The Gosau Group (
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
: ''Gosau-Gruppe'') is a geological
stratigraphic group
In geology, a group is a lithostratigraphic unit consisting of a series of related formations that have been classified together to form a group. Formations are the fundamental unit of stratigraphy. Groups may sometimes be combined into superg ...
in
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and western
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
whose strata date back to the
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'', the ...
to
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...
.
[Höfling, 1985][McCann, 2008] It is exposed in numerous sporadic isolated basins within the
Northern Calcareous Alps
The Northern Limestone Alps (german: Nördliche Kalkalpen), also called the Northern Calcareous Alps, are the ranges of the Eastern Alps north of the Central Eastern Alps located in Austria and the adjacent Bavarian lands of southeastern Germany. ...
. It is divided into two subgroups, the Lower Gosau Subgroup which dates from the Turonian to Campanian, approximately 90 to 75 Ma and the Upper Gosau Subgroup which dates to the Santonian to Eocene, about 83.5 to 50 Ma. The formations within each subunit vary significantly between basins. The sequence is largely marine, but the
Grünbach Formation
The Grünbach Formation is an Austrian geological formation that dates to the lower Campanian age of the Late Cretaceous. it forms part of the Gosau Group, and represents a marine regression event, representing a coastal/brackish environment, bein ...
represents a terrestrial deposit. Many of the units of the group are fossiliferous, typically providing marine fossils such as ammonites, though terrestrial remains including those of dinosaurs are known from the
Grünbach Formation
The Grünbach Formation is an Austrian geological formation that dates to the lower Campanian age of the Late Cretaceous. it forms part of the Gosau Group, and represents a marine regression event, representing a coastal/brackish environment, bein ...
and
Schönleiten Formation.
Fossil content
Among others, the following fossils have been described from the Gosau Group:
[Gosau Group]
at Fossilworks
Fossilworks is a portal which provides query, download, and analysis tools to facilitate access to the Paleobiology Database
The Paleobiology Database is an online resource for information on the distribution and classification of fossil animals ...
.org[Lower Gosau Group]
at Fossilworks
Fossilworks is a portal which provides query, download, and analysis tools to facilitate access to the Paleobiology Database
The Paleobiology Database is an online resource for information on the distribution and classification of fossil animals ...
.org
See also
*
List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations
This list of dinosaur-bearing rock formations is a list of geologic formations in which dinosaur fossils have been documented.
Containing body fossils
* List of stratigraphic units with dinosaur body fossils
** List of stratigraphic units with few ...
References
Bibliography
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Further reading
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* {{cite LSA , last=Wagreich , first=Michael , last2=Decker , first2=Kurt , year=2001 , title=Sedimentary tectonics and subsidence modelling of the type Upper Cretaceous Gosau Basin (Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria) , url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225128458_Sedimentary_tectonics_and_subsidence_modelling_of_the_type_Upper_Cretaceous_Gosau_Basin_Northern_Calcareous_Alps_Austria , journal=
International Journal of Earth Sciences
''International Journal of Earth Sciences '' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published monthly by Springer Science+Business Media. It covers original and review papers on the history of earth and is an international Geoscience journal. Subj ...
, volume=90 , pages=714–726 , accessdate=2020-04-02
Geologic groups of Europe
Geologic formations of Austria
Geologic formations of Germany
Geologic formations of Slovakia
Upper Cretaceous Series of Europe
Campanian Stage
Maastrichtian Stage
Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary
Paleocene Series of Europe
Danian Stage
Selandian Stage
Thanetian Stage
Eocene Series of Europe
Ypresian Stage
Geology of the Alps
Limestone Alps
Northern Limestone Alps