Cerro Fortaleza Formation

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Cerro Fortaleza Formation
Stratigraphic range: Campanian to Maastrichtian
~76–70  Ma
Type Geological formation
Underlies La Irene Formation
Overlies Anita Formation
Thickness460 m (1,510 ft)
Lithology
Primary Sandstone
Location
Coordinates 49°54′S72°06′W / 49.9°S 72.1°W / -49.9; -72.1
Approximate paleocoordinates 51°54′S61°48′W / 51.9°S 61.8°W / -51.9; -61.8
Region Santa Cruz Province, southern Patagonia
CountryArgentina
Extent Austral Basin
Relief Map of Argentina.jpg
Lightgreen pog.svg
Cerro Fortaleza Formation (Argentina)

The Cerro Fortaleza Formation, in older literature described as Pari Aike Formation, is a Late Cretaceous geologic formation of Campanian to Maastrichtian age [1] [2] (although it has formerly been reported to be Cenomanian to Santonian) [3] of the Austral Basin in southern Patagonia, Argentina.

Contents

Description

The sandstones of the formation were deposited in a fluvial environment. The formation has an estimated thickness of 460 metres (1,510 ft) and overlies the Anita Formation, while it is overlain by the La Irene Formation. [4] These formations are considered Campanian and Maastrichtian in age, respectively, [4] [3] making the Cerro Fortaleza Formation aged between them.

Paleobiota

The giant titanosaurs Puertasaurus and Dreadnoughtus , the megaraptoran Orkoraptor , the berthasaurid Austrocheirus isasii , and the ornithopod Talenkauen have been recovered from the formation alongside turtles and crocodiles. [5] [6] [7]

Dinosaurs

Color key
Taxon Reclassified taxonTaxon falsely reported as presentDubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon
Notes
Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited.

Ornithischians

Sauropods of the Cerro Fortaleza Formation
TaxaSpeciesLocalityStratigraphic unitMaterialNotesImages
Talenkauen T. santacrucensisCorro Los Hornos near Lake Viedma.UpperA partial articulated skeleton with exception of the rear part of the skull, the tail, and the hands.An elasmarian ornithopod.
Talenkauen santacrucensis 1.jpg

Sauropods

Sauropods of the Cerro Fortaleza Formation
TaxaSpeciesLocalityStratigraphic unitMaterialNotesImages
Clasmodosaurus C. spatulaLago ViedmaTwo incomplete teeth.A titanosaur
Dreadnoughtus Dreadnoughtus Published Reconstruction (Version 2).jpg
Dreadnoughtus
Puertasaurus Puertasaurus reuili.png
Puertasaurus
Dreadnoughtus D. schraniRio La Leona Valley,UpperFour incomplete proximal caudals and incomplete left astragalus.A titanosaur.
Puertasaurus P. reuiliCerros Los Hornos, La Leona.UpperA holotype based on four disarticulated vertebrae, specifically one cervical, one dorsal, and two caudal vertebrae.A titanosaur.

Theropods

Theropods of the Cerro Fortaleza Formation
TaxaSpeciesLocalityStratigraphic unitMaterialNotesImages
Austrocheirus A. isasiiHoyada Arroyo Seco.An incomplete right ulnaAn ceratosaurian theropod.
Orkoraptor O. burkeiCerro Los Hornos.UpperSeveral isolated teeth, including two anteriormost, probably premaxillary teeth, left manual phalanx I-1, right, nearly complete fibula, and right ungual.A megaraptoran
Orkoraptor drawing.jpg

Fish

Sauropods of the Cerro Fortaleza Formation
TaxaSpeciesLocalityStratigraphic unitMaterialNotesImages
Atlantoceratodus A. iheringiCerro Los Hornos and Hoyada Arroyo Seco.Four lower tooth plates, one lower tooth plate attached to a partial mandibular bone and four upper tooth plates.A lungfish.

See also

Related Research Articles

Clasmodosaurus is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur from the Mata Amarilla Formation and the Cerro Fortaleza Formation. It lived during the Late Cretaceous in what is now Argentina. It is known from five fossilized and assorted teeth, but is diagnosed by a unique combination of characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neuquén Group</span> Group of geologic formations in Argentina

The Neuquén Group is a group of geologic formations found in Argentina. Rocks in the Neuquén Group fall within the Cenomanian to early Campanian stages of the Late Cretaceous Period. It overlies the older Lohan Cura Formation and is itself overlain by the younger Allen Formation of the Malargüe Group, separated from both by unconformities, dated to 98 and 79 Ma respectively.

<i>Talenkauen</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Talenkauen is a genus of basal iguanodont dinosaur from the Campanian or Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous Cerro Fortaleza Formation, formerly known as the Pari Aike Formation of Patagonian Lake Viedma, in the Austral Basin of Santa Cruz, Argentina. It is based on MPM-10001A, a partial articulated skeleton missing the rear part of the skull, the tail, and the hands. The type and only species is Talenkauen santacrucensis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candeleros Formation</span> Geologic formation in Argentina

The Candeleros Formation is a geologic formation that crops out in the Río Negro, Neuquén, and Mendoza provinces of northern Patagonia, Argentina. It is the oldest formation in the Neuquén Group and belongs to the Rio Limay Subgroup. Formerly that subgroup was treated as a formation, and the Candeleros Formation was known as the Candeleros Member.

<i>Puertasaurus</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Puertasaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in South America during the Late Cretaceous Period. It is known from a single specimen recovered from sedimentary rocks of the Cerro Fortaleza Formation in southwestern Patagonia, Argentina, which probably is Campanian or Maastrichtian in age. The only species is Puertasaurus reuili. Described by the paleontologist Fernando Novas and colleagues in 2005, it was named in honor of Pablo Puerta and Santiago Reuil, who discovered and prepared the specimen. It consists of four well-preserved vertebrae, including one cervical, one dorsal, and two caudal vertebrae. Puertasaurus is a member of Titanosauria, the dominant group of sauropods during the Cretaceous.

<i>Orkoraptor</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Orkoraptor is a genus of medium-sized megaraptoran theropod dinosaur from the late Cretaceous Period of Argentina. It is known from incomplete fossil remains including parts of the skull, teeth, tail vertebrae, and a partial tibia. The specialized teeth resemble those of some maniraptoriform theropods, namely the deinonychosaurs and compsognathids. This and other anatomical features led the authors who described it to suggest that it was a maniraptoran coelurosaur. However, subsequent studies found it to be a megaraptoran. Found in the Cerro Fortaleza Formation of Southern Patagonia, it is one of the southernmost carnivorous dinosaurs known from South America.

The Magallanes Basin or Austral Basin is a major sedimentary basin in southern Patagonia. The basin covers a surface of about 170,000 to 200,000 square kilometres and has a NNW-SSE oriented shape. The basin is bounded to the west by the Andes mountains and is separated from the Malvinas Basin to the east by the Río Chico-Dungeness High. The basin evolved from being an extensional back-arc basin in the Mesozoic to being a compressional foreland basin in the Cenozoic. Rocks within the basin are Jurassic in age and include the Cerro Toro Formation. Three ages of the SALMA classification are defined in the basin; the Early Miocene Santacrucian from the Santa Cruz Formation and Friasian from the Río Frías Formation and the Pleistocene Ensenadan from the La Ensenada Formation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Colonia Formation</span> Geological formation in Argentina

The La Colonia Formation is a geological formation in Argentina whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allen Formation</span> Geological formation in Argentina

The Allen Formation is a geological formation in Argentina whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous (middle Campanian to early Maastrichtian. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation. Indeterminate chelid remains and other vertebrates have also been discovered in this formation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chorrillo Formation</span> Geologic formation in southern Patagonia, Argentina

The Chorrillo Formation, also named as Chorillo Formation, is a Maastrichtian geologic formation in southern Patagonia, Argentina. The formation is more than 50 metres (160 ft) thick and underlies the Calafate Formation and rests on top of the La Irene Formation.

<i>Austrocheirus</i> Genus of reptiles (fossil)

Austrocheirus is an extinct genus of theropod dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period. It was named and described by Martin Ezcurra, Federico Agnolin and Fernando Novas in 2010. It contains the type species Austrocheirus isasii. The generic name means "southern hand". The specific epithet honours discoverer and preparator Marcelo Pablo Isasi.

<i>Trinisaura</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Trinisaura is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur that lived during the late Campanian stage of the Upper Cretaceous, around 73 to 72 million years ago in what is now James Ross Island off the coast of northern Antarctica near Patagonia. It is known from a single, incomplete postcranial skeleton that includes several vertebrae, a partial pelvis, and nearly complete right hindlimb. The fossils were collected in 2008 by paleontologists Juan Moly and Rodolfo Coria from the sandstone of the Snow Hill Island Formation. It remained undescribed in the collections of the Museo de La Plata until its description by Coria and colleagues in 2013, being the basis of the novel genus and species Trinisaura santamartaensis. The genus name is to commemorate the efforts of Argentine geologist Trinidad "Trini" Diaz and the Latin root -sauros, meaning "lizard". The species name is after Santa Marta Cove, where the fossils were collected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mata Amarilla Formation</span>

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Kaikaifilusaurus is an extinct genus of rhynchocephalians in the family Sphenodontidae from the Late Cretaceous of South America. Fossils of the genus were found in Cenomanian sediments of the Candeleros Formation and Turonian layers of the Huincul Formation, both of the Neuquén Basin and the Albian strata of the Cerro Barcino Formation in the Cañadón Asfalto Basin, all in Patagonia, Argentina. The genus contains two species, K. minimus and the type species K. calvoi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorotea Formation</span> Geological formation in the Río de Las Chinas Valley, Magallanes Basin, Chile

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Kookne is a prehistoric bird genus from the Late Cretaceous. Known from a coracoid, the remains of the only known species Kookne yeutensis were found in rocks from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Chorrillo Formation of Santa Cruz, Argentina.

<i>Patagopelta</i> Genus of nodosaurid dinosaurs

Patagopelta is an extinct genus of ankylosaurian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Allen Formation of Argentina. The genus contains a single species, P. cristata, known from a partial skeleton. While originally described as a nodosaurine, later discoveries provided support for parankylosaurian affinities for the taxon. Patagopelta is a very small ankylosaur, comparable in size to the dwarf nodosaurid Struthiosaurus, about 2 m (6.6 ft) long.

<i>Yatenavis</i> Extinct genus of birds

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<i>Titanomachya</i> Extinct genus of sauropod dinosaurs

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References

  1. Sickmann, Zachary T.; Schwartz, Theresa M.; Graham, Stephan A. (2018). "Refining stratigraphy and tectonic history using detrital zircon maximum depositional age: An example from the Cerro Fortaleza Formation, Austral Basin, southern Patagonia". Basin Research. 30 (4): 708–729. Bibcode:2018BasR...30..708S. doi:10.1111/bre.12272.
  2. Lacovara, Kenneth J.; Lamanna, Matthew C.; Ibiricu, Lucio M.; Poole, Jason C.; Schroeter, Elena R.; Ullmann, Paul V.; Voegele, Kristyn K.; Boles, Zachary M.; Carter, Aja M.; Fowler, Emma K.; Egerton, Victoria M.; Moyer, Alison E.; Coughenour, Christopher L.; Schein, Jason P.; Harris, Jerald D.; Martínez, Rubén D.; Novas, Fernando E. (4 September 2014). "A Gigantic, Exceptionally Complete Titanosaurian Sauropod Dinosaur from Southern Patagonia, Argentina". Scientific Reports. 4 (1): 6196. Bibcode:2014NatSR...4.6196L. doi:10.1038/srep06196. PMC   5385829 . PMID   25186586.
  3. 1 2 Varela et al. 2012.
  4. 1 2 Marenssi, Casadio & Santillana 2003, p. 406.
  5. Novas, Fernando E.; Ezcurra, Martín D.; Lecuona, Agustina (June 2008). "Orkoraptor burkei nov. gen. et sp., a large theropod from the Maastrichtian Pari Aike Formation, Southern Patagonia, Argentina". Cretaceous Research. 29 (3): 468–480. Bibcode:2008CrRes..29..468N. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2008.01.001.
  6. Agnolín, Federico L.; Álvarez Herrera, Gerardo; Rolando, Mauro Aranciaga; Motta, Matías; Rozadilla, Sebastián; Verdiquio, Lucía; D'Angelo, Julia S.; Moyano-Paz, Damián; Varela, Augusto N.; Sterli, Juliana; Bogan, Sergio; Miner, Santiago; Moreno Rodríguez, Ana; Muñoz, Gonzalo; Isasi, Marcelo P.; Novas, Fernando E. (February 2024). "Fossil vertebrates from the Cerro Fortaleza Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Santa Cruz Province, Argentina". Cretaceous Research. 154: 105735. Bibcode:2024CrRes.15405735A. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2023.105735.
  7. Paulina-Carabajal, Ariana; Barrios, Francisco T.; Méndez, Ariel H.; Cerda, Ignacio A.; Lee, Yuong-Nam (8 September 2021). "A Late Cretaceous dinosaur and crocodyliform faunal association–based on isolate teeth and osteoderms–at Cerro Fortaleza Formation (Campanian-Maastrichtian) type locality, Santa Cruz, Argentina". PLOS ONE. 16 (9): e0256233. Bibcode:2021PLoSO..1656233P. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256233 . PMC   8425559 . PMID   34495977.

Bibliography