Tithonian

System/
Period		 Series/
Epoch		 Stage/
Age		 Age (Ma)
Cretaceous Lower/
Early		 Berriasian younger
Jurassic Upper/
Late		 Tithonian 145.0–152.1
Kimmeridgian 152.1–157.3
Oxfordian 157.3–163.5
Mid/
Middle		 Callovian 163.5–166.1
Bathonian 166.1–168.3
Bajocian 168.3–170.3
Aalenian 170.3–174.1
Lower/
Early		 Toarcian 174.1–182.7
Pliensbachian 182.7–190.8
Sinemurian 190.8–199.3
Hettangian 199.3–201.3
Triassic Upper/
Late		 Rhaetian older
Subdivision of the Jurassic system
according to the IUGS, as of July 2012.

In the geological timescale the Tithonian is the latest age of the Late Jurassic epoch or the uppermost stage of the Upper Jurassic series. It spans the time between 152.1 ± 4 Ma and 145.0 ± 4 Ma (million years ago). It is preceded by the Kimmeridgian and followed by the Berriasian stage (part of the Cretaceous).[1]

Stratigraphic definitions

The Tithonian was introduced in scientific literature by German stratigrapher Albert Oppel in 1865. The name Tithonian is unusual in geological stage names because it is derived from Greek mythology. Tithonus was the son of Laomedon of Troy. He fell in love with Eos, the Greek goddess of dawn and finds his place in the stratigraphy because this stage, the Tithonian, finds itself hand in hand with the dawn of the Cretaceous.

The base of the Tithonian stage is at the base of the ammonite biozone of Hybonoticeras hybonotum. A global reference profile (a GSSP or golden spike) for the base of the Tithonian had in 2009 not yet been established.

The top of the Tithonian stage (the base of the Berriasian stage and the Cretaceous system) is marked by the first appearance of small globular calpionellids of the species Calpionella alpina, at the base of the Alpina Subzone .

Subdivision

The Tithonian is often subdivided into Lower/Early, Middle and Upper/Late substages or subages. The Late Tithonian is coeval with the Portlandian stage of British stratigraphy.

The Tithonian stage contains seven ammonite biozones in the Tethys domain, from top to base:

Lithofacies

In the ocean of Tethys, the Tithonian has a calcareous facies with a typical cephalopod fauna. The Solnhofen limestone of southern Germany, which is known for its fossils (especially Archaeopteryx), is of Tithonian age.

Palaeontology

†Ankylosaurs

Ankylosauria of the Tithonian
Taxa Presence Location Description Images
Morrison Formation, Wyoming, USA The smallest and the earliest well-known ankylosaur. Its skull measures only 29 cm in length, and its total body length is an estimated three to four meters.
Gargoyleosaurus skeleton
  • Mymoorapelta maysi
 Morrison Formation, Colorado, USA A poorly known early ankylosaurian.

Theropods

Theropods of the Tithonian
Taxa Presence Location Description Images
Morrison Formation, USA The most common and most highly studied theropod dinosaur.
Allosaurus
Solnhofen, Germany The late Jurassic is notable for the first appearance in the fossil record of birds, in the form of Archaeopteryx, found in limestone quarries in Germany.
Morrison Formation, USA Fossils are less common than those of Allosaurus.
Solnhofen, Germany Found near Archaeopteryx fossils.
Port Waikato, New Zealand Only known Tithonian dinosaur in New Zealand.
It is believed that this creature was similar to Compsognathus longipes, shown here.

†Basal Ornithischians

Basal ornithischians of the Tithonian
Taxa Presence Location Description Images
Fruita, Colorado, USA Fruitadens was a heterodontosaurid and the smallest known ornithischian dinosaur, weighing less than 2 pounds (0.91 kg) and measuring a little over 2 feet (0.61 m) in length. It is also one of the latest surviving heterodontosaurids known.

†Ceratopsians

Ceratopsia of the Tithonian
Taxa Presence Location Description Images
Chaoyang area, Liaoning, China One of the earliest ceratopsians
Chaoyangsaurus
Hebei, China A member of the family Chaoyangsauridae, it was one of the earliest ceratopsians

†Ornithopods

Ornithopoda of the Tithonian
Taxa Presence Location Description Images
Kimmeridgian to Tithonian Wyoming, USA Camptosaurus could be more than 7.9 meters (26 feet) long, and 2.0 meters (6.6 feet) tall at the hips. They had heavy bodies but, as well as walking on four legs (quadrupedal), could also rear up to walk on two legs (bipedal). This genus is closely related to iguanodontid and hadrosaurid dinosaurs. It probably ate cycads with its beak.
Othnielosaurus
Lourinhã, Portugal A camptosaurid iguanodont

†Plesiosauria

Plesiosaurs of the Tithonian
Taxa Presence Location Description Images
Simolestes

†Pterosauria

Pterosaurs of the Tithonian
Taxa Presence Location Description Images
Solnhofen, Germany
Pterodactylus antiquus, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Solnhofen, Germany Short head with pin-like teeth, short tail but from a normally long tailed group "Rhamphorhynchoidea"
Solnhofen, Germany
Solnhofen, Germany
Morrison Formation, Wyoming, United States Known only from an intact fourth metacarpal, 57.5 millimetres long
Solnhofen, Germany
Morrison Formation, Wyoming, United States
Solnhofen, Germany
Solnhofen, Germany
Neuquén, Argentina

†Stegosaurs

Stegosaurs of the Tithonian
Taxa Presence Location Description Images
Kimmeridgian to Early Tithonian Morrison Formation, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, USA Averaging around 9 metres (30 feet) long and 4 metres (13 feet) tall, the quadrupedal Stegosaurus is one of the most easily identifiable dinosaurs, due to the distinctive double row of kite-shaped plates rising vertically along its arched back and the two pairs of long spikes extending horizontally near the end of its tail.
Stegosaurus

†Sauropoda

Sauropoda of the Tithonian
Taxa Presence Location Description Images
Apatosaurus
Diplodocus
Mamenchisaurus
  1. Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming, Morrison Formation, USA

†Thalattosuchians

Thalattosuchians of the Tithonian
Taxa Presence Location Description Images
  1. Dakosaurus maximus
  2. Dakosaurus andiniensis

A large genus of metriorhynchid, that was a high order predator which fed on other marine reptiles

  1. The type species from Western Europe of the Late Jurassic (Early Tithonian).
  2. Argentina of the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous (Early Tithonian), knicknamed "Godzilla".
Dakosaurus, a marine crocodilian.
Geosaurus, a marine crocodilian.
Metriorhynchus, a marine crocodilian.
  1. G. giganteus
  2. G. grandis
  1. Western Europe
  2. Western Europe

A relatively small metriorhynchid genus. No known species of Geosaurus attained lengths in excess of 3 meters (9.8 feet). There were multiple Geosaurus species alive during the Tithonian.

  1. The type species from Western Europe of the Late Jurassic (Early Tithonian).
  2. Western Europe of the Late Jurassic (Early Tithonian).
  1. P. potens

An opportunistic carnivore that fed on fish, belemnites and other marine animals and possible carrion.

†Belemnites

Belemnites of the Tithonian
Taxa Presence Location Description Images
Small belemnite fossils

References

Notes

  1. ↑ See for a detailed version of the geologic timescale Gradstein et al. (2004)

Literature

External links

Jurassic Period
Lower/Early Jurassic Middle Jurassic Upper/Late Jurassic
Hettangian | Sinemurian
Pliensbachian | Toarcian		 Aalenian | Bajocian
Bathonian | Callovian		 Oxfordian | Kimmeridgian
Tithonian
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