Moreno Formation

Moreno Formation
Moreno Formation
Stratigraphic range: Maastrichtian 70–66 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	Chico Group
Underlies	Unconformity with the Martinez Formation and Tejon Formation
Overlies	Panoche Formation
Thickness	1,600–2,000 ft (487.68–609.60 m)
Lithology
Primary	Shale
Other	Sandstone
Location
Region	San Joaquin Valley, California
Country	United States

The Moreno Formation is a Mesozoic geologic formation located in San Joaquin Valley (California).
Dinosaur remains diagnostic to the genus level are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.^[1]

Paleofauna

Color key

Taxon	Reclassified taxon	Taxon falsely reported as present	Dubious taxon or junior synonym	Ichnotaxon	Ootaxon	Morphotaxon

Notes
Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; ~~crossed out~~ taxa are discredited.

Cartilaginous fish

Cartilaginous fishes reported from the Moreno Formation
Genus	Species	Location	Member	Material	Notes	Images
Heptranchias^[2]	H. sp

Ray-finned fish

Ray-finned fishes reported from the Moreno Formation
Genus	Species	Location	Member	Material	Notes	Images
Bonnerichthys^[3]	B. gladius				A large, filter-feeding pachycormid.	Bonnerichthys
Saurodon^[4]	S. sp.				An ichthyodectid.	Saurodon

Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs reported from the Moreno Formation
Genus	Species	Location	Member	Material	Notes	Images
Augustynolophus^[5]	A. morrisi^[5]				saurolophine.^[5]	Augustynolophus
Saurolophus^[5]	S. morrisi^[5]				Reclassified as Augustynolophus morrisi.^[5]

Mosasaurs

Mosasaurs reported from the Moreno Formation
Genus	Species	Location	Member	Material	Notes	Images
Kolposaurus^[6]	K. bennisoni^[6]				The name Kolposaurus was preoccupied and its two constituent species moved to the new genus Plotosaurus.^[6]
Kolposaurus^[6]	K. tuckeri^[6]
Plesiotylosaurus^[7]	P. crassidens^[7]					Plesiotylosaurus crassidens
Plotosaurus^[6]	P. bennisoni^[6]					Plotosaurus bennisoni
Plotosaurus^[6]	P. tuckeri^[6]				A junior synonym of P. bennisoni.	Plotosaurus bennisoni
Prognathodon^[8]	P. cf. waiparaensis
cf. Mosasaurus^[8]	cf. M. sp.
Halisaurus^[8]	H. sp.

Plesiosaurs

Plesiosaurs reported from the Moreno Formation
Genus	Species	Location	Member	Material	Notes	Images
Aphrosaurus^[9]	A. furlongi^[9]					Aphrosaurus
Fresnosaurus^[10]	F. drescheri^[10]					Fresnosaurus
Hydrotherosaurus^[9]	H. alexandrae^[9]					Hydrotherosaurus
Morenosaurus^[10]	M. stocki^[10]					Morenosaurus

Turtles

Testudines reported from the Moreno Formation
Genus	Species	Location	Member	Material	Notes	Images
Adocus					J. Howard Hutchison later referred the specimen originally identified as Adocus by to the genus Basilemys.^[11]
Basilemys
Osteopygis^[10]

Foraminifera

Forams reported from the Moreno Formation
Genus	Species	Location	Member	Material	Notes	Images
Anomalina^[2]	A. pseudopopillosa		Tierra Loma Shale Member
Bulimina	B. obtusa		Tierra Loma Shale Member		99% of the foraminifera sampled at the Tierra Loma Shale Member belonged to B. obtusa.^[12] ^[13]
Dentalina^[2]	D. legumen		Tierra Loma Shale Member
Frondicularia^[2]	F. undulosa		Tierra Loma Shale Member
Gyroidina^[14]	G. depressa		Tierra Loma Shale Member
Nodosaria^[2]	N. monile		Tierra Loma Shale Member
	N. pomuligera
	N. spinifera
	N. sp
Nodosarella^[13]	N. sp		Tierra Loma Shale Member

Footnotes

^ Weishampel, et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution." Pp. 517-607.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "PBDB Collection". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2025-03-06.
^ Friedman, Matt; Shimada, Kenshu; Everhart, Michael J.; Irwin, Kelly J.; Grandstaff, Barbara S.; Stewart, J. D. (8 January 2013). "Geographic and stratigraphic distribution of the Late Cretaceous suspension-feeding bony fish Bonnerichthys gladius (Teleostei, Pachycormiformes)". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 33 (1): 35–47. doi:10.1080/02724634.2012.713059. S2CID 128958842.
^ Friedman, Matt; Shimada, Kenshu; Everhart, Michael J.; Irwin, Kelly J.; Grandstaff, Barbara S.; Stewart, J. D. (8 January 2013). "Geographic and stratigraphic distribution of the Late Cretaceous suspension-feeding bony fish Bonnerichthys gladius (Teleostei, Pachycormiformes)". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 33 (1): 35–47. doi:10.1080/02724634.2012.713059. S2CID 128958842.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Prieto-Márquez, Albert; Wagner, Jonathan R.; Bell, Phil R.; Chiappe, Luis M. (2014). "The late-surviving 'duck-billed' dinosaur Augustynolophus from the upper Maastrichtian of western North America and crest evolution in Saurolophini". Geological Magazine. 152 (2): 225–241. doi:10.1017/S0016756814000284. S2CID 131049979.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "4: The Marine Reptiles; Mosasaurs," in Hilton (2003) p. 107-110
^ ^a ^b "Appendix: Summary of the Mesozoic Reptilian Fossils of California," in Hilton (2003) p. 273
^ ^a ^b ^c Lindgren, Johan; Schulp, Anne (15 September 2010). "New material of Prognathodon (Squamata: Mosasauridae), and the mosasaur assemblage of the Maastrichtian of California, U.S.A.". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 30 (5): 1632–1636. doi:10.1080/02724634.2010.501444. S2CID 131124198.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Appendix: Summary of the Mesozoic Reptilian Fossils of California," in Hilton (2003) p. 276
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Appendix: Summary of the Mesozoic Reptilian Fossils of California," in Hilton (2003) p. 277
^ "4: The Marine Reptiles; Turtles," in Hilton (2003) p. 114
^ "Panoche Hills 5, UCMP V3735 (Cretaceous of the United States)". PBDB.org.
^ ^a ^b Welles, S. P. (1943). "Elasmosaurid plesiosaurs with description of new material from California and Colorado" (PDF). Memoirs of the University of California. 13.
^ "PBDB Collection". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2025-03-06.

References

Hilton, Richard P. 2003. Dinosaurs and Other Mesozoic Reptiles of California. Berkeley: University of California Press. 318 pp.
Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. 861 pp. ISBN 0-520-24209-2.