Earth:El Mers Group

From HandWiki
Short description: Geological group in the Middle Atlas of Morocco
El Mers Group
Stratigraphic range: Bathonian-Callovian
~168–164 Ma
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
Coordinates [ ⚑ ] : 33°30′N 4°18′W / 33.5°N 4.3°W / 33.5; -4.3
Paleocoordinates [ ⚑ ] 28°18′N 2°00′W / 28.3°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)

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]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 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. doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2015.09.013. Bibcode2016CRPal..15..461O. 
  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. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 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". Geodiversitas 30 (2): 345–424. http://sciencepress.mnhn.fr/sites/default/files/articles/pdf/g2008n2a5.pdf. 
  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. doi:10.1016/j.gr.2019.07.007. Bibcode2020GondR..77...82M. 
  6. Maidment, Susannah C. R.; Strachan, Sarah J.; Ouarhache, Driss; Scheyer, Torsten M.; Brown, Emily E.; Fernandez, Vincent; Johanson, Zerina; Raven, Thomas J. et al. (2021-09-23). "Bizarre dermal armour suggests the first African ankylosaur" (in en). Nature Ecology & Evolution 5 (12): 1576–1581. doi:10.1038/s41559-021-01553-6. ISSN 2397-334X. PMID 34556830. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-021-01553-6.