Arroyo Calafate (Cretaceous of Argentina)

Where: Santa Cruz, Argentina (50.4° S, 72.2° W: paleocoordinates 52.3° S, 62.0° W)

• coordinate stated in text

When: La Irene Formation, Maastrichtian (72.1 - 66.0 Ma)

Environment/lithology: fluvial-deltaic; lithified, sandy sandstone and lithified, argillaceous, sandy shale

• At the base of Cerro Calafate has measured a column of about 230 m in thickness on the drive here considered (Fig. 2). The 110 m below represent a succession of sandy banks clear yellowish brown color to white and dark pelitic packages fining upwards cycles are stacked to form a sequence with a clear trend growing grain and stratum. Sandy banks (coarse to fine sand) show increasing thickness from 2 m at the base to more than 9 m, whereas intercalated mudstones show an opposite trend with thickness ranging from 15 m at the base to 1 m. At the top of lower shaly packets (the thickest) are preserved carbonaceous shale intervals, thinly laminated. 120 m above correspond to a succession of amalgamated conglomeratic sandy banks where preservation is extremely rare shaly intervals.

Size class: microfossils

Preservation: soft parts, original sporopollenin

Collection methods: chemical, hydrochloric, hydroflouric

• Museum repositories: Provincial Regional Museum "Padre Manuel Jesús Molina" (MPM-MP) in the Río Gallego city, Santa Cruz, Argentina.

Primary reference: L. Povilauskas, V. Barreda, and S. Marenssi. 2008. Polen y esporas de la Formación La Irene (Maastrichtiano), sudoeste de la provincia de Santa Cruz, Argentina: primeros resultados. Geobios 41:819-831 [C. Jaramillo/J. Moreno/J. Moreno]more details

Purpose of describing collection: paleoecologic analysis

PaleoDB collection 149974: authorized by Carlos Jaramillo, entered by Jessica Moreno on 30.08.2013

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Pteridopsida
  -
Cyathidites sp., Cyathidites minor, Ischyosporites volkheimeri, Matonisporites sp., Granulatisporites sp.
Cyathidites sp. Couper 1953
Cyathidites minor Couper 1953
Matonisporites sp. Couper 1958
Granulatisporites sp. Potonié and Kremp 1954
Polypodiopsida
 Schizaeales - Polypodiidae
Cicatricosisporites australiensis
  - Osmundaceae
Baculatisporites sp., Baculatisporites comaumensis
Baculatisporites sp. Thomson and Pflug 1953
  -
Verrucosisporites sp.
Verrucosisporites sp. Potonie and Kremp 1954
  - Polypodiaceae
Laevigatosporites ovatus
Laevigatosporites ovatus Wilson and Webster 1946
  - Gleicheniaceae
Gleicheniidites senonicus
Nyssapollenites
  -
Nyssapollenites cf. squamosus
Lycopodiopsida
 Lycopodiales -
Retitriletes austroclavatidites
Retitriletes austroclavatidites Döring et al. 1963 clubmoss
 Selaginellales - Selaginellaceae
Perotrilites majus
Perotrilites majus Evans 1970 spikemoss
 Selaginellales -
Ceratosporites equalis
Ceratosporites equalis Cookson and Dettmann 1958 clubmoss
Bryopsida
  -
Stereisporites antiquasporites
Rouseisporites reticulatus
  -
Rouseisporites reticulatus
Ginkgoopsida
 Ephedrales -
Equisetosporites sp.
Equisetosporites sp. Daugherty 1941
Cycadopites
  -
Cycadopites nitidus
Cycadopites nitidus de Jersey 1964
Angiospermae
 Proteales - Proteaceae
Proteacidites sp.
Proteacidites sp. Cookson and Couper 1953
 Proteales -
Retidiporites camachoii, Peninsulapollis gillii
Retidiporites camachoii Archangelsky 1973
Peninsulapollis gillii Dettmann and Jarzen 1988
 Chloranthales - Chloranthaceae
Clavatipollenites sp.
 Mesangiosperms - Liliaceae
Liliacidites sp., Liliacidites cf. variegatus
Liliacidites sp. Couper 1953
 Mesangiosperms - Arecaceae
Longapertites sp., Arecipites sp., Arecipites minutiscabratus, Spinizonocolpites hialinus
Longapertites sp. van Hoeken-Klinkenberg 1964 palm
Arecipites sp. Nichols et al. 1973 palm
Arecipites minutiscabratus Mc Intyre 1968 palm
Spinizonocolpites hialinus Archangelsky and Zamaloa 1986 palm
Dicotyledoneae
 Ericales - Ericaceae
Ericipites scabratus
Ericipites scabratus Harris 1965 heather
Magnoliopsida
  -
Senipites sp., Psilatricolporites sp., Rousea patagonica, Rhoipites sp., Rhoipites minusculus
Senipites sp. Srivastava 1969
Rousea patagonica Archangelsky 1973
Rhoipites sp. Wodehouse 1933
Rhoipites minusculus Archangelsky 1973
 Coniferales - Podocarpaceae
Trisaccites microsaccatum, Phyllocladidites mawsonii, Microcachryidites antarcticus, Gamerroites psilasaccus, Podocarpidites cf. ellipticus, Podocarpidites elegans
Trisaccites microsaccatum Couper 1953 podocarp
Phyllocladidites mawsonii Cookson 1947 podocarp
Microcachryidites antarcticus Couper 1953 podocarp
Gamerroites psilasaccus Archangelsky 1988 podocarp
Podocarpidites cf. ellipticus Cookson 1947 podocarp
Podocarpidites elegans Romero 1977 podocarp
Dinophyceae
 Gonyaulacales -
Cleistosphaeridium sp.