earth science

Staffelegg Formation

Staffelegg Formation is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Staffelegg Formation rather than just read about it. In short: The Staffelegg Formation (German: Staffelegg-Formation, French: Formation de la Staffelegg, Italian: Formazione della Staffelegg) is a formation of Early Jurassic age (late Hettangian to early Toarcian stages) in the Canton of Aargau of northern Switzerland. The siltstones, marls, limestones and intermittent sandstones of the formation were deposited on the Northern Tethyan Carbonate Platform (NTCP).

Key takeaways

Staffelegg Formation belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Staffelegg Formation to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Staffelegg Formation from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Staffelegg Formation (German: Staffelegg-Formation, French: Formation de la Staffelegg, Italian: Formazione della Staffelegg) is a formation of Early Jurassic age (late Hettangian to early Toarcian stages) in the Canton of Aargau of northern Switzerland. The siltstones, marls, limestones and intermittent sandstones of the formation were deposited on the Northern Tethyan Carbonate Platform (NTCP). The Staffelegg Formation has provided fossils of the ichthyosaur Eurhinosaurus longirostris and the ammonite Catacoeloceras raquinianum.

Description The formation is found in the northern canton of Aargau of Switzerland and has a thickness of 20 to 50 metres (66 to 164 ft), and in the Mont Terri area approximately 70 metres (230 ft). The Staffelegg Formation is named after the Staffelegg Pass, overlies the Keuper Group and is overlain by the Opalinus Clay. The formation comprises siltstones and marls. Additionally, limestones and subordinately also sandstones may occur especially in the Sinemurian part. In the Folded Jura, these sediments may make up the major portion of the Staffelegg Formation. Facies changes may occur within short distances in the Folded Jura. The Staffelegg Formation displays a small thickness compared to the occurrences of the Early Jurassic of southeastern France and southwestern Germany. A gradual decrease in thickness can be detected which continues from southwestern Germany into northern Switzerland. Formerly, the formation was considered part of the Posidonia Shale, until it was defined as a separate formation by Reisdorf et al. in 2011. The formation was deposited on the Northern Tethyan Carbonate Platform. The Staffelegg Formation dates from the late Hettangian to early Toarcian.

Subdivision The Staffelegg Formation is subdivided into:

Fossil content Among others, the following fossils have been reported from the formation:

Reptiles

Ichthyosaurs Eurhinosaurus longirostris Hauffiopteryx typicus Protoichthyosaurus cf. applebyi Stenopterygius sp. ?Temnodontosaurus sp.

Invertebrates Ammonites Catacoeloceras raquinianum

References

Bibliography Reisdorf, A.; Wetzel, A.; Schlatter, Jordan (2011a), "The Staffelegg Formation: a new stratigraphic scheme for the Early Jurassic of northern Switzerland" (PDF), Swiss Journal of Geoscience, 104: 97–146, doi:10.1007/s00015-011-0057-1 Reisdorf, A. G.; Maisch, M. W.; Wetzel, A. (2011b), "First record of the leptonectid ichthyosaur Eurhinosaurus longirostris from the Early Jurassic of Switzerland and its stratigraphic framework", Swiss Journal of Geoscience, 104 (2): 211–224, doi:10.1007/s00015-011-0069-x

Further reading Kiefer, L.; Deplazes, G.; Bläsi, H. R. (2015), Sedimentologie und Stratigraphie des Frühen Juras in der Nordschweiz: Staffelegg-Formation und sich nach Osten anschliessende Vorkommen, nagra Arbeitsbericht, NAB, pp. 14–95

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Staffelegg Formation

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Staffelegg Formation claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Staffelegg Formation before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Staffelegg Formation ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Staffelegg Formation

In research: Staffelegg Formation appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Staffelegg Formation in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Staffelegg Formation is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Geography of Aargau, Geologic formations of Switzerland, Hettangian Stage, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Staffelegg Formation outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Staffelegg Formation in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Staffelegg Formation means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Staffelegg Formation out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Staffelegg Formation in simple terms?

Why does Staffelegg Formation matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Staffelegg Formation?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Staffelegg Formation.