Quercy Phosphorites Formation
Quercy Phosphorites Formation Stratigraphic range: latest Bartonian-Late Oligocene ~ | |
---|---|
Type | Formation |
Overlies | Fissure fillings in karstified Jurassic and Triassic rocks |
Lithology | |
Primary | Phosphorite |
Location | |
Coordinates | 44°18′N 1°36′E / 44.3°N 1.6°ECoordinates: 44°18′N 1°36′E / 44.3°N 1.6°E |
Approximate paleocoordinates | 42°48′N 2°00′W / 42.8°N 2.0°W |
Region | Occitanie |
Country | France |
Type section | |
Named for | Quercy |
Named by | Thévenin |
Year defined | 1903 |
Quercy Phosphorites Formation (France) |
The Quercy Phosphorites Formation (French: Phosphorites du Quercy) is a geologic formation and Lagerstätte in Occitanie, southern France. It preserves fossils dating back to the Paleogene period (latest Bartonian to Late Oligocene),[1][2] or MP16 to MP28 zones of the European land mammal age classification, ranging from approximately 38 to 25 Ma.
It qualifies as a Lagerstätte because beside a large variety of mammals, birds, turtles, crocodiles, flora and insects, it also preserves the soft tissues of amphibians and squamates, in addition to their articulated skeleton in what has been called natural mummies.[3]
The genera Quercylurus, , Quercypsitta, , and , and species , , , , Eomys quercyi, and , as well as the lizards Paraplacosauriops quercyi and and the insect were named after the formation.
Description[]
The first phosphate deposits in Quercy were discovered in 1869 and published by Daubré and Trutat independently in 1871.[4] The first fossils from the formation were described by Delfortie (1872) and Gervais in the same year and extensively studied by Filhol from 1877 onwards. The first geologic investigation of the formation was performed by Thévenin in 1903, and apart from a description by Gèze in 1938, the paleontological richness was not studied until a team of researchers of the Universities of Montpellier and Paris visited the site in 1965.[5]
The karstified phosphate deposits are found from the Lot and Célé river valleys in the north to the left bank of the Aveyron in the south and from the in the east to the lacustrine deposits of the Aquitaine Basin in the west. The formation is found in fissures (karst) incising Jurassic and Triassic rocks east of Cahors.[6] The age of the fossiliferous unit, in which almost 12,000 specimens were found ranges from the MP16 to MP28 zones of the European land mammal age classification.[5] These ages correspond to the latest Bartonian to Chattian, from about 38 to 25 Ma.[7]
Paleontological significance[]
The Quercy Phosphorites Formation is a highly fossiliferous unit designated as a Lagerstätte due to the excellent preservation of fossils. The phosphorite conserves up to the nerves, digestive tract and stomach content,[8] insect larvae and other elements of the paleobiology in the formation. Nearly all Quercy fly pupae were preserved as isolated endocasts, of which many were still covered by the puparium, the hardened skin of the last larval instar.[9] The formation also straddles the Grande Coupure and shows diversity changes (number of species) of frog, salamander, lizard and snake fossil records across the formation.[10] It is assumed that the Quercy arthropods fossilized by a rapid fixation by phosphate-rich water followed by encrustation and mineralization.[11]
Fossil content[]
The following fossils have been reported from the formation:[1][2][12][13]
Mammals[]
- Primates
- Apatotheria
- Artiodactyls
- Chiroptera
- Marsupials
- Perissodactyls
- Rodents
Birds[]
- Horusornis vianeyliaudae[12]
- Idiornis itardiensis[12]
- Itardiornis hessae[12]
- [12]
- Palaeoglaux perrierensis[12]
- Palaeotodus escampsiensis[12]
- P. itardiensis[12]
- [12]
- [12]
- [12]
- [12]
- Quercypsitta ivani[12]
- Q. sudrei[12]
- [12]
- [12]
- [12]
- Ameghinornis sp.[12]
- [12]
- [12]
Reptiles[]
- Caprimulgiformes
- Crocodiles
- Lizards
- Snakes
- Turtles
Amphibians[]
- Frogs
- Salamanders
Insects[]
Flora[]
See also[]
- List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in France
- Argiles d'lignite du Soissonnais, Ypresian
- Conglomérat de Cernay, Thanetian
- Lignites de Soissonais, Ypresian
- Marnes Rouges Inferieures Formation, Maastrichtian
- Tuffeau de St Omer, Thanetian
- La Voulte-sur-Rhône (lagerstätte), Callovian
- Phosphorite formations
- Doushantuo Formation, Ediacaran China
- Dengying and Yanjiahe Formations, Cambrian China
- Tal Formation, Cambrian India
- Maquoketa Formation, Ordovician United States
- New Albany Shale, Carboniferous United States
- Dakhla Formation, Cretaceous Egypt
- Melovatka and Rybushka Formations, Cretaceous Russia
- Mishash Formation, Cretaceous Israel
- Upper Greensand Formation, Cretaceous England
- El Cien Formation, Paleogene Mexico
- Williamsburg Formation, Paleogene United States
- Bahía Inglesa Formation, Neogene Chile
- Alachua, Marks Head, Purisima and Santa Margarita Formations, Neogene United States
References[]
- ^ a b Quercy Phosphorites Formation at Fossilworks.org
- ^ a b Phosphorites du Quercy Formation at Fossilworks.org
- ^ a b Laloy et al., 2013
- ^ Legendre et al., 1997, p.331
- ^ a b Legendre et al., 1997, p.332
- ^ Astruc & Pellissié, 1988, p.8
- ^ Legendre et al., 1997, p.333
- ^ Tissier et al., 2017, p.6
- ^ a b Van de Kamp et al., 2018, p.2
- ^ Vasilyan, 2018, p.19
- ^ Van de Kamp et al., 2018, p.12
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf Legendre et al., 1997, p.334
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak Legendre et al., 1997, p.335
- ^ Sudre, 1984
- ^ a b Mennecart & Métais, 2015
- ^ a b Blondel, 2005
- ^ Bonis et al., 2019, p.603
- ^ a b c Peigné, 2003
- ^ a b Bonis et al., 2019, p.616
- ^ a b Peigné & Brunet, 2001
- ^ a b c Bonis et al., 2019, p.618
- ^ Peigné, 2000
- ^ a b Bonis et al., 2019, p.614
- ^ a b Bonis et al., 2019, p.610
- ^ Bonis et al., 2019, p.604
- ^ Bonis et al., 2019, p.608
- ^ Bonis et al., 2019, p.615
- ^ Bonis et al., 2019, p.611
- ^ Bonis et al., 2019, p.612
- ^ Peigné, 2001
- ^ Hooker, 2018, p.236
- ^ Lavrov, 2007
- ^ Hugueney & Maridet, 2017
- ^ a b c d e Ginot et al., 2016, p.7
- ^ Hartenberger & Vianey-Liaud, 1978
- ^ Vianey-Liaud & Schmid, 2009
- ^ a b Mourer-Chauviré, 1989
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rage, 2006
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Augé, 2005
- ^ Rage, 1988
- ^ a b Broin, 1977
- ^ Tissier et al., 2016
- ^ a b c Van de Kamp et al., 2018, p.4
- ^ a b c d e f g h Schmied et al., 2013, p.145
- ^ De Franceschi et al., 2006, p.99
- ^ a b De Franceschi et al., 2006, p.100
- ^ a b c d e De Franceschi et al., 2006, p.101
Bibliography[]
- Map reports
- Notice explicative de la feuille Cahors 1:50,000, 1–39. . Accessed 2020-09-13. , and . 1988.
- Paleontology
- Carnivora from the early Oligocene of the 'Phosphorites du Quercy' in southwestern France. Geodiversitas 41. 601–621. Accessed 2020-09-13. ; , and . 2019.
- Eocene antiquity of the European nyctitheriid euarchontan mammal Darbonetus. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 63. 235-239. Accessed 2020-09-13. . 2018.
- Parasitoid biology preserved in mineralized fossils. Nature Communications 9. 1-14. Accessed 2020-09-13. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; , and . 2018.
- Eocene Western European endemic genus Thaumastosaurus: new insights into the question "Are the Ranidae known prior to the Oligocene?". PeerJ 6. 1–24. Accessed 2020-09-13. . 2018.
- Historical Biology _. .. , and . 2017. Evolution of Oligo-Miocene talpids (Mammalia, Talpidae) in Europe: focus on the genera Myxomygale and Percymygale n. gen.
- Exceptional soft tissues preservation in a mummified frog-eating Eocene salamander. PeerJ 5. 1–14. Accessed 2020-09-13. ; , and . 2017.
- Ecomorphological analysis of the astragalo-calcaneal complex in rodents and inferences of locomotor behaviours in extinct rodent species. PeerJ 4. 1–49. Accessed 2020-09-13. ; ; , and . 2016.
- Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 177. 147-164. ; ; ; ; ; , and . 2016. Synchrotron analysis of a 'mummified' salamander (Vertebrata: Caudata) from the Eocene of Quercy, France.
- Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 13. 581-600. , and . 2015. Mosaicomeryx gen. nov., a ruminant mammal from the Oligocene of Europe and the significance of 'gelocids'.
- PLoS ONE 8. e74874:1. ; ; ; ; , and . 2013. A Re-Interpretation of the Eocene Anuran Thaumastosaurus Based on MicroCT Examination of a 'Mummified' Specimen.
- ISBN 978-3-86395-135-1 ; ; ; , and . 2013. Inside the Clown. Synchrotron X-ray microtomography reveals extraordinary details of internal and genital structures of 30 million old beetles, 1-218. Joachim Reitner, Yang Qun, Wang Yongdong and Mike Reich (eds.) Palaeobiology and Geobiology of Fossil Lagerstätten through Earth History.
- Geodiversitas 31. 909-941. , and . 2009. Diversité, datation et paléoenvironnement de la faune de mammifères oligocène de Cavalé (Quercy, SO France) : contribution de l’analyse morphométrique des Theridomyinae (Mammalia, Rodentia).
- Paleontological Journal 41. 298-311. . 2007. New Species of Paroxyaena (Hyaenodontidae, Creodonta) from Phosphorites of Quercy, Late Eocene, France.
- Une paléoflore des phosphatières karstiques du Quercy (Sud-Ouest France) : première découverte, résultats et perspectives - A paleoflora from the Quercy phosphorites Paleokarsts (Southwestern France): first discovery, results and perspectives. 13. 97–101. Accessed 2020-09-13. ; ; ; ; ; ; , and . 2006.
- . 2006. The lower vertebrates from the Eocene and Oligocene of the Phosphorites du Quercy (France): an overview. 1. 161-173.
- . 2005. Evolution des lézards du Paléogène en Europe. 192. 1-369.
- Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 144. 125-166. . 2005. New data on the Cainotheriidae (Mammalia, Artiodactyla) from the early Oligocene of south-western France.
- Basicranial morphology and phylogenetic position of the upper Eocene carnivoramorphan Quercygale. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 50. 837-846. Accessed 2020-09-13. , and . 2005.
- Zoologica Scripta 32. 199-229. . 2003. Systematic review of European Nimravinae (Mammalia, Carnivora, Nimravidae) and the phylogenetic relationships of Palaeogene Nimravidae.
- Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 132. 401-410. . 2001. A primitive nimravine skull from the Quercy fissures, France: implications for the origin and evolution of Nimravidae (Carnivora).
- Geobios 34. 657-672. , and . 2001. Une nouvelle espèce du genre Eusmilus (Carnivora: Nimravidae) de l'Oligocène (MP 22) d'Europe.
- Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences, Série IIA 330. 653-658. . 2000. A new species of Eofelis (Carnivora: Nimravidae) from the Phosphorites of Quercy, France.
- Les phosphorites du Quercy: 30 ans de recherche. Bilan et perspectives - The phosphorites of Quercy: 30 years of investigations. Results and prospects. Geobios 20. 331–345. Accessed 2020-09-13. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; , and . 1997.
- An arctomorph carnivoran skull from the Phosphorites du Quercy and the origin of procyonids. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 41. 277-298. Accessed 2020-09-13. , and . 1996.
- . 1989. Les Caprimulgiformes et les Coraciiformes de l'Éocène et de l'Oligocène des phosphorites du Quercy et description de deux genres nouveaux de Podargidae et Nyctibiidae, 2047-2055. Acta XIX congressus internationalis ornithologici.
- . 1988. The oldest known colubrid snakes. The state of the art. 31. 457-474.
- . 1984. Cryptomerix Schlosser, 1886, Tragulidé de l'oligocène d'Europe; relations du genre et considérations sur l'origine des ruminants. 14. 1-31.
- , and . 1978. La poche a phosphate de Ste-Néboule (Lot) et sa faune de vertebres du Ludien Superieur. 13. - Rongeurs. 8. 313-318.
- . 1977. Contribution a l'etude des Cheloniens. Cheloniens continentaux due Cretace et du Tertiare de France. 38. 1-366.
Further reading[]
- Palaeobiology and Geobiology of Fossil Lagerstätten through Earth History, 1-218. Universitätsverlag Göttingen. Accessed 2020-09-15. ISBN 978-3-86395-135-1 ; ; , and . 2013.
External links[]
Media related to Quercy Phosphorites Formation at Wikimedia Commons
- Quercy Phosphorites Formation
- Geologic formations of France
- Eocene Series of Europe
- Oligocene Series of Europe
- Paleogene France
- Phosphorite formations
- Fossiliferous stratigraphic units of Europe
- Paleontology in France
- Geography of Occitania (administrative region)