Eutaw Formation

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Eutaw Formation
Stratigraphic range: Upper Cretaceous
TypeGeological formation
Sub-unitsTombigbee Sand Member, Ingersoll Shale
UnderliesAustin Group and Mooreville Chalk Formation
OverliesTuscaloosa Group
Thickness40 m (130 ft) to 120 m (390 ft)
Lithology
PrimaryGlauconitic sandstone
Location
RegionAlabama, Georgia, Mississippi
CountryUnited States
Type section
Named forEutaw, Alabama

The Eutaw Formation is a geological formation in North America, within the U.S. states of Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. The strata date from the late Coniacian to the early Santonian stage of the Late Cretaceous.[1] It consists of the upper Tombigbee Sand Member and an unnamed lower member. Dinosaur, mosasaur, and pterosaur remains have been recovered from the Eutaw Formation.[2][3]

Vertebrate paleofauna[edit]

Mosasaurs[edit]

Mosasaurs of the Eutaw Formation
Taxa Species State Stratigraphic position Abundance Notes Images

Clidastes

Clidastes sp.[2]

Eonatator sternbergii
Platecarpus tympaniticus

Eonatator

E. sternbergii[2][4]

  1. E. sternbergii was formerly classified as Halisaurus sternbergii

Platecarpus

P. tympaniticus[2]

Selmasaurus

S. russelli[2]

Tylosaurus

Tylosaurus sp.[2]

Ornithodires[edit]

Dinosaur feathers have been found in the Ingersoll Shale of Georgia, which is a subunit of the Eutaw Formation.[3] Indeterminate hadrosaurid remains have been found in Mississippi.[5] Ornithomimosaurs of medium-size and large-size have also been unearthed in Mississippi.[6]

Ornithodires of the Eutaw Formation
Genus Species State Stratigraphic position Abundance Notes Images

Pteranodon

Indeterminate

Pteranodon sp.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Liu, Kaiyu. "Facies Changes of the Eutaw Formation (Coniacian-Santonian), Onshore to Offshore, Northeastern Gulf of Mexico Area". Department of Geological Sciences. University of Alabama. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Kiernan, Caitlin R. (2002). "Stratigraphic distribution and habitat segregation of mosasaurs in the Upper Cretaceous of western and central Alabama, with an historical review of Alabama mosasaur discoveries". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 22 (1): 91–103. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2002)022[0091:SDAHSO]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 130280406.
  3. ^ a b c "Coastal Plain Geologic Province". The New Georgia Encyclopedia. Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press. 2007-08-30. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
  4. ^ Bardet N, Suberbiola P, Iarochene M, Bouyahyaoui F, Bouya B, Amaghzaz M (2002). "A new species of Halisaurus from the Late Cretaceous phosphates of Morocco, and the phylogenetical relationships of the Halisaurinae (Squamata: Mosasauridae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 143 (3): 447–472. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2005.00152.x.
  5. ^ Kaye, John M.; Russell, Dale A. (January 1973). "The Oldest Record of Hadrosaurian Dinosaurs in North America". Journal of Paleontology. 47 (1): 91–93. JSTOR 1302869.
  6. ^ Chinzorig, Tsogtbaatar; Cullen, Thomas; Phillips, George; Rolke, Richard; Zanno, Lindsay E. (2022-03-25). "Large-bodied ornithomimosaurs inhabited Appalachia during the Late Cretaceous of North America": 2022.03.25.485782. doi:10.1101/2022.03.25.485782. S2CID 247749395. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)