Middle Jurassic

Middle Jurassic
174.7 ± 0.8 – 161.5 ± 1.0 Ma
A map of the world 170 million years ago during the Middle Jurassic Epoch, Bajocian Age
Chronology
Etymology
Name formalityFormal
Usage information
Celestial bodyEarth
Regional usageGlobal (ICS)
Time scale(s) usedICS Time Scale
Definition
Chronological unitEpoch
Stratigraphic unitSeries
Time span formalityFormal
Lower boundary definitionFAD of the Ammonites Leioceras opalinum and Leioceras lineatum
Lower boundary GSSPFuentelsaz, Spain
41°10′15″N 1°50′00″W / 41.1708°N 1.8333°W / 41.1708; -1.8333
Lower GSSP ratified2000[2]
Upper boundary definitionNot formally defined
Upper boundary definition candidatesHorizon of Ammonite Cardioceras redcliffense.
Upper boundary GSSP candidate section(s)
Middle Jurassic strata of the San Rafael Group, Colorado Plateau.

The Middle Jurassic is the second epoch of the Jurassic Period. It lasted from about 174.1 to 161.5 million years ago. Fossils of land-dwelling animals, such as dinosaurs, from the Middle Jurassic are relatively rare,[3] but geological formations containing land animal fossils include the Forest Marble Formation in England, the Kilmaluag Formation in Scotland,[4] the Calcaire de Caen of France,[5] the Daohugou Beds in China, the Itat Formation in Russia, the Tiouraren Formation of Niger,[6] and the Isalo III Formation of western Madagascar.

  1. ^ "International Chronostratigraphic Chart" (PDF). International Commission on Stratigraphy.
  2. ^ Cresta, S.; Goy, A.; Arias, C.; Barrón, E.; Bernad, J.; Canales, M.; García-Joral, F.; García-Romero, E; Gialanella, P.; Gómez, J.; González, J.; Herrero, C.; Martínez2, G.; Osete, M.; Perilli, N.; Villalaín, J. (September 2001). "The Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) of the Toarcian-Aalenian Boundary (Lower-Middle Jurassic)" (PDF). Episodes. 24 (3): 166–175. doi:10.18814/epiiugs/2001/v24i3/003. Retrieved 13 December 2020.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Clark, James (June 2009). "Evolutionary Transitions Among Dinosaurs: Examples from the Jurassic of China". Evolution: Education and Outreach. 2 (2): 243–244. doi:10.1007/s12052-009-0137-0.
  4. ^ British Geological Survey. 2011. Stratigraphic framework for the Middle Jurassic strata of Great Britain and the adjoining continental shelf: research report RR/11/06. British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham.
  5. ^ Allain, Ronan (24 August 2010). "Discovery of megalosaur (Dinosauria, Theropoda) in the middle Bathonian of Normandy (France) and its implications for the phylogeny of basal Tetanurae". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 22 (3): 548–563. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2002)022[0548:DOMDTI]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 85751613. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  6. ^ Rauhut; Lopez-Arbarello (15 January 2009). "Considerations on the age of the Tiouaren Formation (Iullemmeden Basin, Niger, Africa): Implications for Gondwanan Mesozoic terrestrial vertebrate faunas". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 271 (3–4): 259–267. Bibcode:2009PPP...271..259R. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2008.10.019. Retrieved 12 April 2023.