32°30′N 3°06′W / 32.5°N 3.1°W |
Approximate paleocoordinates | 26°54′N 0°54′E / 26.9°N 0.9°E |
Region | Figuig Province |
Country | ![]() |
Extent | High Atlas |
Type section | |
Named for | Anoual |
Paleobiota
editFish
editFish | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
Arganodus | Indeterminate | Isolated tooth plates | Lungfish | |||
Lepidotes/Scheenstia | Indeterminate | Isolated teeth and scales | ||||
cf. Ionoscopiformes | Indeterminate | Rhomboidal scales | ||||
Mawsoniidae | Indeterminate | Skull bones including a parasphenoid | Coelacanth | |||
Osteoglossiformes | Indeterminate | Squamules (small scales) |
Amphibians
editAmphibians | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
Albanerpetontidae | Indeterminate | Incomplete premaxilla and incomplete frontal | ||||
? Caudata | Indeterminate | Fragment of a dentary | ||||
? Lissamphibia | Indeterminate | Fragment of a maxilla |
Turtles
editTurtles | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
Testudinata | Indeterminate | Shell fragments | Probably 4 distinct taxa |
Lepidosaurs
editLepidosaurs | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
cf. Parviraptor | Indeterminate | Four vertebral centra | ||||
Rhynchocephalia | Indeterminate | One fragment of dentary bearing two incomplete teeth, one fragment of maxilla bearing the bases of two teeth. | ||||
Scincomorpha | Indeterminate | A fragment of bone bearing teeth, potentially a fragment of bone bearing one complete tooth | ||||
Squamata | Indeterminate | Incomplete maxilla, incomplete dorsal vertebra, one proximal part of femur |
Choristoderes
editChoristoderes | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
Choristodera | Indeterminate | Fragmentary dentary, centrum of an anterior caudal vertebra, possibly centrum of a dorsal vertebra | Similar to Cteniogenys |
Dinosaurs
editDinosaurs | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
Theropoda | Indeterminate | Several teeth | ||||
Ornithischia | Indeterminate | Tooth | Similar to Alocodon | |||
cf. Stegosauria | Indeterminate | Poorly preserved tooth |
Pterosaurs
editPterosaurs | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
Rhamphorhynchidae | Indeterminate | Teeth | ||||
Pterosauria | Indeterminate | Teeth | Similar to wukongopterids |
Crocodyliformes
editCrocodyliformes | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
cf. Theriosuchus | Indeterminate | Teeth | ||||
Atoposauridae | Indeterminate | Teeth | ||||
Teleosauridae | Indeterminate | Teeth | ||||
Thalattosuchia | Indeterminate | Teeth, various skeletal elements probably belonging to a single individual |
Mammals
editMammals | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
Amphitheriidae | Indeterminate | Fragment of right dentary of a juvenile individual with an anterior lower premolar and a replacing posterior premolar, fragment of an edentulous right dentary, probably middle-posterior part. | Both fragments probably belong to the same taxon | |||
Dryolestida | Indeterminate | Fragment of a tooth bearing one cusp and one root |
References
edit- ^ Haddoumi, Hamid; Allain, Ronan; Meslouh, Said; Metais, Grégoire; Monbaron, Michel; Pons, Denise; Rage, Jean-Claude; Vullo, Romain; Zouhri, Samir (January 2016). "Guelb el Ahmar (Bathonian, Anoual Syncline, eastern Morocco): First continental flora and fauna including mammals from the Middle Jurassic of Africa" (PDF). Gondwana Research. 29 (1): 290–319. Bibcode:2016GondR..29..290H. doi:10.1016/j.gr.2014.12.004. ISSN 1342-937X.
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