La Cantera Formation

La Cantera Formation
Stratigraphic range: Late Aptian ~118–113 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	Gigante Group
Lithology
Primary	Siltstone
Other	Sandstone, conglomerate
Location
Coordinates	33.0°S 66.5°W / -33.0; -66.5
Approximate paleocoordinates	33.1°S 32.7°W / -33.1; -32.7
Region	San Luis Province, San Juan Province
Country	Argentina
Extent	San Luis Basin
Type section
Named for	Cantera de Picca
La Cantera Formation (Argentina)

The La Cantera Formation is a Late Aptian,[1] geologic formation in Argentina.[2] Fossil theropod tracks have been reported from the formation.[3] The formation, deposited under lacustrine conditions, also has provided fossil plants, insects, fish and gastropods.[4][5]

Fossil content

Among the following fossils are reported from the formation:[2]

Insects

Hemiptera

• Canteronecta irajae[6]
• Notonecta mazzoniae[7]

Flora

• Alisporites similis
• Rugubivesiculites sp.
• Trisaccites microsaccatus
• Podosporites sp.
• Classopollis simplex
• Callialasporites trilobatus
• Cycadopites follicularis
• Crybelosporites sp.
• Appendicisporites sp.
• Cicatricosisporites australiensis
• Deltoidospora sp.
• Leptolepidites major
• Taurocusporites segmentatus
• Staplinisporites caminus
• Triporoletes reticulatus
• Coptospora sp.
• Couperisporites sp.
• Stephanocolpites mastandreai
• Clavatipollenites hughesii
• Leiosphaeridia hyalina
• L. menendezii
• Balmeiopsis limbatus
• Huitrinipollenites transitorius

See also

• List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations
  • List of stratigraphic units with theropod tracks

References

1. Castillo Elías et al., 2016
2. La Cantera Formation at Fossilworks.org
3. Weishampel et al., 2004, pp.517-607
4. La Cantera at Fossilworks.org
5. Castillo Elías, 2014
6. Mazzoni, 1985
7. Petrulevicius et al., 2010

Bibliography

• Castillo, Elías; Sánchez, María Lidia; Prámparo, Mercedes B. (2016), La Formación La Cantera: un ejemplo de relleno lacustre durante el pico de subsidencia del sistema de rift de Sierras Pampeanas Occidentales, San Luis (Cretácico Inferior), VII Congreso Latinoamericano de Sedimentología, retrieved 2019-02-16
• Castillo Elías, Gabriela (2014), Depósitos lacustres de la Formación La Cantera (Aptiano Tardío), Sierras de El Gigante, cuenca de San Luis: nuevos aportes sedimentológicos, XIV Reunión Argentina de Sedimentología, retrieved 2019-02-16
• Petrulevicius, J. F.; Nel, A.; Sallenave, A. S. (2010), "Recent genus Notonecta (Insecta: Heteroptera: Notonectidae) in the Lower Cretaceous of San Luis, Argentina: Palaeoecological implications", Annales de la Société Entomologique de France, 46 (1–2): 247–253, doi:10.1080/00379271.2010.10697665
• 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
• Prámparo, M. B (1994), "Lower Cretaceous palynoflora of the La Cantera Formation, San Luis Basin: correlation with other Cretaceous palynofloras of Argentina", Cretaceous Research, 15 (2): 193–203, Bibcode:1994CrRes..15..193P, doi:10.1006/cres.1994.1010
• Mazzoni, A. F (1985), "Notonectidae (Hemiptera, Heteroptera) de la formación La Cantera (Cretácico Inferior), Provincia de San Luis, Argentina", Boletin de la Academia Nacional de Ciencias, 56: 259–273