The Speeton Clay Formation (SpC)[1] is a Lower Cretaceous geological formation in Yorkshire, northern England. Unlike the contemporaneous terrestrial Wealden Group to the south, the Speeton Clay was deposited in marine conditions. The most common fossils in the unit are belemnites, followed by ammonites and the lobster Meyeria ornata. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation, although none have yet been referred to a specific genus.[2]
| Speeton Clay Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Berriasian-Albian | |
 Speeton Clay Formation at Reighton Sands, North Yorkshire | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Unit of | Cromer Knoll Group |
| Sub-units | Members A to D |
| Underlies | Hunstanton Formation |
| Overlies | Kimmeridge Clay Formation |
| Thickness | 100 m (330 ft) in outcrop |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Claystone |
| Other | Glauconite |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 54°12′N 0°12′W / 54.2°N 0.2°W |
| Approximate paleocoordinates | 41°00′S 9°18′E / 41.0°S 9.3°E |
| Region | Yorkshire |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Extent | North Sea Graben, eastern England |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Speeton |
  Location of the formation | |
The formation is named after the village of Speeton in North Yorkshire.
Fossil content
editThe following fossils have been reported from the formation:[3]
- Reptiles
- Ichthyosaurs
- Neornithischians
- Sauropterygians
- Elasmosauridae - "Speeton Clay plesiosaurian"[8]
- Fish
- Cretorectolobus doylei[9]
- "Dasyatis" speetonensis[9]
- "Protosqualus. sp"'
- Notidanodon lanceolatus[9]
- Notorhynchus aptiensis[9]
- Synechodus dubrisiensis[9]
- Spathobatis rugosus[9]
- ?Sphenodus sp.[9]
- "Elops" neocomiensis[9]
- Pycnodontidae indet.[9]
- Semionotidae indet.[9]
- Teleostei indet.[9]
- ?Triakidae indet.[9]
- Invertebrates
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Speeton Clay Formation - BGS
- ^ Weishampel, et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution." pp. 517–607.
- ^ Speeton Clay Formation at Fossilworks.org
- ^ Fischer et al., 2012b
- ^ Fischer et al., 2012a
- ^ Norman & Barrett, 2002
- ^ Mulder & Fraaije, 2016
- ^ Benson & Druckenmiller, 2014
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Underwood et al., 1999
- ^ Gale, 2019
Bibliography
edit- Gale, A. (2019), "Thoracican cirripedes (Crustacea) from the Hauterivian (Lower Cretaceous) of Hannover, northern Germany", Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, 130 (6): 659–672, Bibcode:2019PrGA..130..659G, doi:10.1016/j.pgeola.2019.03.002
- Mulder, E. W. A.; Fraaije, R. H. B. (2016), "New records of Early Cretaceous iguanodontian dinosaur remains from the Dutch sector of the North Sea", Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen, 282 (3): 271–277, doi:10.1127/njgpa/2016/0618
- Benson, R. B. J.; Druckenmiller, P. S. (2014), "Faunal turnover of marine tetrapods during the Jurassic–Cretaceous transition", Biological Reviews, 89 (1): 1–23, doi:10.1111/brv.12038, PMID 23581455
- Fischer, V.; Maisch, M. W.; Naish, D.; Kosma, R.; Liston, J.; Joger, U.; Krüger, F. J.; Pérez, J. P.; Tainsh, J.; Appleby, R. M.; Fenton, B. (2012b), "Correction: New Ophthalmosaurid Ichthyosaurs from the European Lower Cretaceous Demonstrate Extensive Ichthyosaur Survival across the Jurassic–Cretaceous Boundary", PLoS ONE, 7 (1), doi:10.1371/annotation/9731f93a-c28f-4234-8fd9-c587a103b572, PMC 3268681, S2CID 215213303
- Fischer, V.; Maisch, M. W.; Naish, D.; Kosma, R.; Liston, J.; Joger, U.; Krüger, F. J.; Pérez, J. P.; Tainsh, J.; Appleby, R. M.; Fenton, B. (2012a), "New Ophthalmosaurid Ichthyosaurs from the European Lower Cretaceous Demonstrate Extensive Ichthyosaur Survival across the Jurassic–Cretaceous Boundary", PLoS ONE, 7 (1): e29234, Bibcode:2012PLoSO...729234F, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0029234, PMC 3250416, PMID 22235274 Bibcode:2012PLoSO...729234F
- Norman, D. B.; Barrett, P. M. (2002), "Ornithischian dinosaurs from the Lower Cretaceous (Berriasian) of England", Special Papers in Palaeontology, 68: 161–189
- Underwood, C. J.; Michell, S. F.; Veltkamp, K. J. (1999), "Shark and Ray teeth from the Hauterivian (Lower Cretaceous) of north-east England" (PDF), Palaeontology, 42 (2): 287–302, Bibcode:1999Palgy..42..287U, doi:10.1111/1475-4983.00074
- Lott, G. K.; Fletcher, B. N.; Wilkinson, I. P. (1986), "The stratigraphy of the Lower Cretaceous Speeton Clay Formation in a cored borehole off the coast of north-east England", Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society, 46 (1): 39–56, Bibcode:1986PYGS...46...39L, doi:10.1144/pygs.46.1.39
Further reading
edit- Lamplugh, G. W (1896), "On the Speeton Series in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire", Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, 52: 179–220, retrieved 27 March 2020
- Lamplugh, G. W (1889), "On the Subdivisions of the Speeton Clay", Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, 45: 575–618, retrieved 27 March 2020