Search

Docodon hercynicus sp. nov. from the Upper Jurassic (upper Kimmeridgian) Süntel Formation of the Langenberg Quarry in Lower Saxony is the first docodontan recorded from Central Europe. The two lower molars available are characterised by vertical enamel ridges at the distal flank of cusp a, which are typical for Docodon. This is only the second record of Docodon from Europe with the genus otherwise restricted to the Kimmeridgian-Tithonian of the Morrison Formation in western North America. A distal fragment of a much smaller lower molar from the same strata exhibits similar vertical enamel ridges and indicates the possible presence of a second Docodon species in the Langenberg Quarry. Docodon hercynicus n. sp. is further evidence for the close terrestrial faunal interrelationships between Europe and North America. It represents only the third record of a docodontan from Late Jurassic-earliest Cretaceous strata of Europe and supports a relic occurrence and late survival of mammaliaforms on a palaeo-island in the Lower Saxony Basin within the European Archipelago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oolitic ironstones in Lower (Toarcian) and Middle (Bajocian) Jurassic strata of the Indus Basin, Pakistan, were deposited in the eastern part of Tethys and are similar to those from India. Both units are represented by shallow-marine iron ooidal-siliciclastic wacke-packstone carbonates with sedimentary structures including ripple marks, cross lamination and trace fossils. Both the Toarcian and Bajocian iron ooids are mainly composed of goethite, the Toarcian ones have a higher Fe content than those in the Bajocian but the older unit has fewer silicate grains and lower contents of Si, Al, K and Sr. Thin to thick carbonate laminae occur between the Fe-rich laminae in the Bajocian iron ooids. The iron ooids in the Toarcian unit are related to phases of relative sea-level fall and represent deposition in a nearshore lagoonal setting whereas the Bajocian unit was deposited in a relatively broad spectrum of environments. The Fe itself was sourced from weathering of ferruginous soils and higher contents of K, Na, Ti and Ti/Al indicate a continental source. The cortical growth of the iron ooids in the Toarcian unit mainly took place under oxic conditions whereas conditions were more oxic to suboxic and anoxic in the Bajocian unit. The occurrence of spastoliths indicates the former presence of berthierine and the alternation of Fe-rich and carbonate-rich laminae within the Bajocian iron ooids suggests frequent burial and reworking of ooids in the near subsurface sub-oxic to anoxic environment. The subsequent exposure to oxic conditions on the seafloor likely altered the berthierine to goethite, which is stable in oxidizing conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents, for the Queensland portion of the Rhaetian – Early Cretaceous Surat Basin, the results of a taxonomic-descriptive study of 89 palynological samples collected from three boreholes that intersected the succession containing the Gubberamunda Sandstone and the succeeding Orallo Formation, as well as the upper Westbourne Formation and the lower Mooga Sandstone, which respectively underlie and overlie this succession. This upper Westbourne Formation – lower Mooga Sandstone interval represents the most complete Late Jurassic – Early Cretaceous sedimentary succession in Queensland. It was sampled from: GSQ DRD 26, GSQ Roma 2 and GSQ Dalby 1, respectively located in the western, central, and eastern parts of the basin. The samples yielded a diverse palynoflora in which 212 taxa were identified, embracing both in-situ and reworked (latest Carboniferous – Early Jurassic) spores and pollen, as well as palynomorphs of algal, fungal, acritarch and unknown affinities. Formally included in this work is the previously unpublished taxonomy of McKellar, largely from the immediately preceding part of the Surat Basin succession, as its taxonomic nomenclature is critical to the current compilation. Herewith proposed (from both the current work and that of McKellar) are 27 new species, two new genera, 22 new combinations, ten emendations, the elevation of one subgenus to generic status, and the renaming of one species. From a biostratigraphic perspective, palynofloras from the upper Westbourne Formation and the lower Gubberamunda Sandstone are assigned to the informally defined 'Retitriletes watherooensis association zone', and palynofloras from the upper Gubberamunda Sandstone, Orallo Formation and lower Mooga Sandstone, to the Ruffordiaspora australiensis Interval Zone. The upper Westbourne Formation – lower Mooga Sandstone interval was deposited in lacustrine, floodplain and backswamp facies, with a flora that remained relatively stable, there being no major floristic turnover; it consisted of diverse ferns, conifers, lycopods, bryophytes, seed ferns, and a variety of ginkgoes, cycads, and/or gnetales. Humid, warm-temperate conditions are indicated by the flora's climatic signature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is an exclusively systematic background study reviewing 85 Mesozoic (latest Jurassic and Cretaceous) cockroaches and praying mantises from northern palaeo-polar (i.e. deposited within polar circles) deposits in Yakutia, Taimyr, Khabarovsk, Magadan and Chukotka (Russia), revealing 15 new species, which are herein characterised using systematic two-way analysis. The taphonomic conditions within these 'Arctic' paleo- polar sites were strongly influenced by long periods of pre-depositional transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Petroleum Geology & Experiment is the property of Petroleum Geology & Experiment Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract Pterosaurs were the first vertebrates to evolve active flight. The lack of many well-preserved pterosaur fossils limits our understanding of the functional anatomy and behavior of these flight pioneers, particularly from their early history (Triassic to Middle Jurassic). Here we describe in detail the osteology of an exceptionally preserved Middle Jurassic pterosaur, the holotype of Dearc sgiathanach from the Isle of Skye, Scotland. We identify new autapomorphies of the flight apparatus (humerus and sternum), which further support the distinctiveness of Dearc compared with other early-diverging pterosaurs and describe features, such as the vertebral morphology, shared with later-diverging pterosaurs that probably developed convergently to support a large body size or as a sign of modular evolution. We used extant phylogenetic bracketing to infer the principal cranial and antebrachial musculature, indicating that Dearc had large and anteriorly placed palatal musculature that compensated for weak temporal jaw adductors and wing musculature suggestive of flight style reliant on powerful adduction and protraction of the humerus. Comparisons with other pterosaurs revealed that non-pterodactyloids such as Dearc, despite their overall conservative bauplans, adapted various flight and feeding styles. The osteology and myology of Dearc are indicative of a large predator that flew and hunted above lagoons and nearshore environments of the Middle Jurassic.