El Mers Group

The El Mers Group is a geological group in the Middle Atlas of Morocco. It is subdivided into 3 formations named the El Mers 1, 2 and 3 Formations respectively. It is a marine deposit primarily consisting of marl, with gypsum present in the upper part of unit 3.[1][2] and is the lateral equivalent of the terrestrial Guettioua Sandstone. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the group, most notably those of indeterminate theropods (=Allosauridae indet. and =Megalosauridae? indet.),[3] the sauropod "Cetiosaurus" mogrebiensis,[4] the stegosaur Adratiklit,[5] the ankylosaur Spicomellus,[6] the inchnofossil Selenichnites[1] and an indeterminate teleosauroid (=Machimosauridae indet.).[3]

El Mers Group
Stratigraphic range: Bathonian-Callovian
~
TypeGroup
Sub-unitsEl Mers Formations 1-3
UnderliesUnconformity with Barremian or Plio-Pleistocene sediments
OverliesIch Timellaline-Bou Akrabene Formation
ThicknessOver 500 m (1,600 ft)
Lithology
PrimaryMarl, gypsum (only in unit 3)
OtherSandstone, limestone
Location
Coordinates33.5°N 4.3°W / 33.5; -4.3
Approximate paleocoordinates28.3°N 2.0°W / 28.3; -2.0
RegionBoulemane & Azilal Provinces
Country Morocco
ExtentMiddle Atlas
El Mers Group is located in Morocco
El Mers Group
El Mers Group (Morocco)

References

  1. Oukassou, Mostafa; Charrière, André; Lagnaoui, Abdelouahed; Gibb, Stacey; Michard, André; Saddiqi, Omar (April 2016). "First occurrence of the Ichnogenus Selenichnites from the Middle Jurassic Strata of the Skoura Syncline (Middle Atlas, Morocco); Palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental context". Comptes Rendus Palevol. 15 (5): 461–471. Bibcode:2016CRPal..15..461O. doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2015.09.013.
  2. Oukassou, M.; Boumir, Kh.; Benshili, Kh.; Ouarhache, D.; Lagnaoui, A.; Charrière, A. (June 2019). "The Tichoukt Massif: a Geotouristic Play in the Folded Middle Atlas (Morocco)". Geoheritage. 11 (2): 371–379. doi:10.1007/s12371-018-0287-y. ISSN 1867-2477. S2CID 134800520.
  3. J. Jenny, A. Le Marrec, and M. Monbaron. (1981). Les empreintes de pas de dinosauriens dans le Jurassique moyen du Haut Atlas central (Maroc): nouveaux gisements et precisions stratigraphiques. [Dinosaur footprints in the Middle Jurassic of the central High Atlas (Morocco): new deposits and stratigraphic details] Geobos. 14(3):427-431
  4. Allain, Ronan; Aquesbi, Najat (2008). "Anatomy and phylogenetic relationships of Tazoudasaurus naimi (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the late Early Jurassic of Morocco" (PDF). Geodiversitas. 30 (2): 345–424.
  5. Maidment, Susannah C.R.; Raven, Thomas J.; Ouarhache, Driss; Barrett, Paul M. (January 2020). "North Africa's first stegosaur: Implications for Gondwanan thyreophoran dinosaur diversity". Gondwana Research. 77: 82–97. Bibcode:2020GondR..77...82M. doi:10.1016/j.gr.2019.07.007.
  6. Maidment, Susannah C. R.; Strachan, Sarah J.; Ouarhache, Driss; Scheyer, Torsten M.; Brown, Emily E.; Fernandez, Vincent; Johanson, Zerina; Raven, Thomas J.; Barrett, Paul M. (2021-09-23). "Bizarre dermal armour suggests the first African ankylosaur". Nature Ecology & Evolution. 5 (12): 1576–1581. doi:10.1038/s41559-021-01553-6. ISSN 2397-334X. PMID 34556830. S2CID 237616095.
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