The Jinju Formation (Korean: 진주층; Hanja: 晋州層; RR: Jinju-cheung) is an Early Cretaceous geologic formation in South Korea.[2]Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation, although none have yet been referred to a specific genus.[3] The depositional age of this formation spans from approximately 112.4 ± 1.3 to 106.5 million years ago (early Albian) based on detrital zircon U-Pb dating.[4] It predominantly consists of black shale, with sandstone packets, deposited in a fluvial-lacustrine setting.
A diverse arthropod fauna, including freshwater arthropods, spiders, and insects, is known from the formation. Other notable fossils known from the formation include several freshwater fishes, ostracods, and plants. This formation has also "attracted global ichnological attention" for the variety of important ichnofossils.[5] Columnar and rod-shaped stromatolites have also been found here.[6]
A member of the extinct family Coptoclavidae. Similar to C. longipoda, but assigned to a yet undescribed species since C. longipoda is usually considered to be a species complex.
A tooth from Sacheon was initially suggested to be of Asian Brachiosaurid by Lim, Martin and Baek (2001), but Barrett et al. (2002) and Choi & Lee (2017) consider it to be indeterminate titanosauriform. Meanwhile, another tooth from Goryeong was suggested to be of Diplodocoidea by Yun et al. (2007), but Choi and Lee (2017) also considered it indeterminate titanosauriform.
While the KPE 40001 suggested to be of Boreopterid origin by Choi & Lee (2017), Yun (2021) and Yun (2024) consider them to be Anhanguerian instead based on the morphological disparity from Boreopteridae and the results of two-dimensional geometric morphometric analyses.[46][47]
The smallest known non-avian dinosaur didactyl tracks possibly made by a small microraptorine, with indication of important flight behaviors such as flap-running, take-off, and landing.[52]
^Lee, S.B.; Li, Y.-D.; Cai, C.; Engel, M.S.; Nam, G.S.; Park, J.K.; Nel, A.; Jenkins Shaw, J.; Jouault, C.; Legalov, A.; Kundrata, R. (2024). "Cretaceous beetles of the Jinju Formation (Coleoptera): An overview of the Jinju Formation, its coleopteran diversity, and past and future research". Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology. 27 (2): 102236. Bibcode:2024JAsPE..2702236L. doi:10.1016/j.aspen.2024.102236.
^ abLee, Soo-Bin; Cai, Chen-Yang; Engel, Michael S.; Nam, Gi-Soo; Park, Jong-Kyun (29 June 2024). "Cretaceous beetles of the Jinju Formation (Coleoptera: Hydrophiloidea)". Palaeoentomology. 7 (3): 443–452. doi:10.11646/PALAEOENTOMOLOGY.7.3.14.
^Engel, Michael A.; Lim, Jong-Deock; Baek, Kwang-Seok; Martin, Larry D. (2002). "An Earwig from the Lower Cretaceous of Korea (Dermaptera: Forficulina)". Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society. 75 (2): 86–90. JSTOR25086049.
^Sohn, J.-C.; Nam, G. S. (2024). "New fossil genus and species of Yuripopovinidae (Insecta: Heteroptera, Coreoidea) from the Lower Cretaceous Jinju Formation, South Korea, with insights into the evolution of exaggerated antennae in the family". Cretaceous Research. 158. 105847. Bibcode:2024CrRes.15805847S. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2024.105847.
^ abKhramov, Alexander V.; Nam, Gi-Soo (October 2024). "Discovery of supposedly "Gondwanan" myrmeleontoids (Neuroptera) in the Lower Cretaceous of South Korea". Cretaceous Research: 106024. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2024.106024.
^Park, Sun-Ok; Chang, Ki-Hong (1998). "Some Cretaceous conchostracans of Kyongsang basin". Journal of the Paleontological Society of Korea. 14 (2): 179–199.
^ abYun, Cheol-Soo; Baek, Kwang-Seok; Jeong, Young-Hyeon (2007). "Cretaceous reptilian teeth from the Gyeongsang Basin". Journal of the Paleontological Society of Korea. 23 (1): 27–47.
^Yun, Cheol-Soo; Yang, Seong-Young (2001). "First discovery of big pterosaur teeth in Korea". Journal of the Paleontological Society of Korea. 17 (2): 69–76.
^Yun, Chan-Gyu (2021). "Boreopterid pterosaur fossils from South Korea reconsidered". New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin. 82: 567–568.
^Kim, Jeong Yul; Lockley, Martin G.; Woo, Jeong Ok; Kim, Sam Hyang (2012). "Unusual didactyl traces from the Jinju Formation (Early Cretaceous, South Korea) indicate a new ichnospecies of Dromaeosauripus". Ichnos: An International Journal for Plant and Animal Traces. 19 (1–2): 75–83. Bibcode:2012Ichno..19...75K. doi:10.1080/10420940.2012.664054. S2CID129875076.
^ abKang, Seung Hyeop; Buckley, Lisa G.; McCrea, Richard T.; Kim, Kyung-Soo; Lockley, Martin G.; Lim, Jong Deock; Lim, Hyun Soo; Kim, Cheong-Bin (2021). "First report of bird tracks (Ignotornis seoungjoseoi ichnosp. nov.) from the Jinju Formation (Lower Cretaceous), Sacheon City, Korea". Cretaceous Research. 127 (11): 104899. Bibcode:2021CrRes.12704899K. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2021.104899.
^Lee, Dong-Chan (2017). "Radialimbricatus, a new ichnogenus from the lacustrine sandstone facies of the Lower Cretaceous Jinju Formation, South Korea". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 41 (3): 350–364. Bibcode:2017Alch...41..350L. doi:10.1080/03115518.2017.1283053. S2CID132462007.
^Lee, Dong-Chan (2018). "Probable insect cocoon or pupation chamber in a channel-fill sandstone bed of the Lower Cretaceous Jinju Formation, South Korea". Lethaia. 51 (3): 433–443. Bibcode:2018Letha..51..433L. doi:10.1111/let.12257.
^ abcdefKim, J.Y.; Pickerill, R. (2002). "Cretaceous Nonmarine Trace Fossils from the Hasandong and Jinju Formations of the Namhae Area, Kyongsangnamdo, Southeast Korea". Ichnos. 9 (1–2): 41–60. doi:10.1080/10420940190034076.