Encyclopedia
Escucha Formation
Geological formation in Spain
The Escucha Formation is a geological formation in La Rioja and Teruel provinces of northeastern Spain whose strata date back to the late Aptian to middle Albian stages of the Early Cretaceous. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.
The approximately 70 m (230 ft) thick formation underlies the Utrillas Formation and overlies Castrillo de la Reina, Benassal & Oliete Formations. The Escucha Formation comprises siltstones, mudstones, sandstones, coal, siltstones and amber, in which diverse fossil insects were found. The formation was deposited in a variety of continental to paralic (deltaic) environments.
01Depositional Environment
The Escucha Formation represents syn-rift depositional environment, deposited in siliciclastic carbonate platforms, coastal siliciclastic environments and other offshore settings. In the basal part of the formation, cobble to boulder-sized dropstones of glacial origin have been identified, representing long-distance iceberg rafting from Arctic sources.
02Fossil content
The Escucha Formation has provided the following fossils, among others:
Dinosaurs
| Dinosaurs of the Escucha Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Region | Member | Material | Notes | Image |
| Proa | P. valdearinnoensis | Santa Maria Mine | Lower Sedimentary Succession Member | Three partial skeletons and several skull elements from different individuals | Hadrosauriform ornithopod | |
| Europelta | E. carbonensis | Santa Maria Mine | Lower Sedimentary Succession Member | Two partial skeletons | Struthiosaurine ankylosaur | |
| Allosauroidea indet. | indeterminate | Santa Maria Mine | Lower Sedimentary Succession Member | Tooth | ||
| Titanosauriformes indet. | indeterminate | Partial unla | ||||
Pseudosuchia
| Pseudosuchians of the Escucha Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Region | Member | Material | Notes | Image |
| Anteophthalmosuchus | A. escuchae | Santa Maria Mine | Lower Sedimentary Succession Member | Partial skeleton including skull, and other isolated remains | Goniopholididae. Partial skull AR-1-3422 represents juvenile individual of this taxon. | |
| Hulkepholis | H. plotos | Santa Maria Mine | Lower Sedimentary Succession Member | Partial skeleton including skull | Goniopholididae | |
Testudines
| Testudines of the Escucha Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Region | Member | Material | Notes | Image |
| Aragochersis | A. lignitesta | Santa Maria Mine | Lower Sedimentary Succession Member | Two partial skeletons, both including complete skull | Helochelydridae turtle. | |
| Toremys | T. cassiopeia | Santa Maria Mine | Lower Sedimentary Succession Member | Multiple shells both articulated and disarticulated, and several appendicular elements | Pleurosternidae turtle. | |
| Trachydermochelys | T. sp. | Cabezo de las Eras | Lower Member | Helochelydridae turtle. | ||
Fishes
| Fishes of the Escucha Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Region | Member | Material | Notes | Image |
| Chondrichthyes indet. | Indeterminate | Santa Maria Mine | Lower Sedimentary Succession Member | |||
| Osteichthyes indet. | Indeterminate | Santa Maria Mine | Lower Sedimentary Succession Member | |||
Molluscs
| Molluscs of the Escucha Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Region | Member | Material | Notes | Image |
| Bivalvia indet. | Indeterminate | Santa Maria Mine | Lower Sedimentary Succession Member | |||
| Gastropoda indet. | Indeterminate | Santa Maria Mine | Lower Sedimentary Succession Member | |||
Crustacea
| Crustaceans of the Escucha Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Region | Member | Material | Notes | Image |
| Cretagourretia | C. salasi | CV-13 Roadcut | Ctenochelidae decapod | |||
| Joeranina | J. tausi | CV-13 Roadcut | Palaeocorystidae decapod | |||
Insects
| Insects | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxa | Location/site | Notes | Images | |
| Alavaraphidia | Peñacerrada I amber | |||
| Amarantoraphidia | Peñacerrada I amber | |||
| Microcostaphron parvus | Peñacerrada I amber | |||
| Radiophron ibericus | Peñacerrada I amber | |||
| Styporaphidia? hispanica | Peñacerrada I amber | |||
- Other arthropods
- Alavia neli
- Archaelagonops alavensis
- Mesozygiella dunlopi
- Cretogarypinus zaragozai
- Ithioreolpium alavensis
- Alavesiaphis margaritae
- Hispanocader lisae
- Alavametra popovi
- Iberovelia quisquilia
- Glaesivelia pulcherrima
- Gymnopollisthrips maior
- G. minor
- Manicapsocidus enigmaticus
- Archaeatropos alavensis
- Preempheria antiqua
- Empheropsocus arilloi
- E. margineglabrus
- Morazatermes krishnai
- Cantabritermes simplex
- Autrigonoforceps iberica
- Hispanelcana alavensis
- H. arilloi
- H. lopezvallei
- Libanophron sugaar
- Hippocoon basajauni
- Burmaphron iratxoak
- B. jentilak
- B. sorginak
- Tagsmiphron olentzero
- Elasmophron mari
- Ectenobythus iberiensis
- Liztor pilosus
- Cretepyris martini
- Zophepyris alavaensis
- Ampulicomorpha perialla
- Microcostaphron parvus
- Archephedrus stolamissus
- Protorhyssalopsis perrichoti
- Spathiopteryx alavarommopsis
- Serphites lamiak
- Aposerphites angustus
- Archaeromma hispanicum
- Galloromma alavaensis
- Alavaromma orchamum
- Tithonoscelio resinalis
- Bruescelio platycephalus
- Electroteleiopsis hebdomas
- Alavascelio delvallei
- Amissascelio temporarius
- Perimoscelio tyrbastes
- Perimoscelio confector
- Proterosceliopsis masneri
- Juxtascelio interitus
- Iberopria perialla
- Iberoevania roblesi
- Cretevania alonsoi
- Iberomaimetsha nihtmara
- Iberomaimetsha rasnitsyni
- Valaa delclosi
- Megalava truncata
- Eosyntexis parva
- Cretasonoma corinformibus
- Penarhytus tenebris
- Prosolierius parvus
- Cretakarenni hispanicus
- Rhizophtoma longus
- Darwinylus marcosi
- Mediumiuga sinespinis
- Archiaustroconops alavensis
- Leptoconops (Leptoconops) zherikhini
- Gerontodacus skalskii
- Chimeromyia alava
- Chimeromyina concilia
- Euliphora grimaldii
- Alavesia subiasi
- Tethepomima holomma
- Tethepomyia buruhandi
- Lysistrata emerita
- Hegalari minor
- Hegalari antzinako
- Alavamanota hispanica
- Allocotocera xavieri
- Cretohaplusia ortunoi
- Eltxo cretaceus
- Helius (Helius) alavensis
- Helius (Helius) spiralis
- Espanoderus barbarae
- Alavaraphidia imperterrita
- Baissoptera cretaceoelectra
- Cretokatianna bucculenta
- Sphyrotheciscus senectus
- Archeallacma dolichopoda
- Katiannasminthurus xenopygus
- Pseudosminthurides stoechus
- Burmisotoma spinulifera
- Protoisotoma autrigoniensis
- Proisotoma communis
- Proleptochelia tenuissima
- Electrotanais monolithus
- Alavatanais carabe
- Alavatanais margulisae
- Eurotanais terminator
- Spinomegops arcanus
- Strieremaeus minguezae
- Iberofoveopsis miguelesi
- Hispanothrips utrillensis
- Aragonitermes teruelensis
- Aragonimantis aenigma
- Mymaropsis turolensis
- Serphites silban
- Galloromma turolensis
- Alavaromma orchamum
- Cretevania rubusensis
- Cretevania alcalai
- Cretevania montoyai
- Actenobius magneoculus
- Arra legalovi
- Leptoconops (Leptoconops) zherikhini
- Atriculicoides sanjusti
- Atriculicoides hispanicus
- Gerontodacus skalskii
- Microphorites utrillensis
- Litoleptis fossilis
- Burmazelmira grimaldii
- Aragomantispa lacerata
- Spinomegops aragonensis
- Ametroproctus valeriae
- Cretaceobodes martinezae
- Trhypochthonius lopezvallei
- Invertebrates
- Flora
03Correlation
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Escucha Formation”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- ZooKeys-204-001-g010 Alavaraphidia imperterrita A.jpg by Pérez-de la Fuente, R.; Peñalver, E.; Delclòs, X.; Engel, M.S, CC BY 3.0
- Escucha (Terol).JPG by Qllach, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Proa valdearinnoensis.jpg by MiguelAlanCS, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Skeletal reconstruction of Europelta.png by James I. Kirkland, Luis Alcalá, Mark A. Loewen, Eduardo Espílez, Luis Mampel, Jelle P. Wiersma, CC BY 2.5
- ZooKeys-204-001-g007 Amarantoraphidia 01.jpg by Pérez-de la Fuente, R.; Peñalver, E.; Delclòs, X.; Engel, M.S, CC BY 3.0
- ZooKeys-204-001-g006 Styporaphidia hispanica 01a.jpg by Pérez-de la Fuente, R.; Peñalver, E.; Delclòs, X.; Engel, M.S, CC BY 3.0
- Cenomanian-Coniacian Iberia.jpg by Zoltan Csiki-Sava, Eric Buffetaut, Attila Ősi, Xabier Pereda-Suberbiola, Stephen L. Brusatte, CC BY 4.0
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