Ruseifa phosphate mine: Maastrichtian, Jordan
collected 1950

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
unclassified
Lybicoceras ismaeli
Bardet and Pereda Suberbiola 2002
Reptilia
Dinosauria indet. Owen 1842
Frey and Martill 1996
    = Ornithopoda indet. Marsh 1881
Martill et al. 1996
Reptilia - Azhdarchidae
Titanopteryx philadelphiae n. gen., n. sp. Arambourg 1959
1 specimen
recombined as Arambourgiania philadelphiae
Univ. Jordan, Dept. Geol. VF-1 (holotype), cervical vertebra.
cf. Arambourgiania philadelphiae (Arambourg 1959)
Frey and Martill 1996 4 specimens
Two phalangeal fragments, cervical vertebra, limb fragment
Reptilia
Crocodyliformes indet. Hay 1930
Bardet and Pereda Suberbiola 2002
Tooth (MNHN 1960-20); originally referred to Crocodilus sp. (Arambourg et al. 1959)
Reptilia - Crocodylia
Crocodylia indet. (Owen 1842)
Frey and Martill 1996
Reptilia - Plesiosauria
Plesiosauria indet. de Blainville 1835
Frey and Martill 1996
Reptilia - Plesiosauria - Elasmosauridae
Elasmosauridae indet. Cope 1869
Bardet and Pereda Suberbiola 2002
Teeth (MNHN 1960-20), vertebrae (UD and JPMC uncatalogued) and two propodial bones (UD uncatalogued); the teeth were originally referred to Plesiosaurus mauritanicus (Arambourg et al. 1959)
Reptilia - Mosasauridae
Mosasauridae indet. Gervais 1852
Frey and Martill 1996
Prognathodon giganteus Dollo 1889
Bardet and Pereda Suberbiola 2002
Teeth (NHM R 5887; MNHN 1960-20; UD uncatalogued); previously described as Mosasaurus cf. anceps (Arambourg et al. 1959)
Globidens sp. Gilmore 1912
Bardet and Pereda Suberbiola 2002
Teeth (MNHN 1960-20, UD uncatalogued); previously described as Globidens fraasi (Avnimelech 1949) and Globidens aegyptiacus (Arambourg et al. 1959)
Halisaurus sp. Marsh 1869
Bardet and Pereda Suberbiola 2002
Tooth (MNHN 1960-20)
Platecarpus ptychodon Arambourg 1952
Bardet and Pereda Suberbiola 2002
nomen dubium belonging to Plioplatecarpinae
Teeth (MNHN 1960-20); also reported by Arambourg et al. (1959)
Reptilia - Testudines
Chelonioidea indet. (Baur 1893)
Bardet and Pereda Suberbiola 2002
Large costal plates and a cervical vertebra (JPMC uncatalogued)
Chelonia indet. (Latreille 1800)
Frey and Martill 1996
synonym of Testudines
Actinopteri
Teleostei indet. Müller 1846
Frey and Martill 1996
Actinopteri - Elopiformes - Phyllodontidae
Pseudoegertonia sp. Dartevelle and Casier 1949
Bardet and Pereda Suberbiola 2002
Actinopteri - Aulopiformes - Dercetidae
Stratodus apicalis Cope 1872
Bardet and Pereda Suberbiola 2002
Actinopteri - Aulopiformes - Enchodontidae
Enchodus elegans Dartevelle and Casier 1949
Bardet and Pereda Suberbiola 2002
Actinopteri - Tetraodontiformes - Eotrigonodontidae
Stephanodus libycus
Bardet and Pereda Suberbiola 2002
Actinopteri - Pycnodontiformes - Pycnodontidae
Pycnodontidae indet. (Agassiz 1833)
Bardet and Pereda Suberbiola 2002
Chondrichthyes
Elasmobranchii indet. Bonaparte 1838
Frey and Martill 1996
Chondrichthyes - Myliobatiformes - Rhombodontidae
Rhombodus binkhorsti Dames 1881
Cappetta et al. 2000
Chondrichthyes - Myliobatiformes - Dasyatidae
Dasyatidae indet. Jordan 1888
Cappetta et al. 2000
Chondrichthyes - Rajiformes - Sclerorhynchidae
Sclerorhynchidae indet. Capetta 1974
Cappetta et al. 2000
Chondrichthyes - Orectolobiformes
Orectolobiformes indet. Applegate 1972
Cappetta et al. 2000
Chondrichthyes - Orectolobiformes - Ginglymostomatidae
Plicatoscyllium sp. Case and Cappetta 1997
Bardet and Pereda Suberbiola 2002
Chondrichthyes - Lamniformes - Mitsukurinidae
Scapanorhynchus sp. Woodward 1889
Bardet and Pereda Suberbiola 2002
Chondrichthyes - Lamniformes - Otodontidae
Cretolamna sp. Glikman 1958
Cappetta et al. 2000
Cretolamna biauriculata (Wanner 1902)
Bardet and Pereda Suberbiola 2002
Cretolamna appendiculata (Agassiz 1835)
Zalmout and Mustafa 2001
recombined as Cretalamna appendiculata
Chondrichthyes - Lamniformes - Serratolamnidae
Serratolamna serrata (Agassiz 1838)
Zalmout and Mustafa 2001
Chondrichthyes - Lamniformes - Anacoracidae
Squalicorax bassanii
Bardet and Pereda Suberbiola 2002
Squalicorax africanus
Zalmout and Mustafa 2001
Squalicorax kaupi (Agassiz 1843)
Zalmout and Mustafa 2001
see common names

Geography
Country:Jordan
Coordinates: 32.0° North, 36.0° East (view map)
Paleocoordinates:16.2° North, 29.9° East
Basis of coordinate:based on political unit
Altitude:611 meters
Geographic resolution:local area
Time
Period:Cretaceous Epoch:Late/Upper Cretaceous
Stage:Maastrichtian 10 m.y. bin:Cretaceous 8
*Period:Late/Upper Cretaceous *Epoch:Senonian
Key time interval:Maastrichtian
Age range of interval:72.10000 - 66.00000 m.y. ago
* legacy (obsolete) database fields
Stratigraphy
Geological group:Balqa Formation:Phosphorite Unit
Local section:Ruseifa Local bed:I
Local order:bottom to top
Stratigraphic resolution:group of beds
Stratigraphy comments: lithostratigraphically defined unit, containing 4 main phosphate seams at Ruseifa. Entire unit is about 24 m thick, with lower seam (likely source bed of pterosaur) about 2 m thick. All phosphate beds yeild vertebrates.
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology:peloidal,shelly/skeletal phosphorite
Secondary lithology: "limestone"
Includes fossils?Y
Includes fossils?Y
Lithology description: "The phosphate rock...are pelletal phosphates rich in fragmentary bones and teeth. Shelly fossils only occur where relatively early diagenetic events, usually silicification, have cemented the rock. Beds above and below the phosphate horizons contain abundant bivalves and gastropods and indicate water depths of only a few metres."
Environment:shallow subtidal indet.
Geology comments: "In this mine (now closed), the Late Cretaceous phosphatic beds are well exposed
and are approximately 20-25 m thick. Four phosphatic horizons (Fig. 1, I to IV) separated by marls, limestones and cherts are recognisable (Bender 1968; Bandel & Mikbel 1985; Jallad et al. 1989), with all these horizons yielding vertebrate remains." (Bardet and Pereda Suberbiola, 2002)

"The Ruseifa Phosphates were deposited in a shallow sea, when the underlying Wadi Sir
Formation was eroded along an island chain that accompanied the Ruseifa fault and associated folds (Bandel & Mikbel 1985). A near-shore environment is suggested by the rare occurrence of dinosaur and pterosaur remains into the marine series." (Bardet and Pereda Suberbiola, 2002)
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body,trace,replaced with silica
Size of fossils:macrofossils
Preservation of anatomical detail:medium
Associated major elements:many
Disassociated major elements:many
Fragmentation:frequent
Collection methods and comments
Collection excludes:some genera,some macrofossils
Collection methods:selective quarrying,field collection
Reason for describing collection:taxonomic analysis
Collection dates:1950s
Metadata
Database number:13366
Authorizer:M. Carrano, R. Butler, P. Mannion, M. Clapham, M. Uhen Enterer:M. Carrano, R. Butler, P. Mannion, M. Gagucas, M. Uhen, K. Maguire
Modifier:M. Carrano Research group:vertebrate
Created:2002-03-12 13:39:02 Last modified:2019-04-12 13:03:53
Access level:the public Released:2002-03-12 13:39:02
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:
31056. C. Arambourg. 1959. Titanopteryx philadelphiae nov. gen., nov. sp. Ptérosaurien géant [Titanopteryx philadelphiae nov. gen., nov. sp. Giant pterosaurian]. Contributions à la Stratigraphie et à la Paléontologie du Crétacé et du Nummulitique de la Marge NW de la Péninsule Arabique. Notes et Mémoires du Moyen Orient 7:229-234 [R. Butler/R. Butler/M. Carrano]

Secondary references:

46107 N. Bardet. 2012. The mosasaur collections of the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle of Paris. Bulletin de la Societe Geologique de France 183(1):35-53 [P. Mannion/J. Tennant]
38133 N. Bardet and X. Pereda Suberbiola. 2002. Marine reptiles from the Late Cretaceous Phosphates of Jordan: palaeobiogeographical implications. Geodiversitas 24(4):831-839 [P. Mannion/P. Mannion]
18800 H. Cappetta, F. Pfeil, N. Schmidt-Kittler and E. Martini. 2000. New biostratigraphical data on the marine Upper Cretaceous and Palaeogene of Jordan. Newsletters on Stratigraphy 38(1):81-95 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen/M. Uhen]
60375% 6540E. Frey and D. M. Martill. 1996. A reappraisal of Arambourgiania (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea): one of the world's largest flying animals. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen 199(2):221-247 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
17073ETE D. M. Martill, E. Frey, and R. M. Sadaqah. 1996. The first dinosaur from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie Monatshefte 1996(3):147-154 [M. Carrano/K. Maguire/M. Carrano]
31057 D. M. Martill and E. Frey. 1998. Discovery of the holotype of the giant pterosaur Titanopteryx philadelphiae Arambourg 1959, and the status of Arambourgiania and Quetzalcoatlus. Neues Jahrbuc für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen 207:57-76 [R. Butler/R. Butler]
68574 P. Taquet. 1977. Les découvertes récentes de Dinosaures du Jurassique et du Crétacé en Afrique, au Proche et Moyen-Orient et en Inde [Recent discoveries of dinosaurs from the Jurassic and Cretaceous in Africa, the Near and Middle East, and India]. Mémoire Hors Serie—Société Géologique de France 8:325-330 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
84203 I. Zalmout and H. Mustafa. 2001. A Selachian Fauna from the Late Cretaceous of Jordan. Abhath Al-Yarmouk: Basic Sciences and Engineering 10(2B):377-434 [M. Clapham/M. Gagucas]