# Forest Marble Formation > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Forest_Marble_Formation > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Forest_Marble_Formation.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_Marble_Formation > Source revision: 1331329162 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Jurassic geological formation in England}} {{Infobox rockunit | name = Forest Marble Formation | image = East_face_of_Kirtlington_quarry_geograph_org_uk.jpg | caption = Forest Marble Formation exposed in [Kirtlington Quarry](/source/Kirtlington_Quarry), Oxfordshire | type = [Geological formation](/source/Geological_formation) | age = [Bathonian](/source/Bathonian) {{fossilrange|168|164.7}} | period = Bathonian | prilithology = [Mudstone](/source/Mudstone), [Limestone](/source/Limestone) | otherlithology = [Siltstone](/source/Siltstone), [Sandstone](/source/Sandstone) | namedfor = [Wychwood Forest](/source/Wychwood_Forest) | namedby = | region = [Bedfordshire](/source/Bedfordshire), [Buckinghamshire](/source/Buckinghamshire), [Oxfordshire](/source/Oxfordshire), [Dorset](/source/Dorset) | country = [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom) | coordinates = | unitof = [Great Oolite Group](/source/Great_Oolite_Group) | subunits = | underlies = [Cornbrash Formation](/source/Cornbrash_Formation) | overlies = [White Limestone Formation](/source/White_Limestone_Formation), [Athelstan Oolite Formation](/source/Athelstan_Oolite_Formation), [Chalfield Oolite Formation](/source/Chalfield_Oolite_Formation), [Corsham Limestone Formation](/source/Corsham_Limestone_Formation), [Frome Clay](/source/Frome_Clay) | thickness = Up to 5m thick in Buckinghamshire, 10 to 30m in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, 30 to about 50m in north Dorset, 30 to 75m in south Dorset | extent = | area = | map = | map_caption = }} The '''Forest Marble''' is a geological [formation](/source/Formation_(geology)) in [England](/source/England). Part of the [Great Oolite Group](/source/Great_Oolite_Group), it dates to the late [Bathonian](/source/Bathonian) [stage](/source/Stage_(stratigraphy)) of the [Middle Jurassic](/source/Middle_Jurassic).Weishampel, David B; et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution (Middle Jurassic, Europe)." In: Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 538–541. {{ISBN|0-520-24209-2}}. == Lithology == The primary [lithology](/source/lithology) of the formation typically consists of greenish grey variably [calcareous](/source/calcareous) [silicate](/source/Silicate_mineral) [mudstone](/source/mudstone), with [lenticular](/source/Lenticular_bedding) [cross bedded](/source/Cross-bedding) [limestone](/source/limestone) units deposited in a marine setting.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/Lexicon/lexicon.cfm?pub=FMB |title=Forest Marble Formation |last=[British Geological Survey](/source/British_Geological_Survey) |website=BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units |access-date=1 November 2018}} == Paleobiota == Despite the formation being nearly entirely marine, at several localities abundant remains of terrestrial microvertebrates are found, the primary locality being the Kirtlington Mammal Bed (designated 3p) in [Kirtlington Quarry](/source/Kirtlington_Quarry) near [Kirtlington](/source/Kirtlington), [Oxfordshire](/source/Oxfordshire).{{cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Kirtlington 3p (Mammal Bed) |url=https://paleobiodb.org/classic?a=basicCollectionSearch&collection_no=39075 |access-date=28 August 2018 |work=Paleobiology Database |publisher= |quote=}} Another important locality is Watton Cliff near [Eype](/source/Eype) in [Dorset](/source/Dorset).{{cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Watton Cliff (West Cliff), Dorset |url=https://paleobiodb.org/classic?a=basicCollectionSearch&collection_no=57124 |access-date=28 August 2018 |work=Paleobiology Database |publisher= |quote=}} === Fish === {| class="wikitable" align="center" width="100%" |- ! colspan="7" align="center" |'''Fish of the Forest Marble Formation'''{{Cite journal |last=Rees |first=Jan |last2=Underwood |first2=Charlie J. |date=January 2008 |title=Hybodont Sharks of the English Bathonian and Callovian (Middle Jurassic) |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1475-4983.2007.00737.x |journal=Palaeontology |language=en |volume=51 |issue=1 |pages=117–147 |doi=10.1111/j.1475-4983.2007.00737.x |issn=0031-0239}} |- ! Genus ! Species ! Location ! Stratigraphic position ! Abundance ! Notes ! Images |- |''[Hybodus](/source/Hybodus)'' |''Hybodus obtusus'' | rowspan="3" |Watton Cliff | | | rowspan="3" |A [hybodont](/source/hybodont) shark | |- |''[Egertonodus](/source/Egertonodus)'' |''Egertonodus duffini'' | | | |- |''[Secarodus](/source/Secarodus)'' |''Secarodus polyprion'' | | | |- |''[Strophodus](/source/Strophodus)'' |Spp. | | | |A [hybodont](/source/hybodont) shark, formerly considered to be ''[Asteracanthus](/source/Asteracanthus)'' | |- |''[Lonchidion](/source/Lonchidion)'' |Indeterminate | | | | rowspan="3" |A [hybodont](/source/hybodont) shark | |- |''[Parvodus](/source/Parvodus)'' |''Parvodus pattersoni'' | | | | |- |''[Lissodus](/source/Lissodus)'' |''Lissodus leiopleurus'' | | | | |- |''[Palaeocarcharias](/source/Palaeocarcharias)''?{{Cite journal |last=Underwood |first=Charlie J. |last2=Ward |first2=David J. |date=May 2004 |title=Neoselachian sharks and rays from the British Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.0031-0239.2004.00386.x |journal=Palaeontology |language=en |volume=47 |issue=3 |pages=447–501 |doi=10.1111/j.0031-0239.2004.00386.x |issn=0031-0239}} |Indeterminate | | | |Possibly the oldest [lamniform](/source/lamniform) shark | |} === Dinosaurs === ==== Ornithischians ==== {{paleobiota-key-compact}} {| class="wikitable" align="center" width="100%" |- ! colspan="7" align="center" |'''[Ornithischian](/source/Ornithischian)s of the Forest Marble Formation''' |- ! Genus ! Species ! Location ! Stratigraphic position ! Abundance ! Notes ! Images |- |style="background:#E6E6E6;" | ''[Alocodon](/source/Alocodon)''Listed as "cf. ''Alocodon'' sp." in "10.11 Oxfordshire, England; 6. Forest Marble Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 540. |style="background:#E6E6E6;" | Indeterminate |style="background:#E6E6E6;" | * Oxfordshire |style="background:#E6E6E6;" | |style="background:#E6E6E6;" | |style="background:#E6E6E6;" | | rowspan="99" | |- | ''[Hylaeosaurus](/source/Hylaeosaurus)''Listed as "?''Hylaeosaurus'' sp." in "10.13 Wiltshire, England; 3. Forest Marble Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 540. | Indeterminate | * Wiltshire"10.13 Wiltshire, England; 3. Forest Marble Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 540. | | |Dubious |- | ''[Iguanodon](/source/Iguanodon)''Listed as "?''Iguanodon'' sp." in "10.11 Oxfordshire, England; 6. Forest Marble Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 540. | Indeterminate | * Oxfordshire"10.11 Oxfordshire, England; 6. Forest Marble Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 540. | | |Dubious, probably indeterminate ornithischian |- |} ==== Saurischians ==== {{paleobiota-key-compact}} {| class="wikitable" align="center" width="100%" |- ! colspan="7" align="center" |'''[Saurischian](/source/Saurischian)s reported from the Forest Marble Formation''' |- ! Genus ! Species ! Location ! Stratigraphic position ! Material ! Notes ! Images |- | rowspan="2" style="background:#E6E6E6;" | ''[Bothriospondylus](/source/Bothriospondylus)''"10.11 Oxfordshire, England; 6. Forest Marble Formation" and "10.13 Wiltshire, England; 3. Forest Marble Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 540. |style="background:#E6E6E6;" | ''B. robustus''"10.13 Wiltshire, England; 3. Forest Marble Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 540. |style="background:#E6E6E6;" | * Wiltshire |style="background:#E6E6E6;" | |style="background:#E6E6E6;" | "Dorsal vertebra.""Table 13.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 270. |style="background:#E6E6E6;" | Reassigned to ''[Marmarospondylus](/source/Marmarospondylus)'' | rowspan="100" | [[File:Cetiosaurus.jpg|thumb|center|200px|''[Cetiosaurus](/source/Cetiosaurus)'']][[File:Proceratosaurus_NT.jpg|thumb|''[Proceratosaurus](/source/Proceratosaurus)'']] |- |style="background:#E6E6E6;" | Indeterminate"10.11 Oxfordshire, England; 6. Forest Marble Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 540. |style="background:#E6E6E6;" | * Oxfordshire |style="background:#E6E6E6;" | |style="background:#E6E6E6;" | |style="background:#E6E6E6;" | |- |style="background:#E6E6E6;" | ''[Cardiodon](/source/Cardiodon)'' |style="background:#E6E6E6;" | ''C. rugulosus'' |style="background:#E6E6E6;" | * Wiltshire |style="background:#E6E6E6;" | |style="background:#E6E6E6;" | |style="background:#E6E6E6;" | One tooth drawing |- | ''[Cetiosaurus](/source/Cetiosaurus)''"10.11 Oxfordshire, England; 6. Forest Marble Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 538, 540. | ''C. oxoniensis'' | * Oxfordshire | | | A [cetiosaurid](/source/Cetiosauridae) [sauropod](/source/sauropod). |- | "Cetiosaurus" | ''C. glymptonensis'' | * Oxfordshire | | "Caudal vertebrae.""Table 13.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 265. |Actually indeterminate theropod remains.{{Failed verification|date=November 2025}} |- |[Dromaeosauridae](/source/Dromaeosauridae){{Cite journal |last1=Wills |first1=S. |last2=Underwood |first2=C. J. |last3=Barrett |first3=P. M. |year=2023 |title=Machine learning confirms new records of maniraptoran theropods in Middle Jurassic UK microvertebrate faunas |journal=Papers in Palaeontology |volume=9 |issue=2 |at=e1487 |doi=10.1002/spp2.1487|doi-access=free }} |Indeterminate | * Oxfordshire | * [Kirtlington Quarry](/source/Kirtlington_Quarry) |"Teeth" |Remains represent three species. Same species also present in the [Chipping Norton Limestone](/source/Chipping_Norton_Limestone). Other authors have questioned the attribution to dromaeosaurs.{{Cite journal |last=Yu |first=Yilun |last2=Yi |first2=Hongyu |last3=Wang |first3=Shiying |last4=Pei |first4=Rui |last5=Zhang |first5=Chi |last6=Xu |first6=Xing |date=December 1, 2023 |title=A Jurassic Tibetan theropod tooth reveals dental convergency and its implication for identifying fragmentary fossils |url=https://www.the-innovation.org/en/article/doi/10.59717/j.xinn-geo.2023.100040 |journal=The Innovation Geoscience |language=en |volume=1 |issue=3 |pages=100040–10 |doi=10.59717/j.xinn-geo.2023.100040 |issn=2959-8753|doi-access=free }} |- | ''[Marmarospondylus](/source/Marmarospondylus)'' | | | |Dorsal verebra |Dubious genus of sauropod |- | rowspan="2" style="background:#f3e9f3;" | ''[Megalosaurus](/source/Megalosaurus)''Weishampel, et al. (2004). Pages 539-540. |style="background:#f3e9f3;" | ''M. bucklandii''"10.3 Gloucestershire, England; 4. Forest Marble Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 538. |style="background:#f3e9f3;" | * Gloucestershire |style="background:#f3e9f3;" | | | |- |style="background:#f3e9f3;" | Indeterminate"10.7 Dorset, England; 2. Forest Marble Formation" and "10.11 Oxfordshire, England; 6. Forest Marble Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Pages 539-540. |style="background:#f3e9f3;" | * Dorset"10.7 Dorset, England; 2. Forest Marble Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 539. * Oxfordshire |style="background:#f3e9f3;" | |style="background:#f3e9f3;" | |style="background:#f3e9f3;" | Actually indeterminate theropod remains. |- |''[Proceratosaurus](/source/Proceratosaurus)'' |''P. bradleyi'' | * Gloucestershire'''' | | |A [proceratosaurid](/source/Proceratosauridae) [theropod](/source/Theropoda). The geological formation that this species comes from is disputed, and other authors have attributed the strata to the [White Limestone Formation](/source/White_Limestone_Formation).{{cite web |last=Carrano |first=Matthew |date=2004 |title=Minchinhampton reservoir (BMNH R4860) (Jurassic of the United Kingdom) |url=https://paleobiodb.org/classic/basicCollectionSearch?collection_no=45883&is_real_user=1 |website=The Paleobiology Database}} |- |} === Amphibians === {| class="wikitable" align="center" width="100%" |- ! colspan="7" align="center" |'''[Amphibian](/source/Amphibian)s reported from the Forest Marble Formation''' |- ! Genus ! Species ! Location ! Stratigraphic position ! Material ! Notes ! Images |- |''[Anoualerpeton](/source/Anoualerpeton)'' |''A. priscus'' |Kirtlington | | |[Albanerpetontid](/source/Albanerpetontidae) | |- |''"[Eodiscoglossus](/source/Eodiscoglossus)"'' |''"E." oxoniensis'' |Kirtlington | | |[Frog](/source/Frog), probably not closely related to type species of genus. |[[File:Eodiscoglossus NT.jpg|thumb|center|200px|''[Eodiscoglossus](/source/Eodiscoglossus)'']] |- |''[Marmorerpeton](/source/Marmorerpeton)'' |''M. kermacki,'' ''M. freemani'' |Kirtlington, Watton Cliff | | |[Neotenic](/source/Neotonic_Software) stem-group [salamander](/source/salamander) ([Caudata](/source/Caudata)) belonging to [Karauridae](/source/Karauridae) |center|thumb|Skull reconstruction of the closely related ''Marmorerpeton wakei'' |- |[Caudata](/source/Caudata) |Indeterminate |Kirtlington | | |2 distinct taxa, one common one small, referred to as Kirtlington Salamander A and B, respectively | |} === Turtles === {| class="wikitable" align="center" width="100%" |- ! colspan="7" align="center" |'''[Turtle](/source/Turtle)s reported from the Forest Marble Formation''' |- ! Genus ! Species ! Location ! Stratigraphic position ! Material ! Notes ! Images |- |[Paracryptodira](/source/Paracryptodira){{Cite journal|last=Scheyer|first=Torsten M.|last2=Anquetin|first2=Jérémy|date=March 2008|title=Bone histology of the Middle Jurassic turtle shell remains from Kirtlington, Oxfordshire, England|journal=Lethaia|volume=41|issue=1|pages=85–96|doi=10.1111/j.1502-3931.2007.00044.x|issn=0024-1164|url=http://osf.io/kejz5/}} |Indeterminate |Kirtlington | |Shell fragments, [basisphenoid](/source/Sphenoid_bone) | | |} === Choristoderes === {| class="wikitable" align="center" width="100%" |- ! colspan="7" align="center" |'''[Choristoderes](/source/Choristodera) reported from the Forest Marble Formation''' |- ! Genus ! Species ! Location ! Stratigraphic position ! Material ! Notes ! Images |- |''[Cteniogenys](/source/Cteniogenys)'' |Indeterminate |Kirtlington | | |A small, lizard like [choristoderan](/source/Choristodera). Oldest record of the group | |} === Pterosaurs === {| class="wikitable" align="center" width="100%" |- ! colspan="7" align="center" |'''[Choristoderes](/source/Choristodera) reported from the Forest Marble Formation''' |- ! Genus ! Species ! Location ! Stratigraphic position ! Material ! Notes ! Images |- |"[Rhamphorhynchoidea](/source/Rhamphorhynchoidea)" |Indeteriminate |Kirtlington | | | | |} === Lepidosauromorphs === {| class="wikitable" align="center" width="100%" |- ! colspan="7" align="center" |'''[Lepidosauromorphs](/source/Lepidosauromorpha) reported from the Forest Marble Formation''' |- ! Genus ! Species ! Location ! Stratigraphic position ! Material ! Notes ! Images |- |''[Balnealacerta](/source/Balnealacerta)'' |''B. silvestris'' |Kirtlington | | |[Scincomorph](/source/Scincomorpha) lizard | |- |''[Bellairsia](/source/Bellairsia)'' |''B. gracillis'' |Kirtlington | | |[Squamate](/source/Squamate) |center|frameless |- |''[Eophis](/source/Eophis)'' |''E. underwoodi'' |Kirtlington | | |Stem-[snake](/source/snake) | |- |''[Marmoretta](/source/Marmoretta)'' |''M. oxoniensis'' |Kirtlington | | |Basal [Lepidosauromorph](/source/Lepidosauromorpha) |center|frameless |- |''[Oxiella](/source/Oxiella)'' |''O. tenuis'' |Kirtlington | | |Squamate | |- |''[Parviraptor](/source/Parviraptor)'' |''cf. estesi'' |Kirtlington | | |Stem-snake | |- |''[Saurillodon](/source/Saurillodon)'' |''S. marmorensis'' |Kirtlington | | |[Paramacellodid](/source/Paramacellodidae) lizard | |- |[Rhynchocephalia](/source/Rhynchocephalia) |Indeterminate |Kirtlington | | | | |} === Crocodyliformes === {| class="wikitable" align="center" width="100%" |- ! colspan="7" align="center" |'''[Crocodyliformes](/source/Crocodyliformes) reported from the Forest Marble Formation''' |- ! Genus ! Species ! Location ! Stratigraphic position ! Material ! Notes ! Images |- |''cf. [Goniopholis](/source/Goniopholis)'' |Indeterminate |Kirtlington | | | |[[File:Goniopholis BW.jpg|thumb|center|200px|''[Goniopholis](/source/Goniopholis)'']] |- |''cf. [Theriosuchus](/source/Theriosuchus)'' |Indeterminate |Kirtlington | | | | |} === Mammaliamorphs === {| class="wikitable" align="center" width="100%" |- ! colspan="7" align="center" |[Mammaliamorphs](/source/Mammaliaformes) '''reported from the Forest Marble Formation''' |- ! Genus ! Species ! Location ! Stratigraphic position ! Material ! Notes ! Images |- |''[Amphitherium](/source/Amphitherium)'' |Indeterminate |?Kirtlington, Watton Cliff | | |The first Mesozoic mammal to be described. Initially believed to be a marsupial. Close relative of ''[Palaeoxonodon](/source/Palaeoxonodon)'' and [Peramuridae](/source/Peramuridae). | | |- |''[Borealestes](/source/Borealestes)'' |''B. serendipitus'' |Kirtlington, Watton Cliff | |molar fragments | rowspan="2" |[Docodonta](/source/Docodonta) | |- |''[Dobunnodon](/source/Dobunnodon)'' |''B. mussetti'' |Kirtlington | |molar fragments | |- |''[Gobiconodon](/source/Gobiconodon)'' |''G. bathoniensis'' |Kirtlington, Watton Cliff | | |[Gobiconodontid](/source/Gobiconodontidae) | |- |''[Hahnotherium](/source/Hahnotherium)'' |''H. antiquum'' |Kirtlington, Watton Cliff | | |[Multituberculate](/source/Multituberculata) | |- |''[Kermackodon](/source/Kermackodon)'' |''K. multicuspis, K. oxfordensis'' |Kirtlington, Watton Cliff | | |[Allotherian](/source/Allotherian) belonging to the family [Kermackodontidae](/source/Kermackodontidae), ''K. oxfordensis'' previously placed in separate genus ''Eleutherodon.'' |center|frameless |- |''[Kirtlingtonia](/source/Kirtlingtonia)'' |''K. catenata'' |Kirtlington | | |[Haramiyid](/source/Haramiyida) | |- |''[Krusatodon](/source/Krusatodon)'' |''K. kirtlingtonensis'' |Kirtlington | | |[Tegotheriid](/source/Tegotheriidae) docodontan | |- |''[Millsodon](/source/Millsodon)'' |''M. superstes'' |Kirtlington, Watton Cliff | | |Haramiyid | |- |''[Morganucodon](/source/Morganucodon)'' |''M. tardus'' |Watton Cliff | | |[Morganucodontidae](/source/Morganucodonta) |[[File:Morganucodon.jpg|thumb|center|200px|''[Morganucodon](/source/Morganucodon)'']] |- |''[Palaeoxonodon](/source/Palaeoxonodon)'' |''P. ooliticus'' |Kirtlington, Watton Cliff | | |[Amphitheriid](/source/Amphitheriida) |center|frameless |- |''[Paritatodon](/source/Paritatodon)'' |''P. kermacki'' |Kirtlington | | |Docodontan or [Shuotheriidae](/source/Shuotheriidae) | |- |''[Peraiocynodon](/source/Peraiocynodon)'' |''P. major'' |Kirtlington | | |[Docodontidae](/source/Docodontidae) | |- |''[Phascolotherium](/source/Phascolotherium)'' |''P. simpsoni'' |Kirtlington, Watton Cliff | | |[Amphilestidae](/source/Amphilestidae) | |- |''[Simpsonodon](/source/Simpsonodon)'' |''S. oxfordensis'' |Kirtlington | | |Docodonta | |- |''[Shuotherium](/source/Shuotherium)'' |Indeterminate |Kirtington | | |Shuotheriidae | |- |''[Stereognathus](/source/Stereognathus)'' |''S. ooliticus'' |Kirtlington, Watton Cliff | | |[Tritylodontidae](/source/Tritylodontidae) | |- |''[Stylidens](/source/Stylidens)'' |''S. hookeri'' |Watton Cliff | | |Morganucodontidae | |- |''[Wareolestes](/source/Wareolestes)'' |''W. rex'' |Kirtlington | | |Morganucodonta | |- |[Allotheria](/source/Allotheria) |Indeterminate |Kirtlington | | | | |- |[Haramiyida](/source/Haramiyida) |Indeterminate |Kirtlington | | | | |- |[Dryolestida](/source/Dryolestida) |Indeterminate | | |Lower molars | | |- |[Peramuridae](/source/Peramuridae) |Indeterminate |Watton Cliff | | | | |} ==See also== {{Portal|Earth sciences|Paleontology|Dinosaurs||}} * [List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations](/source/List_of_dinosaur-bearing_rock_formations) * [Bradford Clay](/source/Bradford_Clay) ==Footnotes== {{Reflist}} ==References== * Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. 861 pp. {{ISBN|0-520-24209-2}}. Category:Geologic formations of England Category:Middle Jurassic Europe Category:Jurassic England Category:Bathonian Stage Category:Jurassic System of Europe --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Forest Marble Formation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_Marble_Formation) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_Marble_Formation?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.