Villar del Arzobispo Formation
The Villar del Arzobispo Formation is a Late Jurassic geologic formation in eastern Spain. It is equivalent in age to the Lourinhã Formation of Portugal. It was originally thought to date from the Late Tithonian-Middle Berriasian, but more recent work suggests a Kimmeridigan-Late Tithonian age. The Villar del Arzobispo Formation's age in the area of Riodeva in Spain has been dated based on stratigraphic correlations as middle-upper Tithonian, approximately 145-141 million years old.
Most of the unit consists of siliclastic mudstone, however the lower portion of the formation is dominated by bioclastic, oolitic and peloidal limestone, while channelised sandstone and conglomerate is found in the middle portion of the unit. While the lower part of the formation was deposited in an inner carbonate platform, the upward gradation into mudstone in the middle and upper portions of the formation represents a change in depositional environment to paralic and alluvial plain conditions.
Dinosaur remains are found throughout the unit, but are more abundant and better preseved in the terrestrially deposited middle-upper sections. Remains of the stegosaurid Dacentrurus were recovered in the Barranco Conejero locality in this formation. Over the years, other stegosaurian remains have been discovered in this formation, but none have yet been referred to a specific genus. The giant sauropod Turiasaurus is also known from the formation. The formation is also well known for its fossil footprints, representing many different taxa.
