The Sânpetru Formation is an early Maastrichtian geologic

formation Formation may refer to: Linguistics * Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes * Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes Mathematics and science * Cave formation or speleothem, a secondary ...

Dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.Weishampel, et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution." Pp. 517-607. It is located in Romania, near Sânpetru village, part of Sântămăria-Orlea commune. It forms a component of the Hațeg Island fauna.

Description

The Sânpetru Formation crops out in the central to southern Hațeg Basin along the

Bărbat River Bărbat was the brother and successor of ''voivode'' Litovoi whose territory had comprised northern Oltenia (Romania). War with Hungary In 1277 (or between 1277 and 1280), Litovoi renounced fealty to king Ladislaus IV of Hungary (1272–1290) ...

and comprises

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

s and mudstones deposited in a wet

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...

environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

characterized by

braided Braided is a musical group consisting of Casey LeBlanc, Ashley Leitão, and Amber Fleury, who all competed on the third season of ''Canadian Idol'' in 2005. They are the third music group to come from an Idol show in the world, after Young Div ...

fluvial In geography and geology, fluvial processes are associated with rivers and streams and the deposits and landforms created by them. When the stream or rivers are associated with glaciers, ice sheets, or ice caps, the term glaciofluvial or fluv ...

channels. The formation is correlated with the

Densuș-Ciula Formation The Densuș-Ciula Formation is a geological formation Formation may refer to: Linguistics * Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes * Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes Mathematics ...

of the northern section of the same basin, both dating to the Maastrichtian of 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'', ...

.Solomon & Codrea, 2015, p.26

Fossil content

Amphibians

Turtles

Squamates

Crocodyliformes

Ornithischians

Sauropods

Theropods

Pterosaurs

Mammals

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanpetru Formation Geologic formations of Romania Upper Cretaceous Series of Europe Cretaceous Romania Maastrichtian Stage Sandstone formations Mudstone formations Fluvial deposits Ooliferous formations Fossiliferous stratigraphic units of Europe Paleontology in Romania