The Maastrichtian type area (Netherlands–Belgium): a synthesis of 250+ years of collecting and ongoing progress in Upper Cretaceous stratigraphy and palaeontology

Abstract

Cretaceous limestones near Maastricht (south-east Netherlands) have been quarried at least since Roman times. In the late eighteenth century, scientific interest developed in their macrofossil content and specimens were illustrated for the first time. Amongst the early discoveries was a partial skull of a large predatory vertebrate that would play an important role in the emergence of modern palaeontology and our understanding of the concept of extinction. After decades of scientific debate, this animal was recognised as a large extinct marine relative of monitor lizards (varanoids) and named Mosasaurus. A detailed lithostratigraphy of Upper Cretaceous (Santonian-Maastrichtian) rocks was established in the Maastrichtian type area during the mid-1970s, which resulted in a renewed interest in fossil hunting by professional and amateur palaeontologists alike. During recent decades, both micro- and macrofossils have enabled a refinement of biozonations, correlations within the basin and with sections elsewhere, a greater insight into taphonomic processes and updated taxonomic interpretations. A new age model and chemostratigraphical framework is the most recent addition, permitting the placement of geoheritage in a larger frame and intensifying outreach to the public, including also virtual and augmented reality and hands-on experience to visitors of museum and (disused) quarries alike.

A nomenclatural note on Mosasaurus hoffmanni (Squamata, Mosasauroidea)

“…The cradle of vertebrate palaeontology, one might argue, lies in the Maastricht area (south-east Netherlands). The first discovery, in 1764, of the fossilised remains of impressive carnivorous reptiles in the type area of the Maastrichtian Stage (Dumont, 1849; Jagt et al, 2024), comprised a partial skull that is now on display at Teylers Museum (Haarlem, the Netherlands). This was followed in October 1778 by the historically even more important specimen that ultimately made it, in 1795, to the collections of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle at Paris, almost immediately sparking a debate on the identity and origin of such marine giants.…”