| Nanxiong Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Maastrichtian | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Underlies | Shanghu Formation |
| Overlies | Jurassic granite basement, Changba Formation (Nanxiong Group) |
| Thickness | ~300 m (980 ft) Several kilometers (Nanxiong Group) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sandstone, siltstone, mudstone |
| Other | Limestone, conglomerate |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 23°30′N 114°54′E / 23.5°N 114.9°E |
| Approximate paleocoordinates | 23°48′N 110°30′E / 23.8°N 110.5°E |
| Region | Jiangxi Province, Guangdong Province |
| Country | China |
| Extent | Nanxiong Basin |
The Nanxiong Formation (also known as Yuanpu Formation) is a Late Cretaceous geologic formation in Jiangxi and Guangdong Provinces. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.
It consists of continental siliciclastic red beds, with fauna which similar to that of the Nemegt Formation. It has been dated to about 66.7 ± 0.3 million years ago. It is the lowest unit of the Nanxiong Basin, a small graben created during Mesozoic rifting. Buck et al. state that it overlies Jurassic granite basement, and is conformably overlain by the Shanghu Formation. Alternative stratigraphic schemes for the Nanxiong basin have been proposed, one of which refers to the Nanxiong succession as the Nanxiong Group, and dividing it into the Yuanpu, Zhutian and Zhenshui formations, and overlying the Albian to Turonian Changba Formation. The age of the Nanxiong basin as a whole has been constrained to 72 to 62.8 mya.

The depositional environment is made up of alluvial fan facies consisting of sheetflood deposits and ephemeral braided rivers. Adjacent to these are ephemeral saline playa facies recording features such as root traces, desiccation cracks, and calcareous paleosols. In situ desert varnish and minor paleosol development on alluvial facies due to inactivity are indicative of arid conditions. Stable carbon and oxygen isotopes from Dinosaur eggshells were used to estimate a mean annual temperature between 22–27.6 °C (71.6–81.7 °F), with positive isotope perturbations around the K/Pg boundary indicating periods where temperatures may have exceeded 27 °C (81 °F).
Subsequent research has reinterpreted many of the vertebrate fossils from the Nanxiong Formation as instead coming from the Hekou Formation, with the "Nanxiong Formation" instead equivalent to the Guifeng Group.
Color key
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Notes
Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text
crossed out taxa are discredited.
| Ornithischians of the Nanxiong Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Image |
| Microhadrosaurus | M. nanshiungensis | Guangdong Province, China | Maastrichtian | Partial lower jaw from a juvenile that was about 2.6 m long. | A dubious hadrosaurid hadrosaur | |
| Nodosauridae Indet. | Indeterminate | Guangdong and Jiangxi Provinces, China | Maastrichtian | Osteoderms. | A nodosaurid ankylosaur | |
| Sauropods of the Nanxiong Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Image |
| Gannansaurus | G. sinensis | Jiangxi Province, China | Maastrichtian | A single, nearly complete dorsal vertebra and a mid-caudal vertebra. | A euhelopodid somphospondylian; closely related to Euhelopus zdanskyi. | |
| Jiangxititan | J. ganzhouensis | Jiangxi Province, China | Maastrichtian | The three posteriormost cervical vertebrae with two cervical ribs, articulated with the first four dorsal vertebrae with three dorsal ribs. | A somphospondylian sauropod | |
| Theropods of the Nanxiong Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Image |
| Asiatyrannus | A. xui | Jiangxi Province, China | Maastrichtian | A skull, partial legs, and fragmentary caudal vertebrae. | A small-bodied tyrannosaurine tyrannosaurid; suggested by some researchers to be a possible juvenile Tarbosaurus bataar. | |
| Banji | B. long | Jiangxi Province, China | Maastrichtian | Nearly complete skull and lower jaw. | A oviraptorid oviraptorisaur | |
| Corythoraptor | C. jacobsi | Jiangxi Province, China | Maastrichtian | Nearly complete skeleton including the skull and lower jaw. | A oviraptorine oviraptorid; with a distinct cassowary-like crest. | |
| Ganzhousaurus | G. nankangensis | Jiangxi Province, China | Maastrichtian | Lower jaw, leg bone, hip bone and caudal vertebrae. | A heyuanniine oviraptorid | |
| Huanansaurus | H. ganzhouensis | Jiangxi Province, China | Campanian to Maastrichtian | Nearly complete skull, lower jaws, neck vertebrae, a humerus, arm fragments, lower part of the right thighbone, the upper part of the right shinbone, and parts of the right foot. | A oviraptorine oviraptorid | |
| Jiangxisaurus | J. ganzhouensis | Jiangxi Province, China | Maastrichtian | Incomplete skull, lower jaw, vertebrae, nearly complete pectoral girdle, the left forelimb, ribs, and a partially preserved pelvic girdle. | A heyuanniine oviraptorid | |
| Nankangia | N. jiangxiensis | Jiangxi Province, China | Maastrichtian | A partial lower jaw, vertebrae, both scapulocoracoids, a nearly complete right humerus, pubic bones, and some dorsal ribs. | A caenagnathoid oviraptorosaur | |
| Nanshiungosaurus | N. brevispinus | Guangdong Province, China | Maastrichtian | Eleven cervical vertebrae, ten dorsal vertebrae, six sacral vertebrae and the pelvis. | A therizinosaurid therizinosauroid | |
| Oviraptoridae Indet. | Indeterminate | Jiangxi Province, China | Maastrichtian | A female individual preserving a partial pelvic girdle, hindlimbs and some caudals with two eggs associated near the pelvic region. | A oviraptorid oviraptoosaur | |
| Indeterminate | Guangdong Province, China | Maastrichtian | A nesting adult over a nest of eggs, preserving cervical vertebrae, arms and the pelvic region. | A oviraptorid oviraptorosaur; that represents the fifth nesting taxon. | ||
| Indeterminate | Jiangxi Province, China | Maastrichtian | A female individual preserving a partial pelvic girdle, hindlimbs and some caudals with two eggs associated near the pelvic region. | A oviraptorid oviraptorosaur | ||
| Qianzhousaurus | Q. sinensis | Jiangxi Province, China | Maastrichtian | A skull, lower jaw, vertebrae, both scapulocoracoids, a left femur and a left tibia. | A alioramin tyrannosaurine; closely relate to Alioramus altai. | |
| Shixinggia | S. oblita | Guangdong Province, China | Maastrichtian | Sparse postcranial remains lacking the skull. | A oviraptorid oviraptorosaur; the pose indicates that it may have died trying to free itself from mud. | |
| Theropoda Indet. | Indeterminate | Jiangxi Province, China | Maastrichtian | A maxillary tooth that differs from tyrannosaurid and carcharodontosaurid dentition. | A notably large theropod | |
| Indeterminate | Guangdong Province, China | Maastrichtian | Isolated dorsal vertebra. | An indeterminate theropod. | ||
| Tongtianlong | T. limosus | Jiangxi Province, China | Maastrichtian | Almost complete skeleton, portions of the arms, right leg, and tail were destroyed by TNT blasts. | A oviraptorid oviraptorosaur | |
| Tyrannosauridae indet. | Indeterminate | Guangdong Province, China | Maastrichtian | Two isolated teeth. | A tyrannosaurid tyrannosauroid | |
| Indeterminate | Jiangxi Province, China | Maastrichtian | Large and well-preserved tooth. | A tyrannosaurid tyrannosauroid | ||
| Crocodilians of the Nanxiong Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Image |
| Jiangxisuchus | J. nankangensis | Jiangxi Province, China | Maastrichtian | Nearly complete skull and mandible. | A orientalosuchine alligatoroid | |
| Squamates of the Nanxiong Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Image |
| Chianghsia | C. nankangensis | Jiangxi Province, China | Maastrichtian | A partial skull and lower jaws. | A monstersaurian lizard | |
| Tianyusaurus | T. zhengi | Jiangxi Province, China | Maastrichtian | A skull, mandible, first eight cervical vertebrae and nearly complete pectoral girdles. | A polyglyphanodontian lizard; also known from the Qiupa Formation. | |
| Turtles of the Nanxiong Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Image |
| Jiangxichelys | J. ganzhouensis | Jiangxi Province, China | Maastrichtian | A complete shell. | A nanhsiungchelyid turtle | |
| Nanhsiungchelys | N. wuchingensis | Guangdong Province, China | Maastrichtian | A partial skeleton. | A nanhsiungchelyid turtle | |
| Ichnofossils of the Nanxiong Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Image |
| Hadrosauropodus isp. | Indeterminate | Guangdong and Jiangxi Provinces, China | Maastrichtian | Three-toed footprints. | A hadrosaur | |
| Oofossils of the Nanxiong Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Image |
| Elongatoolithidae indet. | Indeterminate | Jiangxi and Guangdong Provinces | Maastrichtian | Three eggs with embryonic remains. | Oviraptorid eggs | |
| Macroolithus | Indeterminate | Jiangxi Province, China | Maastrichtian | Five egg clutches containing over 60 eggs. | Oviraptorid eggs | |
| Indeterminate | Guangdong Province, China | Maastrichtian | Three eggs with embryonic remains. | Oviraptorid eggs | ||
| M. yaotunensis | Jiangxi Province, China | Maastrichtian | Two eggs with embryonic remains. | Oviraptorid eggs. Skeletal proportions resemble Heyuannia huangi. | ||
| M. yaotunensis | Guangdong Province, China | Maastrichtian | A nest of 24 eggs associated with an adult oviraptorid. | Oviraptorid eggs | ||
| Oolithes | O. elongatus | Jiangxi Province, China | Maastrichtian | Egg and egg clutches. Some of these were probably laid by Nanhsiungchelys wuchingensis. | Turtle and/or theropod eggs. | |
| O. nanhsiungensis | ||||||
| O. rugustus | ||||||
| O. spheroides | ||||||