ammonites

Beticha: MN 9, Ethiopia
collected 2005 - 2007

Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Geography
Country:Ethiopia State/province:Oromīya
Coordinates: 8.9° North, 40.3° East (view map)
Paleocoordinates:8.4° North, 39.3° East
Basis of coordinate:stated in text
Geographic resolution:outcrop
Time
Period:Neogene Epoch:Miocene
Stage:Tortonian 10 m.y. bin:Cenozoic 6
Key time interval:MN 9
Age range of interval:11.1 - 9.7 m.y. ago
Stratigraphy
Formation:Chorora
Stratigraphic resolution:group of beds
Stratigraphy comments: "underlain by a conspicuous rhyolitic ignimbrite, previously dated to 10.7 ± 0.2 (20) or 11.0 ± 0.45 (17) by the K-Ar method" and "overlain by resistant pyroclastic flow deposits dated by the K-Ar method to 10.10 ± 0.30 Ma" (= MN 9)
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology:paleosol/pedogenic,concretionary poorly lithified silty,sandy conglomerate
Lithology description: "silty to sandy conglomerate beds, including paleosol horizons with root casts and calcite concretions"
Environment:marine indet.
Geology comments: "sediments [were] formed by a braided river system with intermittent palaeosol formation"
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body
Size of fossils:macrofossils
Articulated whole bodies:none
Associated major elements:none
Disassociated major elements:none
Disassociated minor elements:some
Collection methods and comments
Collection methods:surface (float)
Reason for describing collection:taxonomic analysis
Collection dates:2005 - 2007
Collection method comments: "fossils are scarce, with fragmentary and rarely identifiable fossils inconspicuously scattered on the surface"
Metadata
Database number:92148
Authorizer:J. Alroy Enterer:J. Alroy
Research group:vertebrate
Created:2009-11-02 12:58:10 Last modified:2009-11-02 12:58:10
Access level:the public Released:2009-11-02 12:58:10
Reference information
Primary reference:
31040 G. Suwa, R. T. Kono, S. Katoh, B. Asfaw, and Y. Beyene. 2007. A new species of great ape from the late Miocene epoch in Ethiopia. Nature 448:921-924 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy]