Cambridge Greensand

The Cambridge Greensand is a geological formation in England whose strata date back to the late Albian of the Early Cretaceous to early Cenomanian of the Late Cretaceous. It forms the transitional bed between the Gault Formation and the Chalk Group in the vicinity of Cambridgeshire, and technically forms the lowest member bed of the West Melbury Marly Chalk Formation.[1]

Not to be confused with Cambridge Formation.
Cambridge Greensand
Stratigraphic range: Late Albian-early Cenomanian
~102–98 Ma
↓
TypeGeological Formation
UnderliesChalk Group
OverliesGault Formation
Thickness0.1–1 m (0.33–3.28 ft)
Lithology
PrimaryGlauconitic marl
OtherPhosphorite
Location
Coordinates52.2°N 0.1°E / 52.2; 0.1
Approximate paleocoordinates41.0°N 1.8°E / 41.0; 1.8
RegionEngland
Country UK
ExtentNorth Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire
Type section
Named forCambridge
LocationArlesey Brickpit
Cambridge Greensand (England)

Description

The lithology is made out of glauconitic marl, with a concentration of phosphatic nodules and bones at the base. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.[2]

Vertebrate paleofauna

Birds

Dinosaurs

Ornithischians

Saurischians

Pterosaurs
  • Amblydectes crassidens
  • A. eurygnathus
  • Camposipterus colorhinus
  • C. nasutus
  • Camposipterus sedgwickii
  • Lonchodraco machaerorhynchus
  • Lonchodraco microdon
  • Ornithocheirus simus[8][9]
  • "Ornithocheirus" capito
  • "Ornithocheirus" denticulatus
  • "Ornithocheirus" platystomus
  • "Ornithocheirus" polyodon
  • Ornithostoma sedgwicki[10]

Ichthyosaurs

Crocodyliforms

Invertebrates

Ammonites
  • Salaziceras (Salaziceras) salazacense[13]

See also
  • List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations

References
  1. Cambridge Greensand at BGS
  2. Weishampel, David B; et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution (Early Cretaceous, Europe)." In: Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 556-563. ISBN 0-520-24209-2.
  3. "Table 11.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 215.
  4. "Table 17.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 367.
  5. "Table 19.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 417.
  6. "Table 20.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 443.
  7. "Table 13.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 270.
  8. Taissa Rodrigues & Alexander Wilhelm Armin Kellner (2013). "Taxonomic review of the Ornithocheirus complex (Pterosauria) from the Cretaceous of England". ZooKeys. 308: 1–112. doi:10.3897/zookeys.308.5559. PMC 3689139. PMID 23794925.
  9. Unwin D.M., 2001, "An overview of the pterosaur assemblage from the Cambridge Greensand (Cretaceous) of Eastern England", Mitteilungen aus dem Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin, Geowissenschaftliche Reihe 4: 189–221
  10. Averianov A.O. (2012). "Ornithostoma sedgwicki – valid taxon of azhdarchoid pterosaurs". Proceedings of the Zoological Institute RAS. 316 (1): 40–49.
  11. Valentin Fischer; Nathalie Bardet; Myette Guiomar & Pascal Godefroit (2014). "High Diversity in Cretaceous Ichthyosaurs from Europe Prior to Their Extinction". PLoS ONE. 9 (1): e84709. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0084709. PMC 3897400. PMID 24465427.
  12. P. M. Barrett and S. E. Evans. 2002. A reassessment of the Early Cretaceous reptile 'Patricosaurus merocratus' Seeley from the Cambridge Greensand, Cambridgeshire, UK. Cretaceous Research 23:231-240
  13. C. W. Wright and W. J. Kennedy. 1979. Origin and evolution of the Cretaceous micromorph ammonite family Flickiidae. Palaeontology 22:685-704
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