Katiki Formation

The Katiki Formation is a Late Cretaceous (Campanian to Maastrichtian, or Haumurian in the regional stratigraphy) geologic formation of the South Island of New Zealand.[1] Plesiosaur remains of Kaiwhekea katiki, named after the formation, are among the fossils that have been recovered from the deltaic siltstones.

Katiki Formation Stratigraphic range: Campanian-Maastrichtian (Haumurian) ~83.5–66 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Type	Geological formation
Overlies	Herbert Formation
Thickness	100 m (330 ft)
Lithology
Primary	Siltstone
Location
Coordinates	45.5°S 170.8°E / -45.5; 170.8
Approximate paleocoordinates	60.3°S 153.5°E / -60.3; 153.5
Region	South Island
Country	New Zealand
Type section
Named by	McKay
Year defined	1887
Katiki Formation (New Zealand)

Description

The Katiki Formation was defined by McKay in 1887 and comprises about 100 metres (330 ft) of gently north to northeast dipping and generally massive, dark grey, indurated, sandy siltstones. The Katiki Formation overlies more proximal marine sandstones of the Herbert Formation and, below that, non-marine quartzose sandy to pebbly coal measures of the Shag Point Group.[2]

Fossil content

• Belemnites
  • Dimitobelus (Dimitocamax) hectori
• Reptiles
  • Mosasauridae indet.
  • Elasmosauridae
    • Kaiwhekea katiki[3]
• Dinophyceae
  • Gonyaulacaceae
    • Cribroperidinium edwardsii
  • Peridiniaceae
    • Chatangiella campbellensis
    • Palaeocystodinium granulatum

See also

• Plesiosaur stratigraphic distribution
• South Polar region of the Cretaceous
• Conway Formation
• Tahora Formation

References

1. Katiki Formation in the Paleobiology Database
2. Shag Point in the Paleobiology Database
3. Cruickshank & Fordyce, 2002

Bibliography

• Cruickshank, A.R.I., and R.E. Fordyce. 2002. A new marine reptile (Sauropterygia) from New Zealand: further evidence for a Late Cretaceous Austral radiation of cryptoclidid plesiosaurs. Palaeontology 45. 557–575.