The
Bückeberg-Formation consists largely of siliciclastics
deposited during the Berriasian through earliest Valanginian times in
the Lower Saxony Basin. The sediments represent the infill of a
lacustrine basin with temporary connections to the open sea causing
episodical influx of saline waters. Along the margins of the basin,
river systems formed locally extensive delta systems and
redeposition of coarse-grained sediments led to the build-up of
coast-parallel barrier systems (Pelzer 1998, Hornung et al. 2012). The
limnic succession finally ceased with the Valanginian marine inundation
of the basin.
Historically
the Bückeberg Formation is known as „German Wealden“ since the similarity
of the strata and fossils to the English Wealden (late Berriasian to
Aptian) was noted by geoscientists since the early 19th century.
However, this term is used only informally as detailed studies of
facies, stratigraphy, fauna and flora, and palaeogeography supported
many differences between the units.
These environments were inhabited by a broad diversity of vertebrates,
including fish, sauropterygians, turtles, crocodiles and dinosaurs.
Although known since the first half of the 19th century these fossils
have only been studied sporadically and, aside of a few spectacular
specimens (e.g. von Meyer 1841, 1859, Wegner 1914), most of the
material remained neglected in the scientific literature.
This project is focused upon a synoptic view of the archosaur fauna
from the Bückberg Formation including both body-fossil and
ichnofossil record. The archosaur fauna consists of abundant
crocodilians
(pholidosaurids and goniopholidids, von Meyer 1841, Koken 1887,
Salisbury et al. 1999, Andrade & Hornung
2011), dinosaurs
(incl. sauropods, theropods, ornithopods, ankylosaurs and
marginocephalians, e.g. Koken 1887, Sachs 1997, Butler and Sullivan
2009), and pterosaurs (Hornung & Reich 2011). |
References
(see list
of publications [ ] for a more
comprehensive overview of own project contributions)
Andrade,
M. B. de & Hornung,
J.J. (2011): A new look into the periorbital morphology of
Goniopholis
(Mesoeucrocodylia: Neosuchia) and related forms. Journal of Vertebrate
Paleontology, 31(2): 352-368.
Butler,
R.J. & Sullivan, (2009): The phylogenetic position of the
ornithischian dinosaur Stenopelix
valdensis
from the Lower Cretaceous of Germany and the early fossil record of
Pachycephalosauria. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 54: 21-34.
Hornung, J.J.
& Reich, M. (2011): The first record of a pterosaur ichnite
from
the lower Bückeberg Formation (Early Cretaceous) of Bückeburg, Lower
Saxony, northern Germany. Beiträge zur Paläontologie, 32: 55-56.
Hornung, J.J.,
Böhme, A., van der Lubbe, T., Reich, M. & Richter,
A. (2012):
Vertebrate tracksites in the Obernkirchen Sandstone (Bückeberg
Formation, late Berriasian, Early Cretaceous) of northwest Germany –
their stratigraphical, palaeogeographical, palaeoecological, and
historical context. Paläontologische Zeitschrift, 86(3): 231-268.
Koken,
E. (1887): Die Dinosaurier, Crocodiliden und Sauropterygier des
Norddeutschen Wealden. – Palaeontologische Abhandlungen, 3: 1-111.
von
Meyer, H. (1841): Pholidosaurus
schaumburgensis,
ein Saurus aus dem Sandstein der Wald-Formation Nord-Deutschlands.
Neues Jahrbuch für Mineralogie, Geologie, Geognosie und
Petrefakten-Kunde, 4: 443-445.
von
Meyer, H. (1859): Stenopelix
Valdensis, ein Reptil aus der Wealden-Formation
Deutschlands. – Palaeontographica, 7: 25-34.
Pelzer,
G. (1998): Sedimentologie und Palynologie der Wealden-Fazies im
Hannoverschen Bergland. Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, 207:
1-211.
Sachs,
S. (1997): Erster Nachweis eines gepanzerten Dinosauriers (Reptilia,
Ornithischia, Thyreophora) aus der Unterkreide von Gronau in Westfalen.
Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Monatshefte, 1997(1):
56-64.
Salisbury,
S.W., Willis, P.M.A., Peitz, S. & Sander, P.M. (1999): The
crocodilian Goniopholis
simus from the Lower Cretaceous of north-western Germany.
Special Papers in Palaeontology, 60: 121-148.
Wegner,
T. (1914): Brancasaurus
brancai
n. gen. n. sp., ein Elasmosauride aus dem Wealden Westfalens. In:
Schöndorf, F. (ed.): Branca-Festschrift: 235-305, Berlin.
|
Dinosaur tracks are the most
abundant archosaur fossils in the
Bückeberg Formation. Natural cast of a large ornithopod from Bückeburg,
collected by Max Ballerstedt. Length c. 45 cm, GZG collections.
