The Taynton Limestone is a geological formation in Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom. It dates to the Middle Jurassic, mid-Bathonian stage. It predominantly consists of ooidal grainstone. The term "Stonesfield Slate" refers to slaty limestone horizons within the formation that during the 18th and 19th centuries were extensively quarried for use in roof tiling within the vicinity of Stonesfield, Oxfordshire. Previously these were thought to belong to the Sharp's Hill Formation, but boreholes and shaft sections suggest that at least three horizons within the Taynton Limestone were quarried for the slate. These horizons are well known for producing a diverse set of fossils including those of plants, insects as well as vertebrates, including some of the earliest known mammals, pterosaurs as well as those of first dinosaur ever described, Megalosaurus.
Vertebrate fauna
Reptiles
Color key
| Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited. |
| Reptiles of the Stonesfield Slate5 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxa | Species | Material | Location | Notes | Images | |
I. incognitus | Two ilia | A theropod dinosaur. Not distingusiable from Megalosaurus | ||||
| Megalosaurus | M. bucklandii | Isolated remains including several dentaries, maxillas and postcranial bones from multiple individuals | A megalosaurid theropod dinosaur, also present in the Chipping Norton and Sharp's Hill Formations | |||
| Klobiodon6 | K. rochei | Partial dentary with teeth | A rhamphorhynchid pterosaur | |||
| Protochelys | P. blakii | Isolated epidermal scales, coracoid, plastron fragment7 | Nomen dubium, Testudinata indet | |||
| Teleosaurus | T. geoffroyi | An indeterminate Teleosaurid. Probably the same animal as Teleosaurus cadomensis. | ||||
| Monofenestrata8 | Indeterminate | Vertebrae | ||||
| Rhamphorhynchidae9 | Indeterminate | Various isolated remains | ||||
Mammaliamorphs
| Mammaliamorphs of the Stonesfield Slate10 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxa | Species | Material | Location | Notes | Images | |
| Amphilestes | A. broderipii | Two left mandibles and right mandible | Stonesfield Slate quarries | Amphilestid | ||
| Amphitherium | A. prevostii | Partial left mandible and a right mandible | Amphitheriidae | |||
| A. rixoni | Right dentary | |||||
| Stereognathus | S. ooliticus | Teeth | Tritylodontid | |||
| Phascolotherium | P. bucklandii | Right mandible and left ramus | Amphilestid | |||
Fish
| Fish of the Stonesfield Slate11 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxa | Species | Material | Location | Notes | Images | |
| Breviacanthus | Breviacanthus brevis | Stonesfield Slate quarries | ||||
| Ganodus | Spp. | Chimaeriformes | ||||
| Ischyodus | Ischyodus emarginatus | |||||
| Aspidorhynchus | Aspidorhynchus crassus | |||||
| Pholidophorus | Indeterminate | |||||
| Leptolepis | Leptolepis disjectus | |||||
| Pycnodus | Indeterminate | |||||
| Mesodon | Mesodon tenuidens | |||||
| Microdon | Microdon biserialis | |||||
| Lepidotus | Lepidotus tuberculatus | |||||
| Macrosemius | Macrosemius sp. | |||||
| Undina | Undina ? barroviensis | A coelacanth | ||||
| Ferganoceratodus | Ferganoceratodus phillipsi12 | A lungfish | ||||
| Egertonodus13 | Egertonodus duffini | A hybodont shark | ||||
| Palaeocarcharias?14 | Indeterminate | Possibly the oldest lamniform shark | ||||
Invertebrate fauna
| Invertebrates of the Stonesfield Slate | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxa | Species | Presence | Material | Notes | Images | |
| B. egertoni | Stonesfield Slate | NHM, In. 34379, a ventral compression missing the head | An ommatine beetle | |||
| Palaeontina | P. oolitica | Forewing | Type species of Palaeontinidae | |||
| Pheugothemis | P. westwoodi | Damsel-dragonfly of uncertain placement, while historically described as a member of Gomphidae, Huang et al. 2019 state that it "can[not] be accurately attributed to the Gomphidae, or even the Gomphida." | ||||
Flora
The flora known from the Stonesfield Slate comprises a relatively diverse flora, with 25 morphospecies present. It primarily represents a coastal environment, perhaps seasonally dry with mangrove like environments. It is a noticeably different assemblage than the Yorkshire floras of equivalent age, possibly because the latter is thought to represent a deltaic, wetland environment.15
| Flora of the Stonesfield Slate | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxa | Species | Material | Location | Notes | Images | |
| cf. Dictyophyllum | Indeterminate | Fern, Member of Dipteridaceae | ||||
| Phlebopteris | P. woodwardii | Fern, Member of Matoniaceae | ||||
| cf. Coniopteris | Indeterminate | Fern, Member of Dicksoniaceae | ||||
| Sagenopteris | S. colpodes | Member of Caytoniales | ||||
| Ctenozamites | cf. leckenbyi | Member of Peltaspermales | ||||
| Pachypteris | P. macrophylla | A "Pteridosperm", likely either a member of Peltaspermales or Corystospermales | ||||
| Komlopteris | K. speciosa | Member of Corystospermales | ||||
| Ctenis | C. cf. sulcicaulis, sp | Cycad | ||||
| Ptilophyllum | P. pectiniformis, P. cf hirsutum | Member of Bennettitales | ||||
| Sphenozamites | S. bellii | Member of Bennettitales | ||||
| ?Weltrichia | Indeterminate | Member of Bennettitales | ||||
| Taeniopteris | T. vittata | Member of Bennettitales | ||||
| Bucklandia | B. bucklandii | Member of Bennettitales formerly Conites bucklandii16 | ||||
| Ginkgo | G. aff longifolius | Member of Ginkgoales | ||||
| Brachyphyllum | B. expansum | Member of Pinales | ||||
| Elatocladus | E. cf. laxus | Member of Pinales | ||||
| Masculostrobus | Indeterminate | Member of Pinales | ||||
| Classostrobus | Indeterminate | Cheirolepidiaceae | ||||
| Araucarites | A. brodei | Araucariaceae | ||||
| Pelourdea | A conifer of uncertain affinities | |||||
| Carpolithes | Carpolithes diospyriformis, Carpolithes sp. | Plantae indet | ||||
| Phyllites | sp. | Morphotaxon for leaves of uncertain affinities | ||||
See also
- England portal
- Geology portal
- Paleontology portal
References
Weishampel, David B; et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution (Middle Jurassic, Europe)." In: Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 538–541. ISBN 0-520-24209-2. /wiki/ISBN_(identifier) ↩
Benson, R.B.J. (2009). "An assessment of variability in theropod dinosaur remains from the Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) of Stonesfield and New Park Quarry, UK and taxonomic implications for Megalosaurus bucklandii and Iliosuchus incognitus." Palaeontology, doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2009.00884.x /wiki/Doi_(identifier) ↩
"Taynton Limestone Formation". BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units. Retrieved 2019-09-21. https://www.bgs.ac.uk/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?pub=TY ↩
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