The Obernkirchen Sandstein or Obernkirchen Sandstone is a geological unit in Lower Saxony, Germany whose strata date back to the Early Cretaceous. The remains of the dinosaur Stenopelix and numerous dinosaur tracks are known from the unit.[1][2] The unit is a thin interval within the Bückeberg Formation As its name would suggest the lithology primarily consists of sandstone with thin intercalations of coal. This was deposited in a sandy barrier to lagoonal complex setting. The unit has historically been extensively quarried for its high quality building stone, which has been used as far away as Jakarta.
| Obernkirchen Sandstein | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Late | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Unit of | Bückeberg Formation (Obernkirchen Member) |
| Thickness | Up to 20 m (66 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sandstone |
| Other | Coal, mudstone |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 52°18′N 9°06′E / 52.3°N 9.1°E |
| Approximate paleocoordinates | 43°30′N 17°36′E / 43.5°N 17.6°E |
| Region | Niedersachsen |
| Country |  Germany |
| Extent | Lower Saxony Basin |
  Obernkirchen Sandstein (Germany) | |
Vertebrate paleofauna
edit| Ornithischians of the Obernkirchen Sandstein | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxa | Presence | Notes | Images | |
Infraorder:
|
Niedersachsen[2] | |||
Genus:
|
Niedersachsen[2] | |||
Genus:
|
Niedersachsen[2] | |||
Order:
|
Niedersachsen[2] | |||
Genus:
|
Niedersachsen[2] | "Partial skeleton, no skull."[3] | ||
| Suborder: | Niedersachsen[2] | "(= Megalosaurus dunkeri)"[2] | ||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Hornung, Jahn J.; Böhme, Annina; van der Lubbe, Torsten; Reich, Mike; Richter, Annette (September 2012). "Vertebrate tracksites in the Obernkirchen Sandstone (late Berriasian, Early Cretaceous) of northwest Germany— their stratigraphical, palaeogeographical, palaeoecological, and historical context". Paläontologische Zeitschrift. 86 (3): 231–267. Bibcode:2012PalZ...86..231H. doi:10.1007/s12542-012-0131-7. ISSN 0031-0220.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Weishampel, David B; et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution (Early Cretaceous, Europe)." In: Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 562. ISBN 0-520-24209-2.
- ^ "Table 21.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 465.