The Sannine Formation, also called the Sannine Limestone, is a
Cretaceous geologic
formation in
Lebanon.
Description
It is primarily
Cenomanian
The Cenomanian is, in the ICS' geological timescale, the oldest or earliest age of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or the lowest stage of the Upper Cretaceous Series. An age is a unit of geochronology; it is a unit of time; the stage is a unit in the s ...
in age. The formation laterally varies from east to west; the western lowland "coastal" sequence is over 2000 metres thick and primarily consists of deep water limestone and chalk, while the eastern "mountain" sequence is 500–700 metres thick and consists of shallow water limestone.
Pterosaur fossils have been recovered from the formation, including those of ''
Mimodactylus''
and ''
Microtuban''.
The
pythonomorphs ''
Pontosaurus
''Pontosaurus'' is a now extinct genus of pythonomorph from the Late Cretaceous period. It was originally named ''Hydrosaurus'', but that name was preoccupied by an agamid lizard, so it was renamed. It is known from two species, both Cenomania ...
,
Eupodophis'' and probably ''
Aphanizocnemus
''Aphanizocnemus'' is an extinct genus of lizard from Lebanon. It is a marine lizard that lived during the Late Cretaceous. It is often classified in the family Dolichosauridae as a close relative of snakes, although some studies have placed it ...
'' are known from the formation.
Insects are also known from compression fossils, including those of a
dragonfly
A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...
,
enigmatic pond-skater like insect ''
Chresmoda
''Chresmoda'' is an extinct genus of insects within the family Chresmodidae.
Description
''Chresmoda'' are large enigmatic insects with very long specialized legs, probably adapted for skating on the water surface similar to pond skaters. They ...
.
'' and a
mesoblattinid cockroach.
[P. Vršanský and E. Makhoul. 2013]
Mieroblattina pacis gen. et sp. n. - Upper Cretaceous cockroach (Blattida: Mesoblattinidae) from Nammoura limestone of Lebanon
''Insect Evolution in an Ambiferous and Stone Alphabet'' 167-172 Compression fossils of angiosperm ''
Sapindopsis
''Sapindopsis'' ("''Sapindus''-like") is an extinct form genus for leaves of the Cretaceous Period, originally considered similar to soapberry. Associated reproductive structures now suggest it was more closely related to planes and sycamores of ...
'' are also known''.'' Numerous species of fossil fish are known,
including
Ionoscopid ''
Spathiurus dorsalis''
and
pycnodontid ''
Flagellipinna rhomboides.''
Fossil Content
See also
*
List of pterosaur-bearing stratigraphic units
*
Paleontology in Lebanon
The paleontological sites of Lebanon contain deposits of well preserved fossils and include some species found nowhere else. Notable among these is the Lebanese lagerstätten of the Late Cretaceous age, which contain a well-preserved variety of ...
References
{{reflist
Geologic formations of Lebanon
Cretaceous System of Asia
Albian Stage
Cenomanian Stage
Limestone formations
Marl formations
Lagoonal deposits
Lagerstätten
Fossiliferous stratigraphic units of Asia
Paleontology in Lebanon