- Source: Cerro Barcino Formation
The Cerro Barcino Formation (also known as the Gorro Frigio Formation) is a geological formation in South America whose strata span the Early Cretaceous to the earliest Late Cretaceous. The top age for the formation has been estimated to be Cenomanian. Earlier estimates placed the formation until the Campanian.
The formation was deposited in the Cañadón Asfalto Basin, a rift basin that started forming in the earliest Jurassic. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.
The Cerro Barcino Formation is the second-youngest unit of the Chubut Group, which also includes the older Los Adobes Formation. Both formations cover a vast area in Chubut Province, Argentina. The two formations are distinguished by geological features suggesting a distinct change in climate, from a wetter, flood plain environment in the Los Adobes to a much more arid, desert-like environment in the Cerro Barcino.
The Cerro Barcino Formation is subdivided into several subunits (members). From oldest to youngest:
Bayo Overo (Correlates with both the Puesto La Paloma and the Cerro Castaño members)
Puesto La Paloma
Characterized by arid plains interspersed with sand dunes
Cerro Castaño
A return to more humid, flood-plain conditions
Las Plumas
The Puesto La Paloma Member dates from ~118-113 Ma, the Cerro Castaño Member dates from ~113-100.5 Ma, correlating with the Albian, and the Las Plumas Member dates from ~100.5-98 Ma.
Fossil content
Indeterminate abelisaurid remains from the Puesto La Paloma Member. Possible rebbachisaurid remains are known from the La Paloma Member.
Lepidosaurs (Kaikaifilusaurus minimus and Priosphenodon minimus) and Testudinata (Chubutemys copelloi and Prochelidella cerrobarcinae) are also discovered from this formation.
= Crurotarsans
== Dinosaurs
=See also
List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations
La Amarga Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the Neuquén Basin
Lohan Cura Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the Neuquén Basin
Río Belgrano Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the Austral Basin
References
= Bibliography
=Figari, Eduardo G.; Scasso, Roberto A.; Cúneo, Rubén N.; Escapa, Ignacio (2015), "Estratigrafía y evolución geológica de la Cuenca de Cañadón Asfalto, Provincia del Chubut, Argentina" (PDF), Latin American Journal of Sedimentology and Basin Analysis, 22: 135–169, retrieved 2018-09-10
Novas, F.E.; De Valais, S.; Vickers-Rich, P.; Rich, T. (2005), "A large Cretaceous theropod from Patagonia, Argentina, and the evolution of carcharodontosaurids", Naturwissenschaften, 92 (5): 226–230, Bibcode:2005NW.....92..226N, doi:10.1007/s00114-005-0623-3, PMID 15834691, retrieved 2019-04-06doi:10.1007/s00114-005-0623-3PMID 15834691Bibcode:2005NW.....92..226N
Rauhut, O.W.M.; Cladera, G.; Vickers-Rich, P.; Rich, T.H. (2003), "Dinosaur remains from the Lower Cretaceous of the Chubut Group, Argentina" (PDF), Cretaceous Research, 24 (5): 487–497, Bibcode:2003CrRes..24..487R, doi:10.1016/S0195-6671(03)00067-3, retrieved 2019-04-06doi:10.1016/S0195-6671(03)00067-3
Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; Osmólska, Halszka (2004), The Dinosauria, 2nd edition, Berkeley: University of California Press, pp. 1–880, ISBN 0-520-24209-2, retrieved 2019-02-21