Trossingen Formation Explained

The Trossingen Formation, formerly the Knollenmergel (also known as the Arnstadt Formation), is a geological formation in Germany and Switzerland. It dates back to the late Norian-Rhaetian. It belongs to the Keuper Group of the Germanic Triassic. The Trossingen Formation is underlain by the Löwenstein Formation and erosively overlain by the Exter Formation, in part also directly by the Black Jurassic.^{[1] [2]}

Definition

The horizontal boundary of the Trossingen Formation is a diachronous facies boundary and is characterized by the exposure of the sandstones of the Löwenstein Formation. The hanging wall boundary is also sharply defined facially and characterized by the erosive overburden with terrestrial sediments of various locally widespread strata of the Exter Formation (Malschenberg Clay or Sandstone, Contorta Clay, Tübingen Sandstone) or, in the case of the more extensive Upper Keuper Hiatus, directly with the dark marine mudstones of the Hettangian onwards Black Jurassic.

The Trossingen Formation itself consists of fairly uniform, reddish-brown to red, sometimes purple claystones with occasional layers of calcareous nodules (hence the name "Knollenmergel"). In northern Franconia, continuous limestone crusts several meters thick can also occur.^[3] Carbonaceous mudstones and silicified limestones also occur locally at the top of the succession.

The Trossingen Formation is restricted to the edge area of the Vindelizian Threshold and thus to the South German stratigraphic zone. The average thickness is about 40 to 50 m, in northern Franconia values between 55 and 60 m are reached. In southern Württemberg (Wutach area), the thickness decreases to 10 m.^[4] The differences in thickness are due on the one hand to the interlocking with the Löwenstein Formation and on the other hand to the Rhaetian/Early Jurassic erosion.

Chronostratigraphically, the Trossingen Formation is placed in the uppermost Norian or lower Rhaetian (upper Upper Triassic). The type locality or type profile is the impact slope of the Trosselbach near Trossingen (Tuttlingen district). It was named after the town of Trossingen. The type region is southwestern Baden-Württemberg.

The outcrops of the Trossingen Formation are characterized by so-called "hummocky" meadows. It forms very heavy soils (minute soil), which can be recognized by typical tree growth (crooked and leaning trees), and is prone to frequent landslides after rainfall. Tuberous marl landscapes can often only be used for orchards.Due to its richness in claystone, the Knollenmergel, like many Keuper formations, is a difficult subsoil for buildings of any kind because the claystones contain three-layer clay minerals that are swellable due to water retention in the intermediate layers. Intensive arable farming is therefore also problematic due to the fact that it is highly dependent on weather conditions. Like many claystone-dominated rock sequences, nodular marl tends to creep on slopes. This manifests itself in the sabre growth of trees on slopes.

The lithology of the Trossingen Formation, particularly at the Trossingen dinosaur site, is dominated by fine-grained sediments with minimal stratification, indicating post-depositional disturbance. Sandstones are rare, appearing only as thin intercalations in certain areas. Is dominated by mudstones with varying compositions and colors, divided into three main stratigraphic units: the lower beds, dark purple, marbled mudstones rich in carbonates. They contain calcitic replacements of small roots and show signs of pedogenic processes, including mud cracks and pseudobreccias. The presence of carbonate is highest in these beds, contributing to their distinctive texture and appearance.^[5] Next are homogeneous red-brown beds of light reddish-brown mudstones with lower carbonate content. They contain occasional small, round carbonate nodules, which increase in size and clustering towards the lower part of the unit. The last beds range from light purple to brown mudstones and have moderate carbonate content. Some layers contain calcitic root replacements, scattered carbonate nodules, and mud cracks that transition into pseudobreccias. This unit lacks the marbled appearance of the Lower Beds but shares similarities in texture and composition.

Historical Work

The Trossingen Formation's excavation history dates back to the early 20th century when a schoolboy stumbled upon dinosaur bone fragments at a site known as "the Rutschete". His discovery caught the attention of local scientists, leading to initial excavations by Eberhard Fraas in 1911. By 1912, his team had uncovered scattered bones and two articulated skeletons, one of which remains one of the best-preserved plateosaur specimens.^[6]

Friedrich von Huene, aware of the site since 1904 but initially lacking funds, launched his own major excavation in 1921, supported by the American Museum of Natural History and local entrepreneurs. His team unearthed 12 Plateosaurus skeletons, employing university students under spartan conditions. His findings were split between Tübingen, the AMNH, and later Yale University. Huene originally theorized that the dinosaurs perished in an arid desert setting but later modified his view to suggest that the animals died of exhaustion near a muddy water source.^[7]

A large-scale excavation followed in 1932, led by Reinhold Seemann from the Stuttgart Natural History Museum. With a team of 25, he unearthed 39 individual skeletons, noting that the Lower Dinosaur Bed contained better-preserved material. Seemann refuted Huene's desert hypothesis, instead proposing that the region once held a lake, and supported the idea that many Plateosaurus specimens became trapped in mud. His meticulous field notes and maps provided a detailed record of the site, though much of the material was later destroyed in World War II.^[8]

Interest in the site waned after 1932, with subsequent research relying on past records. Later studies, including those by Weishampel in the 1980s and Sander in 1992, refined theories on the formation's depositional history, emphasizing miring as a key factor in preserving the dinosaurs.

Excavations resumed in 2007, conducted by the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart. Over multiple campaigns, new fossil-bearing layers were identified, revealing additional Plateosaurus skeletons and providing fresh insights into the site's sedimentology and paleoenvironment.

Paleoenvironment

The Trossingen Formation facies formed as a result of episodic sheet floods in a well-drained playa basin.^[9] This region was heavily influenced by the Triassic Pangaean monsoon system, often referred to as a "megamonsoon". While many Keuper clay beds contain evaporitic sulphate minerals, the deposits are unique in their lack of such minerals, despite showing desiccation features like mudcracks. This suggests they were deposited on a dry mudflat where groundwater was too deep for evaporite formation, allowing pedogenic processes to dominate.^[10] The playa stretched from northern Switzerland through parts of Germany, including Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Thuringia, and Saxony-Anhalt, transitioning into central playa lake and lacustrine facies further north.^[11]

The paleoenvironment, particularly the Knollenmergel claystones, suggests a landscape shaped by alternating wet and dry conditions. The presence of features like pedogenic slickensides, pseudoanticlines, and deep desiccation cracks indicates that the sediments underwent significant soil formation processes. These characteristics align with vertisols-soils that form in climates with strong seasonal moisture fluctuations.^[12]

The Knollenmergel paleosols likely developed through repeated deposition of clay-rich layers, each becoming integrated into the soil through swelling and shrinking processes. The widespread evidence of root structures suggests that vegetation was present at times, though oxidation may have destroyed other plant remains. Carbonate nodules, sometimes forming vertical "pillars," point to periods of increased aridity, leading to the formation of calcretes. The Red-Brown Beds, distinct in color and composition, likely represent a more arid phase, contrasting with the more humid conditions inferred for the purple vertisol layers.

Among the playa-alike deposits, Porcellispora longdonensis suggests communities of liverworts in ephemeral lakes similar to the extant genus Riella. Hypersaline conditions were marked by the alga Plaesiodictyon mosellanum. The dominant pollen is mostly of Hirmeriellaceae conifers (Classopollis, Granuloperculatipollis rudis) possibly representing adjacent river margins.  Small marine incursions likely happened in the uppermost sections, based on associated freshwater Botryococcus with marine dinoflajellates (Micrhystridium, Veryhachium).^[13]

The Trossingen site also preserves numerous dinosaur fossils, particularly Plateosaurus, with many skeletons found in life-like postures. This suggests rapid burial, likely in soft, clay-rich sediments that acted as natural mud traps. Such conditions are consistent with the presence of gilgai—depressions in vertisol landscapes that can retain water and become hazards for large animals. The overall environmental picture is one of a floodplain subject to periodic drying and wetting, supporting intermittent vegetation and experiencing long-term soil development processes.

Paleobiota

Molluscs

Genus	Species	Location	Material	Notes	Images
Paludina[14]	aff. P. sp.	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	Shells	A viviparid gastropod
Unionites	U. postera	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	Shells	A unionid bivalve
Unio	U. franconicus	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	Shells	A unionid bivalve

Fish

Genus	Species	Location	Material	Notes	Images
Acrodus	cf. A. sp.	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	Teeth	A hybodont Chondrichthyan
Birgeria[15]	B. sp	"Phytosaur bonebed", Bitburg	Multiple teeth and scales	A Birgeriiformes bony fish
Ceratodus[16]	C. latissimus	Niederschönthal, Liestal	Tooth plates	A ceratodontid lungfish
	C. sp.	Niederschönthal, Liestal	Tooth plates	A ceratodontid lungfish
Colobodus	cf. C. sp.	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	Teeth	A colobodontid bony fish
Gyrolepis	G. sp	"Phytosaur bonebed", Bitburg	Multiple teeth and scales	A Palaeonisciform bony fish
Hybodus	H. sp.	Niederschönthal, Liestal	Teeth	A hybodont Chondrichthyan
Hypsocormus?	cf.H. sp.	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	Teeth	Incertae sedis
Lissodus	L. minimus	"Phytosaur bonebed", Bitburg	Multiple teeth and spine fragments	A hybodont Chondrichthyan
Nemacanthus	N. sp	"Phytosaur bonebed", Bitburg	Multiple teeth and spine fragments	A SynechodontiformChondrichthyan
Paralepidotus	P. sp	"Phytosaur bonebed", Bitburg	Multiple teeth and scales	A Semionotidae bony fish
Prolepidotus	P. spp.	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	Teeth	A lepisosteiform bony fish
Ptychoceratodus	P. sp.	"Phytosaur bonebed", Bitburg	Tooth plates	A ceratodontid lungfish
Ptycholepididae	Indeterminate	"Phytosaur bonebed", Bitburg	Tooth plates	Incertae sedis
Rhomphaiodon	R. minor	"Phytosaur bonebed", Bitburg	Multiple teeth	A SynechodontiformChondrichthyan
Saurichthys	S. sp	"Phytosaur bonebed", Bitburg	Multiple teeth and scales	A Saurichthyidae bony fish

Amphibia

Genus	Species	Location	Material	Notes	Images
Cyclotosaurus[17]	C. hemprichi	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	HMH, a complete large skull with mandible (62.5 cm)	A cyclotosaurid temnospondyl. Also known as Hemprichisaurus.
	aff. C. posthumus	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	Desarticulated material
Gerrothorax	G. pulcherrimus	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	Desarticulated material	A plagiosaurid temnospondyl.
	G. sp.	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	Desarticulated material
Hercynosaurus	H. carinidens	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	Mandible	A cyclotosaurid temnospondyl.
Metoposaurus	M. ultimus	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	Teeth	A metoposaurid temnospondyl.
Plagiosaurus	P. depressus	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	MB.Am.637, posterolateral portion of skull; Multiple referred specimens	A plagiosaurid temnospondyl.
	P. sp.	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	Desarticulated material
Saurischiocomes	S. keuperinus	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	Specimens	Incertae sedis
Temnospondyli	Indeterminate	Niederschönthal, Liestal	Specimens	Indeterminate Amphibian remains

Therapsida

Genus	Species	Location	Material	Notes	Images
Eoraetia[18]	E. siegerti	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	Isolated unla	Incertae sedis
Thomasia[19] [20]	T. hahni	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	Teeth	A Haramiyidan

Sauropterygia

Genus	Species	Location	Material	Notes	Images
Chelyoposuchus	C. crassisquamatus	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	Semiarticulated specimen	A Henodontidae placodont
Placodontia	Indeterminate	Niederschönthal, Liestal	Isolated remains	Indeterminate placodont remains
Plesiosauria	Indeterminate	Niederschönthal, Liestal	Teeth	Indeterminate plesiosaur remains
Plesiosaurus	P. keuperinus	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	Teeth	Nomen dubium

Archosauromorpha

Genus	Species	Location	Material	Notes	Images
Chelyzoon	cf.Chelyzoon sp.	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	Isolated remains	A Tanystropheid
Elachistosuchus[21]	E. huenei	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	MB.R. 4520, which consists of six small blocks (I–VI) of bone-bearing rock	A possible basal Archosauromorph

Pseudosuchia

Genus	Species	Location	Material	Notes	Images
Aetosaur[24]	Indeterminate	Obere Mühle	Isolated cranial bones and osteoderms	Aetosaur
Angistorhinopsis[25]	A. ruetimeyeri	Niederschönthal, Liestal	Skull fragments, vertebrae, scutes and laterally compressed serrated teeth	A Phytosaur, known as "Mystriosuchus ruetimeyeri"
Mystriosuchinae	Indeterminate	"Phytosaur bonebed", Bitburg	Phytosaur bonebed: isolated tooth crowns, isolated broken tooth, possible osteoderm and other isolated fragments	Incertae sedis
Mystriosuchus	M. spp.	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	Teeth, cranial and postcranial remains	A Phytosaur

Sauropodomorphs

Genus	Species	Location	Material	Notes	Images
Gresslyosaurus[26] [27]	G. ingens[28]	Niederschönthal, Liestal	NMB BM 1, 10, 24, 53, 530–1, 1521, 1572–74, 1576–78, 1582, 1584–85, 1591	A Plateosaurid sauropodomorph
	G. torgeri[29]	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	"Postcranial skeleton"	Indeterminate sauropodomorph remains. A referred skull was once known but has since been lost.
	G. robustus	Bebenhausen Trossingen	GPIT-PV-60293; GPIT-PV-30786	Nomen dubium
	G. (P.?) plieningeri	Degerloch, Stuttgart	SMNS 80664	Nomen dubium
Pachysauriscus	P. ajax	Trossingen Wüstenrot	GPIT-PV-30790	A Plateosaurid sauropodomorph
	P. wetzelianus	Trossingen	GPIT-PV-30788	Nomen dubium
	P. giganteus	Trossingen	GPIT-PV-60234–60236	Nomen dubium
	P. magnus	Pfrondorf, Tübingen	GPIT-PV-60298, 60173 to 60176, 60182	Nomen dubium
Plateosaurus[30]	P. erlenbergiensis	Erlenberg	"Partial skull and skeleton"	Nomen dubium
	P. longiceps[31]	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	MB.R.1937	Includes "cf. Palaeosaurus? diagnosticus"
	P. engelhardti[32]	Ellingen Heroldsberg, Feuerletten	UEN 552, sacrum; UEN 550, caudal verteba, 551, chevron, 554/555, femur, 556, tibia, 557a-b, posterior dorsal, 558, caudal vertebra, 559, femoral head, 561, 562, middle dorsal vertebrae, 563a-c, middle dorsal rib. Missing pubis fragments and caudal vertebra	Nomen dubium
	P. trossingensis	Trossingen	At least 105 partial and complete skeletons	A Plateosaurid sauropodomorph. Material referred to "Plateosaurus engelhardti" is now referred to this species
	P. reinigeri[33]	Degerloch	SMNS 53537	Nomen dubium
	P. quenstedti	Pfrondorf, Tübingen	GPIT-PV-60296	Nomen dubium
	P. sp.[34]	Buchenbühl, Nürnberg[35] Trossingen	Specimens #1, 4, 19, 23, 25, 26, 30, 34, 38, 40–42, 45, 49, 51, 52, 55, 56, 63; SMNS 81914, 91299, 91301, 91306	Indeterminate referral. Several of these may belong to "Plateosaurus engelhardti" (=P. trossingensis)
Ruehleia	R. bedheimensis		HMN MB RvL 1, 2, 3, "Nearly complete skeleton, [two] incomplete skeletons, juvenile to adult".	A Plateosaurid sauropodomorph
Sauropodomorpha[36]	Indeterminate	Allersberg, Feuerletten Lauf Kreuzgraben Niederschönthal, Liestal	JM Keu 2001/1, left tibia. Other bones observed in field but not collected; BSPG 1959 I 518, proximal left tibia; NHGN postcranial material (vertebrae, tibia, partial fibula), destroyed during WW2; UEN, bone fragment in two pieces	Indeterminate sauropodomorph remains
Tuebingosaurus[37]	T. maierfritzorum	Trossingen	GPIT-PV-30787, a complete pelvis (three sacral vertebrae, two ilia, two pubes, two ischia), five anterior caudal vertebrae, four chevrons, left femur, left tibia, left and right fibulae, left astragalus, left calcaneum, metatarsal I, pedal fingers	A derived sauropodiform, previously attributed to P. plieningeri.

Theropods

Genus	Species	Location	Material	Notes	Images
Pterospondylus[38]	P. trielbae	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit	Known from a vertebra	Theropod remains of uncertain afinitty, suggested to be a Coelophysoidean.
Liliensternus[39]	L. liliensterni		Two partial skeletons of subadults	A coelophysoid theropod formally named Halticosaurus liliensterni. Some referred material is suggested to come from a theropod up to 7 m long
	L. sp.	Baerecke-Limpricht clay pit Ellingen, "Am Tiergärtle"	scapula; Isolated material
	L.? sp.	Ellingen	Cranial and postcranial remains of several presumably adult individuals	Represents a 7–9 m long stem-averostran closely related to or referable to Liliensternus
	cf. L. sp.	Heroldsberg, Feuerletten	UEN; proximal left metatarsal II (lost)	Incertae sedis

Flora

Genus	Species	Location	Material	Notes
Anapiculatisporites[40]	A. spiniger	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Spore	Lycophyte spore, affinity with Lycopodiaceae
Aratrisporites	A. sp.	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Spore	Lycopsid spores, affinity with Pleuromeiaceae
Brachysaccus	B. neomundanus	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Pollen	Conifer pollen, affinity with Pinaceae
Calamospora	C. tener	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Spore	Horsetail spore, affinity with Equisetales
Carnisporites	C. granulatus	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Spore	Probable Pteridophyte affinity
Cedripites	C. microreticulatus	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Pollen	Conifer pollen, affinity with Pinaceae
Classopollis	C. simplex; C. torosus	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Pollen	Conifer pollen, affinity with Hirmeriellaceae
Corollina	C. sp.; C. zwolinskai	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Pollen	Conifer pollen, affinity with Hirmeriellaceae
Enzonalasporites	E. vigens	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Pollen	Conifer pollen, affinity with Hirmeriellaceae
Equisetites	cf. E. munsteri[41]	Baerecke-Limpricht	Stems	Horsetail, affinity with Equisetales
Eucommiidites	E. major	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Pollen	Gymnosperm, affinity with Erdtmanithecales
Granuloperculatipollis	G. rudis	Wachsengburg near Gotha; Malschenberg	Pollen	Conifer pollen, affinity with Hirmeriellaceae
Hymenoreticulisporites	H. maedleri	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Spore	Affinity with Ophioglossales
Labiisporites	L. triassicus	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Spore	Lycophyte spore, affinity with Lycopodiaceae
Leptolepidites	L. sp.	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Pollen	Probable Pteridophyte affinity
Lycopodiacidites	L. frankonense	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Spore	Lycophyte spore, affinity with Lycopodiaceae
Neochomotriletes	N. triangularis	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Spore	Liverwort spores, Affinity with Marchantiaceae
Nevesisporites	N. bigranulatus	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Spore	Liverwort spores, Affinity with Marchantiaceae
Ovalipollis	O. molestus; O. pseudoalatus	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Pollen	Conifer pollen, affinity with Cupressales or Pinales
Paracirculina	P. scurrilis	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Pollen	Conifer pollen, affinity with Hirmeriellaceae
Paravesicaspora	P. planderovae	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Spore	Gymnosperm, affinity with Peltaspermales
Parillinites	P. callosus; P. pauper	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Pollen	Gymnosperm, affinity with Peltaspermales
Perinopollenites	P. sp.	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Pollen	Conifer pollen, affinity with Cupressales
Podozamites	cf. P. distans	Baerecke-Limpricht	Branched shoots	A conifer, maybe Krassiloviaceae
Polycingulatisporites	P. reduncus	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Spore	Probable Pteridophyte affinity
Porcellispora	P. longdonensis	Wachsengburg near Gotha; Malschenberg	Spore	Probable Pteridophyte affinity
Retusotriletes	R. junior; R. mesozoicus	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Spore	Probable Pteridophyte affinity
Ricciisporites	R. tuberculatus	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Spore	Liverwort spores, Affinity with Marchantiaceae
Triadispora	T. delicata; T. obscura; T. sp.	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Spore	Conifer pollen, affinity with Voltziales
Verrucosisporites	V. redactus	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Spore	Fern spores, linked with Osmundales
Vitreisporites	V. pallidus	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Pollen	Gymnosperm, affinity with Caytoniales
Voltziaceaesporites	V. heteromorphus	Wachsengburg near Gotha	Pollen	Conifer pollen, affinity with Voltziales

See also

• List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations
• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Germany
• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Switzerland

Notes and References

1. Web site: Deutsche Stratigraphische Kommission(Hrsg.) Beutler . Gerhard (Koord und Red) Hauschke . Nitsch . E. . Vath . U. . 2005-08-29 . Stratigraphie von Deutschland IV: Keuper . 2025-02-05 . www.schweizerbart.de . de.
2. Nitsch . Edgar . 2006-06-13 . Der Keuper in der in der Stratigraphischen Tabelle von Deutschland 2002: Formationen und Folgen . Newsletters on Stratigraphy . 41 . 1–3 . de . 159–171 . 10.1127/0078-0421/2005/0041-0159. subscription .
3. Book: Beutler . G . Trias – Eine ganz andere Welt – Mitteleuropa im frühen Erdmittelalter . Hauschke . N. . Nitsch . E. . Hauschke . N. . Wilde . V. . 1999 . Pfeil . München.
4. Mückenhausen . E. . 1977 . Die Bodenkunde und ihre geologischen, geomorphologischen, mineralogischen und petrologischen Grundlagen . Soil Science . en . 123 . 3 . 209 . 10.1097/00010694-197703000-00016. 1977SoilS.123R.209. . 129705943 .
5. Schoch . Rainer R. . Seegis . Dieter . 2014-12-01 . Taphonomy, deposition and pedogenesis in the Upper Triassic dinosaur beds of Trossingen . Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments . en . 94 . 4 . 571–593 . 10.1007/s12549-014-0166-8 . 2014PdPe...94..571S . 1867-1608. subscription .
6. Fraas . E. . 1913 . The new Dinosaurierfunde in der schwäbischen Trias . Die Naturwissenschaften . 1 . 45 . 1097–1100 . 10.1007/bf01493265 . 0028-1042.
7. von Huene . F. . 1928 . Lebensbild des Saurischier-Vorkommens im obersten Keuper von Trossingen in Württemberg . Haim.
8. Martin Sander . P. . 1992-06-01 . The norian Plateosaurus bonebeds of central Europe and their taphonomy . Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology . 93 . 3 . 255–299 . 10.1016/0031-0182(92)90100-J . 1992PPP....93..255M . 0031-0182. subscription .
9. Vollmer . Thorsten . Werner . Ricken . Weber . Michael . Tougiannidis . Nikolaos . Röhling . Heinz-Gerd . Hambach . Ulrich . 2008 . Orbital control on Upper Triassic Playa cycles of the Steinmergel-Keuper (Norian): A new concept for ancient playa cycles . Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology . 267 . 1–2 . 1–16 . 10.1016/j.palaeo.2007.12.017 . 2008PPP...267....1V . 0031-0182.
10. Richter . Detlev K. . 1985 . Die Dolomite der Evaporit- und der Dolcrete Playasequenz im mittleren Keuper bei Coburg (NE-Bayern) . Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen . de . 87–128 . 10.1127/njgpa/170/1985/87. subscription .
11. Shukla . U. K. . Bachmann . G. H. . Beutler . G. . Barnasch . J. . Franz . M. . 2006-11-01 . Extremely distal fluvial sandstone within the playa system of Arnstadt Formation (Norian, Late Triassic), Central Germany . Facies . en . 52 . 4 . 541–554 . 10.1007/s10347-006-0049-1 . 2006Faci...52..541S . 1612-4820. subscription .
12. Reinhardt . L. . Ricken . W. . 2000 . Climate cycles documented in a playa system: comparison of geochemical signatures derived from subbasins (Triassic, Middle Keuper, German Basin). . Zentralblatt für Geologie und Paläontologie . 1 . 6 . 315–340.
13. Barth . G. . Franz . M. . Heunisch . C. . Ernst . W. . Zimmermann . J. . Wolfgramm . M. . 2018-01-01 . Marine and terrestrial sedimentation across the T–J transition in the North German Basin . Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology . 489 . 74–94 . 10.1016/j.palaeo.2017.09.029 . 0031-0182.
14. Kuhn . O. . 1939 . Beiträge zur Keuperfauna von Halberstadt [Contributions to the Keuper fauna of Halberstadt] ]. Paläontologische Zeitschrift . 21 . 1 . 258–286. 10.1007/BF03042753 . subscription .
15. Numberger-Thuy . Lea D. . Delsate . Dominique . Poschmann . Markus J. . Schindler . Thomas . Thuy . Ben . 2025-08-12 . A new phytosaur-dominated vertebrate assemblage from the Late Triassic of the South Eifel region (Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany) . Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen . en . 187–208 . 10.1127/njgpa/1273.
16. Huene . F. v. . 1911 . Die jungtriassische Wirbeltierfauna von Niederschönthal bei Basel [The Upper Triassic vertebrate fauna of Niederschönthal near Basel]. ]. Centralblatt für Mineralogie, Geologie und Paläontologie . 422–424.
17. Schoch . Rainer R. . Moreno . Raphael . 2024 . Synopsis on the temnospondyls from the German Triassic . Palaeodiversity . en . 17 . 1 . 10.18476/pale.v17.a2 . 1867-6294 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250116124342/https://bioone.org/journals/Palaeodiversity/volume-17/issue-1/pale.v17.a2/Synopsis-on-the-temnospondyls-from-the-German-Triassic/10.18476/pale.v17.a2.full . 2025-01-16. subscription .
18. Web site: PBDB Taxon . 2025-02-06 . paleobiodb.org.
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