Lapurr Sandstone
| Lapurr Sandstone | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Campanian-Paleocene ~ | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Underlies | Oligocene basalt |
| Overlies | Precambrian metamorphic basement |
| Thickness | 400–610 m (1,310–2,000 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sandstone |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 4°18′N 35°48′E / 4.3°N 35.8°E |
| Approximate paleocoordinates | 13°48′S 27°48′E / 13.8°S 27.8°E |
| Region | Rift Valley Province |
| Country | Kenya |
| Extent | Turkana Basin, Great Rift Valley, Kenya |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Lake Turkana |
Lapurr Sandstone (Kenya) | |
The Lapurr Sandstone, also spelled Lapur Sandstone, previously considered part of the informal "Turkana Grits", is a geological formation in Kenya (Turkana County). It is the oldest unit in the Turkana Basin. The strata date back to the Late Cretaceous, likely Campanian to Maastrichtian, based on palynology and the presence of dyrosaurs and mosasaurs, the upper part of the unit likely extends into the Palaeogene, based on zircon dating.[1] It predominantly consists of fine-coarse arkosic sandstone, which has been interpreted as either been deposited in fluvial or shallow marine conditions.[2][1] Dinosaur remains among other vertebrates have been recovered from it around Lokitaung Gorge, though these mostly consist of heavily abraded, isolated bones of robust morphology like sauropod limb bones and caudal vertebrae.[3][1]
Vertebrate paleofauna
| Dinosaurs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxa | Presence | Notes | Images | |
| Sauropoda[4][5] | Rift Valley Province, Kenya | At least 3 distinct taxa,[5] at least some of which represents titanosaurs with affinities to Saltasauria,[4] while others represent more basal Titanosauriformes[6] Giant titanosaurs are also represented by dermal elements. [7] | ||
| Iguanodontia indet[5] | Two distinct taxa[5] | |||
| ?Ornithopoda indet.[3] | Rift Valley Province, Kenya[3] | |||
| Abelisauridae[5][8] | Rift Valley Province, Kenya | An unnamed giant abelisaurid, known from partial cranial and post cranial remains.[5] Another smaller abelisaurid is also known.[8][6] | ||
| Theropoda indet[5] | Distinct from the abelisaurid, suggested to be large in size.[5] | |||
| Other reptiles | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxa | Presence | Notes | Images | |
| Mosasauria indet[1] | Caudal vertebra, initially misidentified as the vertebra of a pterosaur[9][1] | |||
| Neosuchia | Known from skull and lower jaw material showing large crushing teeth, initially misidentified as a spinosaur[6] | |||
| Dyrosauridae[1] | Abundant remains | |||
| Testudines[1] | ||||
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Agyemang, Prince C. Owusu; Roberts, Eric M.; Downie, Bob; Sertich, Joseph J. W. (August 2019). "Sedimentary provenance and maximum depositional age analysis of the Cretaceous? Lapur and Muruanachok sandstones (Turkana Grits), Turkana Basin, Kenya". Geological Magazine. 156 (8): 1334–1356. Bibcode:2019GeoM..156.1334A. doi:10.1017/S0016756818000663. ISSN 0016-7568. S2CID 134925592.
- ^ Wescott, W.A.; Morley, C.K.; Karanja, F.M. (May 1993). "Geology of the "Turkana Grits" in the Lariu range and Mt. Porr areas, southern Lake Turkana, Northwestern Kenya". Journal of African Earth Sciences (and the Middle East). 16 (4): 425–435. Bibcode:1993JAfES..16..425W. doi:10.1016/0899-5362(93)90101-U.
- ^ a b c Weishampel, et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution" Pp. 517-607. in Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. 861 pp. ISBN 0-520-24209-2. " Pp. 517-607.
- ^ a b Gorscak E. 2016. Descriptive and comparative morphology of African titanosaurian sauropods: new information on the evolution of Cretaceous African continental faunas: In College of Arts and Sciences, Vol. Ph.D., pp. 470. Ohio University.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Sertich, J., O’Connor, P., Seiffert, E. & Manthi, F. 2013. A giant abelisaurid theropod from the latest Cretaceous of Northern Turkana, Kenya. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, SVP Program and Abstracts Book, 2013, pp211.
- ^ a b c Sertich, Joe (December 2020) Science Division Live: Rafting Dinosaurs, New discoveries from Gondwana Denver Museum of Nature & Science (section discussing Lapurr Sandstone begins around 18:40 and ends around 22:30)
- ^ Sertich, Joseph (2019). "TITANOSAURIAN SAUROPOD DINOSAUR FOSSILS FROM THE UPPER CRETACEOUS LAPUR SANDSTONE ( TURKANA GRITS), TURKANA BASIN, NORTHWESTERN KENYA" (PDF).
- ^ a b Souza-Júnior, André Luis de; Candeiro, Carlos Roberto dos Anjos; Vidal, Luciano da Silva; Brusatte, Stephen Louis; Mortimer, Mickey (2023-07-05). "Abelisauroidea (Theropoda, Dinosauria) from Africa: a review of the fossil record". Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia. 63: e202363019. doi:10.11606/1807-0205/2023.63.019. ISSN 1807-0205.
- ^ O'Connor PM, Sertich JJW, Manthi FK (2011) A pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Lapurr sandstone, West Turkana, Kenya. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 83: 309–315.