This is a list of stratigraphic units from which dinosaur body fossils have been recovered. Although Dinosauria is a clade which includes modern birds, this article covers only Mesozoic stratigraphic units. Units listed are all either formation rank or higher (e.g. group).
By diversity
Here the units are sorted by the number of genera that have been reported as being represented in their respective fossil yields. Since the creation or synonymy of genera can be subjective, the sorting of the units can only roughly approximate their known paleobiodiversities.
>10
| Name | Age | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campanian | |||
| Santonian | |||
| has a few alternate spellings | |||
| Campanian | |||
Cenomanian to Santonian[4] | has many alternate spellings | ||
Barremian to basal Cenomanian | |||
| Aptian-Cenomanian | |||
Middle Campanian[8] | has many alternate spellings | ||
| Norian to Sinemurian | |||
| Late Maastrichtian[11] | |||
Late Maastrichtian[12] | |||
Late Maastrichtian[13] | |||
Early Maastrichtian[14] | |||
| Cenomanian | |||
?Campanian[15] | |||
| Campanian | |||
Kimmeridgian to Late Tithonian[18] | |||
| Late Maastrichtian | |||
Late Maastrichtian[22] | |||
Late Maastrichtian[23] | |||
| late Kimmeridgian-earliest Berriasian | |||
| Hettangian | |||
| Kimmeridgian to Early Tithonian | |||
| Maastrichtian | |||
Early Maastrichtian[26] | has a few alternate spellings | ||
Callovian[28] | |||
| Campanian | |||
Late Maastrichtian[30] | |||
| Callovian-Oxfordian | |||
| Maastrichtian-Thanetian | |||
| Norian-Rhaetian | |||
| Campanian | |||
Early Campanian to Late Maastrichtian | |||
Barremian[35] | |||
6-10
| Name | Age | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
Late Cretaceous [39][40] | |||
Kimmeridgian[42] | |||
Cenomanian to Coniacian[47] | |||
| Candeleros Formation | |||
Sinemurian[52] | |||
Late Aptian[53] | |||
Late Aptian[55] | |||
Campanian[57] | |||
Early Maastrichtian[58] | |||
Carnian[60] | |||
Campanian[64] | |||
Early Campanian[65] | |||
Late Maastrichtian[69] | |||
Hauterivian to Valanginian[70] | |||
1-5
| Name | Age | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late Cretaceous[71] | |||
| Dorotea Formation | Late Cretaceous | ||
Late Sinemurian to Early Pliensbachian | |||
Sinemurian to Pliensbachian | |||
Barremian[82] | |||
Norian[83] | |||
| Toqui Formation | |||
| Udurchukan Formation | Maastrichtian |  Russia | |
Turonian | |||
Cenomanian[85] | |||
| Zhoutian Formation[86] | Turonian–early Coniacian |  China | |
Indeterminate
This list includes stratigraphic units that have produced dinosaur remains, although none of these remains have been referred to a specific genus.
| Name | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
 USA | Description | |
Description | ||
Description | ||
Description | ||
Description | ||
Description | ||
Description | ||
Description | ||
By preservation
Bone beds and mass graves
| Name | Age | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jurassic |
Lagerstatten
| Name | Age | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
Kimmeridgian[115] | |||
See also
Footnotes
References
- Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. 861 pp. ISBN 0-520-24209-2.