Eutaw Formation

Eutaw Formation
Eutaw Formation
Stratigraphic range: Upper Cretaceous
Type	Geological formation
Sub-units	Tombigbee Sand Member, Ingersoll Shale
Underlies	Austin Group and Mooreville Chalk Formation
Overlies	Tuscaloosa Group
Thickness	40 m (130 ft) to 120 m (390 ft)
Lithology
Primary	Glauconitic sandstone
Location
Region	Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi
Country	United States
Type section
Named for	Eutaw, Alabama

The Eutaw Formation is a geological formation in North America, within the U.S. states of Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. The strata date from the late Coniacian to the early Santonian stage of the Late Cretaceous. It consists of the upper Tombigbee Sand Member and an unnamed lower member. Dinosaur, mosasaur, and pterosaur remains have been recovered from the Eutaw Formation.

Vertebrate paleofauna

Cartilaginous fish

Cartilaginous fish of the Eutaw Formation
Taxa	Species	State	Stratigraphic position	Abundance	Notes	Images
Archaeolamna	A. kopingensis	Alabama			A lamniform shark	Tooth of Cretoxyrhina mantelli Ischyrhiza mira rostral spines Teeth of Scapanorhynchus texanus Squalicorax falcatus
Borodinopristis	B. schwimmeri	Alabama			A sclerorhynchid
Brachyrhizodus	B. mcnultyi	Alabama			Myliobatids
Brachyrhizodus	B. wichitaensis	Alabama			Myliobatids
Carcharias	C. sp.	Alabama			A lamniform shark
Cantioscyllium	C. globidens	Alabama			Carpet sharks
Cantioscyllium	C. decipiens (=C. meyeri or C. saginatus?)	Alabama			Carpet sharks
Chiloscyllium	C. greeni	Alabama			A hemiscylliid
Cretodus	C. semiplicatus	Alabama			A lamniform shark
Cretalamna	C. appendiculata	Alabama			Otodontids
Cretalamna	C. serrata	Alabama			Otodontids
Cretoxyrhina	C. mantelli	Alabama			A lamniform shark
Edaphodon	E. sp.	Alabama			A chimaera
Heterodontus?	H. sp.	Alabama			A heterodontiform
Hybodus	H. sp.	Alabama			A hybodontid
Ischyrhiza	I. mira	Alabama			A rajiform
Lissodus (=Lonchidion?)	L. sp.	Alabama			A hybodontid
Paranomotodon	P. angustidens	Alabama			A lamniform shark
Pseudocorax	P. laevis	Alabama			A lamniform shark
Pseudohypolophus (=Brachyrhizodus?)	P. mcnultyi	Alabama			A rajiform
Ptychodus	P. mortoni	Alabama			Ptychodontids
	P. polygyrus
	P. rugosus
Ptychotrygon	P. triangularis (=P. vermiculata and/or P. chattahoochiensis?)	Alabama			A ptychotrygonid
Rajiformes indet.		Alabama
Scapanorhynchus	S. raphiodon	Alabama			Lamniform sharks
Scapanorhynchus	S. texanus	Alabama			Lamniform sharks
Sclerorhynchus?	S. sp.	Alabama			A rajiform
Squalicorax	S. falcatus	Alabama			Lamniform sharks
	S. kaupi
	S. pristodontus
Squatina	S. hassei	Alabama			A squatinid

Bony fish

Bony fish of the Eutaw Formation
Taxa	Species	State	Stratigraphic position	Abundance	Notes	Images
Albula	A. dunklei	Alabama			A bonefish	Enchodus petrosus Protosphyraena Stratodus Xiphactinus audax
Anomoeodus	A. phaseolus	Alabama			A pycnodontid
Atractosteus	A. sp.?	Alabama			A gar
Bananogmius	B. sp.	Alabama			A plethodid
Belonostomus	B. sp.	Alabama			An aspidorhynchiform
Enchodus	E. petrosus	Alabama			An enchodontid
Hadrodus	H. priscus	Alabama			A pycnodontid
Lepisosteus	L. sp.	Alabama			A gar
Mawsonia	M. sp.	Alabama			A coelacanthiform fish
Phacodus	P. puncatatus	Alabama			A pycnodontiform
Protosphyraena	P. sp.	Alabama			A pachycormiform
Stratodus	S. apicalis	Alabama			An aulopiform
Xiphactinus	X. audax	Alabama			An ichthyodectid

Turtles

Turtles of the Eutaw Formation
Taxa	Species	State	Stratigraphic position	Abundance	Notes	Images
Chedighaii	C. barberi	Alabama			A bothremydid	Protostega gigas
Protostega	P. gigas	Alabama			A protostegid
Thinochelys	T. sp.	Alabama
Toxochelys	T. sp.	Alabama
Trionychidae indet.		Alabama

Plesiosaurs

Plesiosaurs of the Eutaw Formation
Taxa	Species	State	Stratigraphic position	Abundance	Notes	Images
Discosaurus	D. vetustus	Alabama			An elasmosaurid	Vertebrae of D. vestutus
Elasmosauridae indet.		Alabama

Mosasaurs

Mosasaurs of the Eutaw Formation
Taxa	Species	State	Stratigraphic position	Abundance	Notes	Images
Clidastes	Clidastes sp.	Alabama			A mosasaurine	Eonatator sternbergii Platecarpus tympaniticus Tylosaurus proriger skull
Eonatator	E. sternbergii	Alabama			A halisaurine E. sternbergii was formerly classified as Halisaurus sternbergii
Globidens	G. alabamaensis	Alabama			A mosasaurine
Platecarpus	P. tympaniticus	Alabama			A plioplatecarpine
Plioplatecarpus	P. sp.	Alabama			A plioplatecarpine
Selmasaurus	S. russelli	Alabama			A plioplatecarpine
Tylosaurus	T. nepaeolicus	Alabama			Tylosaurines
Tylosaurus	T. proriger	Alabama			Tylosaurines

Crocodylians

Crocodylians of the Eutaw Formation
Genus	Species	State	Stratigraphic position	Abundance	Notes	Images
Borealosuchus	B. sp.	Alabama			An eusuchian	A skull of Deinosuchus
Deinosuchus	D. rugosus?	Alabama			An alligatoroid
Leidyosuchus	L. sp.	Alabama			An alligatoroid

Ornithodires

Dinosaur feathers have been found in the Ingersoll Shale of Georgia, which is a subunit of the Eutaw Formation. Indeterminate hadrosaurid remains have been found in Mississippi. Ornithomimosaurs of medium-size and large-size have also been unearthed in Mississippi.

Ornithodires of the Eutaw Formation
Genus	Species	State	Stratigraphic position	Abundance	Notes	Images
Lophorhothon	L. atopus	Alabama			A hadrosauromorph dinosaur	Illustration of a fossil of Lophorhothon Pteranodon sp.
Pteranodon	Indeterminate	Georgia			A pteranodontid pterosaur

References

↑ Liu, Kaiyu. "Facies Changes of the Eutaw Formation (Coniacian-Santonian), Onshore to Offshore, Northeastern Gulf of Mexico Area". Department of Geological Sciences. University of Alabama. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kiernan, Caitlin R. (2002). "Stratigraphic distribution and habitat segregation of mosasaurs in the Upper Cretaceous of western and central Alabama, with an historical review of Alabama mosasaur discoveries". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 22 (1): 91–103. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2002)022[0091:SDAHSO]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 130280406.
1 2 3 "Coastal Plain Geologic Province". The New Georgia Encyclopedia. Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press. 2007-08-30. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 Kejiri, T.; Ebersole, J.A.; Blewitt, H.L.; Ebersole, S.M. (2013). "An Overview of Late Cretaceous Vertebrates from Alabama". Bulletin of the Alabama Museum of Natural History. 31 (1): 46–71.
↑ Bardet N, Suberbiola P, Iarochene M, Bouyahyaoui F, Bouya B, Amaghzaz M (2002). "A new species of Halisaurus from the Late Cretaceous phosphates of Morocco, and the phylogenetical relationships of the Halisaurinae (Squamata: Mosasauridae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 143 (3): 447–472. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2005.00152.x.
↑ KNIGHT, T. K.; BINGHAM, P. S.; LEWIS, R. D.; SAVRDA, C. E. (2011-06-01). "Feathers of the Ingersoll Shale, Eutaw Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Eastern Alabama: The Largest Collection of Feathers from North American Mesozoic Rocks". PALAIOS. 26 (6): 364–376. Bibcode:2011Palai..26..364K. doi:10.2110/palo.2010.p10-091r. ISSN 0883-1351.
↑ Bingham, P. Sean; Savrda, Charles E.; Knight, Terrell K.; Lewis, Ronald D. (2008). "Character and Genesis of the Ingersoll Shale, a Compact Continental Fossil-Lagerstätte, Upper Cretaceous Eutaw Formation, Eastern Alabama". PALAIOS. 23 (5/6): 391–401. Bibcode:2008Palai..23..391B. doi:10.2110/palo.2007.p07-055r. ISSN 0883-1351. JSTOR 27670519.
↑ Kaye, John M.; Russell, Dale A. (January 1973). "The Oldest Record of Hadrosaurian Dinosaurs in North America". Journal of Paleontology. 47 (1): 91–93. JSTOR 1302869.
↑ Chinzorig, Tsogtbaatar; Cullen, Thomas; Phillips, George; Rolke, Richard; Zanno, Lindsay E. (2022-03-25). "Large-bodied ornithomimosaurs inhabited Appalachia during the Late Cretaceous of North America". bioRxiv 10.1101/2022.03.25.485782.

[KAIYU-1] Liu, Kaiyu. "Facies Changes of the Eutaw Formation (Coniacian-Santonian), Onshore to Offshore, Northeastern Gulf of Mexico Area". Department of Geological Sciences. University of Alabama. Retrieved 2009-02-10.

[STRAT-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kiernan, Caitlin R. (2002). "Stratigraphic distribution and habitat segregation of mosasaurs in the Upper Cretaceous of western and central Alabama, with an historical review of Alabama mosasaur discoveries". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 22 (1): 91–103. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2002)022[0091:SDAHSO]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 130280406.

[NEWGEORGIA-3] 1 2 3 "Coastal Plain Geologic Province". The New Georgia Encyclopedia. Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press. 2007-08-30. Retrieved 2009-02-10.

[Kejiri2013-4] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 Kejiri, T.; Ebersole, J.A.; Blewitt, H.L.; Ebersole, S.M. (2013). "An Overview of Late Cretaceous Vertebrates from Alabama". Bulletin of the Alabama Museum of Natural History. 31 (1): 46–71.

[BARDET-5] Bardet N, Suberbiola P, Iarochene M, Bouyahyaoui F, Bouya B, Amaghzaz M (2002). "A new species of Halisaurus from the Late Cretaceous phosphates of Morocco, and the phylogenetical relationships of the Halisaurinae (Squamata: Mosasauridae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 143 (3): 447–472. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2005.00152.x.

[6] KNIGHT, T. K.; BINGHAM, P. S.; LEWIS, R. D.; SAVRDA, C. E. (2011-06-01). "Feathers of the Ingersoll Shale, Eutaw Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Eastern Alabama: The Largest Collection of Feathers from North American Mesozoic Rocks". PALAIOS. 26 (6): 364–376. Bibcode:2011Palai..26..364K. doi:10.2110/palo.2010.p10-091r. ISSN 0883-1351.

[7] Bingham, P. Sean; Savrda, Charles E.; Knight, Terrell K.; Lewis, Ronald D. (2008). "Character and Genesis of the Ingersoll Shale, a Compact Continental Fossil-Lagerstätte, Upper Cretaceous Eutaw Formation, Eastern Alabama". PALAIOS. 23 (5/6): 391–401. Bibcode:2008Palai..23..391B. doi:10.2110/palo.2007.p07-055r. ISSN 0883-1351. JSTOR 27670519.

[8] Kaye, John M.; Russell, Dale A. (January 1973). "The Oldest Record of Hadrosaurian Dinosaurs in North America". Journal of Paleontology. 47 (1): 91–93. JSTOR 1302869.

[9] Chinzorig, Tsogtbaatar; Cullen, Thomas; Phillips, George; Rolke, Richard; Zanno, Lindsay E. (2022-03-25). "Large-bodied ornithomimosaurs inhabited Appalachia during the Late Cretaceous of North America". bioRxiv 10.1101/2022.03.25.485782.