Fremouw Formation | |
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Stratigraphic range: latest Permian-early Late Triassic | |
Type | Geological formation |
Unit of | Beacon Supergroup |
Sub-units | Lower, middle, upper |
Underlies | Falla Formation |
Overlies | Buckley Formation |
Thickness | up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) |
Lithology | |
Primary | Sandstone, siltstone, mudstone |
Location | |
Coordinates | 84°00′00″S 165°00′00″E / 84.0000°S 165.0000°E |
Approximate paleocoordinates | 81°48′S 69°48′E / 81.8°S 69.8°E |
Region | Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica |
Type section | |
Named for | Fremouw Peak, Queen Alexandra Range, Antarctica.[1] |
Named by | P. J. Barrett[1] |
The Fremouw Formation is a Triassic-age rock formation in the Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica. It contains the oldest known fossils of tetrapods from Antarctica, including synapsids, reptiles and amphibians. Fossilized trees have also been found. The formation's beds were deposited along the banks of rivers and on floodplains. During the Triassic, the area would have been a riparian forest at 70–75°S latitude.