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Plottier Formation

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Coordinates: 37°24′S 69°06′W / 37.4°S 69.1°W / -37.4; -69.1
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Plottier Formation
Stratigraphic range: late Coniacian-early Santonian
~86–85 Ma
↓
TypeGeological formation
Unit ofNeuquén Group
 Río Neuquén Subgroup
UnderliesRío Colorado Subgroup
 Bajo de la Carpa Formation
OverliesSierra Barrosa Formation
ThicknessUp to 25 m (82 ft)
Lithology
PrimaryClaystone
OtherSandstone
Location
Coordinates37°24′S 69°06′W / 37.4°S 69.1°W / -37.4; -69.1
Approximate paleocoordinates42°12′S 49°24′W / 42.2°S 49.4°W / -42.2; -49.4
RegionMendoza, Neuquén & Río Negro Provinces
Country Argentina
ExtentNeuquén Basin
Type section
Named forPlottier
Named byFossa Mancini et al.
Year defined1938
Plottier Formation is located in Argentina
Plottier Formation
Plottier Formation (Argentina)

The Plottier Formation is a geologic formation that outcrops in the Argentine Patagonian provinces of Río Negro and Neuquén. It is the younger of two formations belonging to the Río Neuquén Subgroup within the Neuquén Group of the Neuquén Basin, with the oldest rocks dating from the late Coniacian and its youngest maybe from the very start of the Santonian. Formerly, that subgroup was treated as a formation, and the Plottier Formation was known as the Plottier Member.[1]

Description

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A section near the Neuquén City airport, north of the town of Plottier, is the type locality of the Plottier Formation.[2] At its base, this formation grades into the Portezuelo Formation, and it is in turn overlain conformably by the Bajo de la Carpa Formation, a unit of the Río Colorado Subgroup.

The Plottier Formation is the thinnest formation within the Neuquén Group, with a maximum thickness of only 25 metres (82 ft). It is differentiated from the underlying Portezuelo Formation primarily by its higher content of argillites (mud deposits) and was deposited under fluvial conditions. In 2006, a detailed lithostratigraphic and paleoecological study of a section of the Plottier Formation was published. This section contained alluvial deposits laid down by what was essentially a low-gradient wandering river throughout the millions of years, but often was of a single-channel type with little meandering.[3][1]

Fossil content

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

Few animal fossils are known from this formation, including:[4]

Crocodyliformes

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Crocodyliformes reported from the Plottier Formation
Genus Species Presence Material Notes Images
Crocodyliformes indet.[5] Indeterminate El Anfiteatro
  • Seven osteoderms (MPCA-AT 251–257)
  • Right dentary fragment (MPCA-AT 75)
 Resembles peirosaurids such as Peirosaurus and Uberabasuchus
Lomasuchus[6][7] L. palpebrosus Embalse Cerros Colorados Skull and partial mandibular ramus A peirosaurid, specimen originally claimed to originate from the Rio Colorado formation.
Mesoeucrocodylia indet.[8] Indeterminate Yacimiento Narambuena Partial skeleton (MAU-PV-N-280) Subadult specimen showing both derived and primitive traits
Peirosauridae indet.[9] Indeterminate Puesto Hernández Partial skeleton (MAU-Pv-PH-437) A peirosaurid

Dinosaurs

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Ornithischians

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A footprint track of an ornithopod is known from the Middle Loma de la Lata site.[10]

Ornithischians reported from the Plottier Formation
Genus Species Presence Material Notes Images
Ornithopoda indet.[5][11] Indeterminate El Anfiteatro A pedal ungual phalanx (MPCA-AT 261) An ornithopod roughly the size of Notohypsilophodon
Indeterminate Puesto Hernández quarry Partial dorsal neural arch (MAU-Pv-PH-458) An ornithopod similar to Macrogryphosaurus, esimated to be 6 meters long

Sauropods

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12 footprint tracks of a sauropod are known from the site of Proyecto Dino.[10]

Sauropods reported from the Plottier Formation
Genus Species Presence Material Notes Images
Aeolosaurini indet.[12] Indeterminate Yacimiento Narambuena Four articulated caudal vertebrae (MAU-Pv-N-414) A titanosaur
Antarctosaurus[13] A. giganteus Aguada del Caño Partial skeleton (MLP 26-316) A titanosaur
Muyelensaurus[14][15] M. pecheni Loma del Lindero Partial skeleton & additional vertebrae A titanosaur, specimens originally thought to be from the Portezuelo Formation
Notocolossus[16][17] N. gonzalezparejasi Cerro Guillermo Two partial skeletons (UNCUYO-LD 301 & UNCUYO-LD 302) A titanosaur
Petrobrasaurus[18] P. puestohernandezi Rincón de los Sauces Partial skeleton A titanosaur
Sauropoda indet.[15][17] Indeterminate 5 kilometers north of Plottier Partial right tibia (MCF-PVPH-899) A sauropod
Indeterminate Cerro Guillermo Incomplete skeleton (IANIGLA-PV.113) A sauropod
Titanosauria indet.[5][15] Indeterminate El Anfiteatro Incomplete dorsal vertebra (MPCA-AT 024) A large titanosaur
Indeterminate 5 kilometers north of Plottier
  • Left femur and partial ribs (MCF-PVPH-889)
  • Right fibula (MCF-PVPH-900)
 Remains of titanosaurs

Theropods

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Theropods reported from the Plottier Formation
Genus Species Presence Material Notes Images
Abelisauridae indet.[5][19][20] Indeterminate Cañadon Amarillo Tooth An abelisaur tooth formerly thought to be part of the holotype specimen of Aerosteon
Indeterminate El Anfiteatro Tooth (Endemas-PV 16) An abelisaur, tooth originally reported as that of a carcharodontosaurid in 2009 but reclassified in 2021
Alvarezsauria indet.[21] Indeterminate Rincón de los Sauces Right femur (MAU-Pv-PH-453) An alvarezsaur
Brachyrostra indet.[22] Indeterminate Loma del Lindero Vertebrae, teeth and possible sacrum (MAU-Pv-LL-75) An abelisaur
cf. Carcharodontosauridae[5] Indeterminate El Anfiteatro Tooth (Endemas-PV 16) Reclassified as an abelisaur tooth in 2021[20]
Coelurosauria indet.[5] Indeterminate El Anfiteatro Two teeth (MPCA-AT 263 & 269) A coelurosaur
Maniraptoriformes indet. cf. Unenlagiinae[5] Indeterminate El Anfiteatro Tooth (Endemas-PV 15) Possible unenlagiine tooth, though more material is needed to confirm this
Theropoda indet.[5] Indeterminate El Anfiteatro Incomplete caudal vertebra (MPCA-AT 082) A "moderately sized" theropod

Pterosaurs

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Pterosaurs reported from the Plottier Formation
Genus Species Presence Material Notes Images
Thanatosdrakon[23] T. amaru Agua del Padrillo
  • Partial skeleton (UNCUYO-LD 307)
  • Left humerus (UNCUYO-LD 350)
 An azhdarchid

Turtles

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Turtles reported from the Plottier Formation
Genus Species Presence Material Notes Images
Chelidae? indet.[5] Indeterminate El Anfiteatro Plastron plate (MPCA-AT 089) A chelid
Linderochelys[24] L. rinconensis Loma de Lindero Partial skeleton (MAU-PV-LL-69) A chelid, locality originally assigned to the Rio Neuquén Subgroup with no specific formation.
Rionegrochelys[5][25] R. caldieroi El Anfiteatro Shell elements A chelid, type specimen first reported as an indeterminate chelid in 2009

Invertebrates

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There are also ichnofossils left on the river's mudflats, as well as fossil freshwater bivalves.[1]

Ostracods

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Ostracods reported from the Plottier Formation
Genus Species Presence Material Notes Images
Cypridoidea indet.[26] Indeterminate Zampal A few specimens A cypridoid
Ilyocypris[26] I. aff. bauruensis Zampal A few molts An ilyocypridid
I. cf. riograndensis Zampal An ilyocypridid
I. wichmanni Zampal An ilyocypridid
Neocyprideis[26][27] N.? sp. Zampal An ilyocypridid
N. zampalensis Babilonia 4 valves An ilyocypridid
Neuquenocypris[26][27] N. calfucurensis Babilonia 3 valve fragments An ilyocypridid
N. cf. minor Zampal An ilyocypridid
N. nahuelniyuensis Babilonia 6 valves An ilyocypridid
N. tenuipunctata Babilonia 5 adult and 3 juvenile valves An ilyocypridid
Paralimnocythere[26] P.? sp. Zampal Several carapaces and valves A limnocytherid
Talicyprideinae sp.[26] Indeterminate Zampal Very scarce number of carapaces An ilyocypridid
Vecticypris[27] V. sp. Babilonia 2 valves A limnocytherid
Wolburgiopsis[26] W. cf. neocretacea Zampal A limnocytherid

Plants

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Plants reported from the Plottier Formation
Genus Species Presence Material Notes Images
Angiospermae? indet.[26] Indeterminate Zampal A few seeds A possible angiosperm
Henrisporites[26] H. sp. Zampal Abundant megaspores A lycopod
Lychnothamnus[26] L. barbosai Zampal Over 400 microfossils A stonewort
Nitella[26] N. sp. Zampal 21 microfossils A stonewort
Spermatites[26] S. sp. 1 Zampal Seeds An angiosperm
S. sp. 2 Zampal Seeds An angiosperm


See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Sánchez et al., 2006
  2. ^ Fossa Mancini et al., 1938
  3. ^ Leanza et al., 2004
  4. ^ Plottier Formation at Fossilworks.org
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Salgado, Leonardo; Canudo, José I.; Garrido, Alberto C.; Ruiz-Omeñaca, José I.; García, Rodolfo A.; de la Fuente, Marcelo S.; Barco, José L.; Bollati, Raúl (2009-06-01). "Upper Cretaceous vertebrates from El Anfiteatro area, Río Negro, Patagonia, Argentina". Cretaceous Research. 30 (3): 767–784. Bibcode:2009CrRes..30..767S. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2009.01.001. ISSN 0195-6671.
  6. ^ Gasparini, Zulma; Chiappe, Luis M.; Fernandez, Marta (1991-09-30). "A new Senonian peirosaurid (Crocodylomorpha) from Argentina and a synopsis of the South American Cretaceous crocodilians". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 11 (3): 316–333. Bibcode:1991JVPal..11..316G. doi:10.1080/02724634.1991.10011401. ISSN 0272-4634.
  7. ^ Diego Pol & Zulma Brandoni de Gasparini (2007). "Crocodyliformes". In: Patagonian Mesozoic Reptiles. Gasparini, Z., Coria, R., & Salgado, L. (Eds.). Indiana University Press: 116–142. ISBN 978-0-253-34857-9.
  8. ^ Arcucci, Andrea (2011-01-01). "Un nuevo Mesoeucrocodylia cretácico del norte de la Cuenca Neuquina, Argentina". Revista Brasileira de Paleontologia. 14 (1): 51–60. doi:10.4072/rbp.2011.1.05.
  9. ^ Filippi, Leonardo Sebastián; Cerda, Ignacio Alejandro; Garrido, Alberto Carlos (February 2013). "Morfología e Histología de Osteodermos de Un Peirosauridae De La Cuenca Neuquina". Ameghiniana. 50 (1): 3–13. doi:10.5710/AMGH.8.6.2012.430. ISSN 0002-7014.
  10. ^ a b Calvo, Jorge O.; Rivera, Cynthia; Avila, Laura (2021-10-01). "An overview of Upper Cretaceous dinosaur tracks and other trace fossils from the Barreales lake area, Neuquén Province, Patagonia, Argentina". Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 110: 103375. Bibcode:2021JSAES.11003375C. doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2021.103375. ISSN 0895-9811.
  11. ^ Cruzado-Caballero, Penélope; Filippi, Leonardo S.; Méndez, Ariel H.; Garrido, Alberto C.; Juárez Valieri, Rubén D. (2016-04-01). "New record of ornithopod dinosaur from the Plottier Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Patagonia, Argentina". Annales de Paléontologie. 102 (2): 145–150. Bibcode:2016AnPal.102..145C. doi:10.1016/j.annpal.2016.02.003. ISSN 0753-3969.
  12. ^ Martinelli, Agustin (2013-01-01). "Registro de un dinosaurio Aeolosaurini (Sauropoda, Titanosauria) en el Cretácico Superior (Formación Anacleto) del norte de la provincia de Neuquén, Argentina, y comentarios sobre aeolosaurinos sudamericanos". Revista Brasileira de Paleontologia 16(1): 147-156.
  13. ^ Otero, Alejandro; Reguero, Marcelo (2023-03-06). "Dinosaurs (Reptilia, Archosauria) at Museo de La Plata, Argentina: annotated catalogue of the type material and Antarctic specimens". Palaeontologia Electronica. 16 (1): 1–24. doi:10.26879/352. ISSN 1094-8074.
  14. ^ Porfiri, Juan (2000-01-01). "A New Titanosaur Sauropod from the Late Cretaceous of Neuquén, Patagonia, Argentina". Arquivos do Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro. 65 (4): 485–504.
  15. ^ a b c Bellardini, Flavio; Baiano, Mattia A.; Barrios, Francisco; Holgado, Borja; Coria, Rodolfo A. (January 2018). "New Titanosauria (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) remains from the Upper Cretaceous (Plottier Fm) of the southern Neuquén Basin (Patagonia, Argentina)". Journal of Iberian Geology. 44 (1): 75–84. Bibcode:2018JIbG...44...75B. doi:10.1007/s41513-018-0047-5. ISSN 1698-6180.
  16. ^ González Riga, Bernardo J.; Lamanna, Matthew C.; Ortiz David, Leonardo D.; Calvo, Jorge O.; Coria, Juan P. (2016-01-18). "A gigantic new dinosaur from Argentina and the evolution of the sauropod hind foot". Scientific Reports. 6 (1): 19165. Bibcode:2016NatSR...619165G. doi:10.1038/srep19165. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 4725985. PMID 26777391.
  17. ^ a b Previtera, Elena (2019-05-31). "Taphonomic analysis of saurischian dinosaurs from the Plottier Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Mendoza, Argentina". Andean Geology. 46 (2): 345. doi:10.5027/andgeoV46n2-3161. ISSN 0718-7106.
  18. ^ Filippi, L. S.; Canudo, J. I.; Salgado, J. L.; Garrido, A.; García, R.; Cerda, I. A.; Otero, A. (2011-05-06). "A new sauropod titanosaur from the Plottier Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Patagonia (Argentina)". Geologica Acta (in Catalan). 9 (1): 1–12. doi:10.1344/105.000001648 (inactive 2024-11-03). ISSN 1696-5728.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  19. ^ Hendrickx, Christophe; Tschopp, Emanuel; Ezcurra, Martín d. (2020-04-01). "Taxonomic identification of isolated theropod teeth: The case of the shed tooth crown associated with Aerosteon (Theropoda: Megaraptora) and the dentition of Abelisauridae". Cretaceous Research. 108: 104312. Bibcode:2020CrRes.10804312H. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2019.104312. ISSN 0195-6671.
  20. ^ a b Meso, J. G.; Juárez Valieri, R. D.; Porfiri, J. D.; Correa, S. A. S.; Martinelli, A. G.; Casal, G. A.; Canudo, J. I.; Poblete, F.; Dos Santos, D. (2021-09-01). "Testing the persistence of Carcharodontosauridae (Theropoda) in the Upper Cretaceous of Patagonia based on dental evidence". Cretaceous Research. 125: 104875. Bibcode:2021CrRes.12504875M. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2021.104875. hdl:11336/183886. ISSN 0195-6671.
  21. ^ Gianechini, F. A.; Meso, J. G.; Méndez, A. H.; Garrido, A. C.; Filippi, L. S. (2024-10-16). "A new maniraptoran femur with alvarezsaurian affinities from the Plottier Formation (Coniacian-Santonian), northern Patagonia". Historical Biology: 1–11. doi:10.1080/08912963.2024.2414206. ISSN 0891-2963.
  22. ^ Méndez, Ariel H.; Gianechini, Federico A.; Paulina-Carabajal, Ariana; Filippi, Leonardo S.; Juárez-Valieri, Rubén D.; Cerda, Ignacio A.; Garrido, Alberto C. (2022-01-01). "New furileusaurian remains from La Invernada (northern Patagonia, Argentina): A site of unusual abelisaurids abundance". Cretaceous Research. 129: 104989. Bibcode:2022CrRes.12904989M. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2021.104989. ISSN 0195-6671.
  23. ^ Ortiz David, Leonardo D.; González Riga, Bernardo J.; Kellner, Alexander W. A. (2022-09-01). "Thanatosdrakon amaru, gen. et sp. nov., a giant azhdarchid pterosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Argentina". Cretaceous Research. 137: 105228. Bibcode:2022CrRes.13705228O. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2022.105228. ISSN 0195-6671.
  24. ^ Jannello, J. M.; Maniel, I. J.; Previtera, E.; de la Fuente, M. S. (2018-03-01). "Linderochelys rinconensis (Testudines: Pan-Chelidae) from the Upper Cretaceous of northern Patagonia: New insights from shell bone histology, morphology and diagenetic implications". Cretaceous Research. New Insights on the Vertebrate Paleontology of the Neuquén Group, Patagonia, Argentina. 83: 47–61. Bibcode:2018CrRes..83...47J. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2017.05.011. hdl:11336/59673. ISSN 0195-6671.
  25. ^ de la Fuente, Marcelo; Maniel, Ignacio; Jannello, Juan; Sterli, Juliana; Garrido, Alberto; García, Rodolfo; Salgado, Leonardo; Canudo, Jose; Bolatti, Raúl (2017). "Unusual shell anatomy and osteohistology in a new Late Cretaceous panchelid turtle from northwestern Patagonia, Argentina". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 62. doi:10.4202/app.00340.2017. S2CID 44121053.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Díaz Martínez, Enrique; Rábano, Isabel (2007). "Late Cretaceous non marine microfossils of the Plottier Formation (Cretaceous) at Zampal, Argentina". 4th european meeting on the palaeontology and stratigraphy of Latin America. Cuadernos del Museo Geominero. European meeting on the palaeontology and stratigraphy of Latin America. Madrid: Instituto geológico y minero de España. pp. 273–278. ISBN 978-84-7840-707-1.
  27. ^ a b c Kihn, R. G.; Calvo, J. O. (2001-01-01). "Ostracods and paleoambiental inferences in the Plottier Formation (Coniancian - Upper Cretaceous) of the Barreales Lake, Neuquén". Munis Entomology & Zoology. 17 (1): 434–442. ISSN 1306-3022.

Bibliography

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