Anoual Formation
The Anoual Formation is a geological formation in the High Atlas of Morocco. It is early Bathonian in age. It consists of two members. The lower member is several hundred metres thick, and consists largely of mudstone with lens beds of cross bedded sandstone, with thin intercalations of limestone that was deposited in a continental setting. The upper member is several tens of metres thick and consists of limestone deposited in a shallow marine setting. The formation is fossiliferous, with several of the limestone intercalations yielding a diverse fauna, including amphibians, reptiles, dinosaurs and mammals.[1]
| Anoual Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Unit of | Anoual Syncline |
| Sub-units | Lower Member, Upper Member |
| Underlies | Unconformity with Ksar Metlili Formation |
| Overlies | Pholadomya Marls and Limestones Formation |
| Thickness | ~500 m (1,600 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Mudstone (Lower), limestone (Upper) |
| Other | Sandstone, limestone, marl (Lower) |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 32.5°N 3.1°W |
| Approximate paleocoordinates | 26.9°N 0.9°E |
| Region | Figuig Province |
| Country |  Morocco |
| Extent | High Atlas |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Anoual |
  Anoual Formation (Morocco) | |
Paleobiota
Fish
| Fish | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Arganodus | Indeterminate | Isolated tooth plates | Lungfish | |||
| Lepidotes/Scheenstia | Indeterminate | Isolated teeth and scales | ||||
| cf. Ionoscopiformes | Indeterminate | Rhomboidal scales | ||||
| Mawsoniidae | Indeterminate | Skull bones including a parasphenoid | Coelacanth | |||
| Osteoglossiformes | Indeterminate | Squamules (small scales) | ||||
Amphibians
| Amphibians | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Albanerpetontidae | Indeterminate | Incomplete premaxilla and incomplete frontal | ||||
| ? Caudata | Indeterminate | Fragment of a dentary | ||||
| ? Lissamphibia | Indeterminate | Fragment of a maxilla | ||||
Turtles
| Turtles | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Testudinata | Indeterminate | Shell fragments | Probably 4 distinct taxa | |||
Lepidosaurs
| Lepidosaurs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| cf. Parviraptor | Indeterminate | Four vertebral centra | ||||
| Rhynchocephalia | Indeterminate | One fragment of dentary bearing two incomplete teeth, one fragment of maxilla bearing the bases of two teeth. | ||||
| Scincomorpha | Indeterminate | A fragment of bone bearing teeth, potentially a fragment of bone bearing one complete tooth | ||||
| Squamata | Indeterminate | Incomplete maxilla, incomplete dorsal vertebra, one proximal part of femur | ||||
Choristoderes
| Choristoderes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Choristodera | Indeterminate | Fragmentary dentary, centrum of an anterior caudal vertebra, possibly centrum of a dorsal vertebra | Similar to Cteniogenys | |||
Dinosaurs
| Dinosaurs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Theropoda | Indeterminate | Several teeth | ||||
| Ornithischia | Indeterminate | Tooth | Similar to Alocodon | |||
| cf. Stegosauria | Indeterminate | Poorly preserved tooth | ||||
Pterosaurs
| Pterosaurs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Rhamphorhynchidae | Indeterminate | Teeth | ||||
| Pterosauria | Indeterminate | Teeth | Similar to wukongopterids | |||
Crocodyliformes
| Crocodyliformes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| cf. Theriosuchus | Indeterminate | Teeth | ||||
| Atoposauridae | Indeterminate | Teeth | ||||
| Teleosauridae | Indeterminate | Teeth | ||||
| Thalattosuchia | Indeterminate | Teeth, various skeletal elements probably belonging to a single individual | ||||
Mammals
| Mammals | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Amphitheriidae | Indeterminate | Fragment of right dentary of a juvenile individual with an anterior lower premolar and a replacing posterior premolar, fragment of an edentulous right dentary, probably middle-posterior part. | Both fragments probably belong to the same taxon | |||
| Dryolestida | Indeterminate | Fragment of a tooth bearing one cusp and one root | ||||
References
- Haddoumi, Hamid; Allain, Ronan; Meslouh, Said; Metais, Grégoire; Monbaron, Michel; Pons, Denise; Rage, Jean-Claude; Vullo, Romain; Zouhri, Samir (January 2016). "Guelb el Ahmar (Bathonian, Anoual Syncline, eastern Morocco): First continental flora and fauna including mammals from the Middle Jurassic of Africa" (PDF). Gondwana Research. 29 (1): 290–319. doi:10.1016/j.gr.2014.12.004. ISSN 1342-937X.
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