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Menat Formation
The Menat Formation is a geologic formation in France. It preserves fossils dating back to the Paleocene. It is a maar deposit located on top of an ancient volcano, the extent is very localised with the outcropping area being around 600 by 1000 metres. Numerous species of fossil insects, plants and fish are known, as well as some isolated mammals, including the primate '' Plesiadapis insignis'', the choristodere reptile ''Lazarussuchus'', and birds, including members of Halcyornithidae and Messelasturidae Messelasturidae is an extinct family of birds known from the Eocene of North America and Europe. Their morphology is a mosiac that in some aspects are strongly convergent with modern hawks and falcons, but in others are more similar to parrots. ... and relatives of Songziidae. See also * List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in France References * Paleogene France {{Paleogene-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Formation (stratigraphy)
A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics (lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exposed in a geographical region (the stratigraphic column). It is the fundamental unit of lithostratigraphy, the study of strata or rock layers. A formation must be large enough that it can be mapped at the surface or traced in the subsurface. Formations are otherwise not defined by the thickness (geology), thickness of their rock strata, which can vary widely. They are usually, but not universally, tabular in form. They may consist of a single lithology (rock type), or of alternating beds of two or more lithologies, or even a heterogeneous mixture of lithologies, so long as this distinguishes them from adjacent bodies of rock. The concept of a geologic formation goes back to the beginnings of modern scientific geology. The term was used by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maar
A maar is a broad, low-relief volcanic crater caused by a phreatomagmatic eruption (an explosion which occurs when groundwater comes into contact with hot lava or magma). A maar characteristically fills with water to form a relatively shallow crater lake which may also be called a maar. The name comes from a Moselle Franconian dialect word used for the circular lakes of the Daun area of Germany. Notes: * According to German Wikipedia's ''"Maar"'' article, in 1544 in his book ''Cosmographia'', Sebastian Münster (1488–1552) first applied the word "maar" (as ''Marh'') to the Ulmener Maar and the Laacher See. See: Sebastian Münster, ''Cosmographia'' (Basel, Switzerland: Heinrich Petri, 1544)p. 341. From p. 341: ''"Item zwen namhafftiger seen seind in der Eyfel / einer bey de schloß Ulmen / und ein ander bey dem Closter züm Laich / die seind sere tieff / habe kein ynflüß aber vil außflüß / die nennet man Marh unnd seind fischreich."'' (Also two noteworthy lakes are ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Songzia
''Songzia'' is an extinct genus of gruiform bird related to rails. It lived in the Eocene epoch. Though many families traditionally assigned to the Gruiformes do not seem to actually belong there, this is apparently not the case with this animal. Its fossils have been found in Songzi county (Hubei Province People's Republic of China). Two species are known and have been named ''Songzia heidangkouensis'' and ''Songzia acutunguis''. The genus and family names for the type species were originally first published in a newsletter, and only subsequently in a scientific journal to fulfill the ICZN's requirements valid new scientific names. As such, they were considered ''nomina nuda'' until the journal article was published for validation of the taxonomic acts. An additional fossil found in the Driftwood site avifauna of the Eocene Okanagan Highlands was tentatively referred the to family, as has a fossil from the Paleocene The Paleocene, ( ) or Palaeocene, is a geological ep ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Messelasturidae
Messelasturidae is an extinct family of birds known from the Eocene of North America and Europe. Their morphology is a mosiac that in some aspects are strongly convergent with modern hawks and falcons, but in others are more similar to parrots. Initially interpreted as stem-owls, more recent studies have suggested a closer relationship to parrots and passerines. Their ecology is enigmatic. The known messelasturid species are ''Messelastur gratulator'', ''Tynskya eocaena'', and ''T. waltonensis''. Description On the skull, Messelasturidae possessed a raptorial beak and a large supraorbital process. On the feet, messelasturids lacked an ossified supratendineal bridge on the distal tibiotarsus. They also featured raptorlike ungual phalanges. They were likely ground dwelling carnivores. They existed at an age range of 61.7 to 40.4 Ma. ''Tynskya'' is characterized by a distinctive morphology of the tarsometatarsus. Discovery and classification '' Messelastur gratulator'' wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Halcyornithidae
Halcyornithidae or Pseudasturidae is a family of fossil birds, possibly belonging to the order Psittaciformes (parrots and relatives). Members of this family lived in the Eocene, around 55-48 million years ago. Fossil remains are known from the Green River Formation in the United States and from the London Clay formation in the United Kingdom. They were probably the sister group to the owl-like Messelasturidae. Classification *'' Cyrilavis'' *'' Halcyornis'' *'' Pulchrapollia'' *'' Pseudasturides'' *''Precursor''? (probably a chimera Chimera, Chimaera, or Chimaira (Greek for " she-goat") originally referred to: * Chimera (mythology), a fire-breathing monster of Ancient Lycia said to combine parts from multiple animals * Mount Chimaera, a fire-spewing region of Lycia or Cilicia ...) References {{Taxonbar, from=Q49001519 Parrots Eocene birds Prehistoric birds of Europe Prehistoric birds of North America Prehistoric bird families ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lazarussuchus
''Lazarussuchus'' (meaning " Lazarus's crocodile") is an extinct genus of amphibious reptile, known from the Cenozoic of Europe. It is the youngest known member of Choristodera, an extinct order of aquatic reptiles that first appeared in the Middle Jurassic. Fossils have been found in Late Paleocene, Late Oligocene, Early Miocene and Late Miocene deposits (~56-11.6 million years ago) in France, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Two species have been named: the type species ''L. inexpectatus'' ("unexpected") (Hecht, 1992) from the late Oligocene of France. and ''L. dvoraki'' from the early Miocene of the Czech Republic. It was not a large animal; the skull of ''L. inexpectatus'' was only about 4.53 centimeters long (1.78 in), with the total preserved body and tail length being just over 30 centimetres. A complete specimen of ''Lazarussuchus'' with preserved soft tissue was found from the Late Paleocene of France, but has not been assigned to a species. Discovery The firs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Choristodere
Choristodera (from the Greek χωριστός ''chōristos'' + δέρη ''dérē'', 'separated neck') is an extinct order of semiaquatic diapsid reptiles that ranged from the Middle Jurassic, or possibly Triassic, to the late Miocene (168 to 11.6 million years ago). Choristoderes are morphologically diverse, with the best known members being the crocodile-like neochoristoderes such as ''Champsosaurus''. Other choristoderans had lizard-like or long necked morphologies. Choristoderes appear to have been confined to the Northern Hemisphere, having been found in North America, Asia, and Europe, and possibly also North Africa. Choristoderes are generally thought to be derived neodiapsids that are close relatives or members of Sauria. History of Discovery Choristodera was erected in 1876, originally as a suborder of Rhynchocephalia by Edward Drinker Cope to contain ''Champsosaurus,'' which was described from Late Cretaceous strata of Montana by Cope in the same paper. A year late ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plesiadapis
''Plesiadapis'' is one of the oldest known primate-like mammal genera which existed about 58–55 million years ago in North America and Europe. ''Plesiadapis'' means "near-Adapis", which is a reference to the adapiform primate of the Eocene period, ''Adapis''. ''Plesiadapis tricuspidens'', the type specimen, is named after the three cusps present on its upper incisors. Taxonomy The first discovery of ''Plesiadapis'' was made by François Louis Paul Gervaise in 1877, who first discovered ''Plesiadapis tricuspidens'' in France. The type specimen is MNHN Crl-16, and is a left mandibular fragment dated to the early Eocene epoch. This genus probably arose in North America and colonized Europe on a landbridge via Greenland. Thanks to the abundance of the genus and to its rapid evolution, species of ''Plesiadapis'' play an important role in the zonation of Late Paleocene continental sediments and in the correlation of faunas on both sides of the Atlantic. Two remarkable skeletons ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fossils
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in amber, hair, petrified wood and DNA remnants. The totality of fossils is known as the ''fossil record''. Paleontology is the study of fossils: their age, method of formation, and evolutionary significance. Specimens are usually considered to be fossils if they are over 10,000 years old. The oldest fossils are around 3.48 billion years old to 4.1 billion years old. Early edition, published online before print. The observation in the 19th century that certain fossils were associated with certain rock strata led to the recognition of a geological timescale and the relative ages of different fossils. The development of radiometric dating techniques in the early 20th century allowed scientists to quantitatively measure the absolute ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paleocene
The Paleocene, ( ) or Palaeocene, is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 66 to 56 mya (unit), million years ago (mya). It is the first epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name is a combination of the Ancient Greek ''palaiós'' meaning "old" and the Eocene Epoch (which succeeds the Paleocene), translating to "the old part of the Eocene". The epoch is bracketed by two major events in Earth's history. The K–Pg extinction event, brought on by Chicxulub impact, an asteroid impact and possibly volcanism, marked the beginning of the Paleocene and killed off 75% of living species, most famously the non-avian dinosaurs. The end of the epoch was marked by the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), which was a major climatic event wherein about 2,500–4,500 gigatons of carbon were released into the atmosphere and ocean systems, causing a spike in global temperatures and ocean acidification. In the Pal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its Metropolitan France, metropolitan area extends from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean and from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea; overseas territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the North Atlantic, the French West Indies, and many islands in Oceania and the Indian Ocean. Due to its several coastal territories, France has the largest exclusive economic zone in the world. France borders Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Monaco, Italy, Andorra, and Spain in continental Europe, as well as the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Netherlands, Suriname, and Brazil in the Americas via its overseas territories in French Guiana and Saint Martin (island), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Formation (geology)
A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exposed in a geographical region (the stratigraphic column). It is the fundamental unit of lithostratigraphy, the study of strata or rock layers. A formation must be large enough that it can be mapped at the surface or traced in the subsurface. Formations are otherwise not defined by the thickness of their rock strata, which can vary widely. They are usually, but not universally, tabular in form. They may consist of a single lithology (rock type), or of alternating beds of two or more lithologies, or even a heterogeneous mixture of lithologies, so long as this distinguishes them from adjacent bodies of rock. The concept of a geologic formation goes back to the beginnings of modern scientific geology. The term was used by Abraham Gottlob Wer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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