- Source: Huitrera Formation
The Huitrera Formation is a geological formation in the Neuquén Basin in northern Patagonian Argentina whose strata date back to the Early Eocene of the Paleogene, or Casamayoran in the South American land mammal age classification.
The formation is together with the Reyhuau basalts part of the Pilcaniyeu Belt, a volcanic belt active in Paleocene to middle Eocene times.
Description
The Huitrera Formation was first defined by Ravazzoli and Sesana in 1977. The name has been used to identify various volcaniclastic sequences, among others in the Ñirihuau fold-and-thrust belt. The up to 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) thick formation comprises mudstones and sandstones deposited in a crater lake environment. Part of the formation comprises andesites, dacitic and rhyolitic ignimbrites, volcanic breccias, tuffs and trachybasalts.
The formation was initially described as Late Eocene to Early Oligocene, but was later dated to 54.24 ± 0.45 Ma, meaning the Huitrera Formation is Ypresian, or in the SALMA classification, Casamayoran in age.
Fossil content
The following macrofossils were reported from the formation:
Birds
Ueekenkcoracias
Amphibians
Llankibatrachus truebae
Patagopipa corsolinii
Insects
Odonata
Inacayalestes aikunhuapi
Beetles
Thesaurus punctatus (originally Catogenus)
Flora
Menispermites calderensis
Raiguenrayun cura
Cupressaceae indet.
Podocarpaceae indet.
Lauraceae indet.
The formation has also provided many pollen, analyzed in 2003 by Melendi et al.
See also
South American land mammal ages
Laguna del Hunco Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the Cañadón Asfalto Basin
Itaboraí Formation, fossiliferous formation of the Itaboraí Basin of Brazil
Bogotá Formation, contemporaneous fossil flora-bearing formation of central Colombia
Green River Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the central-western United States
Klondike Mountain Formation, contemporaneous fossil flora-bearing formation of Washington State
Messel pit, Eocene crater lake Lagerstätte of Germany
References
= Bibliography
=Fernández Paz, Lucía; Iannelli, Sofía B.; Echaurren, Andrés; Ramos, Miguel; Bechis, Florencia; Litvak, Vanesa D.; Encinas, Alfonso; Kasemann, Simone; Lucassen, Friedrich; Folguera, Andrés (2020). "The late Eocene–early Miocene El Maitén Belt evolution: Magmatic response to the changing subduction zone geodynamics" (PDF). Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 103. Bibcode:2020JSAES.10302713F. doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2020.102713.
Jin, Mengjie; Zwick, Andreas; Ślipiński, Adam; Marris, John W. M.; Thomas, Michael C.; Pang, Hong (2020), "A comprehensive phylogeny of flat bark beetles (Coleoptera: Cucujidae) with a revised classification and a new South American genus", Systematic Entomology, 45 (2): 248–268, Bibcode:2020SysEn..45..248J, doi:10.1111/syen.12392
Aranciaga Rolando, Alexis M.; Agnolin, Federico L.; Corsolini, Julián (2019), "A new pipoid frog (Anura, Pipimorpha) from the Paleogene of Patagonia. Paleobiogeographical implications", Comptes Rendus Palevol, 18 (7): 725–734, Bibcode:2019CRPal..18..725R, doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2019.04.003
Jud, Nathan A.; Iglesias, Ari; Wilf, Peter; Gandolfo, Maria A. (2018), "Fossil moonseeds from the Paleogene of West Gondwana (Patagonia, Argentina)", American Journal of Botany, 105 (5): 927–942, doi:10.1002/ajb2.1092, hdl:11336/183708, PMID 29882954
Ramírez, Leonardo C.; Corsolini, Juan; Di Iorio, Osvaldo (2016), "First fossil record of parasitic flat-bark beetle (Coleoptera: Passandridae) from the Eocene of Patagonia, Argentina", Ameghiniana, 53 (2): 160–169, doi:10.5710/AMGH.29.11.2015.2920, hdl:11336/13059
Prez, Horacio; Massaferro, Gabriela (2013), "Geología y geomorfología del tramo superior del Arroyo Comallo, Río Negro" (PDF), Contribuciones Científicas GÆA, 26: 221–234, retrieved 2020-06-13
Barreda, V.D.; Palazzesi, L.; Katinas, L.; Criscri, J.V.; Telleria, M.C.; Bremer, K.; Passala, M.G.; Bechis, F.; Corsolini, R. (2012), "An extinct Eocene taxon of the daisy family (Asteraceae): evolutionary, ecological and biogeographical implications", Annals of Botany, 109 (1): 127–134, doi:10.1093/aob/mcr240, PMC 3241571, PMID 22179952
Escosteguy, Leonardo; Franchi, Mario (2010), "Estratigrafía de la región de Chapelco, Provincia del Neuquén" (PDF), Revista de la Asociación Geológica Argentina, 66: 418–429, retrieved 2020-06-13
Báez, Ana M.; Pugener, L. Analia (2003), "Ontogeny of a new Palaeogene pipid frog from southern South America and xenopodinomorph evolution", Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 139 (3): 439–476, doi:10.1046/j.1096-3642.2003.00085.x
Melendi, D.L.; Scafati, L.H.; Volkheimer, W. (2003), "Palynostratigraphy of the Paleogene Huitrera Formation in N-W Patagonia, Argentina", Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen, 228 (2): 205–273, doi:10.1127/njgpa/228/2003/205