Djadochta Formation

The Djadochta Formation (sometimes transcribed Djadokhta) is a geological formation situated in central Asia (Gobi Desert), dating from the Late Cretaceous Period. Laid down in the early Campanian, possibly starting in the latest Santonian, it is dated somewhat uncertainly at about 75-71 mya (million years ago).[1] The type locality are the famous "Flaming Cliffs", locally known as Bayanzag ("rich in Haloxylon") or Ulaan-Ereg ("red cliffs").

Djadochta Formation Stratigraphic range: Campanian, 75–71 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	Shamo Group
Sub-units	Bayn Dzak & Tugrugyin members
Underlies	Barun Goyot Formation
Overlies	Alagteeg Formation
Thickness	Over 90 m (composite)
Lithology
Primary	Sandstone
Other	Mudstone
Location
Coordinates	44°08′19″N 103°43′40″E
Approximate paleocoordinates	30.7°N 9.2°E / 30.7; 9.2
Region	Mongolia Ömnögov
Country	Mongolia
Djadochta Formation (Mongolia)

It preserves an arid habitat of sand dunes, with little freshwater apart from oases and arroyos. In fact, the present-day climate at most Djadochta Formation sites differs little from what it was some 80 mya, except by being somewhat warmer and perhaps a bit less arid then. This is testimony to the fact that the location has long been so far from any major source of evaporation that little rainfall reached it, even before the Himalayas were uplifted which bar clouds from reaching today's Gobi desert.

Most notable fossil discoveries have been the first confirmed dinosaur eggs (a clutch, probably of Oviraptor) and several dinosaur finds, Protoceratops, Pinacosaurus and Velociraptor being the most prominent.

Fossil content

The fauna of the Djadochta Formation is very similar in composition to the nearby Bayan Mandahu Formation. The two share many of the same genera, but differ in the exact species. For example, the most common mammal in the Djadochta is Kryptobaatar dashzevegi, while in the Bayan Mandahu, it is the closely related Kryptobaatar mandahuensis. Similarly, the dinosaur fauna of the Djadochta includes Protoceratops andrewsi and Velociraptor mongoliensis, which the Bayan Mandahu yields Protoceratops hellenikorhinus and Velociraptor osmolskae.[1] It is likely that the nearby Bayan Mandahu represents a slightly younger, perhaps by 1 million years, assemblage of slightly more derived animals, possibly the direct descendants of their Djadochta counterparts.[2]

Amphibians

A frog of uncertain classification is known from the formation.

Crocodylomorphs

Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Abundance	Notes
Gobiosuchus	G. kielanae				A gobisuchid
Shamosuchus	S. djadochtaensis				A mesoeucrocodylian
Zaraasuchus	Z. shepardi				A gobisuchid
Zosuchus	Z. davidsoni				A basal crocodyliform

Lizards

Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Abundance	Notes	Images
Aiolosaurus	A. oriens
Anchaurosaurus	A. gilmorei				A primitive iguanid
Estesia	E. mongoliensis				A varanid
Gobiderma	G. pulchra				An anguimorph
Mimeosaurus	M. crassus				An agamid
Pleurodontagama	P. aenigmatodes				An agamid
Priscagama	P. gobiensis				An agamid
Saichangurvel	S. davidsoni				A gobiguanian iguanid
Telmasaurus	T. grangeri				A varanid
Xihaina	X. aquilonia				A primitive iguanid

Mammals

Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Abundance	Notes	Images
Bulganbaatar	B. nemegtbaataroides				A multituberculate
Deltatheridium	D. pretrituberculare				A metatherian
Deltatheroides	D. cretacicus				A metatherian
Hyotheridium	H. dobsoni				A therian mammal of uncertain classification
Kamptobaatar	K. kuczynskii	Ukhaa Tolgod			A multituberculate
Kennalestes	K. gobiensis				A eutherian. Also present in the Bayan Mandahu Formation.
Kryptobaatar	K. dashzevegi	Ukhaa Tolgod[3] Zos Wash[3]			A multituberculate, the most common mammal in this formation.[1]
Zalambdalestes	Z. lechei	Ukhaa Tolgod[3] Zos Wash[3]			A eutherian

Ornithischians

Genus	Species	Location	Abundance	Notes	Images
Minotaurasaurus	M. ramachandrani	Ukhaa Tolgod[4][5]		An ankylosaurid
Pinacosaurus	P. grangeri	Bayan Dzak[2] Ukhaa Tolgod[2] Alag Teg Tugriken Shireh		An ankylosaurid
	P. mephistocephalus	Bayan Mandahu
	Indeterminate	Tugriken Shireh[2]		An ankylosaurid
Plesiohadros[6]	P. djadokhtaensis	Alag Teg		A hadrosauroid
Protoceratops	P. andrewsi	Bayan Dzak[2] Tugriken Shireh[2] Ukhaa Tolgod[3] Zos Wash[3]		A protoceratopsid
	P. hellenikorhinus	Bayan Mandahu
	Indeterminate	Ukhaa Tolgod[2]		A protoceratopsid
Udanoceratops	U. tschizhovi	Udan-Sahr

Saurischians

Saurischian dinosaurs
Genus	Species	Location	Material	Notes	Images
Aepyornithomimus[7]	A. tugrikinensis	Tögrögiin Shiree		An ornithomimid
Almas[8]	A. ukhaa	Ukhaa Tolgod		A troodontid
Apsaravis[9]	A. ukhaana[9]	Ukhaa Tolgod[10]	"Partial postcranial skeleton."[11]	A basal ornithurine bird
Archaeornithoides[9]	A. deinosauriscus[9]	Bayn Dzak[12]	"Partial skull."[13]	A coelurosaur of uncertain relationships
Byronosaurus[9]	B. jaffei[9]	Ukhaa Tolgod[2]	"Skull and fragmentary postcranium, [and a] fragmentary skull."[14]	A troodontid
Citipati[9]	C. osmolskae[9]	Ukhaa Tolgod[2]	"Skeleton with skull, partial postcranium, embryo to adult."[15]	An oviraptorid
	Citipati sp.	Zamyn Khondt[2]		An oviraptorid with a distinctive, tall crest
Gobipteryx	G. minuta	Ukhaa Tolgod		An enantiornithine. Also known from the Barun Goyot Formation.
Gobivenator	G. mongoliensis		"Almost complete skeleton." [16]	A troodontid theropod
Halszkaraptor[17]	H. escuilliei	Ukhaa Tolgod[2]		A dromaeosaurid
Khaan	K. mckennai	Ukhaa Tolgod[2]	"[Three] skeletons with skulls."[15]	An oviraptorid
Kol	K. ghuva	Ukhaa Tolgod[18]	"A well-preserved right foot"[18]	An alvarezsaurid
Mahakala	M. omnogovae	Tugriken Shireh[2]		A dromaeosaurid
Oviraptor[19]	O. philoceratops[19]	Bayan Dzak[2]	"[One] partial skeleton with skull"[20]	An oviraptorid
?Parvicursor	Indeterminate	Tugriken Shireh[2]		An alvarezsaurid
Saurornithoides[19]	S. mongoliensis[19]	Bayan Dzak[2]	"Skull with fragmentary postcranial skeleton."[14]	A troodontid
Shuvuuia[9]	S. deserti[9]	Ukhaa Tolgod[2] Zos Wash[3]	"Skull and postcranial skeleton."[21]	An alvarezsaurid
cf. Tarbosaurus[22]	Indeterminate[22]			A tyrannosaurid, may actually be Zhuchengtyrannus.[22]
Tyrannosauridae indet.	Indeterminate[19]	Bayan Dzak[2] Bayan Mandahu[2][23]		A tyrannosaurid possibly referable to Alectrosaurus
Tsaagan	T. mangas	Ukhaa Tolgod[2]		A dromaeosaurid
Velociraptor[19]	V. mongoliensis[19]	Bayan Dzak[2] Tugriken Shireh[2] Ukhaa Tolgod		A dromaeosaurid
cf. Zhuchengtyrannus[22]	Indeterminate[22]			A tyrannosaurid, may actually be Tarbosaurus.[22]
Unnamed dromaeosaurid	Unnamed	Zos wash[3]
Unnamed troodontid	Unnamed, specimen IGM 100/1005	Ukhaa Tolgod[3]
Ornithomimosauria indet.	Unnamed, specimen IGM 100/1245 and IGM 100/987	Uhkaa Tolgod[24]	skull fragments[24]

Color key Taxon Reclassified taxon Taxon falsely reported as present Dubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon		Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited.

Eggs

Oogenus	Oospecies	Location	Material	Notes
Styloolithus[25]	S. sabathi	Bayn Dzak[25]		Probably avian
Protoceratopsidovum[26]	P. sincerum P. minimum P. fluxuosum
Elongatoolithus[26]	E. frustrabilis E. Subtitectorius
Spheroolithus[26]	S. maiasauroides S. tenuicorticus
Macroolithus[26]	M. mutabilis
Subtiliolithus[26]	spp.

Panorama

The Flaming Cliffs, type locality of the Djadochta Formation

See also

• List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations
• List of fossil sites (with link directory)
• Barun Goyot Formation
• Nemegt Formation

References

1. Godefroit, Pascal; Currie, Philip J.; Li, Hong; Shang, Chang Yong; Dong, Zhi-ming (2008). "A new species of Velociraptor (Dinosauria: Dromaeosauridae) from the Upper Cretaceous of northern China". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 28 (2): 432–438. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2008)28[432:ANSOVD]2.0.CO;2.
2. Nicholas R. Longrich; Philip J. Currie; Dong Zhi-Ming (2010). "A new oviraptorid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Bayan Mandahu, Inner Mongolia". Palaeontology. 53 (5): 945–960. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2010.00968.x.
3. Norell, M.A.; Clark, J.M.; Turner, A.H.; Makovicky, P.J.; Barsbold, R.; Rowe, T. (2006). "A new dromaeosaurid theropod from Ukhaa Tolgod (Omnogov, Mongolia)". American Museum Novitates. 3545: 1–51. doi:10.1206/0003-0082(2006)3545[1:ANDTFU]2.0.CO;2. hdl:2246/5823. ISSN 0003-0082.
4. Alicea, J.; Loewen, M. (2013). "New Minotaurasaurus material from the Djodokta Formation establishes new taxonomic and stratigraphic criteria for the taxon". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Program and Abstracts: 76.
5. Penkalski, P.; Tumanova, T. (2017). "The cranial morphology and taxonomic status of Tarchia (Dinosauria: Ankylosauridae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia". Cretaceous Research. 70: 117–12. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2016.10.004.
6. Khishigjav Tsogtbaatar, David Weishampel, David C. Evans, and Mahito Watabe (2014). A new hadrosauroid (Plesiohadros djadokhtaensis) from the Late Cretaceous Djadokhtan fauna of southern Mongolia. [pgs. 108-135] In: David A. Eberth and David C. Evans (eds). Hadrosaurs. Proceedings of the International Hadrosaur Symposium. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-01385-9.
7. Chinzorig, T.; Kobayashi, Y.; Tsogtbaatar, K.; Currie, P. J.; Watabe, M.; Barsbold, R. (2017). "First Ornithomimid (Theropoda, Ornithomimosauria) from the Upper Cretaceous Djadokhta Formation of Tögrögiin Shiree, Mongolia". Scientific Reports. 7 (5835). Bibcode:2017NatSR...7.5835C. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-05272-6. PMC 5517598. PMID 28724887.
8. Pei, R.; Norell, M.A.; Barta, D.E; Bever, G.S.; Pittman, M.; Xu, Xing (2017). "Osteology of a New Late Cretaceous Troodontid Specimen from Ukhaa Tolgod, Ömnögovi Aimag, Mongolia". American Museum Novitates. 3889 (3889): 1–47. doi:10.1206/3889.1.
9. "47.4 Ömnögov', Mongolia; 2. Djadochta Formation." Weishampel, et al. (2004). Pg. 596.
10. Clarke, Julia A., Norell, Mark A. (2002). "The morphology and phylogenetic position of Apsaravis ukhaana from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia". American Museum Novitates, No. 3387, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY.
11. "Table 11.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 214.
12. Spelled "Ömnögov'" in "47.4 Ömnögov', Mongolia; 2. Djadochta Formation." Weishampel, et al. (2004). Pg. 596.
13. "Table 4.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 76.
14. "Table 9.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 185.
15. "Table 8.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 167.
16. Tsuihiji, T.; Barsbold, R.; Watabe, M.; Tsogtbaatar, K.; Chinzorig, T.; Fujiyama, Y.; Suzuki, S. (2014). "An exquisitely preserved troodontid theropod with new information on the palatal structure from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia". Naturwissenschaften. 101 (2): 131–142. doi:10.1007/s00114-014-1143-9. PMID 24441791.
17. Cau, A.; Beyrand, V.; Voeten, D.; Fernandez, V.; Tafforeau, P.; Stein, K.; Barsbold, R.; Tsogtbaatar, K.; Currie, P.; Godefroit, P. (2017). "Synchrotron scanning reveals amphibious ecomorphology in a new clade of bird-like dinosaurs". Nature.
18. Turner, A.H.; Nesbitt, S.J.; Norell, M.A. (2009). "A Large Alvarezsaurid from the Cretaceous of Mongolia". American Museum Novitates. 3648: 1–14. doi:10.1206/639.1. hdl:2246/5967.
19. "48.11 Nei Mongol Zizhiqu, People's Republic of China; 2. Djadochta Formation." Weishampel, et al. (2004). Pg. 598.
20. "Table 8.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 166.
21. "Table 11.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 211.
22. Mortimer, M (2004). "Tyrannosauroidea". The Theropod Database. Archived from the original on 2013-09-29. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
23. "Inner Mongolia" is referred to as "Nei Mongol Zizhiqu" in "48.11 Nei Mongol Zizhiqu, People's Republic of China; 2. Djadochta Formation." Weishampel, et al. (2004). Pg. 598.
24. Ksepka, Daniel T.; Norell, Mark A. (2004). "Ornithomimosauria cranial material from Ukhaa Tolgod (Omnogov, Mongolia)". American Museum Novitates. 3448: 1–4. doi:10.1206/0003-0082(2004)448<0001:ocmfut>2.0.co;2. hdl:2246/2813. ISSN 0003-0082.
25. Varricchio, D.J.; Barta, D.E. (2015). "Revisiting Sabath's "Larger Avian Eggs" from the Gobi Cretaceous". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 60 (1): 11–25.
26. Mikhailov, K. E. (1995) "Systematic, faunistic and stratigraphic diversity of Cretaceous eggs in Mongolia: comparison with China." Sixth Symposium on Mesozoic Terrestrial Ecosystems and Biota, Beijing. Short Papers... Beijing. pp. 165-168.

Bibliography

• Weishampel, David B.; Peter Dodson, and Halszka Osmólska (eds.). 2004. The Dinosauria, 2nd edition, 1–880. Berkeley: University of California Press. Accessed 2019-02-21. ISBN 0-520-24209-2