Earth:Huriwai Measures Formation
| Huriwai Measures Formation Stratigraphic range: Tithonian | |
|---|---|
| Type | Geological formation |
| Unit of | Huriwai Group |
| Underlies | Matira Sandstone |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Breccia, conglomerates, and sandstone |
| Other | Coal |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | [ ⚑ ] 37°23′24″S 174°43′44″E / 37.390°S 174.729°E |
| Region | Waikato River |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Type section | |
| Named by | Ferdinand von Hochstetter |
| Year defined | 1864[1][2] |
The Huriwai Measures Formation is a geological formation in New Zealand, dating to the Late Jurassic (Tithonian).[3]
It is one of two geological formations in New Zealand where dinosaur fossils have been found, with the other being the Late Cretaceous-aged Tahora Formation.[4]
History
Ferdinand von Hochstetter discovered the Huriwai Measures Formation during the Austrian Novara expedition to New Zealand in 1857, and he later described the formation in 1864.[1][2]
Plant fossils were then identified from the formation by Purser (1961),[3] and the first tetrapod fossil (specimen AU13802) was discovered in the formation in 1995. AU13802 was identified by Molnar, Wiffen & Hayes (1998) as a phalanx bone probably belonging to a theropod dinosaur,[5] making it the first dinosaur fossil from the Jurassic to be discovered in New Zealand.
Description
Plant fossils found in the Huriwai Measures Formation suggest that it was a forested environment.[6][5] Ballance & Campbell (1993) have also suggested it to have been a braided floodplain delta because the region was subject to volcanic ash falls from a distant volcano.[7]
Fossil content
Flora
Plants recovered from the Huriwai Measures Formation include Cladophlebis, Equisetum, Taeniopteris, conifers, and liverworts.[6][5]
Fauna
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bivalvia[3] | Indeterminate | Believed to be nonmarine.[3] | ||||
| Mollusca[3] | Indeterminate | Believed to be nonmarine.[3] | ||||
| Theropoda?[5] | Indeterminate | Port Waikato | "Phalanx." | The bone is stained black, and possible coprolites have also been assigned to this species.[5] It is sometimes incorrectly referred to Compsognathidae. | File:Probable theropod manual phalanx AU13802.png |
See also
- List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations
- South Polar region of the Cretaceous
- List of dinosaurs and other Mesozoic reptiles of New Zealand
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hochstetter, von, F. (1864). Geologie von Neu-Seeland. Reise der Osterreichischen Fregatte Novara um die Erde in den Jahre 1857, 1858, 1859. Novara-Expedition, Geologischer Theil, bd. 1.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hochstetter, von, F. (1959). Geology of New Zealand. Wellington, R. E. Owen. 320 p.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Purser, B. H. (1961). Geology of the Port Waikato region (Onewhero sheet N51). New Zealand Geological Survey bulletin 69: 1-36.
- ↑ Agnolin, F.L., Ezcurra, M.D., Pais, D.F. and Salisbury, S.W. (2010). "A reappraisal of the Cretaceous non-avian dinosaur faunas from Australia and New Zealand: Evidence for their Gondwanan affinities." Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 8(2): 257-300
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Molnar, Ralph E.; Wiffen, Joan; Hayes, Brendan (1998). "A probable theropod bone from the latest Jurassic of New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics 41 (2): 145–148. doi:10.1080/00288306.1998.9514798. ISSN 0028-8306. Bibcode: 1998NZJGG..41..145M. https://doi.org/10.1080/00288306.1998.9514798.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Pocknall, D. T. (1988): Huriwai plant beds. In: Pocknall, D. T.; Tremain, R. ed. Tour LB1, 7th International Palynological Conference, Brisbane, Australia, August 1988, New Zealand palynology and paleobotany. New Zealand Geological Survey record 33: 17-23.
- ↑ Ballance, P. F; Campbell, J. D. (1993): The Murihiku arc-related basin of New Zealand (Triassic-Jurassic). In: Ballance, P. F. ed. South Pacific sedimentary basins. Sedimentary basins of the world, 2. Amsterdam, Elsevier Science. Pp. 21-33.
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