Bathonian
Encyclopedia
In the geologic timescale the Bathonian is an age or stage of the Middle Jurassic
. It lasted from approximately 167.7 Ma to around 164.7 Ma (million years ago). The Bathonian age succeeds the Bajocian
age and precedes the Callovian
age.
in England built on Jurassic limestone
(the Latinized form of the town name is Bathonium). The name was introduced in scientific literature by Belgian geologist d'Omalius d'Halloy
in 1843. The original type locality
was located near Bath. The French palaeontologist Alcide d'Orbigny
was in 1852 the first to define the exact length of the stage.
The base of the Bathonian is at the first appearance of ammonite
species Parkinsonia (Gonolkites) convergens
in the stratigraphic column. A global reference profile for the base of the Bathonian (a GSSP) had in 2009 not yet been assigned. The top of the Bathonian (the base of the Callovian stage) is at the first appearance of ammonite genus
Kepplerites
.
In the Tethys domain
, the Bathonian contains eight ammonite biozone
s:
lines. In ammonitic suture patterns, the lobes and saddles are much subdivided (fluted) and subdivisions are usually rounded instead of saw-toothed. Ammonoids of this type are the most important species from a biostratigraphical point of view. This suture type is characteristic of Jurassic
and Cretaceous
ammonoids but extends back all the way to the Permian
.
.; 1843: Précis élémentaire de géologie, Bertrand, Paris.
Middle Jurassic
The Middle Jurassic is the second epoch of the Jurassic Period. It lasted from 176-161 million years ago. In European lithostratigraphy, rocks of this Middle Jurassic age are called the Dogger....
. It lasted from approximately 167.7 Ma to around 164.7 Ma (million years ago). The Bathonian age succeeds the Bajocian
Bajocian
In the geologic timescale, the Bajocian is an age or stage in the Middle Jurassic. It lasted from approximately 171.6 Ma to around 167.7 Ma . The Bajocian age succeeds the Aalenian age and precedes the Bathonian age....
age and precedes the Callovian
Callovian
In the geologic timescale, the Callovian is an age or stage in the Middle Jurassic, lasting between 164.7 ± 4.0 Ma and 161.2 ± 4.0 Ma. It is the last stage of the Middle Jurassic, following the Bathonian and preceding the Oxfordian....
age.
Stratigraphic definitions
The Bathonian stage takes its name from Bath, a spa townSpa town
A spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
in England built on Jurassic limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
(the Latinized form of the town name is Bathonium). The name was introduced in scientific literature by Belgian geologist d'Omalius d'Halloy
Jean Baptiste Julien d'Omalius d'Halloy
Jean Baptiste Julien d'Omalius d'Halloy was a Belgian geologist. He also wrote on races.- Early life and education :He was born at Liège, Belgium on February 16, 1783. He was the only son of an ancient and noble family, and his education was carefully directed...
in 1843. The original type locality
Type locality (geology)
Type locality , also called type area or type locale, is the where a particular rock type, stratigraphic unit, fossil or mineral species is first identified....
was located near Bath. The French palaeontologist Alcide d'Orbigny
Alcide d'Orbigny
Alcide Charles Victor Marie Dessalines d'Orbigny was a French naturalist who made major contributions in many areas, including zoology , palaeontology, geology, archaeology and anthropology....
was in 1852 the first to define the exact length of the stage.
The base of the Bathonian is at the first appearance of ammonite
Ammonite
Ammonite, as a zoological or paleontological term, refers to any member of the Ammonoidea an extinct subclass within the Molluscan class Cephalopoda which are more closely related to living coleoids Ammonite, as a zoological or paleontological term, refers to any member of the Ammonoidea an extinct...
species Parkinsonia (Gonolkites) convergens
Parkinsonia
Parkinsonia , also Cercidium , is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. It contains about 12 species that are native to semi-desert regions of Africa and the Americas...
in the stratigraphic column. A global reference profile for the base of the Bathonian (a GSSP) had in 2009 not yet been assigned. The top of the Bathonian (the base of the Callovian stage) is at the first appearance of ammonite genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Kepplerites
Kepplerites
Kepplerites is a moderately evolute ammonite from the lower Callovian included in the Stephanocerataceae.Inner whorls are finely ribbed and have a flattened or grooved venter, the outer whorl has a rounded venter with smooth ribs that cross from side to side without interruption.Kepplerites is...
.
In the Tethys domain
Tethys Ocean
The Tethys Ocean was an ocean that existed between the continents of Gondwana and Laurasia during the Mesozoic era before the opening of the Indian Ocean.-Modern theory:...
, the Bathonian contains eight ammonite biozone
Biozone
Biostratigraphic units or Biozones are intervals of geological strata that are defined on the basis of their characteristic fossil taxa....
s:
- zone of Clydoniceras discus
- zone of Hecticoceras retrocostatumHecticocerasHecticoceras is an ammonite genus belonging to the haploceratacean family Oppeliidae, that lived during the Middle and Late Jurassic, from the early Callovian to the early Oxfordian. Hecticoceras may be seen as a series of some nine subgenera, beginning with the lower Callovian H. and H. and...
- zone of Cadomites bremeriCadomitesCadomites is an extinct ammonite genus from the superfamily Stephanocerataceae that lived during the Jurassic Period, which lasted from approximately 200 to 145 million years ago....
- zone of Morrisiceras morrisi
- zone of Tulites subcontractus
- zone of Procerites progracilisProceritesProcerites is an extinct genus from a well-known class of fossil cephalopods, the ammonites. It lived during the Jurassic Period, which lasted from approximately 200 to 145 million years ago....
- zone of Procerites aurigerus
- zone of Zigzagiceras zigzagZigzagicerasZigzagiceras is an extinct genus of cephalopod belonging to the Ammonite subclass....
†Ankylosaurs
| Ankylosaurs of the Bathonian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxa | Presence | Location | Description | Images |
|
A Chinese ankylosaur which lacked a club at the end of its tail. Its species epithet honors the main actors of Jurassic Park Jurassic Park (film) Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. It stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Martin Ferrero, and Bob Peck... . |
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Crocodylomorphs
| Crocodylomorphs of the Bathonian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxa | Presence | Location | Description | Images |
|
An opportunistic carnivore Carnivore A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging... that fed on fish Fish Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups... , belemnites and other marine animals and possible carrion. Metriorhynchus grew to an average adult length of 3 meters (9.6 ft), although some individuals may have reached lengths rivaling those of large nile crocodile Nile crocodile The Nile crocodile or Common crocodile is an African crocodile which is common in Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Gabon, South Africa, Malawi, Sudan, Botswana, and Cameroon... s. |
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Teleosaurus Teleosaurus was an extinct genus of teleosaurid crocodyliform that lived during the Middle Jurassic. It was approximately in length. Teleosaurus had highly elongate jaws, similar to those of a modern gharial. It had a long, slender, body, with a sinuous tail that would have helped propel it... |
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Teleidosaurus Teleidosaurus is an extinct genus of carnivorous metriorhynchoid crocodyliform from Middle Jurassic deposits of Normandy, France... |
The most plesiomorphic known metriorhynchid. | |||
†Ornithopods
| Ornithopods of the Bathonian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxa | Presence | Location | Description | Images |
|
A 4 feet (1.2 m) bipedal herbivore that was built for speed. It was discovered in one of China's many Callovian deposits. |  |
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Hexinlusaurus Hexinlusaurus is a genus of basal ornithischian dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of China. The holotype , consists of an almost complete, articulated skull and some postcranial material, collected from a terrestrial sandstone within the Lower Shaximiao Formation at the famous dinosaur-bearing... |
Bathonian to Callovian Callovian In the geologic timescale, the Callovian is an age or stage in the Middle Jurassic, lasting between 164.7 ± 4.0 Ma and 161.2 ± 4.0 Ma. It is the last stage of the Middle Jurassic, following the Bathonian and preceding the Oxfordian.... |
Lower Shaximiao Formation, Sichuan, China | A small ornithischian dinosaur distinguished from all other basal ornithischians by a single autapomorphy, the presence of a marked concavity that extends over the lateral surface of the postorbital. | |
|
Xiaosaurus Xiaosaurus , is a genus of small herbivorous dinosaur from the middle Jurassic, approximately 169 to 163 mya. Xiaosaurus lived in what is now the Sichuan Basin of China.... |
A poorly known Chinese ornithschian that may be related to Hypsilophodon Hypsilophodon Hypsilophodon is an ornithopod dinosaur genus from the Early Cretaceous period of Europe. It was a small bipedal animal with an herbivorous or possibly omnivorous diet... and Lesothosaurus Lesothosaurus Lesothosaurus is an herbivorous ornithischian dinosaur. It was named by paleontologist Peter Galton in 1978, the name meaning "lizard from Lesotho". The genus is monotypic, having only one valid species, Lesothosaurus diagnosticus, within the genus.... . It was small and vegetarian. |
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Yandusaurus Yandusaurus is a genus of herbivorous basal euornithopod dinosaur from the Bathonian age of China.-Discovery and naming:... |
Dashanpu Formation Dashanpu Formation The Dashanpu Formation is a Mid to Late Jurassic rock formation in China, most notable for the wealth of dinosaurs that have been excavated from the area... , Sichuan, China |
A 5 feet (1.5 m) Chinese herbivore in the family hypsilophodontidae. | ||
†Sauropods
| Sauropods Sauropoda Sauropoda , or the sauropods , are an infraorder of saurischian dinosaurs. They had long necks, long tails, small heads , and thick, pillar-like legs. They are notable for the enormous sizes attained by some species, and the group includes the largest animals to have ever lived on land... of the Bathonian |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxa | Presence | Location | Description | Images |
|
Abrosaurus was a small (30 feet (9.1 m) adult length) sauropod from China China Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture... with an unusual skull. |
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A sauropod named after the mountains where the mythological figure that held the world on his shoulders, it attained lengths of 15 meters (50 ft) and lived in Morocco Morocco Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara... . |
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Cardiodon Cardiodon was a genus of sauropod dinosaur, based on a tooth from the late Bathonian-age Middle Jurassic Forest Marble Formation of Wiltshire, England... |
A poorly known English sauropod with heart-shaped teeth. | |||
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Shunosaurus Shunosaurus, meaning "Shu Lizard", is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from Middle Jurassic beds in Sichuan Province in China, 170 million years ago... |
Lower Shaximiao Formation, Sichuan, China | A 10-metre-long, fairly short-necked sauropod with a short deep skull, with fairly robust spatulate teeth. Its tail ended in a club, probably used for fending off enemies. | ||
†Stegosauria
| Stegosaurs of the Bathonian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxa | Presence | Location | Description | Images |
|
Bathonian to Callovian Callovian In the geologic timescale, the Callovian is an age or stage in the Middle Jurassic, lasting between 164.7 ± 4.0 Ma and 161.2 ± 4.0 Ma. It is the last stage of the Middle Jurassic, following the Bathonian and preceding the Oxfordian.... |
Lower Shaximiao Formation, Sichuan, China | A 4.5 meters in length quadrupedal herbivore with a small skull and a spiked tail. Bore the distinctive double row of plates, rising vertically along its arched back, of all the stegosaurians and two pairs of long spikes extending horizontally near the end of its tail |  |
†Thalattosuchians
| Thalattosuchians of the Bathonian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxa | Presence | Location | Description | Images |
|
An opportunistic carnivore Carnivore A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging... that fed on fish Fish Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups... , belemnites and other marine animals and possible carrion. Metriorhynchus grew to an average adult length of 3 meters (9.6 feet), although some individuals may have reached lengths rivaling those of large nile crocodile Nile crocodile The Nile crocodile or Common crocodile is an African crocodile which is common in Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Gabon, South Africa, Malawi, Sudan, Botswana, and Cameroon... s. |
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The most plesiomorphic known metriorhynchid. | |||
Theropods
| Theropods Theropoda Theropoda is both a suborder of bipedal saurischian dinosaurs, and a clade consisting of that suborder and its descendants . Dinosaurs belonging to the suborder theropoda were primarily carnivorous, although a number of theropod groups evolved herbivory, omnivory, and insectivory... of the Bathonian |
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| Taxa | Presence | Location | Description | Images |
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An 11 to 13 ft (3.4 to 4 m) predator from China China Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture... whose discovery was assisted by the petroleum Petroleum Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling... industry. |
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Iliosuchus Iliosuchus is a genus of theropod dinosaur known from Bathonian–age rocks of England. It was perhaps long.... |
A small, 5 feet (1.5 m) European carnivore related to Tyrannosaurus Tyrannosaurus Tyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other... . |
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Megalosaurus Megalosaurus is a genus of large meat-eating theropod dinosaurs of the Middle Jurassic period of Europe... |
The first dinosaur to receive a formal scientific description, Megalosaurus was a 30 feet (9.1 m) carnivore which prowled Jurassic Jurassic The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by... England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... . |
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Szechuanoraptor "Szechuanoraptor" is the informal name given to an as yet undescribed genus of dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic . It was a theropod which lived in what is now China... |
A Chinese China Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture... theropod that has yet to be formally described. |
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†Ammonitida
Members of the order ammonitida are known as Ammonitic ammonites. They are distinguished primarily by their sutureSuture (anatomical)
In anatomy, a suture is a fairly rigid joint between two or more hard elements of an animal, with or without significant overlap of the elements....
lines. In ammonitic suture patterns, the lobes and saddles are much subdivided (fluted) and subdivisions are usually rounded instead of saw-toothed. Ammonoids of this type are the most important species from a biostratigraphical point of view. This suture type is characteristic of Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
and Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
ammonoids but extends back all the way to the Permian
Permian
The PermianThe term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Sir R. I. Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named his "Permian...
.
- CadomitesCadomitesCadomites is an extinct ammonite genus from the superfamily Stephanocerataceae that lived during the Jurassic Period, which lasted from approximately 200 to 145 million years ago....
- OecoptychiusOecoptychiusOecoptychius is an extinct genus from a well known subclass of fossil cephalopods, the ammonites. It lived during the Jurassic Period, which lasted from approximately 200 to 145 million years ago....
- OxyceritesOxyceritesOxycerites is an extinct ammonoid cephalopod belonging to the haploceratacean family, Oppeliidae, that lived during the middle of the Jurassic Period, between 164 and 160 million years ago...
- Somalinautilus
| †Ammonitids of the Bathonian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxa | Presence | Location | Description | Images |
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Confirmed. |  |
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Cranocephalites Cranocephalites is a Middle Jurassic ammonitid genus named by Spath in 1932 and included in the family Cranoceratidae, superfamily Stephanoceratacea.... |
Confirmed. | |||
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Epistrenoceras Epistrenoceras is an extinct genus from a well-known class of fossil cephalopods, the ammonites. It lived during the Jurassic Period, which lasted from approximately 200 to 145 million years ago.... |
Confirmed. | |||
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Garantiana Garantiana is an extinct genus from a well-known class of fossil cephalopods, the ammonites. It lived during the Jurassic Period, which lasted from approximately 200 to 145 million years ago.... |
Confirmed. | |||
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Lissoceras Lissoceras is an involute, smooth or finely vetrolaterally ribbed, ammonite with a blunt, un-keeled venter, included in the Haploceratidae, that lived from the Lower Bajocian - Middle Oxfordian in what is now Europe, south Asia, and southern Alaska.Lissoceratoides, once considered to be a subgenus... |
Confirmed. | |||
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Nannolytoceras Nannolytoceras is an extinct genus from a well-known class of fossil cephalopods, the ammonites. It lived during the Jurassic Period, which lasted from approximately 200 to 145 million years ago.... |
Confirmed. | |||
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Oecotraustes Oecotraustes is an extinct genus from a well known subclass of fossil cephalopods, the ammonites. It lived during the Jurassic Period, which lasted from approximately 200 to 145 million years ago.... |
Confirmed. | |||
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Okribites Okribites is an extinct genus from a well-known class of fossil cephalopods, the ammonites. It lived during the Jurassic Period, which lasted from approximately 200 to 145 million years ago.... |
Confirmed. | |||
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Confirmed. | |||
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Procerites Procerites is an extinct genus from a well-known class of fossil cephalopods, the ammonites. It lived during the Jurassic Period, which lasted from approximately 200 to 145 million years ago.... |
Confirmed. | |||
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Confirmed. | |||
†Belemnites
| Belemnites of the Bathonian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxa | Presence | Location | Description | Images |
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Literature
; 2004: A Geologic Time Scale 2004, Cambridge University PressCambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
.; 1843: Précis élémentaire de géologie, Bertrand, Paris.
External links
- GeoWhen Database - Bathonian
- Jurassic-Cretaceous timescale, at the website of the subcommission for stratigraphic information of the ICS
- Stratigraphic chart of the Upper Jurassic, at the website of Norges Network of offshore records of geology and stratigraphy