Argiles d'lignite du Soissonnais

The Argiles d'lignite du Soissonnais is a geologic formation in the Oise department of northern France. The formation has provided fossil mammals, reptiles and fish as well as arthropods in the amber of the formation. The Argiles d'lignite du Soissonnais dates back to the Ypresian stage of the Eocene period.[1]

Argiles d'lignite du Soissonnais
Stratigraphic range: Ypresian
~55–50 Ma
TypeFormation
UnderliesOise River Quaternary sediments
OverliesThanetian marine green sands
Lithology
PrimarySandstone
OtherLignite, amber
Location
Coordinates49.3°N 2.7°E / 49.3; 2.7
Approximate paleocoordinates44.8°N 0.0°E / 44.8; 0.0
RegionOise
Country France
Type section
Named forSoissonnais
Argiles d'lignite du Soissonnais (France)

Description

The formation comprises a succession of lenticular bodies showing two main facies; clayey sands rich in frequently pyritised lignite, together with amber and grey clayey sands with less lignite (1 to 12 % of the sediment), with continental vertebrate fauna. These facies, the rarity of mollusk shells and charophytes, probably due to decarbonatation and the presence of pyrrhotite (FeS4), reflect a hypoxic environment.

The strata were deposited at the bottom of two channels cutting into underlying Thanetian marine green sands. The channels prograde toward the northeast and were discovered under Oise River Quaternary deposits.

Fossil content

The formation has provided among others the following fossils:[1]

Mammals

Primates
Artiodactyls
Cimolesta
  • Esthonyx sp.[2]
  • cf. Apatotheria indet.[2]
Eutheria
Ferae
Hyaenodonta
  • Arfia gingerichi[4]
  • Prototomus girardoti
  • P. minimus
Macroscelidea
Multituberculata
Perissodactyls
  • Chowliia europea[5]
  • cf. Pachynolophus sp.[2]
Placentalia
Rodents
Soricomorpha
Theriiformes

Reptiles

Turtles
Crocodiles
Lizards
Snakes

Amphibians

Fish

Arthropods

Diptera

Pancrustacea

Flora

See also

References

  1. Argiles d'lignite du Soissonnais at Fossilworks.org
  2. Nel et al., 1999
  3. Solé et al., 2013a
  4. Solé et al., 2013b
  5. Bronnert et al., 2019
  6. Nel, 2006
  7. Oise amber at Fossilworks.org

Bibliography

  • Bronnert, C.; E. Gheerbrant; M. Godinot, and G. Métais. 2019. First European 'Isectolophidae' (Mammalia, Perissodactyla): Chowliia europea, sp. nov., from the lower Eocene of Le Quesnoy, France. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 38. 1–9.
  • Solé, F.; E. Gheerbrant, and M. Godinot. 2013a. The "miacids" (Carnivoraformes, Mammalia) from the Early Eocene locality of Le Quesnoy (MP7, France); first occurrence of Vassacyon in Europe. Comptes Rendus Palevol 12. 191–202.
  • Solé, F.; E. Gheerbrant, and M. Godinot. 2013b. Sinopaninae and Arfianinae (Hyaenodontida, Mammalia) from the Early Eocene of Europe and Asia; evidence for dispersal in Laurasia around the Paleocene/Eocene boundary and for an unnoticed faunal turnover in Europe. Geobios 46. 313–327.
  • Nel, A. 2006. Oldest records of Bombyliidae: Phthiriinae and Mythicomyiidae: Glabellulinae from the Lowermost Eocene amber of France (Diptera: Bombylioidea). European Journal of Entomology 103. 109–114.
  • Nel, A., G. de Plöeg, J. Dejax, D. Duthiel, D. Franceschi, E. Gheerbrant, M. Godinot, S. Hervet, J.-J. Menier, M. Augé, G. Bignot, C. Cavagnetto, S. Duffaud, J. Gaudant, S. Hua, A. Jossang, F. Lapparent Broin, J.-P. Pozzi, J.-C. Paicheler, F. Beuchet, and J.-C. Rage. 1999. Un gisement sparnacien exceptionnel à plantes, arthropodes et vertébrés (Éocène basal, MP7): Le Quesnoy (Oise, France). Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences - Series IIA - Earth and Planetary Science 329. 65–72.
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