[1] The formation was defined in Erfurt-Melchendorf in 1830 by Franz Xaver Hofmann and named for the nearby town of Erfurt.

[1] The Erfurt Formation is underlain by the Upper Muschelkalk.

The formation is a sequence of dolomite, lacustrine limestones, claystone, evaporites, and fluviatile sandstones.

[1] The upper boundary is marked by dolomites, or claystones of the Grabfeld Formation.

They include Mastodonsaurus, Gerrothorax, Plagiosuchus, Callistomordax, Nanogomphodon, Batrachotomus, Kupferzellia and Palaeoxyris friessi.