Plottier Formation

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]

Plottier Formation
Stratigraphic range: late Coniacian-early Santonian
~88–86 Ma
↓
TypeGeological formation
Unit ofNeuquén Group
 Río Neuquén Subgroup
UnderliesRío Colorado Subgroup
 Bajo de la Carpa Formation
OverliesPortezuelo Formation
ThicknessUp to 25 m (82 ft)
Lithology
PrimaryClaystone
OtherSandstone
Location
Coordinates37.4°S 69.1°W / -37.4; -69.1
Approximate paleocoordinates42.2°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 (Argentina)

Description

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

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

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

See also

References
  1. Sánchez et al., 2006
  2. Fossa Mancini et al., 1938
  3. Leanza et al., 2004
  4. Plottier Formation at Fossilworks.org
  5. Petrobrasaurus puestohernandezi type at Fossilworks.org
  6. Notocolossus gonzalezparejasi type locality at Fossilworks.org
  7. Novas, Fernando E.; Agnolín, Federico L.; Ezcurra, Martín D.; Porfiri, Juan; Canale, Juan I. (2013-10-01). "Evolution of the carnivorous dinosaurs during the Cretaceous: The evidence from Patagonia". Cretaceous Research. 45: 174–215. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2013.04.001. ISSN 0195-6671.
  8. 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. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2019.104312. ISSN 0195-6671.

Bibliography

Further reading
  • A. B. Arcucci, L. S. Filippi, and J. O. Calvo. 2011. Un nuevo Mesoeucrocodylia Cretácio del norte de la Cuenca Neuquina, Argentina [A new Cretaceous Mesoeucrocodylia from the north of the Neuquen Basin, Argentina]. Revista Brasileira de Paleontologia 14(1):51-60
  • L. S. Filippi, J. I. Canudo, J. L. Salgado, A. Garrido, R. García, I. Cerda, and A. Otero. 2011. A new sauropod titanosaur from the Plottier Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Patagonia (Argentina). Geologica Acta 9(1):1-12
  • B. J. González Riga, M. C. Lamanna, L. D. Ortiz David, J. O. Calvo, and J. P. Coria. 2016. A gigantic new dinosaur from Argentina and the evolution of the sauropod hind foot. Scientific Reports 6:19165:1-15
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