Ziliujing Formation
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The Ziliujing Formation is a
geological formation A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exp ...
in China, It is
Early Jurassic The Early Jurassic Epoch (geology), Epoch (in chronostratigraphy corresponding to the Lower Jurassic series (stratigraphy), Series) is the earliest of three epochs of the Jurassic Period. The Early Jurassic starts immediately after the Triassic-J ...
in age. It is part of the stratigraphy of the
Sichuan Basin The Sichuan Basin (), formerly transliterated as the Szechwan Basin, sometimes called the Red Basin, is a lowland region in southwestern China. It is surrounded by mountains on all sides and is drained by the upper Yangtze River and its tributar ...
. The dinosaur ''
Gongxianosaurus ''Gongxianosaurus'' is a genus of basal sauropod dinosaur from the early Jurassic Period (Toarcian stage). The only species is ''Gongxianosaurus shibeiensis''. Based on four fragmentary to complete specimens found in China (Sichuan Province), ...
'' and indeterminate theropod material are known from the Dongyuemiao Member of the formation, as well as dinosaur footprints, ''
Zizhongosaurus ''Zizhongosaurus'' (meaning "Zizhong lizard") is a genus of basal herbivorous sauropod dinosaur which lived in the Early Jurassic (Toarcian) Period of China. It was a large-bodied herbivore characterized by a long neck. Discovery and naming Th ...
'' and indeterminate prosauropods from the Da'anzhai Member. The basal sauropod ''
Sanpasaurus ''Sanpasaurus'' ("Sanpa lizard") is a poorly known sauropod dinosaur from the Early to Late Jurassic of Sichuan, China. The type species, ''S. yaoi'', was described by Chung Chien Young, in 1944. The type remains, IVPP V.156, consists of 20 ...
'' is known from the Maanshan Member. An unnamed stegosaur and the
pliosauroid Pliosauroidea is an extinct clade of plesiosaurs, known from the earliest Jurassic to early Late Cretaceous. They are best known for the subclade Thalassophonea, which contained crocodile-like short-necked forms with large heads and massive tooth ...
plesiosaur ''
Sinopliosaurus ''Sinopliosaurus'' (meaning "Chinese more lizard"; in reference to ''Pliosaurus'') is a genus of pliosauroid plesiosaur, a type of short-necked marine reptile, alive during the Aptian and Albian stages of the Early Cretaceous (disputed ''Sinoplio ...
'' are also known from this formation but they were found an indeterminate member. An unnamed teleosaurid known from a complete skull has also been found in the formation, pending a formal description. The deposition environment during the Da'anzhai Member in the lower Toarcian is thought to have been that of a giant freshwater lake encompassing the whole of the Sichuan basin, around 3 times larger than
Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...
, coeval with the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event around 183 Ma. __TOC__


Paleofauna


Bivalves


Phyllopods


Fish


Sarcopterygii


Plesiosaurs


Testudinata


Crocodrylomorphs


Dinosaurs


Flora


References

{{reflist Jurassic System of Asia Jurassic China Toarcian Stage