Earth:Escucha Formation

Escucha Formation Stratigraphic range: Late Aptian-mid Albian ~117–103 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
View of Escucha and surrounding rocks
Type	Geological formation
Sub-units	E1 to E3
Underlies	Utrillas Formation
Overlies	Castrillo de la Reina, Benassal & Oliete Formations
Thickness	~70 m (230 ft)
Lithology
Primary	Siltstone, mudstone (E1, E3) sandstone (E2)
Other	Coal (E1) siltstone (E2), amber
Location
Coordinates
Paleocoordinates	[ ⚑ ] 30.4°N 1.4°E / 30.4; 1.4
Region	Teruel, Aragón La Rioja
Country	Spain
Extent	Cameros, Maestrazgo & Oliete Basins
Type section
Named for	Escucha, Teruel
Escucha Formation (Spain)

The Escucha Formation is a geological formation in La Rioja and Teruel provinces of northeastern Spain whose strata date back to the late Aptian to middle Albian stages of the Early Cretaceous. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.

The approximately 70 m (230 ft) thick formation underlies the Utrillas Formation and overlies Castrillo de la Reina, Benassal & Oliete Formations. The Escucha Formation comprises siltstones, mudstones, sandstones, coal, siltstones and amber, in which several fossil insects were found. The formation was deposited in a variety of continental to paralic (deltaic) environments.

Fossil content

The Escucha Formation has provided the following fossils, among others:

Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs
Taxa	Location	Notes	Images
Europelta carbonensis	La Rioja
Proa valdearinnoensis	La Rioja

Other dinosaurs

• Allosauroidea indet.
• Iguanodontia indet.
• Titanosauriformes indet.

Reptiles

• Aragochersis lignitesta
• Toremys cassiopeia
• Trachydermochelys sp.
• Testudines indet.
• Anteophthalmosuchus escuchae
• Goniopholididae indet.
• Hulkepholis plotos

Fish

• Chondrichthyes indet.
• Osteichthyes indet.

Insects

Insects
Taxa	Location/site	Notes	Images
Alavaraphidia	Peñacerrada I amber
Amarantoraphidia	Peñacerrada I amber
Microcostaphron parvus	Peñacerrada I amber
Radiophron ibericus	Peñacerrada I amber
Styporaphidia? hispanica	Peñacerrada I amber

Other arthropods

• Alavia neli
• Archaelagonops alavensis
• Mesozygiella dunlopi
• Alavesiaphis margaritae
• Hispanocader lisae
• Alavametra popovi
• Iberovelia quisquilia
• Glaesivelia pulcherrima
• Gymnopollisthrips maior
• G. minor
• Manicapsocidus enigmaticus
• Archaeatropos alavensis
• Preempheria antiqua
• Empheropsocus arilloi
• E. margineglabrus
• Morazatermes krishnai
• Cantabritermes simplex
• Autrigonoforceps iberica
• Hispanelcana alavensis
• H. arilloi
• H. lopezvallei
• Libanophron sugaar
• Hippocoon basajauni
• Burmaphron iratxoak
• B. jentilak
• B. sorginak
• Tagsmiphron olentzero
• Elasmophron mari
• Ectenobythus iberiensis
• Liztor pilosus
• Cretepyris martini
• Zophepyris alavaensis
• Ampulicomorpha perialla
• Microcostaphron parvus
• Archephedrus stolamissus
• Protorhyssalopsis perrichoti
• Spathiopteryx alavarommopsis
• Serphites lamiak
• Aposerphites angustus
• Archaeromma hispanicum
• Galloromma alavaensis
• Alavaromma orchamum
• Tithonoscelio resinalis
• Bruescelio platycephalus
• Electroteleiopsis hebdomas
• Alavascelio delvallei
• Amissascelio temporarius
• Perimoscelio tyrbastes
• Perimoscelio confector
• Proterosceliopsis masneri
• Juxtascelio interitus
• Iberopria perialla
• Iberoevania roblesi
• Cretevania alonsoi
• Iberomaimetsha nihtmara
• Iberomaimetsha rasnitsyni
• Valaa delclosi
• Megalava truncata
• Eosyntexis parva
• Cretasonoma corinformibus
• Penarhytus tenebris
• Prosolierius parvus
• Cretakarenni hispanicus
• Rhizophtoma longus
• Darwinylus marcosi
• Mediumiuga sinespinis
• Archiaustroconops alavensis
• Leptoconops (Leptoconops) zherikhini
• Gerontodacus skalskii
• Chimeromyia alava
• Chimeromyina concilia
• Euliphora grimaldii
• Alavesia subiasi
• Tethepomima holomma
• Tethepomyia buruhandi
• Lysistrata emerita
• Hegalari minor
• Hegalari antzinako
• Alavamanota hispanica
• Allocotocera xavieri
• Cretohaplusia ortunoi
• Eltxo cretaceus
• Helius (Helius) alavensis
• Helius (Helius) spiralis
• Espanoderus barbarae
• Alavaraphidia imperterrita
• Baissoptera cretaceoelectra
• Cretokatianna bucculenta
• Sphyrotheciscus senectus
• Archeallacma dolichopoda
• Katiannasminthurus xenopygus
• Pseudosminthurides stoechus
• Burmisotoma spinulifera
• Protoisotoma autrigoniensis
• Proisotoma communis
• Proleptochelia tenuissima
• Electrotanais monolithus
• Alavatanais carabe
• Alavatanais margulisae
• Eurotanais terminator
• Spinomegops arcanus
• Strieremaeus minguezae
• Iberofoveopsis miguelesi
• Hispanothrips utrillensis
• Aragonitermes teruelensis
• Aragonimantis aenigma
• Mymaropsis turolensis
• Serphites silban
• Galloromma turolensis
• Alavaromma orchamum
• Cretevania rubusensis
• Cretevania alcalai
• Cretevania montoyai
• Actenobius magneoculus
• Arra legalovi
• Leptoconops (Leptoconops) zherikhini
• Atriculicoides sanjusti
• Atriculicoides hispanicus
• Gerontodacus skalskii
• Microphorites utrillensis
• Litoleptis fossilis
• Burmazelmira grimaldii
• Aragomantispa lacerata
• Spinomegops aragonensis
• Ametroproctus valeriae
• Cretaceobodes martinezae
• Trhypochthonius lopezvallei

Invertebrates

• Ostracoda indet.
• Bivalvia indet.
• Gastropoda indet.

Flora

• Pinophyta
• Angiospermae indet.

See also

• List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations
• Monte Grande Formation, Albian formation of the Cantabrian Basin
• Caranguejeira Conglomerate, Aptian to Cenomanian formation of the Lusitanian Basin
• Baltic, Burmese, Dominican and Mexican amber

References

Bibliography

• Kirkland, J.I.; Alcalá, L.; Loewen, M.A.; Espílez, E.; Mampel, L.; Wiersma, J.P. (2013). "The Basal Nodosaurid Ankylosaur Europelta carbonensis n. gen., n. sp. From the Lower Cretaceous (Lower Albian) Escucha Formation of Northeastern Spain". PLoS ONE 8 (12): e80405. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0080405. PMID 24312471. Bibcode: 2013PLoSO...880405K. 
• Ortega Blanco, J.; Rasnitsyn, A.P.; Delclòs, X. (2010). "A new family of ceraphronoid wasps from Early Cretaceous Álava Amber, Spain". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 55 (2): 265–276. doi:10.4202/app.2009.0014. https://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app20090014.html. Retrieved 2019-10-09. 
• Pérez de la Fuente, R.; Peñalver, E.; Delclòs, X.; Engel, M.S. (2012). "Snakefly diversity in Early Cretaceous amber from Spain (Neuropterida, Raphidioptera)". ZooKeys (204): 1–40. doi:10.3897/zookeys.204.2740. PMID 22787417. 
• Pérez García, A.; Espílez, E.; Mampel, L.; Alcalá, L. (2020). "A new basal turtle represented by the two most complete skeletons of Helochelydridae in Europe". Cretaceous Research 107: Article 104291. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2019.104291. 
• Peyrot, Daniel; Rodríguez López, Juan Pedro; Lassaletta, Luis; Meléndez, Nieves; Barrón, Eduardo (2007). "Contributions to the palaeoenvironmental knowledge of the Escucha Formation in the Lower Cretaceous Oliete Sub-basin, Teruel, Spain". Comptes Rendus Palevol 6 (6–7): 469–481. doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2007.09.014. 
• The Dinosauria, 2nd edition. Berkeley: University of California Press. 2004. pp. 1–880. ISBN 9780520941434. https://books.google.com/books?id=vtZFDb_iw40C. Retrieved 2019-02-21. 

Further reading

• L. Alcalá, E. Espílez, L. Mampel, J. I. Kirkland, M. Ortiga, D. Rubio, A. González, D. Ayala, A. Cobos, R. Royo-Torres, F. Gascó and M. D. Pesquero. 2012. A new Lower Cretaceous vertebrate bonebed near Arino (Tereul, Aragon, Spain); found and managed in a joint collaboration between a mining company and a palaeontological park. Geoheritage 4:275-286
• J. I. Canudo, A. Cobos, C. Martín-Closas, X. Murelaga, X. Pereda-Suberbiola, R. Royo-Torres, J. I. Ruiz-Omeñaca and L. M. Sender. 2005. Sobre la presencia de dinosaurios ornitópodos en la Formación Escucha (Cretácico Inferior, Albiense): redescubierto “Iguanodon” en Utrillas (Teruel) [On the presence of ornithopod dinosaurs in the Escucha Formation (Lower Cretaceous, Albian): redescribing “Iguanodon” in Utrillas (Teruel)]. Fundamental 6:51-56
• E. Peñalver, D. A. Grimaldi, and X. Delclos. 2006. Early Cretaceous spider web with its prey. Science 312:1761