Candeleros Formation

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Template:Short description Template:Infobox rockunit 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.[1]

Description

The type locality of the Candeleros Formation is Candeleros Hill in Neuquén Province, after which the formation was named by Wichmann in 1929.[2] This formation unconformably overlies the Lohan Cura Formation, and it is fused with the Huincul Formation, also a unit of the Neuquén Group. The sediments of the latter are of lighter greenish and yellow colors and the fused boundary between the Candeleros and Huincul formations is easily recognizable.[3]

The Candeleros Formation is almost Template:Convert thick in some sections. Overall, the formation represents a part of the ancient Kokorkom desert with braided river system, made up mostly of sandstones and conglomerates. There are also isolated sections that represent eolian (wind-blown) deposition, as well as siltstones deposited under swamp conditions. Paleosols (soil deposits) are common in some sections as well.[1][3]

Fossil content

File:Hunting season in Argentina.jpg
The dinosaurs of Candeleros Formation

The Candeleros Formation has a very diverse fossil fauna, including fish, frogs, mammals, rhynchocephalians, snakes, turtles, notosuchians, pterosaurs, and abundant dinosaurs including rebbachisaurid and titanosaurian sauropods and diverse theropods, and the enigmatic armored Jakapil.

Ichnofossils found in the formation include those assigned to Sousaichnum monettae, Limayichnus major, Bressaniichnus patagonicus, Deferraiichnum mapuchense, and Picunichnus benedettoi.[4]

Template:Paleobiota-key-compact

Fish

Taxa Species Locality Member Material Notes Images
Ceratodus C. argentinus Upper A lungfish

Amphibians

Taxa Species Locality Member Material Notes Images
Avitabatrachus[5] A. uliana El Gigante Lower Fragmentary skull and postcranial skeleton A pipimorph frog

Dinosaurs

Ornithischians

Taxa Species Locality Member Material Notes Images
Bonaparteichnium[6] B. tali Footprints Iguanodont ichnofossils
Jakapil[7] J. kaniukura Cerro Policía Upper A partial skeleton including several osteoderms and a complete lower jaw Possibly a basal thyreophoran[8] File:Jakapil UDL.png

Saurischians

Sauropods
Taxa Species Locality Member Material Notes Images
Andesaurus A. delgadoi Near Villa El Chocon Lower A partial skeleton A basal titanosaur
File:Andesaurus LM.png
Campananeyen[9] C. fragilissimus Barda Atravesada de Las Campanas Lower A fragmentary skeleton A rebbachisaurid
File:Campananeyen fragilissimus.png
Limaysaurus L. tessonei Upper A rebbachisaurid
Nopcsaspondylus N. alarconensis left bank of Limay River A single lost vertebra A rebbachisaurid
Rayososaurus R. agrioensis Agrio del Medio Upper A left scapula, an almost complete right scapular blade, and the distal three-quarters of a left femur. A rebbachisaurid
Titanosauria Indeterminate Upper A giant titanosaur, probably exceeding Patagotitan in size[10]
Theropods
Taxa Species Locality Member Material Notes Images
Abelichnus A. astigerrae A footprint
Alnashetri A. cerropoliciensis La Buitrera Upper A fragmentary skeleton including leg and foot bones An alvarezsauroid
File:Alnashetri LM.png
Bicentenaria B. argentina Ezequiel Ramos Mexia Reservoir Upper Much of a skeleton A coelurosaur
File:Bicentenaria.jpg
Buitreraptor B. gonzalezorum La Buitrera Upper Several partial skeletons A dromaeosaurid
File:BuitreraptorROM.JPG
Ekrixinatosaurus E. novasi Bajo del Añelo Upper A partial skeleton An abelisaurid
File:Ekrixinatosaurus novasi by Henrique Paes.png
Giganotosaurus G. carolinii Los Candeleros and Villa El Chocón Upper/Lower A partial skull and a disarticulated postcranial skeleton A carcharodontosaurid
File:Giganotos Db.jpg

Pterosaurs

Taxa Species Locality Member Material Notes Images
Azhdarchidae[11] Indeterminate Ezequiel Ramos Mexía Reservoir Upper A partial cervical vertebra An azhdarchid

Other reptiles

Taxa Species Locality Member Material Notes Images
Araripesuchus A. buitreraensis La Buitrera, Cerro Policía and El Pueblito. Upper Multiple skull specimens. A small notosuchian crocodyliform File:Araripesuchus patagonicus SEND.jpg
A manzanensis Upper A partial skull and lower jaw
A. patagonicus El Chocón. Lower An anterior half of the skull with an articulated mandible, lacking the most anterior portion of the rostrum and also preserves part of the postcranium
Najash N. rionegrina Upper A basal snake File:Boli-ischi 100.jpg
Priosphenodon P. avelasi Upper An eilenodontine rhynchocephalian
File:Priosphenodon skeleton.png
Tika T. giacchinoi Upper A sphenodontine rhynchocephalian

Mammals

Taxa Species Locality Member Material Notes Images
Cronopio C. dentiacutus La Buitrera Upper Skull bones and teeth A small meridiolestidan mammal
File:Cronopio NT.jpg

Turtles

Taxa Species Locality Member Material Notes Images
Prochelidella[12] P. buitreraensis Upper A small chelid turtle
Elkanemys[13] E. pritchardi Upper A bothremydid turtle

See also

References

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Bibliography

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  1. a b Sánchez et al., 2006
  2. Wichmann, 1929
  3. a b Leanza et al., 2004
  4. Leonardi, 1994, p. 79
  5. Baez, Ana & Trueb, Linda & Calvo, Jorge. (2000). The earliest known pipoid frog from South America: A new genus from the Middle Cretaceous of Argentina. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 20. 490-500. 10.1671/0272-4634(2000)020%5B0490:TEKPFF%5D2.0.CO;2.
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