Spynie main quarry (quarry 3), near Elgin: Carnian - Norian, United Kingdom
collected by Newton, Westoll
List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
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Reptilia
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Ornithosuchus woodwardi n. gen., n. sp.
Newton 1894
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3 individuals | |||||||||
| BMNH R2409/2410 (holotype), skull and postcranial skeleton; BMNH R8170, dorsal vertebrae and pectoral/forelimb elements; GSM 91072-78, 91080-81, 91085-65, series of vertebrae, scutes, forelimb, femora | ||||||||||
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Hyperodapedon gordoni
Huxley 1859
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Benton and Spencer 1995 | 2 individuals | ||||||||
| NMS specimens - two skulls. These specimens were formerly listed as held in the Newcastle University collections | ||||||||||
| see common names | ||||||||||
Geography
| Country: | United Kingdom | State/province: | Scotland | County: | Moray |
| Coordinates: | 57.7° North, 3.3° West (view map) | ||||
| Paleocoordinates: | 34.0° North, 0.8° West | ||||
| Basis of coordinate: | stated in text | ||||
| Geographic resolution: | outcrop |
Stratigraphy
| Formation: | Lossiemouth Sandstone | ||||
| Stratigraphic resolution: | group of beds | ||||
| Stratigraphy comments: 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). | |||||
Lithology and environment
| Primary lithology: | gray lithified calcareous sandstone |
| Includes fossils? | Y |
| Lithology description: "In the main quarry, 20 m faces may be seen displaying grey jointed sandstone, highly silaceous at the top and more calcareous lower down, weathering orange." 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". | |
| Environment: | dune |
| Geology comments: "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" | |
Taphonomy
| Modes of preservation: | body,mold/impression |
| Size of fossils: | macrofossils |
| Preservation of anatomical detail: | good |
| Articulated whole bodies: | some |
| Associated major elements: | some |
| Fragmentation: | occasional |
| Spatial resolution: | parautochthonous |
Collection methods and comments
| Reason for describing collection: | taxonomic analysis |
| Collectors: | Newton, Westoll |
Metadata
| Also known as: | Ornithosuchus holotype site | ||
| Database number: | 89008 | ||
| Authorizer: | R. Butler | Enterer: | R. Butler |
| Modifier: | M. Carrano | Research group: | vertebrate |
| Created: | 2009-04-28 06:55:51 | Last modified: | 2015-06-29 11:35:15 |
| Access level: | the public | Released: | 2009-04-28 06:55:51 |
| Creative Commons license: | CC BY | ||
Reference information
Primary reference:
| 9482. | E. T. Newton. 1894. Reptiles from the Elgin Sandstone. — Description of two new genera. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B 185:573-607 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Carrano] |
Secondary references:
| 29844 | M. J. Benton. 1983. The Triassic reptile Hyperodapedon from Elgin: functional morphology and relationships. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B 302:605-720 [R. Butler/R. Butler] | |
| 15587 | ETE | M. J. Benton and P. S. Spencer. 1995. Fossil Reptiles of Great Britain. Chapman & Hall, London 1-386 [M. Carrano/K. Maguire/J. Tennant] |
| 29840 | M. J. Benton and A. D. Walker. 1985. Palaeoecology, taphonomy, and dating of Permo-Triassic reptiles from Elgin, north-east Scotland. Palaeontology 28:207-234 [R. Butler/R. Butler] | |
| 51970 | E. T. Newton. 1905. Notes on the Triassic fossils (excluding Rhaetic) in the Museum of the Geological Survey at Jermyn Street, London. Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science 1904:282-285 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano] | |
| 55639 | R. L. Paton. 1975. A Catalogue of Fossil Vertebrates in the Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh. Part Four / Amphibia & Reptilia. Royal Scottish Museum Information Series. Geology 5 1-38 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano] | |
| 13771 | ETE | A. D. Walker. 1964. Triassic reptiles from the Elgin area: Ornithosuchus and the origin of carnosaurs. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B, Biological Sciences 248:53-134 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Carrano] |