Dakhla Formation

Dakhla Formation
Dakhla Formation
Stratigraphic range: Maastrichtian-Danian ; ~71–63 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Type	Geological formation
Sub-units	Ammonite Hill Member; Baris Oyster Mudstone Member; Beida Shale Member; Kharga Shale Member;
Underlies	Tarawan Formation
Overlies	Duwi Formation
Thickness	230 meters
Lithology
Primary	Shale
Other	Marl, Phosphorite
Location
Country	Egypt

The Dakhla Formation, also called the Dakhla Shale,^[5] is a Maastrichtian-Danian geologic formation in the Western Desert, Egypt.^[4]^[6] Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation, although none have yet been referred to a specific genus.^[7]

Fossil content

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.

Reptiles

Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs reported from the Dakhla Formation
Genus	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Sauropoda		Ammonite Hill Member^[8]	A left femur (Vb-646).^[8]	Most similar to femurs of Brachiosaurus or Saltasaurus.^[8]

Turtles

Turtles reported from the Dakhla Formation
Genus	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Arenila	A. krebsi	Ammonite Hill Member^[9]	Partial skull.^[9]	A bothremydid turtle.
Arenila	?Cf. A. krebsi	Ammonite Hill Member^[9]	Partial dorsal shell & right pelvis.^[9]	A bothremydid turtle.
Bothremydidae	Undetermined large forms	Ammonite Hill Member^[9]	Nuchal bone, left pleuron & partial plastron of one individual.^[9]	A large bothremydid turtle, with a shell length of 70 to 80 centimeters.^[9]
Panchelonioidea	Gen. et. sp. indet.	Ammonite Hill Member^[10]	Humerus (NVP010).^[10]	A giant marine turtle.
Taphrosphys	T. cf. sulcatus	Ammonite Hill Member^[9]	Anterior part of dorsal shell & partial dorsal shell with partial anterior plastral lobe.^[9]	A bothremydid turtle.
Taphrosphys	Cf. T. sp.	Ammonite Hill Member^[9]	Left first pleural.^[9]	A bothremydid turtle.
?Aff. Tasbacka	?Aff. T. sp.	Ammonite Hill Member^[9]	Left humerus.^[9]	A chelonioid sea turtle.
Zolhafah	Z. bella	Ammonite Hill Member^[9]	Skull.^[9]	A bothremydid turtle.

Mosasaurs

Mosasaurs reported from the Dakhla Formation
Genus	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Globidens	G. phosphaticus	Beris Oyster Mudstone Member^[2]	A single tooth crown (CUNV0011).^[2]	A mosasaurine.
Halisaurus	H. hebae	Beris Oyster Mudstone Member^[11]		A halisaurine
Mosasaurinae	Indeterminate	Beris Oyster Mudstone Member^[2]	A fragmentary small dentary with a single tooth (CUNV0012).^[2]	A mosasaurine.
Prognathodon	P. sp.	"Lower part"	Two tooth crowns, three cervical, nine dorsal, three caudal vertebrae, and ribs, found in association (NVP025).^[5]	Most similar to P. overtoni, possibly a member of that species

Fish

Fish reported from the Dakhla Formation
Genus	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Anomoeodus	A. aegypticus	Lower Beris Member^[12]	A single specimen (NVP023).^[12]	A pycnodont.
Diastemapycnodus	D. tavernensis	Beris Member^[13]	"A single vomer with partial dentition".^[13]	A pycnodont.
Sclerorhynchus	S. cf. leptodon^[14]	Beris Member	Four fragmentary rostral denticles originally attributed to Onchopristis sp.^[15]	A sawskate.
cf. Otodus	cf. O. obliquus^{[citation needed]}	An extinct shark.	Fragmentary teeth and possible vertebra founds.	A otodontid.
Sclerorhynchoidei	Indeterminate^[14]	Beris Member	An exceptionally large, 1.46 metres (4.8 ft) long rostrum originally attributed to Onchopristis sp.^[15]	A sawskate.

Invertebrates

Bivalves

Bivalves reported from the Dakhla Formation
Genus	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Apectoichnus	A. longissimus	Ammonite Hill Member^[1]	Borings in Nypa fruits.^[1]	Bivalve borings.
Teredolites	T. clavatus	Ammonite Hill Member^[1]	32 moderately preserved borings (TBT02-33) & two badly preserved specimens (TBT44-45) in Nypa fruits.^[1]	Bivalve borings.

Plants

Plants reported from the Dakhla Formation
Genus	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Nypa	N. burtinii		Fruits & seed casts.^[16]	A mangrove palm
Nypa	N. sp.	Ammonite Hill Member^[1]	Fruits with bivalve borings.^[1]	A mangrove palm.

References

^ a b c d e f g El Hedeny, M.; Kassab, W.; Rashwan, M.; Abu El-Kheir, G.; AbdelGawad, M. (2020-07-01). "Bivalve borings in Maastrichtian fossilNypafruits: Dakhla Formation, Bir Abu Minqar, South Western Desert, Egypt". Ichnos. 28 (1): 24–33. doi:10.1080/10420940.2020.1784158. ISSN 1042-0940. S2CID 225527064.
^ a b c d e f AbdelGawad, Mohamed K.; Abu El-Kheir, Gebely A.; Kassab, Walid G. (September 2021). "The youngest records of mosasaurid reptiles from the Upper Cretaceous of the South-Western Desert in Egypt". Proceedings of the Geologists' Association. 132 (5): 556–562. Bibcode:2021PrGA..132..556A. doi:10.1016/j.pgeola.2021.07.004. ISSN 0016-7878.
^ "UPPER DAKHLA FORMATION ( BEIDA SHALE MEMBER) AT G. DUWI, RED SEA, EGYPT: MINERALOGICAL AND GEOCHEMICAL ASPECTS | Faculty of Science". www.aun.edu.eg. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
^ a b c d e Anan, Tarek I.; Abd El-Wahed, Ahmed G. (2017-12-15). "The Maastrichtian-Danian Dakhla Formation, Eastern Desert, Egypt: Utilization in manufacturing lightweight aggregates". Applied Clay Science. 150: 10–15. Bibcode:2017ApCS..150...10A. doi:10.1016/j.clay.2017.08.027. ISSN 0169-1317.
^ a b El-Kheir, Gebely A. Abu; Shaker, Ahmed A.; Street, Hallie P.; Longrich, Nicholas R.; Strougo, Amin; Asan, Anhar; AbdelGawad, Mohamed (9 November 2023). "A Prognathodontin Mosasaur from the Maastrichtian of the Dakhla Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt". Fossil Studies. 1 (1): 60–75. doi:10.3390/fossils1010007. ISSN 2813-6284.
^ Tantawy, A. A.; Keller, G.; Adatte, T.; Stinnesbeck, W.; Kassab, A.; Schulte, P. (2001-12-01). "Maastrichtian to Paleocene depositional environment of the Dakhla Formation, Western Desert, Egypt: sedimentology, mineralogy, and integrated micro- and macrofossil biostratigraphies". Cretaceous Research. 22 (6): 795–827. Bibcode:2001CrRes..22..795T. doi:10.1006/cres.2001.0291. ISSN 0195-6671.
^ Weishampel, et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution." Pp. 517–607.
^ a b c Rauhut, Oliver W M; Werner, Christa (January 1997). "First record of a Maastrichtian sauropod dinosaur from Egypt". Palaeontolgia Africana. 34: 63–67.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o de Lapparent, France; Werner, Christa (April 1998). "New Late Cretaceous turtles from the Western Desert, Egypt". Annales de Paléontologie. 84 (2): 131–214. Bibcode:1998AnPal..84..131D. doi:10.1016/S0753-3969(98)80005-0.
^ a b Abu El-Kheir, G. A.-M.; AbdelGawad, M. K.; Kassab, W. G. (2021). "First known gigantic sea turtle from the Maastrichtian deposits in Egypt". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 66 (2): 349–355.
^ Shaker, A. A.; Longrich, N. R.; Strougo, A.; Asan, A.; Bardet, N.; Mousa, M. K.; Tantawy, A. A.; Abu El-Kheir, G. A. (2023). "A new species of Halisaurus (Mosasauridae: Halisaurinae) from the lower Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) of the Western Desert, Egypt". Cretaceous Research. 154. 105719. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2023.105719.
^ a b Capasso, Luigi; Abu El-kheir, Gebely Abdelmaksoud; Mousa, Mohamed Kamel; Tantawy, Abdel Aziz (December 2021). "ANOMOEODUS AEGYPTICUS N. SP. (PISCES, †PYCNODONTIFORMES) FROM THE LATE CRETACEOUS OF THE DAKHLA FORMATION, WESTERN DESERT, EGYPT". Thalassia Salentina (43): 89–104.
^ a b Abu El-Kheir; Tantawy; Mousa; Wahba; Capasso (2022-12-02). "Diastemapycnodus tavernensis gen. et sp. nov. (Actinopterygii, †Pycnodontiformes) from the marine Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) of the Dakhla Formation, Western Desert, Egypt". Historical Biology: A Journal of Paleobiology. 34 (12): 2324–2331. Bibcode:2022HBio...34.2324A. doi:10.1080/08912963.2021.2014482. S2CID 245051336.
^ a b Greenfield, T. (2025). "No evidence for a giant, late-surviving Onchopristis: Comment on Capasso et al. (2024)". Journal of African Earth Sciences. 223. 105541. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2025.105541.
^ a b Capasso, L.; Abdel Aziz, S.; Tantawy, A. A.; Mousa, M. K.; Wahba, D. G. A.; Abu El-Kheir, G. A. (2024). "The first described Onchopristis Stromer, 1917, (Elasmobranchii: †Onchopristidae) from the Marine Maastrichtian of Dakhla Formation, Western Desert, Egypt". Journal of African Earth Sciences. 105415. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2024.105415.
^ El-Soughier, Maher I.; Mehrotra, R.C.; Zhou, Zhi-Yan; Shi, Gong-Le (January 2011). "Nypa fruits and seeds from the Maastrichtian–Danian sediments of Bir Abu Minqar, South Western Desert, Egypt". Palaeoworld. 20 (1): 75–83. doi:10.1016/j.palwor.2010.09.016. ISSN 1871-174X.

Bibliography

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

This article about a specific stratigraphic formation in Africa is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[:2-1] El Hedeny, M.; Kassab, W.; Rashwan, M.; Abu El-Kheir, G.; AbdelGawad, M. (2020-07-01). "Bivalve borings in Maastrichtian fossilNypafruits: Dakhla Formation, Bir Abu Minqar, South Western Desert, Egypt". Ichnos. 28 (1): 24–33. doi:10.1080/10420940.2020.1784158. ISSN 1042-0940. S2CID 225527064.

[:5-2] AbdelGawad, Mohamed K.; Abu El-Kheir, Gebely A.; Kassab, Walid G. (September 2021). "The youngest records of mosasaurid reptiles from the Upper Cretaceous of the South-Western Desert in Egypt". Proceedings of the Geologists' Association. 132 (5): 556–562. Bibcode:2021PrGA..132..556A. doi:10.1016/j.pgeola.2021.07.004. ISSN 0016-7878.

[3] "UPPER DAKHLA FORMATION ( BEIDA SHALE MEMBER) AT G. DUWI, RED SEA, EGYPT: MINERALOGICAL AND GEOCHEMICAL ASPECTS | Faculty of Science". www.aun.edu.eg. Retrieved 2022-11-23.

[:0-4] Anan, Tarek I.; Abd El-Wahed, Ahmed G. (2017-12-15). "The Maastrichtian-Danian Dakhla Formation, Eastern Desert, Egypt: Utilization in manufacturing lightweight aggregates". Applied Clay Science. 150: 10–15. Bibcode:2017ApCS..150...10A. doi:10.1016/j.clay.2017.08.027. ISSN 0169-1317.

[:8-5] El-Kheir, Gebely A. Abu; Shaker, Ahmed A.; Street, Hallie P.; Longrich, Nicholas R.; Strougo, Amin; Asan, Anhar; AbdelGawad, Mohamed (9 November 2023). "A Prognathodontin Mosasaur from the Maastrichtian of the Dakhla Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt". Fossil Studies. 1 (1): 60–75. doi:10.3390/fossils1010007. ISSN 2813-6284.

[6] Tantawy, A. A.; Keller, G.; Adatte, T.; Stinnesbeck, W.; Kassab, A.; Schulte, P. (2001-12-01). "Maastrichtian to Paleocene depositional environment of the Dakhla Formation, Western Desert, Egypt: sedimentology, mineralogy, and integrated micro- and macrofossil biostratigraphies". Cretaceous Research. 22 (6): 795–827. Bibcode:2001CrRes..22..795T. doi:10.1006/cres.2001.0291. ISSN 0195-6671.

[dinosaurdistribution-7] Weishampel, et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution." Pp. 517–607.

[:7-8] Rauhut, Oliver W M; Werner, Christa (January 1997). "First record of a Maastrichtian sauropod dinosaur from Egypt". Palaeontolgia Africana. 34: 63–67.

[:4-9] ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o de Lapparent, France; Werner, Christa (April 1998). "New Late Cretaceous turtles from the Western Desert, Egypt". Annales de Paléontologie. 84 (2): 131–214. Bibcode:1998AnPal..84..131D. doi:10.1016/S0753-3969(98)80005-0.

[:3-10] Abu El-Kheir, G. A.-M.; AbdelGawad, M. K.; Kassab, W. G. (2021). "First known gigantic sea turtle from the Maastrichtian deposits in Egypt". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 66 (2): 349–355.

[11] Shaker, A. A.; Longrich, N. R.; Strougo, A.; Asan, A.; Bardet, N.; Mousa, M. K.; Tantawy, A. A.; Abu El-Kheir, G. A. (2023). "A new species of Halisaurus (Mosasauridae: Halisaurinae) from the lower Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) of the Western Desert, Egypt". Cretaceous Research. 154. 105719. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2023.105719.

[:6-12] Capasso, Luigi; Abu El-kheir, Gebely Abdelmaksoud; Mousa, Mohamed Kamel; Tantawy, Abdel Aziz (December 2021). "ANOMOEODUS AEGYPTICUS N. SP. (PISCES, †PYCNODONTIFORMES) FROM THE LATE CRETACEOUS OF THE DAKHLA FORMATION, WESTERN DESERT, EGYPT". Thalassia Salentina (43): 89–104.

[:1-13] Abu El-Kheir; Tantawy; Mousa; Wahba; Capasso (2022-12-02). "Diastemapycnodus tavernensis gen. et sp. nov. (Actinopterygii, †Pycnodontiformes) from the marine Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) of the Dakhla Formation, Western Desert, Egypt". Historical Biology: A Journal of Paleobiology. 34 (12): 2324–2331. Bibcode:2022HBio...34.2324A. doi:10.1080/08912963.2021.2014482. S2CID 245051336.

[Greenfield-14] Greenfield, T. (2025). "No evidence for a giant, late-surviving Onchopristis: Comment on Capasso et al. (2024)". Journal of African Earth Sciences. 223. 105541. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2025.105541.

[Capasso2024-15] Capasso, L.; Abdel Aziz, S.; Tantawy, A. A.; Mousa, M. K.; Wahba, D. G. A.; Abu El-Kheir, G. A. (2024). "The first described Onchopristis Stromer, 1917, (Elasmobranchii: †Onchopristidae) from the Marine Maastrichtian of Dakhla Formation, Western Desert, Egypt". Journal of African Earth Sciences. 105415. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2024.105415.

[16] El-Soughier, Maher I.; Mehrotra, R.C.; Zhou, Zhi-Yan; Shi, Gong-Le (January 2011). "Nypa fruits and seeds from the Maastrichtian–Danian sediments of Bir Abu Minqar, South Western Desert, Egypt". Palaeoworld. 20 (1): 75–83. doi:10.1016/j.palwor.2010.09.016. ISSN 1871-174X.