The Aïn el Guettar Formation is a geological formation in Tunisia, whose strata date back to the Late Aptian to Late Albian stages of the Cretaceous period.Bateun el Hmaima at Fossilworks.orgBir Miteur, RH 45 at Fossilworks.org The lithology consists of coarse sandstones with occasional conglomerates and mudstones. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.Weishampel, David B; et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution (Early Cretaceous, Africa)." In: Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 571-573. .
Stratigraphy The Aïn el Guettar Formation is divided into at least 3 members, which represent different depositional environments. In ascending order these are: the Chenini Member, the Oum ed Diab Member and the Jebel El Mra Member.
Vertebrate paleofauna The Ain el Guettar Formation during the Early Cretaceous period was a marsh-like habitat with swamps and plenty of water. The most famous dinosaur discoveries made here include Carcharodontosaurus and Spinosaurus. Dinosaurs Genus Species Location Material Notes ImagesCarcharodontosaurusC. saharicusA Carcharodontosaurid TheropodSpinosaurus cf. S.aegyptiacus Buffetaut, E & Ouaja, M (2002) A new specimen of Spinosaurus (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Lower Cretaceous of Tunisia, with remarks on the evolutionary history of the Spinosauridae. Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France 173: 415–421. A Spinosaurid theropodTataouineaT. hannibalisA Nigersaurine SauropodIguanodontidaeIguanodontidae indet.Sauropoda indet.Sauropoda indet.AbelisauridaeAbelisauride indet.CarcharodontosauridaeCarcharodontosauridae indet.
Crocodylomorphs Genus Species Location Material NotesImagesSarcosuchuscf. SarchosuchusA Pholidosaurid CrocodylomorphAraripesuchusG. Cuny, A. M. Cobbett, F. J. Meunier and M. J. Benton. 2010. Vertebrate microremains from the Early Cretaceous of southern Tunisia. Geobios 43:615-628A.sp A notosuchian crocodylomorphCrocodyliformescrocodyliformes indet. Pterosaurs Genus Species Location Material Notes ImagesOrnithocheiridaeBENTON, M. J., BOUAZIZ, S., BUFFETAUT, E., MARTILL, D. M., OUAJA, M., SOUSSI, M. & TRUEMAN, C. (2000): Dinosaurs and other fossil vertebrates from fluvial deposits in the Lower Cretaceous of southern Tunisia. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 157: 227–246.Ornithocheiridae indet. Fish Genus Species Location Material Notes Images MawsoniaM.sp.A CoelacanthCaturusC. sp.OnchopristisO. dunkleiHybodusH. sp.Lepidotes L.sp.
See also List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations Geology of Tunisia
References
Further reading S. Bouaziz, É. Buffetaut, M. Ghanmi, J.-J. Jaeger, M. Martin, J.-M. Mazin, and H. Tong. 1988. Nouvelles découvertes de vertébrés fossiles dans l'Albien du sud tunisien [New discoveries of fossil vertebrates in the Albian of southern Tunisia]. Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France, 8e série 4(2):335-339 J. Le Loeuff, É. Buffetaut, G. Cuny, Y. Laurent, M. Ouaja, C. Souillat, D. Srarfi and H. Tong. 2000. Mesozoic continental vertebrates of Tunisia. 5th European Workshop on Vertebrate Palaeontology, Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, Geowissenschaften Abteilung. Program. Abstracts. Excursion Guides 45 '