Winton Formation

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Geological formation in Queensland, Australia

title: "Winton Formation" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["cretaceous-system-of-australia", "albian-stage", "cenomanian-stage", "turonian-stage", "sandstone-formations", "siltstone-formations", "coal-in-australia", "shale-formations", "fluvial-deposits", "ichnofossiliferous-formations", "fossiliferous-stratigraphic-units-of-oceania", "paleontology-in-queensland", "south-west-queensland", "central-west-queensland", "winton-formation"] description: "Geological formation in Queensland, Australia" topic_path: "science/earth-science" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winton_Formation" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Geological formation in Queensland, Australia ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox rockunit"]

Field	Value
name	Winton Formation
image	Lark Quarry - overburden.jpg
caption	Strata of the Winton Formation exposed at Lark Quarry
type	Geological formation
age	Late Albian-Early Turonian
~
period	Turonian
prilithology	Sandstone, siltstone, claystone
otherlithology	Conglomerate, coal
region	Queensland
country	Australia
coordinates
paleocoordinates
unitof	Rolling Downs Group
underlies	Unconformity with Quaternary Lake Eyre Basin sediments
overlies	Mackunda Formation, Oodndatta Formation
thickness
extent	Eromanga Basin
map	Winton Formation outcrop.jpg
map_caption	Map showing the extent of the Winton Formaiton within Queensland, and in the vicinity of the town of Winton specifically
namedfor	Winton, Queensland
namedby	Whitehouse
year_ts	1955
location_ts	Bores in and around Winton
::

| name = Winton Formation | image = Lark Quarry - overburden.jpg | caption =Strata of the Winton Formation exposed at Lark Quarry | type = Geological formation | age = Late Albian-Early Turonian ~ | period = Turonian | prilithology = Sandstone, siltstone, claystone | otherlithology = Conglomerate, coal | region = Queensland | country = Australia | coordinates = | paleocoordinates = | unitof = Rolling Downs Group | subunits = | underlies = Unconformity with Quaternary Lake Eyre Basin sediments | overlies = Mackunda Formation, Oodndatta Formation | thickness = | extent = Eromanga Basin | area = | map = Winton Formation outcrop.jpg | map_caption =Map showing the extent of the Winton Formaiton within Queensland, and in the vicinity of the town of Winton specifically | namedfor = Winton, Queensland | namedby = Whitehouse | year_ts = 1955 | location_ts = Bores in and around Winton The Winton Formation is a Cretaceous geological formation in central-western Queensland, Australia. It is late Albian to early Turonian in age. The formation blankets large areas of central-western Queensland. It consists of sedimentary rocks such as sandstone, siltstone and claystone. The sediments that make up these rocks represent the remnants of the river plains that filled the basin left by the Eromanga Sea - an inland sea that covered large parts of Queensland and central Australia at least four times during the Early Cretaceous period. Great meandering rivers, forest pools and swamps, creeks, lakes and coastal estuaries all left behind different types of sediment.

In some areas, the Winton Formation is over 400 metres thick. To bring with them such a huge amount of sediment, the rivers that flowed across these plains must have been comparable in size to the present-day Amazon or Mississippi rivers. As more and more sediment was brought in, the margins of the inland sea slowly contracted. By around 95 million years ago, the deposition was complete and the inland sea would never be seen again.

By virtue of its age and the environmental conditions under which the rocks it consists of were deposited, the Winton Formation represents one of the richest sources of dinosaur fossils anywhere in Australia.

Fauna

A fossil footprint-(ichnite), Wintonopus, found with two other dinosaur genera footprints at the Lark Quarry in Australia, c.f. Tyrannosauropus and Skartopus, have been found in the Winton Formation.

Mollusca

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Mollusca of the Winton Formation	Taxa	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Melanoides	Indeterminate
Hyridella	H (Protohyridella). goodiwindiensis
H. macmichaeli
Megalovirgus	M.wintonensis
Pledgia	P. eyrensis
::

Arthropods

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Arthropods of the Winton Formation	Taxa	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Oribatida?	Indeterminate
Odonata	Indeterminate
Mecoptera	Indeterminate
Coleoptera	Indeterminate
::

Chondrichthyes

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Chondrichthyes of the Winton Formation	Taxa	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Selachii	Indeterminate			A shark
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Dipnoi

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Dipnoi of the Winton Formation	Taxa	Presence	Material
Metaceratodus	M. bonei	Isolated tooth plates	Lungfish belonging to the extinct family Ceratodontidae
M. ellioti
M. wollastoni
::

Actinopterygii

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Actinopterygii of the Winton Formation	Taxa	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Cladocyclus	C. geddesi		Nearly complete skull and partial skeleton
::

Squamates

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Squamates of the Winton Formation	Taxa	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Varanoidea	Indeterminate		A damaged posterior trunk vertebra	Originally considered as dolichosaurid (cf. Coniasaurus), but reassigned
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Chelidae

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Chelidae of the Winton Formation	Taxa	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Chelidae	Indeterminate
::

Sauropterygia

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Sauropterygia of the Winton Formation	Taxa	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Plesiosauria	Indeterminate
::

Crocodyliformes

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Crocodyliformes of the Winton Formation	Taxa	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
last1=White	first1=M.A.	last2=Bell	first2=P.R.	last3=Campione	first3=N.E.	last4=Sansalone
Isisfordia	I. duncani		Nearly complete skeleton and partial skull, referred complete skull		[[File:Isisfordia.jpg	center
::

Dinosaurs

Ornithischians

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Ornithischians of the Winton Formation	Taxa	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Amblydactylus	A. gethingi	Lark Quarry.	Multiple footprints.
Ankylosauria	Indeterminate		Three isolated teeth from left and right dentary and right maxilla
Neornithischia	Indeterminate		Tooth
Ornithopoda	Indeterminate		Digested remains associated with the holotype of Confractosuchus
Ornithopoda	Undescribed		date=October 2023	bot=InternetArchiveBot	fix-attempted=yes }} SALISBURY, Steven W., University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; HERNE, Matthew C., University of New England, Armidale, Australia; LAMANNA, Matthew C., Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America; NAIR, Jay P., University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; SYME, Caitlin, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; WITMER, Lawrence M., Ohio Univ, Athens, OH, United States of America SVP conference abstracts 2019	Small-bodied, recovered as part of "Elasmaria"
Wintonopus	W. latomorum	Snake Creek and Lark Quarry track site.	Footprints.	An ornithopod.
::

Sauropods

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Sauropods of the Winton Formation	Taxa	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
vauthors=Hocknull SA, Wilkinson M, Lawrence RA, Konstantinov V, Mackenzie S, Mackenzie R	title=A new giant sauropod, Australotitan cooperensis gen. et sp. nov., from the mid-Cretaceous of Australia	journal=PeerJ	year=2021	volume=9	article-number=e11317	doi=10.7717/peerj.11317
Diamantinasaurus	D. matildae		A squamosal, quadrates, braincase, surangular, atlas intercentrum axis, cervical vertebrae, middle cervical neural arch, co-ossified sacral centra, cervical ribs, dorsal vertebrae, numerous dorsal ribs, fragmentary gastralia, coalesced sacral vertebrae, isolated sacral processes, scapula, coracoid, partial sternal plate, humeri, ulnae, radius, metacarpals I–V, manual phalanges, ilium, pubes, both ischia, femur, tibia, fibula, astragalus, and numerous fragments.	A diamantinasaurian sauropod known from partial cranial material.	[[File:Diamantinasaurus_AODF_836.jpg	center
first1 = S.F.	last1 = Poropat	first2 = P.D.	last2 = Mannion	first3 = P.	last3 = Upchurch	first4 = S.A.
Sauropoda	Indeterminate		Poorly preserved remains associated with the holotype of Confractosuchus
Titanosauriformes	Undescribed		date=October 2023	bot=InternetArchiveBot	fix-attempted=yes }} POROPAT, Stephen F., Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Australia; MANNION, Philip D., University College London, London, England; UPCHURCH, Paul, University College London, London, United Kingdom; ELLIOTT, David A., Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, Winton, Australia SVP conference abstracts 2019
Wintonotitan	W. wattsi		A scapula, both humeri, both ulnae, both radii, near complete metacarpus preserving complete metacarpals II–V with proximal half of metacarpal I, fragmentary dorsal and sacral vertebrae and ribs, partial ilium, ischium, caudal vertebral series including anterior caudals, middle caudals, posterior caudals, proximal chevrons, and numerous unidentifiable fragments.	A titanosaur that is likely to be closely related to Australotitan, Diamantinasaurus and Savannasaurus.	[[File:Wintonotitan.png	center
::

Theropods

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Theropods of the Winton Formation	Taxa	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
last1 = Hocknull	first1 = SA	last2 = White	first2 = MA	last3 = Tischler	first3 = TR	last4 = Cook
Megaraptoridae	Indeterminate		A partial skeleton, consisting of caudal vertebrae, metatarsals, a phalanx, and numerous unidentifiable fragments. Stated to be larger than Australovenator.
::

Pterosaurs

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Pterosaurs of the Winton Formation	Taxa	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Ferrodraco	F. lentoni		A partial premaxillae, maxillae and dentaries, partial frontal, mandibular articular region comprising the surangular, angular and articular, partial cervical vertebrae, partial scapulocoracoid, partial ulna, partial radius, proximal and distal carpals, metacarpal IV, proximal end of metacarpal IV, fragmentary non-wing manual phalanges, partial first wing phalanx (IV-1), and associated fragments.	The most complete pterosaur from Australia and the youngest known anhanguerian.	[[File:Ferrodraco.jpg	center
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Therapsida

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Therapsida of the Winton Formation	Taxa	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Cynodont	Indeterminate
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Flora

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Flora of the Winton Formation	Taxa	Species	Presence	Material	Notes	Images
Angiospermae	Indeterminate		Leaf impressions, cuticle fragments	At least ten distinct types, belonging to both monocots and dicotyledons
Araucaria	last=Poropat	first=Stephen F.	last2=Tosolini	first2=Anne-Marie P.	last3=Beeston	first3=Samantha L.
Araucariaceae	Indeterminate		Leaves	Conifer
Austrosequoia	A. wintonensis		Cones and leaved axes	A member of Cupressaceae
Carnoconites	Indeterminate		Female ovulate fruiting organ	A member of the extinct seed plant order Pentoxylales, youngest record of the group in Australia
Cheirolepidiaceae	Four taxa		Dispersed cuticle	Conifer
Emwadea	E. microcarpa		Seed cones	A member of Araucariaceae, more closely related to Agathis and Wollemia than Araucaria.
Equisetites	Indeterminate		Axes	Horsetail
Ginkgo	G. wintonensis, four other possible species		Leaf impressions (G. wintonensis) Dispersed cuticle	A gingophyte, genus extant.
Lovellea	L. wintonensis		Permineralised flower	A member of Laurales
Aff. Lygodium?	Indeterminate		Fern pinna	Fern
Marchantites	M. marguerita			Liverwort
Microphyllopteris	cf. M. gleichenoides		Frond fragment impression	A fern belonging to the family Gleicheniaceae
Otozamites	cf. O. bengalensis		Leaves	Member of Bennettitales
Phyllopteroides	P. macclymontae		Numerous pinnule impressions	A fern belonging to the family Osmundaceae
Pterostoma	Indeterminate		Leaves	A possible cycad
Ptilophyllum	Indeterminate		Leaves	Member of Bennettitales
Sphenopteris	Indeterminate		Leaves	A "seed fern"
Taeniopteris	Indeterminate		Leaf impression	A member of the extinct seed plant order Pentoxylales, youngest record of the group in Australia
Tempskya	T. judithae		Permineralized false trunks	A tree fern	[[File:Tempskya sp. - MUSE.jpg	center
::

References

"Water resources - Availability - Queensland".
(September 2013). "Detrital zircon age constraints for the Winton Formation, Queensland: Contextualizing Australia's Late Cretaceous dinosaur faunas". Gondwana Research.
(1997). "Four Species of Metaceratodus (Osteichthyes: Dipnoi, Family Ceratodontidae) from Australian Mesozoic and Cenozoic Deposits". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
(2014). "First record of the ichthyodectiform fish Cladocyclus from eastern Gondwana: A new species from the Lower Cretaceous of Queensland, Australia". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.
Kear, Benjamin P.. (2016-07-30). "Cretaceous marine amniotes of Australia: perspectives on a decade of new research". Memoirs of Museum Victoria.
(2008). "A dolichosaurid lizard from the latest Albian (mid-Cretaceous) Winton Formation, Queensland, Australia". Proceedings of the Second Mosasaur Meeting. 3.
(2022). "Abdominal contents reveal Cretaceous crocodyliforms ate dinosaurs". Gondwana Research.
(June 2013). "First evidence of ankylosaurian dinosaurs (Ornithischia: Thyreophora) from the mid-Cretaceous (late Albian–Cenomanian) Winton Formation of Queensland, Australia". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology.
"Hypsilophodontid (Dinosauria:Ornithischia) from latest Albian, Winton Formation, central Queensland". Memoirs of the Queensland Museum.
(October 2023)
(2021). "A new giant sauropod, ''Australotitan cooperensis'' gen. et sp. nov., from the mid-Cretaceous of Australia". PeerJ.
(2024). "Reappraisal of sauropod dinosaur diversity in the Upper Cretaceous Winton Formation of Queensland, Australia, through 3D digitisation and description of new specimens". PeerJ.
(2016). "New Australian sauropods shed light on Cretaceous dinosaur palaeobiogeography". Scientific Reports.
(October 2023)
(2009). "New Mid-Cretaceous (Latest Albian) Dinosaurs from Winton, Queensland, Australia". PLOS ONE.
(2020). "New theropod remains and implications for megaraptorid diversity in the Winton Formation (lower Upper Cretaceous), Queensland, Australia". Royal Society Open Science.
(December 2019). "Ferrodraco lentoni gen. et sp. nov., a new ornithocheirid pterosaur from the Winton Formation (Cenomanian–lower Turonian) of Queensland, Australia". Scientific Reports.
(September 2010). "The Winton Formation flora (Albian–Cenomanian, Eromanga Basin): implications for vascular plant diversification and decline in the Australian Cretaceous". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology.
Poropat, Stephen F.. (2025-06-09). "Fossilized gut contents elucidate the feeding habits of sauropod dinosaurs". Current Biology.
(June 2012). "Emwadea microcarpa gen. et sp. nov.—anatomically preserved araucarian seed cones from the Winton Formation (late Albian), western Queensland, Australia". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology.

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