Papo Seco Formation

The Papo Seco Formation is a geological formation in Portugal, whose strata date back to the Early Cretaceous.^[1] Dinosaur fossils are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.^[2][3]

Papo Seco Formation
Stratigraphic range: Early Barremian ~125–122 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Type	Geological formation
Underlies	Assises à Orbitolines Formation
Overlies	Porto da Calada Formation
Lithology
Primary	Mudstone, siltstone
Other	Sandstone
Location
Coordinates	38.4°N 9.2°W / 38.4; -9.2
Approximate paleocoordinates	31.8°N 1.3°E / 31.8; 1.3
Region	Setubal
Country	Portugal
Extent	Lusitanian Basin
Papo Seco Formation (Portugal)

Name

The unit was previously referred to as the "Gres a Dinosauriens", due to the abundant dinosaur remains found in the past.^[4]

Description

The Papo Seco Formation (Rey, 1992) marks the return to clastic-dominated sedimentation. Exposure of the formation is found above the low cliff between Rochadouro and Areia do Mastro, and on the foreshore and beach at Boca do Chapim. The Papo Seco Formation is dominated by silty mud-mud deposition. This is interbedded with medium to coarse, commonly ribbon shaped, clastic sandstones. Along the exposure, between Rochadouro and Boca do Chapim, the clastic sands are not laterally continuous. The exposure clearly shows that the ribbon sands are isolated and change laterally into muds. Three distinct sand facies have been identified within the Papo Seco Formation.^[4]

Vertebrate paleofauna

Dinosaurs of the Papo Seco Formation
Genus	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Dromaeosauridae indet.[5]	Indeterminate	Praia do Areia do Mastro
Iberospinus	I. natarioi[6]	Praia de Aguncheiras	Was once thought to be a specimen of Baryonyx.[1]
Suchosaurus[2]	S. girardi[2]	Boca do Chapim	Was considered a species of Baryonyx
Titanosauriformes indet.[2]	Indeterminate	Boca do Chapim	Was referred to "Pleurocoelus" valdensis[2]
Theropoda indet.[2]	Indeterminate[2]	Boca do Chapim	Including Megalosaurus superbus, now known as Erectopus"[2]
Theropoda indet.[5]	Indeterminate	Praia do Areia do Mastro
Ornithopoda[7]	Indeterminate	Boca do Chapim Praia do Areia do Mastro	Previous supposed reports of Mantellisaurus and Iguanodon cannot be substantiated[7]
Iguanodontia[7]
cf. Styracosterna[7]

Correlation

Early Cretaceous stratigraphy of Iberia

Ma	Age	Paleomap \ Basins	Cantabrian	Olanyà	Cameros	Maestrazgo	Oliete	Galve	Morella	South Iberian	Pre-betic	Lusitanian
100	Cenomanian		La Cabana	Sopeira	Utrillas		Mosquerela					Caranguejeira
			Altamira		Utrillas
			Eguino
125	Albian		Ullaga - Balmaseda	Lluçà						Traiguera
			Monte Grande		Escucha		Escucha			Jijona
			Itxina - Miono
	Aptian		Valmaseda - Tellamendi		Ol Gp. - Castrillo	Benassal		Benassal				Olhos
				Font	En Gp. - Leza	Morella/Oliete	Oliete	Villaroya	Morella	Capas Rojas		Almargem
			Patrocinio - Ernaga	Senyús	En Gp. - Jubela	Forcall				Villaroya	Upper Bedoulian	Figueira
	Barremian		Vega de Pas	Cabó	Abejar	Xert	Alacón	Xert		Huérguina		Assises
				Prada		Artoles				Collado	Moutonianum	Papo Seco
				Rúbies	Tera Gp. - Golmayo	Alacón/Blesa	Blesa	Camarillas	Mirambel
150	Hauterivian				Ur Gp. - Pinilla	Llacova		Castellar	Tera Gp. - Pinilla	Villares		Porto da Calada
							hiatus
						Huerva			Gaita
	Valanginian		Villaro		Ur Gp. - Larriba				Ped Gp. - Hortigüela
					Ped Gp. - Hortigüela				Ped Gp. - Piedrahita
					Peñacoba			Galve		Miravetes
	Berriasian		Cab Gp. - Arcera		Valdeprado	hiatus		Alfambra
					TdL Gp. - Rupelo			Arzobispo	hiatus	Tollo
					On Gp. - Huérteles Sierra Matute
	Tithonian		Lastres		Tera Gp. - Magaña		Higuereles			Tera Gp. - Magaña		Lourinhã
									Arzobispo
					Ágreda
Legend		Major fossiliferous, oofossiliferous, ichnofossiliferous, coproliferous, minor formation
Sources

See also

• List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations