Bemaraha Formation

Bemaraha Formation
Stratigraphic range: Early Bajocian-Early Bathonian ~170–168 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	Morondava Basin
Underlies	Sakaraha Formation
Overlies	Isalo III Formation
Lithology
Primary	Lime mudstone
Other	Grainstone, limestone
Location
Coordinates	19°12′S 45°00′E / 19.2°S 45.0°E / -19.2; 45.0
Approximate paleocoordinates	24°54′S 21°48′E / 24.9°S 21.8°E / -24.9; 21.8
Region	Morondava District, Menabe
Country	Madagascar
Extent	~300 km (190 mi)
Type section
Named for	Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park
class=notpageimage| Outcrops of the formation in Madagascar

The Bemaraha Formation is a Middle Jurassic (early Bajocian to early Bathonian) geological formation of the Morondava Basin of Madagascar. The lime mudstones, grainstones and limestones of the formation were deposited in lagoonal and reefal environments. Fossils of groups of invertebrates and theropod and sauropod tracks have been found in the formation.^[1] The Sahalaly River tracksite yielded a single trackway belonging to a quadrupedal dinosaur, possibly a sauropod.^[2] Sauropod tracks are rare, making up as little as 1 percent of the present sample. The best-preserved tracks are assigned to the ichnogenus Kayentapus.^[3]