- Source: Qasr el Sagha Formation
The Qasr el Sagha Formation is a geological formation located in Egypt. The formation is part of the Wadi El Hitan World Heritage Site. The Qasr el Sagha Formation overlies the Birket Qarun Formation and is overlain by the Gebel Qatrani Formation. The sandstones and shales of the formation were deposited in a deltaic to shallow marine environment. It dates to the Late Eocene (middle Priabonian, 37.2 to 33.9 million years ago).
Paleontological significance
Fossils of the early whale genus Saghacetus ("Sagha whale", originally named "Zeuglodon osiris") were first collected at Qasr al Sagha by German explorer Georg August Schweinfurth in January 1886 (a well-preserved dentary).Saghacetus is common in the middle of Qasr el Sagha, but there are few other specimens of archaeocetes whales; the only exception being the enigmatic "Prozeuglodon stromeri", named in 1828 based on specimens from 1904, but never adequately described before their destruction during the bombing of Munich in World War II.
Other fossils found in the formation include:
= Mammals
=Afrotheres
Ferae
Ungulates
= Reptiles
=Squamates
Testudines
= Fish
=Misrichthys stromeri
Carcharhinus aff. frequens
Odontorhytis aff. pappenheimi
?Jacquhermania attiai
Carcharhinus sp.
Coupatezia sp.
Ouledia sp.
Pastinachus sp.
Rhinobatos sp.
Scyliorhinus sp.
?Sphyrna sp.
Pristidae indet.
"Cretolamna" twiggsensis
See also
List of fossil sites
References
= Bibliography
=Gingerich, Philip D.; Antar, Mohammed Sameh M.; Zalmout, Iyad S. (2019), "Aegicetus gehennae, a new late Eocene protocetid (Cetacea, Archaeoceti) from Wadi Al Hitan, Egypt, and the transition to tail-powered swimming in whales", PLoS ONE, 14 (12): e0225391, Bibcode:2019PLoSO..1425391G, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0225391, PMC 6905522, PMID 31825956
Kata Kunci Pencarian:
- Qasr el Sagha Formation
- Jebel Qatrani Formation
- Moeritherium
- Concretion
- Fayyum (fossil deposit)
- Basilosaurus
- Lake Moeris
- Basilosauridae
- Fossils of Egypt
- Saghacetus
