Conway Formation

Conway Formation
Conway Formation
Stratigraphic range: Campanian-Maastrichtian
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	Eyre Group
Underlies	Loburn Mudstone
Overlies	Broken River Formation
Lithology
Primary	Sandstone, siltstone
Location
Coordinates	42°36′S 173°30′E / 42.6°S 173.5°E
Approximate paleocoordinates	57°42′S 149°06′W / 57.7°S 149.1°W
Region	Canterbury
Country	New Zealand
Extent	South Island
	Conway Formation (New Zealand)

The Conway Formation is a Campanian to Danian geologic formation in the South Island of New Zealand and therefore crosses the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary. Plesiosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from its strata. The Conway Formation is part of the Eyre Group and Haerenga Supergroup.

Fossil content

Among others, the following fossils have been found in the formation:^[1]

M. W. Caldwell, R. Holmes, G. L. Bell, Jr. and J. Wiffen. 2005. An unusual tylosaurine mosasaur from New Zealand: a new skull of Taniwhasaurus oweni (Lower Haumurian; Upper Cretaceous). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 25(2):393-401
J. P. O'Gorman, R. A. Otero, and N. Hiller. 2014. A new record of an aristonectine elasmosaurid (Sauropterygia, Plesiosauria) from the Upper Cretaceous of New Zealand: implications for the Mauisaurus haasti Hector, 1874 hypodigm. Alcheringa
R. A. Otero, J. P. O'Gorman, N. Hiller, F. R. O'Keefe, and R. E. Fordyce. 2016. Alexandronectes zealandiensis gen. et sp. nov., a new aristonectine plesiosaur from the lower Maastrichtian of New Zealand. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 36(2):e1054494:1-14
G. Warren and I. Speden. 1977. The Piripauan and Haumurian stratotypes (Mata Series, Upper Cretaceous) and correlative sequences in the Haumuri Bluff District, South Marlborough. New Zealand Geological Survey Bulletin 92:1-60