Menat Formation

Menat Formation
Stratigraphic range: Early Paleocene ~61–60 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Type	Formation
Overlies	Migmatite
Thickness	Up to 250 metres
Lithology
Primary	Clay, diatomite
Location
Coordinates	Menat Formation (France)

The Menat Formation is a geologic formation in France. It preserves fossils dating back to the Paleocene. It is a maar deposit located on top of an ancient volcano, the extent is very localised with the outcropping area being around 600 by 1000 metres. Numerous species of fossil insects, plants and fish are known, as well as some isolated mammals, including the primate Plesiadapis insignis,^[1] the choristodere reptile Lazarussuchus^[2], and birds, including members of Halcyornithidae and Messelasturidae and relatives of Songziidae.^[3]

References

^ Wedmann, S.; Uhl, D.; Lehmann, T.; Garrouste, R.; Nel, A.; Gomez, B.; Smith, K.; Schaal, S. F. K. (2018-06-21). "The Konservat-Lagerstätte Menat (Paleocene; France) – an overview and new insights". Geologica Acta. 16 (2): 189–213, I–V. doi:10.1344/GeologicaActa2018.16.2.5. ISSN 1696-5728.
^ Matsumoto, R.; Buffetaut, E.; Escuillie, F.; Hervet, S.; Evans, S. E. (2013). "New material of the choristodere Lazarussuchus (Diapsida, Choristodera) from the Paleocene of France". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 33 (2): 319. Bibcode:2013JVPal..33..319M. doi:10.1080/02724634.2012.716274.
^ Mayr, G.; Hervet, S.; Buffetaut, E. (2019). "On the diverse and widely ignored Paleocene avifauna of Menat (Puy-de-Dôme, France): new taxonomic records and unusual soft tissue preservation". Geological Magazine. 156 (3): 572–584. Bibcode:2019GeoM..156..572M. doi:10.1017/S0016756818000080. ISSN 0016-7568.