View source for Elrhaz Formation

{{Mergefrom|Gadoufaoua|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox Rockunit
| name           = Elrhaz Formation
| image          = Gadoufaoua.png
| caption        = Outcrops of the formation
| type           = [[Geological formation]]
| age            = [[Aptian]]-[[Albian]]
| prilithology   =
| otherlithology =
| namedfor       =
| namedby        =
| region         = 
| country        = {{flag|Niger}}
| coordinates    =
| unitof         = [[Tegama Group]]
| subunits       =
| underlies      = [[Echkar Formation]]
| overlies       = [[Tazolé Formation]]
| thickness      =
| extent         =
| area           =
| map            =
| map_caption    =
}}

The '''Elrhaz Formation''' is a geological [[Formation (geology)|formation]] in Niger whose strata date back to the [[Early Cretaceous]] (late [[Aptian]]-early [[Albian]] stages, about 112 million years ago). Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.

==Vertebrate paleofauna==
===Ornithischians===
{| class="wikitable" align="center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="7" align="center" |'''[[Ornithischian]]s reported from the Elrhaz Formation'''
|-
! Genus
! Species
! Location
! Stratigraphic position
! Material
! Notes
! Images
|-
|
''[[Lurdusaurus]]''<ref name="elrhaz">"68.1 Departement D'Agedez, Niger; 1. Elrhaz Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 572.</ref>
|
''L. arenatus''<ref name="elrhaz" />
|
|
|
"Partial skull, fragmentary postcranial skeleton."<ref name="table-19-1-416">"Table 19.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 416.</ref>
|
| rowspan="99" |
[[File:Ouranosaurus.jpg|thumb|center|200px|''[[Ouranosaurus]]'']]
|-
|
''[[Ouranosaurus]]''<ref name="elrhaz" />
|
''O. nigeriensis''<ref name="elrhaz" />
|
|
|
"Skull and poscrania, second skeleton."<ref name="table-19-1-417">"Table 19.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 417.</ref>
|
|-
|
''[[Elrhazosaurus]]''<ref name="elrhaz" />
|
''E. nigeriensis''<ref name="elrhaz" />
|
|
|
"Femora."<ref name="table-19-1-415">"Table 19.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 415.</ref>
|
|-
|}

===Saurischians===

{| class="wikitable" align="center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="7" align="center" |'''[[Saurischian]]s reported from the Elrhaz Formation'''
|-
! Genus
! Species
! Location
! Stratigraphic position
! Material
! Notes
! Images
|-
|
''[[Eocarcharia]]''<ref name="elrhaz" />
|
''E. dinops''<ref>Sereno, Paul C.; and Brusatte, Stephen L. (2008). "Basal abelisaurid and carcharodontosaurid theropods from the Lower Cretaceous Elrhaz Formation of Niger" (pdf). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 53 (1): 15–46. doi:10.4202/app.2008.0102.</ref>
|
|
|
"Partial skull and postcranial remains."<ref name="table-4-1-73">"Table 4.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 73.</ref>
|Carcharodontosaurid
| rowspan="99" |
[[File:Suchomimus2.jpg|thumb|center|200px|''[[Suchomimus]]'']]
|-
|
''[[Elaphrosaurus]]''<ref name="elrhaz" />
|
''E. iguidensis''<ref name="elrhaz" />
|
|
|
|
|-
|
''[[Nigersaurus]]''<ref name="elrhaz" />
|
''N. taqueti''<ref name="elrhaz" />
|
|
|
|Sauropod
|-
|
''[[Suchomimus]]''<ref name="elrhaz" />
|
''S. tenerensis''<ref name="elrhaz" />
|
|
|
Partial skull and associated skeleton.<ref name="table-4-1-72">"'Table 4.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 72.</ref>
|A second, possible spinosaurid found in the formation, ''[[Cristatusaurus]]'', is considered either a separate species or a synonym to'' Suchomimus''<ref>Rauhut, O.W.M. (2003). "The interrelationships and evolution of basal theropod dinosaurs". Special Papers in Palaeontology 69: 1-213.</ref>
|-
|

''[[Kryptops]]''<ref name="elrhaz" /> 
|
''K. Palaios''<ref name="elrhaz" /> 
|
| 
| 
Postcranial skeleton and partial skull.<ref name="table-4-1-72">"Table 4.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2008). Page 72.</ref>
| Abelisaurid
|}

==See also==
* [[List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations]]

==Footnotes==
{{Portal box|Earth sciences|Paleontology|Dinosaurs||}}
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. 861 pp.&nbsp;ISBN 0-520-24209-2.

{{coord missing|Niger}}

[[Category:Cretaceous paleontological sites of Africa]]


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