Town Gardens Quarry, Swindon (Cretaceous of the United Kingdom)

Also known as Great Quarry

Where: England, United Kingdom (51.6° N, 1.8° W: paleocoordinates 42.4° N, 8.0° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Purbeck Group, Berriasian (145.0 - 139.8 Ma)

• upper Purbeck "pebbly beds", although orig. reference suggests Middle Purbecks, also called the "Dirt-Bed"

• formation-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; lime mudstone and carbonaceous marl

• "freshwater marls and limestones"
• "...a series of chalky-looking limestones, in which may be observed one or two darkish bands, something akin to the dirt-beds of the coast districts. These black bands are earthy carbonaceous marls and loose grits."

Size class: mesofossils

Collected by C. Moore in 1876

Collection methods: surface (in situ),

Primary reference: W. H. Hudleston. 1876. Excursion to Swindon and Faringdon. June 5th (Whit-Monday), and following day. Proceedings of the Geologists' Association 4:543-554 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 77058: authorized by Matthew Carrano, entered by Matthew Carrano on 18.12.2007

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
unclassified
  -
Paralestes sp., Flabularia sp.
Nodosariata
 Nodosariida - Nodosariidae
Nodosaria sp.
Nodosaria sp. Lamarck 1812
 Charales - Characea
Chara sp.
Chara sp. Linnaeus 1753 stonewort
"at least two species"
Crinoidea
 Isocrinida - Pentacrinitidae
Pentacrinites sp.
Pentacrinites sp. Blumenbach 1804 Sea lily
Echinoidea
  -
Echinoidea indet.
Echinoidea indet. Leske 1778 sea urchin
Reptilia
 Squamata - Paramacellodidae
Saurillus sp.
Saurillus sp. Owen 1855 squamates
 Theropoda - Dromaeosauridae
Nuthetes sp.
Nuthetes sp. Owen 1854 maniraptoran
 Ornithischia -
Stegosauria indet.2
Stegosauria indet.2 ornithischian
BMNH 47329; OUM 1644-1645
 Saurischia - Cetiosauridae
Cetiosauridae indet.1
Cetiosauridae indet.1 Lydekker 1888 cetiosaurid
"the tooth of a megalosauroid reptile, apparently allied to the Cetiosauri"
 Loricata - Goniopholididae
"Macellodus brodiei" = Goniopholis brodiei, Goniopholis crassidens
"Macellodus brodiei" = Goniopholis brodiei Owen 1854 crocodilian
Goniopholis crassidens Owen 1842 crocodilian
 Ichthyosauria - Ichthyosauridae
"Ichthyosaurus" sp.2
"Ichthyosaurus" sp.2 Koenig 1818 ichthyosaur
centra, GSM
 Sauria -
Sauria indet.2
Sauria indet.2 diapsid
fragments, GSM
Mammalia
 Multituberculata - Plagiaulacidae
Plagiaulax sp.
Plagiaulax sp. Falconer 1857 multituberculate
 Theriamorpha - Spalacotheriidae
Spalacotherium sp.
Spalacotherium sp. Owen 1854 mammal
Amphibia
 Salientia -
Anura indet.
Anura indet. frog
"the oldest known true frog"
Actinopteri
 Lepisosteiformes -
"Lepidotus sp." = Lepidotes
"Lepidotus sp." = Lepidotes Agassiz 1832 gar
Gastropoda
 Trochoidea - Trochidae
Trochus sp.
Trochus sp. Linnaeus 1758 top snail
 Neritoidea - Neritidae
Nerita sp.
Nerita sp. Linnaeus 1758 snail
 Sorbeoconcha - Hydrobiidae
Hydrobia sp.
Hydrobia sp. Hartmann 1821 snail
 Cerithioidea - Cerithiidae
Cerithium sp.
Cerithium sp. Bruguière 1789 cerith snail
 Heterostropha - Valvatidae
Valvata sp.
Valvata sp. Müller 1774 snail
 Heterostropha - Planorbidae
Planorbis sp.
Planorbis sp. Muller 1774 snail
 Heterostropha - Physidae
Physa sp.
Physa sp. Draparnaud 1801 snail
Scaphopoda
 Dentaliida - Dentaliidae
Dentalium sp.
Dentalium sp. Linnaeus 1758 tusk shell
Bivalvia
 Cardiida - Veneridae
Cytherea sp.
Cytherea sp. Lamarck 1808 venus clam
 Ostreida - Ostreidae
Ostrea sp.
Ostrea sp. Linnaeus 1758 oyster
 Arcida - Arcidae
Arca sp.
Arca sp. Linnaeus 1758 ark
Bryozoa
  -
Bryozoa indet.
Bryozoa indet. Ehrenberg 1831
"possibly two distinct genera"
Ostracoda
 Podocopida - Cyprididae
Cypris sp.
Cypris sp. Müller 1776 ostracod
"four or five species"
Limnaea
  -
Limnaea sp.
Limnaea sp. Lamarck 1799
1Boulger 1876; 2Delair 1993