Baynunah Formation
{{Infobox rockunit
| name = Baynunah Formation
| image =
| caption =
| type = Geological formation
| age = Late Miocene
~{{fossil range|8.0|6.0}}
| period = Miocene
| prilithology = Sandstone, conglomerate
| otherlithology =
| namedfor =
| namedby =
| region = Al Gharbia
| country = {{UAE}}
| coordinates = {{coord|24|1|48|N|53|2|18|E|region:AE|display=inline,title}}
| paleocoordinates =
| unitof =
| subunits =
| underlies = Shuwaihat Formation
| overlies =
| thickness =
| extent =
| area =
| map = {{Location map+ | United Arab Emirates
| map_caption =
| relief = 1
| width = 250
| float = center
| places =
{{Location map~ | United Arab Emirates
| lat_deg = 24.03
| lon_deg = 53.038333
| mark = yellow pog.svg
| marksize = 12
}}
}}
}}
The Baynunah Formation is a palaeontological formation located in the western region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. It dates to the Upper Miocene epoch of the Neogene period{{citation |work=Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi |title=Annual Report 2017 |volume=1: Culture |pages=28–29 |format=pdf |url=https://tcaabudhabi.ae/DataFolder/reports/2017%20Annual%20report%20-%20EN.pdf#page=27 |year=2017 |access-date=2019-03-09}} in the Cenozoic Era.
Geology
Fauna
Fossils of the hippopotamus genus Archaeopotamus have been found in the formation{{cite web |last1=Boisserie |first1=Jean-Renaud |last2=Schuster |first2=Mathieu |last3=Beech |first3=Mark |last4=Hill |first4=Andrew |last5=Bibi |first5=Faysal |title=A New Species of Hippopotamine (Cetartiodactyla, Hippopotamidae) from the Late Miocene Baynunah Formation, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |url=https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Adult-mandibles-of-Archaeopotamus-qeshta-nov-sp-from-the-Baynunah-Formation-Abu-Dhabi_fig3_315974811}}Bibi, F., Hill, A., Beech, M., & Yasin, W. (2013). Late Miocene Fossils from the Baynunah Formation, United Arab Emirates. Fossil Mammals of Asia, 583–594. https://doi.org/10.7312/COLUMBIA/9780231150125.003.0027 Antoine Louchart, Faysal Bibi, John Stewart. Birds from the Baynunah Formation. Sands of Time, Springer International Publishing; Springer International Publishing, pp.125-139, 2022, Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology, ⟨10.1007/978-3-030-83883-6_9⟩. ⟨hal-04025279⟩Bibi, Faysal. (2022). Bovidae and Giraffidae from the Baynunah Formation. 10.1007/978-3-030-83883-6_14.
= Birds =
| class="wikitable sortable" align="center" width="75%" | ||||||
| Taxa | Species | Locality | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diamantornis
|D. laini | Jaw al Dibsa (DBS 2), Hamra (HMR 1, 3, 5), Hadwaniyya (HAD 4, 5, 6), Harmiyyah (HAR 3, 4), Jebel Barakah (JBR 2), Kihal (KIH 3), Ras al Qal’a (RAQ 1, 2), Gerain al Aysh (GAA 3, 4, 8), Ras Dubay’ah (RDB 4), Ruwais (RUW), Shuwaihat (SHU 2, 3, 4, 8), and Umm Al Khabir (UAK 1) | | Multiple collected specimens. | An extinct Ratite bird | | ||||||
| Struthio
|S. cf. karatheodoris | Kihal 2 | | A pelvis, almost complete except for the pubic symphysis region. | | | ||||||
| Phalacrocorax
|P. sp. | | | A proximal left carpometacarpus, distal right tarsometatarsus, and a tentatively referred proximal right humerus fragment. | | |
= Mammals =
== Artiodactyls ==
=== Bovids ===
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| Taxa | Species | Locality | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afrotragus
|A. libycus | GAA2 and HAD3. | |Right frontlet withhorn core and left frontlet with horn core. | | | ||||||
| Miotragocerus
|M. cyrenaicus | GAA2, JBR2, GAA7, HMR1, HMR5, and SHU4. | | A partial cranium, horn cores, partial vertebra, partial left lower m1 or m2, and upper molar or premolar fragment. | An early bovinae. | | ||||||
| Pachyportax
| P. latidens | GAA2, GAA7, HMR5, and SHU4. | | | | | ||||||
| Prostrepsiceros
|P. vinayaki | SHU2 | | A basal left horn core. | | |
=== Giraffids ===
| class="wikitable sortable" align="center" width="75%" | ||||||
| Taxa | Species | Locality | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paleotragus
|''P. aff. germaini | locality SHU4 | | A partial skeleton with partial left maxilla. | An early Opaki-like giraffid. | | ||||||
| Samotherium
|S. cf. sp. | | | An upper molar fragment. | An early giraffid. | |
=== Hippotamids ===
| class="wikitable sortable" align="center" width="75%" | ||||||
| Taxa | Species | Locality | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| rowspan = "2"|Archaeopotamus
|A. lothagamensis | | | | | | ||||||
| A. qeshta
| | | | | |
=== Suidae ===
| class="wikitable sortable" align="center" width="75%" | ||||||
| Taxa | Species | Locality | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nyanzachoerus
| N. syrticus | | | | | ||||||
| Propotamochoerus
|P. hysudricus | | | | |
== Carnivorans ==
| class="wikitable sortable" align="center" width="75%" | ||||||
| Taxa | Species | Locality | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plesiogulo
| P. praecocidens | | | | | |
== Perissodactyls ==
| class="wikitable sortable" align="center" width="75%" | ||||||
| Taxa | Species | Locality | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hipparion
|H. abudhabiense | | | | | |
== Primates ==
| class="wikitable sortable" align="center" width="75%" | ||||||
| Taxa | Species | Locality | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|
== Proboscideans ==
| class="wikitable sortable" align="center" width="75%" | ||||||
| Taxa | Species | Locality | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stegotetrabelodon
| S. emiratus | | | | A primitive elephantid. | ||||||
| Tetralophodon
|Indeterminate | | | | A gomphothere. | | ||||||
| Gomphotheriidae
| Indeterminate. | | | | A gomphothere. | | ||||||
| Deinotherium{{Citation |last=Sanders |first=William J. |title=Proboscidea from the Baynunah Formation |date=2022 |work=Sands of Time |series=Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology |pages=141–177 |editor-last=Bibi |editor-first=Faysal |url=https://osf.io/preprints/paleorxiv/6u59d |access-date=2024-01-03 |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-83883-6_10 |isbn=978-3-030-83882-9 |editor2-last=Kraatz |editor2-first=Brian |editor3-last=Beech |editor3-first=Mark J. |editor4-last=Hill |editor4-first=Andrew}}
|D. aff. bozasi | | | |A deinotheriid | |
== Rodents ==
| class="wikitable sortable" align="center" width="75%" | ||||||
| Taxa | Species | Locality | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abudhabia
|A. baynunensis | | | | | | ||||||
| Dendromus
|D. sp | | | | | | ||||||
| Jebelus
| J. rex | | | | | | ||||||
| Myocricetodon
|M. sp | | | | | | ||||||
| Parapelomys
|P. cf. charkhensis | | | | | | ||||||
| Protohummus
|P. dango | | | | | |
=Fish=
| class="wikitable" | ||
| Taxon | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Bagrus{{cite book |last1=Otera |first1=Olga |title=Home Sands of Time Chapter Fishes from the Baynunah Formation |publisher=Springer International Publishing |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-83883-6_7|url=http://paleorxiv.org/m3gcx/ }} | ||
| Clarias | At least two species (possibly 3) | |
| Labeobarbus | Cyprinid | |
| ?Capoeta | Probably Capoeta | |
| Cichlidae | "African chichlid" (at least one species) | |
| Percomorpha | Intermediate | |
| Pristidae | ||
| Dasyatidae |
= Stegotetrabelodon footprints =
Footprints attributed to Stegotetrabelodon have been found in the formation.{{cite book |last1=Bibi |first1=Faysal |last2=Kraatz |first2=Brian |last3=Beech |first3=Mark |last4=Hill |first4=Andrew |title=Sands of Time |chapter=Fossil Trackways of the Baynunah Formation |series=Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology |date=2022 |pages=283–298 |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-83883-6_17 |isbn=978-3-030-83882-9 |chapter-url=http://paleorxiv.org/uekfw/ }}
See also
- {{C|Cenozoic Asia}}
- {{C|Paleontological sites of Asia}}
- History of the United Arab Emirates
- List of fossil sites
References
{{reflist}}
Further reading
- {{aut|Vickers-Rich, Patricia & Rich, Thomas Hewett}} (1993); Wildlife of Gondwana. Reed. {{ISBN|0-7301-0315-3}}
Category:Geology of the United Arab Emirates
Category:Geologic formations of Asia
Category:Neogene System of Asia
Category:Western Region, Abu Dhabi
Category:Paleontology in the United Arab Emirates
{{UnitedArabEmirates-stub}}
{{Asia-geologic-formation-stub}}