Samana Suk Limestone
| Samana Suk Limestone | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Underlies | Chiehali Formation |
| Overlies | Datta Formation |
| Thickness | Between 3 centimetres (1.2 in) to over 2 metres (6.6 ft)[2] |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Limestone, dolomitic limestones |
| Other | Dolomite, marl and marlstone |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 489: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| Approximate paleocoordinates | Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Extent | Western Salt Range |
| Type section | |
| Named by | L. M. Davies |
| Year defined | 1930[3] |
Samana Suk Limestone (Pakistan) | |
The Samana Suk Limestone is a Middle Jurassic[2] geological formation in Pakistan, cropping out across the Salt Range from the western side.[1]
It is believed that the formation was once a coastal environment due to the presence of dinosaur footprints and ammonites being found within close vicinity,[4] with the deposition of the formation having occurred over three different depositional environments including open marine, lagoon, and beach settings.[1]
Fossil content
[edit | edit source]Ammonites and belemnites are common within the Samana Suk Limestone.[4][5] Indeterminate remains identified as Dinosauria indet. and Theropoda indet. were also identified from the formation.[6]
Dinosaur footprints
[edit | edit source]A trackway of fifteen dinosaur footprints known as the Mianwali trackway was identified at Baroch Nala, Malakhel, near Mianwali in the Samana Suk Limestone by Muhammad Sadiq Malkani in 2006. He described the site in 2007 and the trackway contained four footprints of a megalosauroid ("Samanadrinda surghari") and eleven footprints of a sauropod ("Malakhelisaurus mianwali").[4] It is also the first trackway discovered in Asia which preserves wide-gauge trackways of sauropods.
Shortly after 2007, the trackway was partially destroyed by coal mining and road construction leading to the loss of all four theropod footprints. Hydraulic machinery later destroyed several of the sauropod footprints before 2011.[5]
References
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- ^ a b Qureshi, Kalem Akhtar (2008). SHALLOW SHELF SEDIMENTATION OF THE JURASSIC SAMANA SUK LIMESTONE, KALA CHITTA RANGE, LESSER HIMALAYAS, PAKISTAN. Geol. Bull. Punjab Univ. 43, 2008.
- ^ Davies, L.M. (1930). The fossil fauna of the Samana Range and some neighbouring areas; Part I. An introductory note: Mem. Geol. Surv. India, Pal. Indica, New Series, 15, 1-15
- ^ a b c Malkani, M. S. (2007). Trackways evidence of sauropod dinosaurs confronted by a theropod found from Middle Jurassic Samana Suk Limestone of Pakistan. Sindh University Research Journal (Science Series), 39(1), 1-14.
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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