The Karabastau Formation (Kazakh: Qarabastaý svıtasy) is a geological formation and lagerstätte in the Karatau Mountains of southern Kazakhstan whose strata date to the Middle to Late Jurassic. It is an important locality for insect fossils that has been studied since the early 20th century, alongside the rarer remains of vertebrates, including pterosaurs, salamanders, lizards and crocodiles.[1][2]
| Karabastau Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Middle Jurassic - Late Jurassic | |
 Specimen of the salamander Karaurus sharovi | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Area | Karatau Mountains |
| Thickness | 26 m (85 ft) exposed |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Claystone dolomite, |
| Other | Sandstone, conglomerate |
| Location | |
| Region | Central Asia |
| Country |  Kazakhstan |
Lithology and depositional environment
edit
The primary lithology consists of 1 mm thick varve laminations of claystone, with a dark part and a light dolomitic part, which probably correspond to a wet and dry season respectively, alongside rare, several cm thick sandstone interbeds. These were deposited within an ancient freshwater paleolake, that given the number of laminations has been suggested to have existed for over 150,000 years. The top of the formation shows the laminations becoming wavy, likely as a result of microbial interactions, and the top of the formation is capped by a conglomerate predominantly composed of black Carboniferous limestone pebbles.[2]
History of discovery
editThe Karabastau Formation was first discovered in 1921 by Soviet geologists, and was declared a protected paleontological reserve in 1924.[2]
Paleofauna
editVertebrates
edit| Genus | Species | County | Member | Abundance | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
B. volans |
2 specimens |
An Anurognathid Pterosaur. |
  | |||
|
K. sharovi |
||||||
|
K. sharovi |
stem-group salamander. | |||||
| Praeornis | P. sharovi | 2 specimens | Proto-Feather | |||
| Sharovisaurus | S. karatauensis | A Paramacellodid lizard | ||||
| S. pilosus | 8 specimens |
A Pterodactylomorph Pterosaur. | ||||
| Yaxartemys | Y. longicauda | Turtle, possibly belongs to Xinjiangchelyidae | ||||
| Morrolepis | M. aniscowitchi | 346 specimens | Coccolepidid fish[3] | |||
| Pteroniscus | P. turkestanensis | Palaeonisciform fish, closely related to Uighuroniscidae and Daqingshaniscus.[3] | ||||
| Spherosteus | S. scharovi | Peipiaosteid fish, related to sturgeons and paddlefish |
Invertebrates
editHundreds of species of insects are known from several localities within the formation, primarily Karatau-Mikhailovka[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]
Flora
edit| Genus | Species | County | Member | Abundance | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williamsoniella | Williamsoniella karataviensis | Bennettitales | ||||
| Weltrichia | Weltrichia auliensis | |||||
| Ptilophyllum | ||||||
| Otozamites | ||||||
| Brachyphyllum | Conifer | |||||
| Pagiophyllum |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Barrett, P.M., Butler, R.J., Edwards, N.P., & Milner, A.R. Pterosaur distribution in time and space: an atlas. p61-107. in Flugsaurier: Pterosaur papers in honour of Peter Wellnhofer. 2008. Hone, D.W.E., and Buffetaut, E. (eds). Zitteliana B, 28. 264pp.[1]
- ^ a b c Dzik, Jerzy; Sulej, Tomasz; Niedźwiedzki, Grzegorz (2010-07-14). "Possible link connecting reptilian scales with avian feathers from the early Late Jurassic of Kazakstan". Historical Biology. 22 (4): 394–402. Bibcode:2010HBio...22..394D. doi:10.1080/08912961003710616. ISSN 0891-2963. S2CID 55901653.
- ^ a b Skrzycka, Roksana (2014-07-03). "Revision of two relic actinopterygians from the Middle or Upper Jurassic Karabastau Formation, Karatau Range, Kazakhstan". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 38 (3): 364–390. Bibcode:2014Alch...38..364S. doi:10.1080/03115518.2014.880267. ISSN 0311-5518. S2CID 129308632.
- ^ "Karabastau Formation". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
- ^ "Karatau-Galkino (PIN collection 1789)". Paleobiology Database.
- ^ "Karatau-Mikhailovka (PIN collection 2997)". Paleobiology Database.
- ^ "Karatau-Mikhailovka (PIN collection 2554)". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
- ^ "Karatau-Mikhailovka (PIN collection 2066)". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
- ^ "Karatau-Mikhailovka (PIN collection 2239)". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
- ^ "Karatau-Mikhailovka (PIN collection 2384)". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
- ^ "Karatau-Mikhailovka (PIN collection 2904)". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
- ^ "Karatau-Mikhailovka (PIN collection 2784)". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
- ^ "Karatau-Galkino (PIN collection 2452)". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2020-01-31.