Grünbach Formation

Grünbach Formation
Stratigraphic range: Early Campanian
Vertebrate fauna of the Grünbach Formation
TypeGeological formation
Unit ofGosau Group (Grünbach Syncline)
Sub-unitsDreistetten conglomerate
UnderliesPiesting Formation
OverliesMaiersdorf Formation
AreaLower Austria
Thicknessover 150 m (490 ft)
Lithology
PrimarySiltstone, sandstone, clay & marl
OtherConglomerate & coal
Location
RegionCentral Europe
CountryAustria
ExtentGrünbach Syncline
Type section
Named forGrünbach am Schneeberg

The Grünbach Formation is an Austrian geological formation that dates to the early Campanian age of the Late Cretaceous. It forms a part of the Gosau Group which was formed in a coastal freshwater/brackish to marine depositional environment. The Grünbach Formation is underlain by the marine carbonate Maiersdorf Formation and overlain by the marine siliciclastic Piesting Formation. The main lithology is clay, marl, siltstone and sandstone, with a minor conglomerate component. Coal seams have also been noted.[1][2] It is notable for its fossils diversity including molluscs, reptiles and the Grünbach flora.[3]

Vertebrate paleofauna

Most remains have been found at a single locality, which is a thin marl seam in the Konstantin mining tunnel, within the Felbering Mine in the Neue Welt area north west of Muthmannsdorf in Lower Austria.[4] The initial remains were discovered in 1859 after an ornithopod tooth was found in a piece of coal in a dump outside the mine by Professor Ferdinand Stoliczka, and the productive seam discovered thereafter. The first material was described by Emanuel Bunzel in 1871[5] and then additional material was described by Harry Seeley in 1881.[6]

Grünbach am Schneeberg is a less well known vertebrate fossil locality of the Grünbach Formation, which has gained some relevance due to newly described fossils.[3] The first known finds were questionable Kallokibotion fragments[7], additionally lepisosteid teeth were first mentioned in 2025.[3][8]

All mining operations in the Neue Welt area ceased in 1965, all later finds were made on the gobbins of the coalmines or historic collections.[3]

Fish

Actinopterygii of the Grünbach Formation
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Abundance Notes Images
Lepisosteidae Indeterminate Grünbach am Schneeberg[8] Two teeth and scales [3][8] Possibly an Atractosteus[3][8]

Squamates

Squamates of the Grünbach Formation
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Abundance Notes Images
Araeosaurus A. gracilis Muthmannsdorf Vertebra[6] Bunzel 1871: VI. fig. 11 (Der dritte, Taf. VI, Fig. 11); nomen dubium

Choristoderes

Choristoderes of the Grünbach Formation
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Abundance Notes Images
Choristodera Indeterminate Muthmannsdorf "Two platycoelous vertebral centra"[9]

Turtles

Turtles of the Grünbach Formation
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Abundance Notes Images
Dortokidae[7] Indeterminate Muthmannsdorf Shell fragments
cf. Kallokibotioninae Indeterminate Muthmannsdorf, Grünbach am Schneeberg Shell fragments

Crocodyliformes

Crocodyliformes of the Grünbach Formation
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Abundance Notes Images
Doratodon D. carcharidens Muthmannsdorf "incomplete mandible, a fragmentary right maxilla, a parietal fragment, and isolated teeth"[10]
Eusuchia Indeterminate Muthmannsdorf "mandible fragment and some postcranial material"

Pterosaurs

Pterosaurs of the Grünbach Formation
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Abundance Notes Images
Azdarchidae Indeterminate Muthmannsdorf "Proximal portion of a humerus"[11] Previously referred to "O". buenzeli
Pterodactyloidea Indeterminate Muthmannsdorf "Articular region of a lower jaw, crushed phalangeal fragments" Previously referred to "O". buenzeli

Non-avian dinosaurs

Dinosaurs of the Grünbach Formation
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Abundance Notes Images
Mochlodon M. suessi Muthmannsdorf Cranial and postcranial elements Most likely also an Ajkaceratops Ceratopsian
Struthiosaurus S. austriacus Muthmannsdorf Cranial and postcranial elements
Tetanurae Indeterminate Muthmannsdorf "Two fragmentary teeth" Nomen dubium: ‘Megalosaurus pannoniensis’[6] Nearly identical to numerous teeth known from the Csehbánya Formation[12]

Coprolites

Vertebrate Coprolites of the Grünbach Formation
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Abundance Notes Images
Coprolites[13] Indeterminate Muthmannsdorf [13] 20 specimens in six morphotypes; most indicate carnivorous to omnivorous diet with some herbivorous ones [13] Contain arthropod parts, plant fragments, pollen, fungal spores, cyst-like structures and hyphae[13]

Flora

Most of these specimens were found in Grünbach am Schneeberg in lower Austria.

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.

Bryophytes

Bryophytes of the Grünbach Formation
Genus Species Location Fossil Type Material Notes Images
Stereisporites Indeterminate Spore Representative of Sphagnaceae

Lycopodiophyta

Lycopodiophytes of the Grünbach Formation
Genus Species Location Fossil Type Material Notes Images
Camarozonosporites Indeterminate Spore Representative of Lycopodiaceae
Retitriletes Indeterminate Spore Representative of Lycopodium

Pteridophytes

Pteridophytes of the Grünbach Formation
Genus Species Location Fossil Type Material Notes Images
Appendicisporites A. tricuspidatus Spore Probable affinities with Schizaeaceae
Cicatricosisporites Indeterminate Spore Probable affinities with Schizaeaceae
Cingulatisporites Indeterminate Spore Affinities with Anemia
Cladophlebis C. gosauensis Grünbach am Schneeberg, Muthmannsdorf [14] Macroflora
Coniopteris ? Grünbach am Schneeberg [14] Macroflora
Cyathidites Indeterminate Spore
Echinatisporites Indeterminate Spore
Equisetites Indeterminate Grünbach am Schneeberg [14] Macroflora A horsetail
Gosauopteris G. danaeoides Grünbach am Schneeberg, Dreistätten, Muthmannsdorf, Frankenhof [14] Macroflora Probable affinities with Marattiaceae
Gleicheniidites G. senonicus Spore
Leiotriletes Indeterminate Spore Representative of Lygodium
Marsileaceaephyllum M. campanica Grünbach am Schneeberg [14] Macroflora Marsileaceae, very similar to extant Marsilea
Matonisporites Indeterminate Spore Found in situ with Monheimia
Microphyllopteris M. austriaca Grünbach am Schneeberg, Muthmannsdorf [14] Macroflora
Microtaenia M. austriaca
Monheimia M. ungerii Grünbach am Schneeberg, Muthmannsdorf [14] Macroflora Affinities with Matoniaceae, particularly Phanerosorus
Polypodiaceoisporites Indeterminate Spore
Raphaelia R. lobifolia Grünbach am Schneeberg, Höflein [14] Macroflora
Sphenopteris S. gruenbachiana, S. ungeri

S. heterophylla

 Grünbach am Schneeberg, Muthmannsdorf [14] Macroflora Probable affinities with Schizaeaceae

Gymnosperms

Gymnosperms of the Grünbach Formation
Genus Species Location Fossil Type Material Notes Images
Geinitzia G. formosa, G. reichenbachii Grünbach am Schneeberg, Frankenhof [14] Macroflora Pinopsida, Taxodioid affinity
cf. Lindleycladus L. lanceolatus Grünbach am Schneeberg [14] Macroflora
Nilsonia N. cf. holyi Grünbach am Schneeberg [14] Macroflora Bennettitales
Pagiophyllum Indeterminate Grünbach am Schneeberg [14] Macroflora Part of upland vegetation
Pityosporites Indeterminate Pollen
Podozamites Indeterminate Macroflora Part of upland vegetation
Taxiodiaceaepollenites Indeterminate Pollen At least 2 taxa

Angiosperms

Monocots

Monocots of the Grünbach Formation
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic Position Material Notes Images
Arecipites Indeterminate Pollen Representative of Palmae
Lysichiton L. austriacus Macroflora Araceae, genus extant
Gruenbachia G. pandanoides Grünbach am Schneeberg, Muthmannsdorf [14] Macroflora Pandanaceae, reproductive organs of Pandanites
Orontiophyllum austriacum Grünbach am Schneeberg [14] Macroflora
Pandanites P. trinervis Grünbach am Schneeberg, Dreistätten, Muthmannsdorf, Frankenhof [14] Macroflora Pandanaceae, main coal forming plant in Grünbach Formation
Sabalites S. longirhachis Grünbach am Schneeberg, Muthmannsdorf, Felbering, Maiersdorf [14] Macroflora Palm
Spinizonocolpites Indeterminate Pollen Representative of extant Nypa palm
Theiaiphyllum T. kollmannii Grünbach am Schneeberg [14] Macroflora

Dicots

Dicots of the Grünbach Formation
Genus Species Location Fossil Type Material Notes Images
Brasenites B. krasserii Grünbach am Schneeberg [14] Macroflora affinity with Brasenia; aquatic freshwater plant
Celastrophyllum Indeterminate, C. johannae Grünbach am Schneeberg, Muthmannsdorf [14] Macroflora Hamamelidae
Ceratoxylon Indeterminate Grünbach am Schneeberg [14] Macroflora Reproductive structure
Clavatipollenites Indeterminate Pollen Representative of Chloranthaceae
Complexiopollis Indeterminate Pollen Affinities with Myricaceae
Compositiphyllum C. serratum Grünbach am Schneeberg [14] Macroflora
Debeya D. insignis Grünbach am Schneeberg [14] Macroflora
Dicotylophyllum proteoides, sp.1, sp.2, sp.3, sp.4, sp.5, sp.6, sp.7 Grünbach am Schneeberg [14] Macroflora
Ettingshausenia E. gruenbachiana, E. cf. laevis, Indeterminate Grünbach am Schneeberg, Maiersdorf [14] Macroflora Platanaceae; characterizes meandering rivers [14]
Extremipollis Indeterminate Pollen
Grebenkia G. europeica Grünbach am Schneeberg [14] Macroflora
cf. Grevilleophyllum G. constans Macroflora Nomen dubium.
Hungaropollis Indeterminate Pollen
Juglandiphyllites J. pelagicus Grünbach am Schneeberg, Dreistätten, Muthmannsdorf [14] Macroflora possible affinity with Juglandaceae; characterizes meandering rivers [14]
Krutzschipollites Indeterminate Pollen
Laudaypollis Indeterminate Pollen
Leguminosites L. mucronata Grünbach am Schneeberg [14] Macroflora Part of upland vegetation
Longanulipollis Indeterminate Pollen
Menispermites M. ettingshausenii, M. summesbergerii Grünbach am Schneeberg [14] Macroflora
Momipetes Indeterminate Pollen Similar to extant Engelhardtia
Myricophyllum M. cf. zenkeri, M. serratum Grünbach am Schneeberg [14] Macroflora Affinities with Myrica
Myrtacaedites Indeterminate Pollen Representative of Myrtaceae
Normapolles Indeterminate Pollen Very abundant. possibly associated with Juglandaceae
Oculipollis O. sp, O. parvoculus O.zaklinskaiaiae Pollen
cf. Pandemophyllum Indeterminate, P. cf. proteoides Macroflora
Pseudoplicapollis Indeterminate Pollen
Quereuxia Q. angulata Grünbach am Schneeberg [14] Macroflora Possible affinity with Trapa; aquatic freshwater plant
Rogersia Indeterminate Grünbach am Schneeberg [14] Macroflora
Semioculipollis Indeterminate Pollen
Suemegipollis Indeterminate Pollen
Ternstroemites T. (?) neueweltensis Grünbach am Schneeberg [14] Macroflora
Tricolpopollenites Indeterminate Pollen At least 8 distinct taxa
Viburniphyllum V. ermannii, V. austriacum Grünbach am Schneeberg [14] Macroflora

References

  1. ↑ Draganits, Erich; Wagreich, Michael; Hofer, Gerald; Hofmann, Christa-Charlotte; Reischenbacher, Doris; Grundtner, Marie-Louise; Neuhuber, Stephanie; Bottig, Magda (2011). "Stratigraphy and geochemical characterisation of Upper Cretaceous non-marine - marine cycles (Grünbach Formation, Gosau Group, Austria". Austrian Journal of Earth Sciences. 104 (2): 90–107.
  2. ↑ Grundtner, Marie-Louise (2011). Sedimentologie und Sedimentpetrographie der Gosau-Gruppe bei Dreistetten-Muthmannsdorf (Niederösterreichische Kalkalpen) (Master's thesis). University of Vienna. pp. 21–35, 51–57, 71. doi:10.25365/thesis.17461.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Giritzer, David P.H.; et al. (Staudenhirz V., Wallner B.P.L., Leimhofer J., Laaß M., Füby F.-S., Etzler P.A.D., PhilippS.A.L., Marx T.E., Weber S.D., De Rossi F., Pauker N.I., Kriwet J., Hofmann C.C., Seyfullah L.J.,Neubauer T.A., Hyžný M., Páll-Gergely B., Schiel H. & Zesch L.) (2025). Die vergessene Dinoinsel - Kreidezeitliche Ökosysteme der Neuen Welt (NÖ) [The Forgotten Dinosaur Island – Cretaceous Ecosystems of the New World (Lower Austria)] (in German) (1 ed.). Neunkirchen: Stadtgemeinde Neunkirchen. ISBN 978-3-9504508-7-3.
  4. ↑ Sachs, Sven; Hornung, Jahn J. (May 2006). "Juvenile ornithopod (Dinosauria: Rhabdodontidae) remains from the Upper Cretaceous (Lower Campanian, Gosau Group) of Muthmannsdorf (Lower Austria)". Geobios. 39 (3): 415–425. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2005.01.003. ISSN 0016-6995.
  5. ↑ Bunzel, Emanuel (1871). "Die Reptilfauna der Gosau-Formation in der Neuen Welt bei Wiener-Neustadt". Abhandlungen der Kaiserlich-königlichen Geologischen Reichsanstalt. 5: 1–18.
  6. 1 2 3 Seeley, H. G. (1881-02-01). "The Reptile Fauna of the Gosau Formation preserved in the Geological Museum of the University of Vienna: With a Note on the Geological Horizon of the Fossils at Neue Welt, west of Wiener Neustadt, by Edw. Suess, Ph.D., F.M.G.S., &c., Professor of Geology in the University of Vienna, &c". Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society. 37 (1–4): 620–706. doi:10.1144/GSL.JGS.1881.037.01-04.49. ISSN 0370-291X. S2CID 219235284.
  7. 1 2 Rabi, Márton; Vremir, Mátyás; Tong, Haiyan (2012-09-01), "Preliminary Overview of Late Cretaceous Turtle Diversity in Eastern Central Europe (Austria, Hungary, and Romania)", Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology, Springer Netherlands, pp. 307–336, doi:10.1007/978-94-007-4309-0_19, ISBN 9789400743083
  8. 1 2 3 4 Giritzer, David P.H.; Kriwet, Jürgen (2026). "First Campanian record of gars (Neopterygii, Lepisosteiformes) from the Late Cretaceous of Austria". Paleo4Alps - Joint Meeting of the Italian, German, Austrian and Swiss Paleontological Societies - Book of Abstracts: 165.
  9. ↑ Buffetaut, Eric (1989). "Erster nachweis von Choristodera (Reptilia, Diapsida) in der Oberkreide Europas: Champsosaurierwirbel aus den Gosau-Schichten (Campan) Niederösterreichs". Sitzungsberichten der Österreichs Akademis der Wissenschaften Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Klasse, Abteilung. 197: 389–394.
  10. ↑ Buffetaut, Eric (1979). "Revision der Crocodylia (Reptilia) aus den Gosau-Schichten (Ober-Kreide) von Österreich". Beiträge zur Paläontologie von Österreich. 6: 89–105.
  11. ↑ Buffetaut, Eric; Ősi, Attila; Prondvai, Edina (March 2011). "The pterosaurian remains from the Grünbach Formation (Campanian, Gosau Group) of Austria: a reappraisal of 'Ornithocheirus buenzeli'". Geological Magazine. 148 (2): 334–339. Bibcode:2011GeoM..148..334B. doi:10.1017/S0016756810000981. ISSN 1469-5081. S2CID 131376979.
  12. ↑ Csiki-Sava, Zoltan; Buffetaut, Eric; Ősi, Attila; Pereda-Suberbiola, Xabier; Brusatte, Stephen L. (2015-01-08). "Island life in the Cretaceous - faunal composition, biogeography, evolution, and extinction of land-living vertebrates on the Late Cretaceous European archipelago". ZooKeys (469): 1–161. doi:10.3897/zookeys.469.8439. ISSN 1313-2970. PMC 4296572. PMID 25610343.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Etzler, Patrick A.D.; Staggl, M.A.; Pfaff, Cathrin; Kriwet, Jürgen. "Decoding the Late Cretaceous Austroalpine palaeoenvironment: Evidence from vertebrate coprolites at Muthmannsdorf". Paleo4Alps - Joint Meeting of the Italian, German, Austrian and Swiss Paleontological Societies - Book of Abstracts: 132.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 Kvaček, Jiri (2016). "Late Cretaceous Floras in Central Europe and their palaeoenvironment". Ústav geologie a paleontologie, Přírodovědecká fakulta, Univerzity Karlovy v Praze; Albertov 6, 128 43 Praha 2 – via Research gate.
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