Winton Formation

Winton Formation
Winton Formation
Stratigraphic range: Late Albian-Early Turonian; ~104–92 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Strata of the Winton Formation exposed at Lark Quarry
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	Rolling Downs Group
Underlies	Unconformity with Quaternary Lake Eyre Basin sediments
Overlies	Mackunda Formation, Oodndatta Formation
Thickness	<100 m (330 ft) at the margin; 1,200 m (3,900 ft) in the centre
Lithology
Primary	Sandstone, siltstone, claystone
Other	Conglomerate, coal
Location
Coordinates	22°18′S 143°06′E / 22.3°S 143.1°E
Approximate paleocoordinates	51°48′S 134°06′E / 51.8°S 134.1°E
Region	Queensland
Country	Australia
Extent	Eromanga Basin
Type section
Named for	Winton, Queensland
Named by	Whitehouse
Location	Bores in and around Winton
Year defined	1955
	; Map showing the extent of the Winton Formaiton within Queensland, and in the vicinity of the town of Winton specifically

TypeGeological formation

Unit ofRolling Downs Group

UnderliesUnconformity with Quaternary Lake Eyre Basin sediments

OverliesMackunda Formation,^[1] Oodndatta Formation

The Winton Formation is a Cretaceous geological formation in central-western Queensland, Australia. It is late Albian to early Turonian in age.^[2] The formation blankets large areas of central-western Queensland. It consists of sedimentary rocks such as sandstone, siltstone and claystone. The sediments that make up these rocks represent the remnants of the river plains that filled the basin left by the Eromanga Sea - an inland sea that covered large parts of Queensland and central Australia at least four times during the Early Cretaceous period. Great meandering rivers, forest pools and swamps, creeks, lakes and coastal estuaries all left behind different types of sediment.

In some areas, the Winton Formation is over 400 metres thick. To bring with them such a huge amount of sediment, the rivers that flowed across these plains must have been comparable in size to the present-day Amazon or Mississippi rivers. As more and more sediment was brought in, the margins of the inland sea slowly contracted. By around 95 million years ago, the deposition was complete and the inland sea would never be seen again.

By virtue of its age and the environmental conditions under which the rocks it consists of were deposited, the Winton Formation represents one of the richest sources of dinosaur fossils anywhere in Australia.

[1]

[2]

Mollusca of the Winton Formation
Taxa	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Melanoides^[3]	Indeterminate
Hyridella^[3]	H (Protohyridella). goodiwindiensis
Hyridella^[3]	H. macmichaeli
Megalovirgus^[3]	M.wintonensis
Pledgia^[3]	P. eyrensis

Arthropods of the Winton Formation
Taxa	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Oribatida?^[3]	Indeterminate
Odonata^[3]	Indeterminate
Mecoptera^[3]	Indeterminate
Coleoptera^[3]	Indeterminate

Chondrichthyes of the Winton Formation
Taxa	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Selachii^[3]	Indeterminate			A shark^[3]

Dipnoi of the Winton Formation
Taxa	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Metaceratodus^[4]	M. bonei		Isolated tooth plates	Lungfish belonging to the extinct family Ceratodontidae
	M. ellioti
	M. wollastoni

Actinopterygii of the Winton Formation
Taxa	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Cladocyclus^[5]	C. geddesi		Nearly complete skull and partial skeleton

Winton Formation

Mollusca

Arthropods

Chondrichthyes

Dipnoi

Actinopterygii

Squamates

Chelidae

Sauropterygia

Crocodyliformes

Dinosaurs

Ornithischians

Sauropods

Theropods

Pterosaurs

Therapsida

Flora

See also

References

Related Articles

Related Articles

"A new giant sauropod, Australotitan cooperensis gen. et sp. nov., from the mid-Cretaceous of Australia"

"A dolichosaurid lizard from the latest Albian (mid-Cretaceous) Winton Formation, Queensland, Australia"

"Reappraisal of sauropod dinosaur diversity in the Upper Cretaceous Winton Formation of Queensland, Australia, through 3D digitisation and description of new specimens"

"New Mid-Cretaceous (Latest Albian) Dinosaurs from Winton, Queensland, Australia"

"New Australian sauropods shed light on Cretaceous dinosaur palaeobiogeography"

"New theropod remains and implications for megaraptorid diversity in the Winton Formation (lower Upper Cretaceous), Queensland, Australia"

"Ferrodraco lentoni gen. et sp. nov., a new ornithocheirid pterosaur from the Winton Formation (Cenomanian–lower Turonian) of Queensland, Australia"

"The Winton Formation flora (Albian–Cenomanian, Eromanga Basin): implications for vascular plant diversification and decline in the Australian Cretaceous"

"Emwadea microcarpa gen. et sp. nov.—anatomically preserved araucarian seed cones from the Winton Formation (late Albian), western Queensland, Australia"

Squamates of the Winton Formation
Taxa	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Varanoidea^[6]	Indeterminate		A damaged posterior trunk vertebra	Originally considered as dolichosaurid (cf. Coniasaurus),^[7] but reassigned

Ornithischians of the Winton Formation
Taxa	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Amblydactylus	A. gethingi	Lark Quarry.	Multiple footprints.
Ankylosauria^[9]	Indeterminate		Three isolated teeth from left and right dentary and right maxilla
Neornithischia	Indeterminate		Tooth^[10]
Ornithopoda^[8]	Indeterminate		Digested remains associated with the holotype of Confractosuchus^[8]
Ornithopoda	Undescribed		A nearly complete skull and mandible and at least three partial postcranial skeletons.^[11]	Small-bodied, recovered as part of "Elasmaria"
Wintonopus	W. latomorum	Snake Creek and Lark Quarry track site.	Footprints.	An ornithopod.

Sauropods of the Winton Formation
Taxa	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Australotitan^[3]	A. cooperensis		A partial scapula, humeri, ulna, pubes, ischia, femora, presacral vertebral centrum fragments, and rib fragments.	A large diamantinasaurian sauropod that possesses a mosaic of features shared with titanosaurians with similar geographical and temporal range. Possibly a junior synonym of Diamantinasaurus.^[12]
Diamantinasaurus^[13]	D. matildae^[13]		A squamosal, quadrates, braincase, surangular, atlas intercentrum axis, cervical vertebrae, middle cervical neural arch, co-ossified sacral centra, cervical ribs, dorsal vertebrae, numerous dorsal ribs, fragmentary gastralia, coalesced sacral vertebrae, isolated sacral processes, scapula, coracoid, partial sternal plate, humeri, ulnae, radius, metacarpals I–V, manual phalanges, ilium, pubes, both ischia, femur, tibia, fibula, astragalus, and numerous fragments.	A diamantinasaurian sauropod known from partial cranial material.
Savannasaurus^[14]	S. elliottorum^[14]		Posterior cervical vertebrae, cervical ribs, dorsal vertebrae, dorsal ribs, sacral vertebrae with processes, partial caudal vertebrae, fragmentary scapula, coracoid, sternal plates, incomplete humeri, shattered ulna, radius, metacarpals I–V, metacarpal IV, manual phalanges, fragments of ilia, pubes, ischia, astragalus, metatarsal III, and associated fragments.	A wide-bodied sauropod that was well adapted to the wet, temperate floodplain environment it inhabited.
Sauropoda^[8]	Indeterminate		Poorly preserved remains associated with the holotype of Confractosuchus^[8]
Titanosauriformes	Undescribed		Partial skull, consisting of a braincase, quadrates, quadratojugals, a left squamosal, postorbitals, and several unprepared elements. associated with a hind limb^[15]
Wintonotitan^[13]	W. wattsi^[13]		A scapula, both humeri, both ulnae, both radii, near complete metacarpus preserving complete metacarpals II–V with proximal half of metacarpal I, fragmentary dorsal and sacral vertebrae and ribs, partial ilium, ischium, caudal vertebral series including anterior caudals, middle caudals, posterior caudals, proximal chevrons, and numerous unidentifiable fragments.	A titanosaur that is likely to be closely related to Australotitan, Diamantinasaurus and Savannasaurus.

Theropods of the Winton Formation
Taxa	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Australovenator^[13]	A. wintonensis		Dentaries, dorsal ribs and rib fragments, gastralial ribs and fragments, partial ilium, ulnae, radius, manus metacarpals, unguals, femur, tibiae, fibula, astragalus, metatarsals, pedal phalanges, humeri, radiale, distal carpal, and manual phalanxes.	A megaraptoran theropod known from postcranial and cranial material.
Megaraptoridae^[16]	Indeterminate		A partial skeleton, consisting of caudal vertebrae, metatarsals, a phalanx, and numerous unidentifiable fragments. Stated to be larger than Australovenator.