La Caja Formation

The La Caja Formation is a geologic formation in Mexico. It preserves fossils datiting from the Kimmeridgian to the lower Berriasian.[1] La Caja Formation is widespread in northeastern and central Mexico and known for their abundant and diverse well-preserved ammonites. It was deposited in hemipelagic conditions, and predominantly consists of siliclastic sediments, including marl, with limestone.[2] It is laterally equivalent to the La Casita Formation, which represent more proximal facies.[3] The ichthyosaur Ophthalmosaurus icenicus[4], metriorhynchid Cricosaurus saltillensis[5] and the undescribed giant pliosaur "Monster of Aramberri"[6] are known from the formation.

La Caja Formation Stratigraphic range: Kimmeridgian–Berriasian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Type	Formation
Underlies	Taraises Formation
Overlies	Zuloaga Formation
Thickness	Around 60 metres
Lithology
Primary	Marl
Other	Limestone, Siltstone, Sandstone, Shale
Location
Country	Mexico

See also

• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Mexico

References

Notes

1. Zell, P., Stinnesbeck, W. (2016). "Salinites grossicostatum Imlay, 1939 and S. finicostatum sp. nov. from the latest Tithonian (Late Jurassic) of northeastern Mexico". Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana. 68 (2): 305–311. doi:10.18268/BSGM2016v68n2a8.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
2. Zell,P., Stinnesbeck, W., Beckmann,S. (2016). "Late Jurassic aptychi from the La Caja Formation of northeastern Mexico". Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana. 68 (3): 515–536. doi:10.18268/BSGM2016v68n3a8.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
3. Zell, Patrick; Beckmann, Seija; Stinnesbeck, Wolfgang (2013-12-01). "Late Jurassic-earliest Cretaceous belemnites (Cephalopoda: Coleoidea) from northeastern Mexico and their palaeobiogeographic implications". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen. 270 (3): 325–341. doi:10.1127/0077-7749/2013/0374. ISSN 0077-7749.
4. Buchy, Marie-Céline (January 2010). "First record of Ophthalmosaurus (Reptilia: Ichthyosauria) from the Tithonian (Upper Jurassic) of Mexico". Journal of Paleontology. 84 (1): 149–155. doi:10.1666/08-122.1. ISSN 0022-3360. S2CID 130871980.
5. Buchy, Marie-Céline; Vignaud, Patrick; Frey, Eberhard; Stinnesbeck, Wolfgang; González, Arturo H. González (September 2006). "A new thalattosuchian crocodyliform from the Tithonian (Upper Jurassic) of northeastern Mexico". Comptes Rendus Palevol. 5 (6): 785–794. doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2006.03.003. ISSN 1631-0683.
6. Buchy, Marie-Céline; Frey, Eberhard; Stinnesbeck, Wolfgang; López-Oliva, José Guadalupe (2003-05-01). "First occurrence of a gigantic pliosaurid plesiosaur in the late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) of Mexico". Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France. 174 (3): 271–278. doi:10.2113/174.3.271. hdl:2042/260. ISSN 1777-5817.

Sources

• Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Archived from the original on 31 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.