Conway Formation

The Conway Formation, previously known as the Laidmore Formation, is a Campanian to Danian geologic formation in the South Island of New Zealand and therefore crosses the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary. Plesiosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from its strata. The Conway Formation is part of the Eyre Group and Haerenga Supergroup.

Conway Formation
Stratigraphic range: Campanian-Maastrichtian
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	Eyre Group
Underlies	Loburn Mudstone
Overlies	Broken River Formation
Lithology
Primary	Sandstone, siltstone
Location
Coordinates	42.6°S 173.5°E / -42.6; 173.5
Approximate paleocoordinates	57.7°S 149.1°W / -57.7; -149.1
Region	Canterbury
Country	New Zealand
Extent	South Island
Conway Formation (New Zealand)

Fossil content

Among others, the following fossils have been found in the formation:^[1]

• Alexandronectes zealandiensis
• Mauisaurus ?haasti
• Prognathodon waiparaensis
• Australopristis wiffeni^[2]
• Taniwhasaurus oweni

See also

• Tahora Formation
• Plesiosaur stratigraphic distribution
• Geology of Canterbury, New Zealand
• Stratigraphy of New Zealand
• South Polar region of the Cretaceous

References

1. Haumuri Bluff at Fossilworks.org
2. Martill, D.M.; Ibrahim, N. (2012). "Aberrant rostral teeth of the sawfish Onchopristis numidus from the Kem Kem beds (?early Late Cretaceous) of Morocco and a reappraisal of Onchopristis in New Zealand". Journal of African Earth Sciences. 64: 71–76. Bibcode:2012JAfES..64...71M. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2011.11.009.

Further reading

• M. W. Caldwell, R. Holmes, G. L. Bell, Jr. and J. Wiffen. 2005. An unusual tylosaurine mosasaur from New Zealand: a new skull of Taniwhasaurus oweni (Lower Haumurian; Upper Cretaceous). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 25(2):393-401
• J. P. O'Gorman, R. A. Otero, and N. Hiller. 2014. A new record of an aristonectine elasmosaurid (Sauropterygia, Plesiosauria) from the Upper Cretaceous of New Zealand: implications for the Mauisaurus haasti Hector, 1874 hypodigm. Alcheringa
• R. A. Otero, J. P. O'Gorman, N. Hiller, F. R. O'Keefe, and R. E. Fordyce. 2016. Alexandronectes zealandiensis gen. et sp. nov., a new aristonectine plesiosaur from the lower Maastrichtian of New Zealand. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 36(2):e1054494:1-14
• G. Warren and I. Speden. 1977. The Piripauan and Haumurian stratotypes (Mata Series, Upper Cretaceous) and correlative sequences in the Haumuri Bluff District, South Marlborough. New Zealand Geological Survey Bulletin 92:1-60