The Camarillas Formation is a geological

formation Formation may refer to: Linguistics * Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes * Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes Mathematics and science * Cave formation or speleothem, a secondary ...

in the Teruel Province of Aragón, Spain whose strata date back to the

Early Cretaceous The Early Cretaceous ( geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphic name), is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 145 Ma to 100.5 Ma. Geology Pro ...

( Barremian stage). The sandstones,

mudstone Mudstone, a type of mudrock, is a fine-grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Mudstone is distinguished from '' shale'' by its lack of fissility (parallel layering).Blatt, H., and R.J. Tracy, 1996, ''Petrology. ...

s and conglomerates of the formation, that due to syn-sedimentary faulting varies greatly in thickness from , were deposited in

fluvial In geography and geology, fluvial processes are associated with rivers and streams and the deposits and landforms created by them. When the stream or rivers are associated with glaciers, ice sheets, or ice caps, the term glaciofluvial or fluviog ...

, deltaic and lacustrine

environments Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

. The formation was deposited in the Galve Sub-basin of the Maestrazgo Basin in central-eastern Spain. During deposition, Iberia was an island, separated by seas from North Africa and France. Underlying the Camarillas Formation is the also highly fossiliferous El Castellar Formation and the Artoles Formation rests on top of the formation.Herrero Gascón & Pérez Lorente, 2009, p.68 The Camarillas Formation has provided a rich fossil assemblage of fossils of

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

s, snakes, turtles, crocodylians, fish, dinosaurs and their eggs. Various tracksites of families of dinosaurs exist in the formation. Dinosaur remains have been recovered from the formation.Weishampel et al., 2004, pp. 556-563

Description

The Camarillas Formation was first formally defined by Canérot et al. in 1982 and later redefined by Salas (1987).Royo Torres et al., 2013, p.5 Both

Camarillas Camarillas is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2018 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * Instituto Na ...

and Galve are in the Galve Sub-basin, a section of the Aliaga Basin, in the Iberian Range. All these basins were formed during the Permian–Triassic, when the main faults were active, and they are filled with Mesozoic–Quaternary sediments. The

Upper Permian The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.9 Mya. It is the last period of the Paleozo ...

Upper Jurassic The Late Jurassic is the third epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time from 163.5 ± 1.0 to 145.0 ± 0.8 million years ago (Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic strata.Owen 1987. In European lithostratigraphy, the name ...

deposits at the site of the Camarillas Formation are all of continental origin. In a second extensional stage during the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, the Atlantic and the

Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...

opened, and the Iberian Peninsula rotated from left to right. At this time, the sediments were marine or showed the influence of the sea, as shown in the deposits of the Higuerueles and Villar del Arzobispo Formations in the Galve Sub-basin. Finally, during the Early Cretaceous and Oligocene–Miocene there were compressive phases with tectonic inversion and formation of continental basins.Sánchez Hernández & Benton, 2014, p.582 Camarillas Formation, in beds of similar age to the La Maca outcrop in the Galve area where the remains of an iguanodontid dinosaur have been found. The Camarillas fossil site is in light brown clay and limestone rocks with fossil wood remains. The sedimentology is similar to that described in the Galve area, because the Camarillas Formation shows scarcely any lateral variations in facies within the Galve Sub-basin. The Camarillas Formation sandstone is fluviatile, and four groups of paleochannels are distinguished, the first towards the bottom of the succession. These channels become thinner towards the top, and this was interpreted by Díaz and Yébenes (1987) as evidence that there was an alluvial fan with a multichannel system. The

lithology The lithology of a rock unit is a description of its physical characteristics visible at outcrop, in hand or core samples, or with low magnification microscopy. Physical characteristics include colour, texture, grain size, and composition. Lit ...

of the deposits which fill these channels and their geometry are typical of low-sinuosity channels. Towards the top of the Camarillas Formation, there is a predominance of deltaic fan deposits with marked marine influence. Nevertheless, Soria (1997) mentioned that she found no facies association whose evolution and geometry suggested a well developed deltaic system.Sánchez Hernández & Benton, 2014, p.583 The formation spreads across the ''Camarillas

graben In geology, a graben () is a depressed block of the crust of a planet or moon, bordered by parallel normal faults. Etymology ''Graben'' is a loan word from German, meaning 'ditch' or 'trench'. The word was first used in the geologic contex ...

'' and the ''Remenderuelas

half-graben A half-graben is a geological structure bounded by a fault along one side of its boundaries, unlike a full graben where a depressed block of land is bordered by parallel faults. Rift and fault structure A rift is a region where the lithosphere ...

''.Navarrete et al., 2013, p.63

Fossil content

The Camarillas Formation has provided a rich fossil assemblage comprising dinosaurs, crocodiles, snakes, turtles, fish and

s. Several new species were described from the formation, among others the mammals ''

Galveodon nannothus ''Galveodon'' is an extinct mammal of the Lower Cretaceous. It was a relatively early representative of the also extinct order of Multituberculata. It lived during 'the age of the dinosaurs'. It's within the suborder "Plagiaulacida" and family P ...

'', ''

Eobaatar hispanicus ''Eobaatar'' is a genus of extinct mammal from the Lower Cretaceous of Mongolia, Spain and England. A member of the also extinct order Multituberculata, it lies within the suborder Plagiaulacida and family Eobaataridae. The genus ''Eobaatar'' wa ...

'', '' Crusafontia cuencana'', '' Lavocatia alfambrensis'' and '' Parendotherium herreroi'', the turtle '' Galvechelone lopezmartinezae'' and the crocodyloform ''

Bernissartia fagesii ''Bernissartia'' ('of Bernissart') is an extinct genus of neosuchian crocodyliform that lived in the Early Cretaceous, around 130 million years ago. At only in length, ''Bernissartia'' is one of the smallest crocodyliforms that ever lived. It ...

''. Newly described dinosaurs include '' Iguanodon galvensis'', '' Gideonmantellia amosanjuanae'' and '' Camarillasaurus cirugedae'', named after the formation. The following fossils are reported from the formation:Camarillas Formation
at

Fossilworks Fossilworks is a portal which provides query, download, and analysis tools to facilitate access to the Paleobiology Database The Paleobiology Database is an online resource for information on the distribution and classification of fossil animals ...

.org ;Fuente Arnar outcrop * near Camarillas village, Teruel Province, Aragón, NE Spain * Type horizon ** Light brown clay and limestone beds, in which fossil wood remains are common, of the Camarillas Formation, lower Barremian, Lower Cretaceous * Dinosaurs ** '' Camarillasaurus cirugedae'' ;Eggs * '' Guegoolithus turolensis''Moreno Azanza et al., 2014 ;Cerrada Roya mineCerrada Roya Mine
at

.org * Mammals ** ''

''Canudo & Cuenca Bescós, 1996, p.217 ** ''

'' ** '' Parendotherium herreroi'' * Turtles ** '' Galvechelone lopezmartinezae'' * Crocodyloforms ** ''

'' ** '' Theriosuchus sp.'' * Snakes ** '' Meyasaurus sp.'' ** '' Paramacellodus sp.'' * Dinosaurs ** '' ?Valdosaurus sp.'' ** Spinosaurinae indet. ** Camarasauridae indet. ** Nodosauridae indet. * Pterosaurs ** Istiodactylidae indet. ** Ornithocheiridae indet. ** Pterodactyloidea indet. * Fish ** '' Polyacrodus parvidens'' ** '' Lonchidion microselachos'' ** '' Rhinobatos sp.'' ;San Cristóbal 1San Cristóbal 1
at

.org * '' Iguanodon galvensis'' * '' Dacentrurus sp.'' * Spinosaurinae indet. * Eusauropoda indet. ;PocaPoca
at

.org * Mammals ** '' Crusafontia cuencana'' ** '' Lavocatia alfambrensis'' * Turtles ** Pleurosternidae indet. ** Helochelydridae indet. * Snakes * Paramacellodidae indet. * Dinosaurs ** Eusauropoda indet. ** Dromaeosauridae indet. ** Velociraptorinae indet. ** Baryonychinae indet. ** Heterodontosauridae indet. * Fish ** '' Polyacrodus parvidens'' ;La Maca 3La Maca 3
at

.org * Dinosaurs ** '' Iguanodon bernissartensis''Ruiz Omeñaca, 2013, p.87 ** Dromaeosauridae indet. ** ?Allosauroidea indet. * Other reptiles ** Testudines indet. ** Crocodylia indet. ** Atoposauridae indet. * Fish ** '' Lepidotes sp.'' * Invertebrates ** '' Unio sp.'' ;Poyales Barranco HondoPoyales Barranco Hondo
at

.org * Dinosaurs ** '' Gideonmantellia amosanjuanae'' ** Theropoda indet. * Other reptiles ** Testudines indet. ** Mesoeucrocodylia indet. ** Neosuchia indet. ;Partida PoyalesPartida Poyales
at

.org * Reptiles ** '' "Pleurocoelus" valdensis'' ** Hypsilophodontidae indet. ;Pajar Julián Paricio 2Pajar Julián Paricio 2
at

.org * Sharks ** '' Cretolamna sp.'' * Dinosaurs ** Dromaeosauridae indet. ** Iguanodontidae indet. ** Oofossils ** Elongatoolithidae indet. ;La MacaLa Maca 2
at

.org * '' Elliptio galvensis''

Correlation

Gallery

File:Gideonmantellia.jpg, '' Gideonmantellia'' File:Camarillasaurus.jpg, '' Camarillasaurus'' File:Delapparentia by durbed.jpg, ''

Delapparentia ''Iguanodon'' ( ; meaning 'iguana-tooth'), named in 1825, is a genus of iguanodontian dinosaur. While many species have been classified in the genus ''Iguanodon'', dating from the late Jurassic Period to the early Cretaceous Period of Asia, Eu ...

References

Bibliography

* *

Material was copied from this source, which is available under
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
* * * * * *

* L. Alcalá, M. G. Lockley, A. Cobos, L. Mampel, and R. Royo Torres. 2016. Evaluating the dinosaur track record: an integrative approach to understanding the regional and global distribution, scientific importance, preservation, and management of tracksites. In P. L. Falkingham, D. Marty, & A. Richter (eds.), Dinosaur Tracks: The Next Steps 100-116 * F. J. Verdú, R. Royo Torres, A. Cobos and L. Alcalá. 2015. Perinates of a new species of Iguanodon (Ornithischia: Ornithopoda) from the lower Barremian of Galve (Teruel, Spain). Cretaceous Research 56:250-264 * {{cite LSA , last=Verdú , first=Francisco Javier , last2=Royo Torres , first2=Rafael , last3=Cobos , first3=Alberto , year=2014 , title=Fósiles de ornitópodo de la Formación Camarillas (Barremiense inferior) de Teruel (España) - Ornithopod fossils from the Camarillas Formation (lower Barremian) of Teruel (Spain) , url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284879684 , publisher=XII Encuentro Jóvenes Investigadores, at Sobrarbe (Oltaña) , pages=120-123 , accessdate=2019-10-10 * B. Sánchez Hernández, M. J. Benton, and D. Naish. 2007. Dinosaurs and other fossil vertebrates from the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous of the Galve area, NE Spain. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 249:180-21 * J. I. Ruiz Omeñaca, J. I. Canudo, and P. Infante. 2005. Presencia de un posible alosáurido (Dinosauria: Theropoda) en el Cretácico Inferior (Barremiense inferior) de La Maca 3 (Galve, Teruel) resence of a possible allosaurid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) in the Lower Cretaceous (lower Barremian) of La Maca 3 (Galve, Teruel) In E. Bernáldez, E. Mayoral, & A. Guerreiro dos Santos (eds.), XXI Jornadas de la Sociedad Española de Paleontología. Gestión e Investigación de la Paleontología en el Siglo XXI, Sevilla 117-118 * X. Pereda Suberbiola, P. M. Galton, J. I. Ruiz-Omeñaca and J. I. Canudo. 2005. Dermal spines of stegosaurian dinosaurs from the Lower Cretaceous (Hauterivian-Barremian) of Galve (Teruel, Aragón, Spain). Geogaceta 38:35-38 * J. I. Ruiz Omeñaca and J. I. Canudo. 2003. Dinosaurios (Saurischia, Ornithischia) en el Barremiense (Cretácico Inferior) de la península Ibérica inosaurs (Saurischia, Ornithischia) in the Barremian (Lower Cretaceous) of the Iberian peninsula In F. Pérez Lorente (ed.), Dinosaurios y Otros Reptiles Mesozóicos de España 269-312 * J. I. Ruiz Omeñaca, J. I. Canudo, and G. Cuenca-Bescós. 1998. Sobre las especies de Iguanodon (Dinosauria, Ornithischia) encontradas en el Cretácico inferior de España n the species of Iguanodon (Dinosauria, Ornithischia) found in the Lower Cretaceous of Spain Geogaceta 24:275-278 * J. I. Canudo, O. Amo, G. Cuenca Bescós, A. Meléndez, J. I. Ruiz Omeñaca and A. R. Soria. 1997. Los vertebrados del Tithónico-Barremiense de Galve (Teruel, España) he Tithonian-Barremian vertebrates of Galve (Teruel, Spain) Cuadernos de Geologia Ibérica 23:209-241 * J. L. Sanz, A. D. Buscalioni, M.-L. Casanovas and J.-V. Santafé. 1987. Dinosaurios del Cretácico inferior de Galve (Teruel, España) inosaurs from the Lower Cretaceous of Galve (Teruel, Spain) Estudios Geológicos, Volumen Extraordinario Galve-Tremp 45-64 Geologic formations of Spain Lower Cretaceous Series of Europe Cretaceous Spain Barremian Stage Sandstone formations Mudstone formations Conglomerate formations Deltaic deposits Fluvial deposits Lacustrine deposits Paleontology in Spain Formations Formations