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Gogo Formation
Stratigraphic range: Frasnian
Type Geological formation
Underlies Virgin Hills Formation
Overlies Unconformity with Prices Creek Group
Thickness Up to 700 m (2,300 ft)
Lithology
Primary Shale, Siltstone
Other Limestone
Location
Location Kimberley, Western Australia
Coordinates 18°18′S 126°30′E / 18.3°S 126.5°E / -18.3; 126.5
Approximate paleocoordinates 16°42′S 136°42′E / 16.7°S 136.7°E / -16.7; 136.7
Region Western Australia
Country  Australia
Type section
Named for Gogo Station
Thickness at type section ~425 m (1,394 ft)
Gogostation
View of Gogo Station, 1951

The Gogo Formation in the Kimberley region of Western Australia is a Lagerstätte that exhibits exceptional preservation of a Devonian reef community. The formation is named after Gogo Station, a cattle station where outcrops appear and fossils are often collected from, as is nearby Fossil Downs Station.

History

The reef, which now stands up abruptly in the western Australian desert (as the Windjana Limestone), was first identified in 1940 by paleontologist Curt Teichert, who discovered the first fossil fish from the region.

Sedimentology

Unweathered sections of the Gogo Formation are made of siltstone, shale and calcarenite with numerous limestone concretions. These concretions are resistant to weathering, producing extensive nodule fields on the ground in areas where the surrounding rock has eroded away.

The Gogo sediments represent deep, hypoxic seafloor deposits in the vicinity of a large tropical reef composed primarily of algae and stromatoporoids during the Frasnian faunal stage of the Late Devonian. Associated stratigraphic units which comprise this ancient reef system are the Windjana Formation (the actual reef structures), Pillara Limestone (reef platform) and the Sadler Formation (fore-reef deposits).

Deposition

The formation was deposited in the Frasnian (late Devonian).

Fossil preservation

The fossils of the Gogo Formation display three-dimensional soft-tissue preservation of tissues as fragile as nerves and embryos with umbilical cords. Over fifty species of fish have been described from the formation, and arthropods, including phyllocarids and eurypterids are similarly well-preserved. Nautiloids, goniatites and tentaculids are also known from the formation, but their soft tissue is not preserved.

The calcareous concretions formed around objects from the shallow reef areas which sank into the deep anoxic basins. The concretions sometimes contain the remains of fish, whose bodies are often preserved complete in three-dimensions due to rapid encasement and the slow rate of decay in the oxygen-poor surroundings. By repeated baths in a dilute acid solution, the matrix is dissolved away via a process of acid etching to reveal delicate fish fossils, some retaining impressions of soft tissues.

The discovery of Materpiscis, a placoderm preserved with an embryonic juvenile still attached by its umbilical cord, has revealed that at least some placoderms gave birth to live young.

Fossil content

Placodermi

Genus Species Notes Images
Austroptyctodus A. gardinieri
Bothriolepis Indeterminate
Bothriolepis sp. from Gogo Formation.png
Bruntonichthys B. multidens
Bruntonichthys multidens.jpg
Bullerichthys B. fascidens
Campbellodus C. decipiens
Campbellodus decipiens.jpg
Camuropiscis C. concinnus
Camuropiscis species.jpg
C. laidlawi
Compagopiscis C. croucheri
Eastmanosteus E. calliaspis
E calliaspis.png
Fallacosteus F. turneri
Fallacosteus turnerae.jpg
Harrytoombsia H. elegans
Harrytoombsia (Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet).jpg
Holonema H. westolli
Holonema westolli.jpg
Incisoscutum I. ritchei
Incisoscutum ritchei.jpg
I. sarahae
Kendrickichthys K. cavernosus
Kimberleyichthys K. bispicatus
K. whybrowi
Materpiscis M. attenboroughi
Materpiscis.png
Latocamurus L. coulthardi
Latocamurus coulthardi.jpg
Mcnamaraspis M. kaprios
Mcnamaraspis.png
Pinguosteus P. thulborni
Pinguosteus thulborni.jpg
Rolfosteus R. canningensis
Rolfosteus canningensis.jpg
Simosteus S. tuberculatus
Simosteus tuberculatus.jpg
Torosteus T. tuberculatus
T. pulchellus
Tubonasus T. lennardensis
Tubonasus lennardensis.jpg

Actinopterygii

Genus Species Notes Images
Gogosardina G. coatesi
Mimipiscis M. toombsi
Mimipiscis skull cropped.png
Moythomasia M. durgaringa
Moythomasia durgaringa fossil.png
M. lineata

Chondrichthyes

Genus Species Notes Images
Gogoselachus G. lynbeazleyae
Gogoselachus jaw.png

Acanthodians

Genus Species Notes
Halimacanthodes H. ahlbergi

Sarcopterygii

Genus Species Notes Images
Adololopas A. moyasmithae
Chirodipterus C. australis
Chirodipterus australis.png
cf. Diplocercides Indeterminate
Diplocercides heiligostockensis.jpg
Gogodipterus G. paddyensis
Gogonasus G. andrewsae
Gogonasus andrewsae skull and girdle.png
Griphognathus G. whitei
Griphognathus whitei skull.png
Holodipterus "H" (Holodipteroides) elderae
H. gogoensis
H. meemanae
Onychodus O. jandemarrai
Onychodus jandemarrai holotype skull.png
Pillararhynchus P. longi
Rhinodipterus R. kimberleyensis
Robinsondipterus R. longi
Xeradipterus X. hatcheri

Conodonta

Genus Species Notes
Polygnathus P. varca
P. normalis
P. asymmetrica asymmetrica
P. asymmetrica ovalis
Playfordia P. primitiva
Gnamptognathus G.? lipperti
G.? cf. G.? lipperti
Ancyrodella A. rotundiloba alata
A. rotundiloba rotundiloba
Icirodus I. symmetricus
Roundya A. aurita

Ammonoidea

Genus Species Notes
Timanites T. angustus
Tornoceras T. (T.) simplex

Arthropoda

Genus Species Notes Images
Montecaris M. gogoensis Phyllocarid arthropod, reaching length up to 60 centimetres (24 in).
Montecaris gogoensis.png
M. sp. indet.
Schugurocaris S. wami Phyllocarid arthropod.
S. sp. indet.
Dithyrocaris D. sp. indet.
Concavicaris C. campi Thylacocephalan arthropod.
C. glenisteri
C. milesi
C. playfordi
C. sp.
Harrycaris H. whittingtoni
Adelophthalmus A. waterstoni An eurypterid. Originally described as a species of Rhenopterus.
Adelophthalmus irinae.png
Undescribed eurypterid
'Mushia' Common fossil from Gogo Formation, undescribed arthropod with unknown affinity.
Chemical analysis shows that is likely to be a crustacean.
Mushia from Gogo Formation.png

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Formación Gogo para niños

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