Spynie, quarry 1, near Elgin (Triassic to of the United Kingdom)

Where: Scotland, United Kingdom (57.7° N, 3.3° W: paleocoordinates 34.0° N, 0.8° W)

• coordinate stated in text

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Lossiemouth Sandstone Formation, Carnian to Carnian (237.0 - 208.5 Ma)

• Age of the Lossiemouth Sandstone Formation is based upon vertebrate biostratigraphy, with comparisons made to the faunal assemblages from the lower part of the Maleri Formation (India), the upper part of the Santa Maria Formation (Brazil) and the Ischigualasto Formation (Argentina). This is suggestive of a late Carnian to early Norian age (Benton & Walker 2011).

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: dune; lithified sandstone

• "Foreset analysis indicates a prevailing south-westerly wind forming barchan dunes. Dunes up to 20 m high migrated across the flood plain during arid intervals"
• General description of Lossiemouth Sandstones: "The Lossiemouth Sandstones are white, buff, yellow, or pinkish. Grain size is usually uniform with grains well-rounded. The rock is composed of quartz, feldspar, and rare brownish chert and quartzite. Cements are usually overgrowths of secondary quartz and feldspar, but calcite and fluorspar may also occur. The sandstones may be finely laminated, but more usually they show large-scale cross-beds on well-weathered surfaces. These features, as well as the absence of pebbles, the rarity of micas and heavy minerals, strongly suggest aeolian deposition".

Size class: macrofossils

Preservation: mold/impression

Primary reference: M. J. Benton and P. S. Spencer. 1995. Fossil Reptiles of Great Britain. Chapman & Hall, London 1-386 [M. Carrano/K. Maguire/J. Tennant]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 89012: authorized by Richard Butler, entered by Richard Butler on 28.04.2009

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Reptilia
 Rhynchosauria - Rhynchosauridae
Hyperodapedon gordoni
Hyperodapedon gordoni Huxley 1859 rhynchosaur