Whitby Mudstone
Appearance
Whitby Mudstone | |
---|---|
Stratigraphic range: Toarcian (Falciferum-Bifrons) ~ | |
Type | Geological formation |
Unit of | Lias Group |
Sub-units | Members:
|
Underlies | Inferior Oolite or Ravenscar Groups Or Blea Wyke, Dogger or Bridport Sand Formations |
Overlies | Marlstone Rock or Cleveland Ironstone Formations |
Thickness | Up to 120 m (390 ft) |
Lithology | |
Primary | Mudstone |
Other | Siltstone |
Location | |
Coordinates | 54°30′N 0°36′W / 54.5°N 0.6°W |
Approximate paleocoordinates | 42°30′N 9°18′E / 42.5°N 9.3°E |
Region | Yorkshire, Worcestershire |
Country | ![]() |
Extent | Cleveland & Worcester Basins & East Midlands Shelf |
Type section | |
Named for | Whitby |
The Whitby Mudstone is a Toarcian (Early Jurassic; Falciferum-Bifrons in regional chronostratigraphy) geological formation in Yorkshire and Worcestershire, England.[1] The formation, part of the Lias Group, is present in the Cleveland and Worcester Basins and the East Midlands Shelf.
Fossil content
Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation, although none have yet been referred to a specific genus.[2][3]. One of the more notable discoveries is the skull of the pterosaur Parapsicephalus, found within the Alum Shale[note 2] Member.[4]
See also
- List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in England
- Toarcian turnover
- Toarcian formations
- Marne di Monte Serrone, Italy
- Calcare di Sogno, Italy
- Sachrang Formation, Austria
- Saubach Formation, Austria
- Posidonia Shale, Lagerstätte in Germany
- Ciechocinek Formation, Germany and Poland
- Krempachy Marl Formation, Poland and Slovakia
- Lava Formation, Lithuania
- Azilal Group, North Africa
- Junction Bed, Toarcian fossiliferous unit of the Lias Group
- Fernie Formation, Alberta and British Columbia
- Whiteaves Formation, British Columbia
- Navajo Sandstone, Utah
- Los Molles Formation, Argentina
- Mawson Formation, Antarctica
- Kandreho Formation, Madagascar
- Kota Formation, India
- Cattamarra Coal Measures, Australia
Notes and references
Notes
- ^ Not to be confused with the Ordovician Alum Shale Lagerstätte of Sweden
- ^ Not to be confused with the Ordovician Alum Shale Lagerstätte of Sweden
References
- ^ Whitby Mudstone at Fossilworks.org
- ^ "Whitby Mudstone Formation". The BGS lexicon of named rock units. British Geological Survey. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
- ^ Weishampel et al., 2004, pp. 517-607
- ^ O'Sullivan & Martill, 2017
Bibliography
Further reading
- M. O'Sullivan, D. M. Martill, and D. Groocock. 2013. A pterosaur humerus and scapulocoracoid from the Jurassic Whitby Mudstone Formation, and the evolution of large body size in early pterosaurs. Proceedings of the Geologists' Association
- A. S. Smith and G. J. Dyke. 2008. The skull of the giant predatory pliosaur Rhomaleosaurus cramptoni: implications for plesiosaur phylogenetics. Naturwissenschaften 95:975-980
- M. J. Benton and M. A. Taylor. 1984. Marine reptiles from the Upper Lias (Lower Toarcian, Lower Jurassic) of the Yorkshire coast. Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society 44(4):399-429
- F. v. Huene. 1926. The carnivorous Saurischia in the Jura and Cretaceous formations, principally in Europe. Revista del Museo de La Plata 29:35-167
- C. W. Andrews. 1922. Note on the skeleton of a large plesiosaur (Rhomaleosaurus thorntoni, sp. n) from the Upper Lias of Northamptonshire. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 10:407-415
- R. Tate and J. F. Blake. 1876. The Yorkshire Lias 1-475