Beauchef Abbey (213), Harrismith (zone B/1): Hettangian - Sinemurian, South Africa
collected by J. M. Orpen & R. J. N. Orpen 1853

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Reptilia
? Pachyspondylus sp. Owen 1854
nomen dubium belonging to Prosauropoda
Pachyspondylus orpenii n. gen., n. sp. Owen 1854
1 individual
nomen dubium belonging to Prosauropoda
? Leptospondylus sp. Owen 1854
nomen dubium belonging to Prosauropoda
Leptospondylus capensis n. gen., n. sp. Owen 1854
1 individual
nomen dubium belonging to Prosauropoda
Reptilia - Massospondylidae
Massospondylus carinatus n. gen., n. sp. Owen 1854
1 individual
see common names

Geography
Country:South Africa State/province:Free State County:Harrismith
Coordinates: 28.5° South, 29.2° East (view map)
Paleocoordinates:43.0° South, 1.3° East
Basis of coordinate:stated in text
Altitude:1753 meters
Geographic resolution:small collection
Time
Period:Jurassic Epoch:Early/Lower Jurassic
10 m.y. bin:Jurassic 1
Key time interval:Hettangian - Sinemurian
Age range of interval:201.40000 - 192.90000 m.y. ago
Stratigraphy
Geological group:Stormberg Formation:Elliot Member:Upper
Stratigraphic resolution:bed
Stratigraphy comments: "Red Beds" = Elliot Fm. (upper)
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology: sandstone
Secondary lithology:brown "shale"
Includes fossils?Y
Lithology description: "Below the sandstone is a chocolate-coloured shale"
Environment:terrestrial indet.
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body
Size of fossils:macrofossils
Preservation of anatomical detail:variable
Associated major elements:some
Disassociated major elements:some
Disassociated minor elements:some
Fragmentation:frequent
Collection methods and comments
Collection methods:selective quarrying,mechanical,field collection
Reason for describing collection:taxonomic analysis
Museum repositories:BMNH
Collectors:J. M. Orpen & R. J. N. Orpen Collection dates:1853
Metadata
Also known as:Massospondylus type, farm Beaucherf
Database number:36741
Authorizer:M. Carrano Enterer:M. Carrano
Modifier:M. Carrano Research group:vertebrate
Created:2004-02-12 08:58:58 Last modified:2017-09-18 17:19:24
Access level:the public Released:2004-02-12 08:58:58
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:
9842. R. Owen. 1854. Descriptive catalogue of the Fossil organic remains of Reptilia and Pisces contained in the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. London 1-184 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Carrano]

Secondary references:

9841 R. Broom. 1911. On the dinosaurs of the Stormberg, South Africa. Annals of the South African Museum 7(4):291-308 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
35698 R. Broom. 1912. On the remains of a theropodous dinosaur from the northern Transvaal. Transactions of the Geological Society of South Africa 14:82-83 [R. Butler/R. Butler/M. Carrano]
28154ETE P. Ellenberger. 1970. Les niveaux paléontologiques de première apparition des mammifères primoridaux en Afrique du Sud et leur ichnologie. Establissement de zones stratigraphiques detaillees dans le Stormberg du Lesotho (Afrique du Sud) (Trias Supérieur à Jurassique) [The paleontological levels of the first appearance of primordial mammals in southern Africa and their ichnology. Establishment of detailed stratigraphic zones in the Stormberg of Lesotho (southern Africa) (Upper Triassic to Jurassic). In: S. H. Haughton (ed.), Second Symposium on Gondwana Stratigraphy and Paleontology, International Union of Geological Sciences. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria 343-370 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
23344ETE S. H. Haughton and A. S. Brink. 1954. A bibliographical list of Reptilia from the Karroo Beds of South Africa. Palaeontologia Africana 2:1-187 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/S. Hellert]
62966 F. v. Huene. 1914. I: Animalia. Pars 4. Saurischia et Ornithischia triadica (“Dinosauria” triadica). 1-20 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
25375ETE J. W. Kitching and M. A. Raath. 1984. Fossils from the Elliot and Clarens Formations (Karoo Sequence) of the northeastern Cape, Orange Free State and Lesotho, and a suggested biozonation based on tetrapods. Palaeontologia Africana 25:111-125 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
9826 H. G. Seeley. 1895. On the type of the genus Massospondylus, and on some vertebrae and limb bones of M. (?) browni. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, series 6 15:102-125 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
13010ETE H.-D. Sues, R. R. Reisz, S. Hinic and M. A. Raath. 2004. On the skull of Massospondylus carinatus Owen, 1854 (Dinosauria: Sauropodomorpha) from the Elliot and Clarens Formations (Lower Jurassic) of South Africa. Annals of Carnegie Museum 73(4):239-257 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Carrano]