Arroyo El Morterito (PVL): Campanian, Argentina
collected by F. Leal, J. Bonaparte and crew 1966–1975

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Reptilia - Carcharodontosauridae
Unquillosaurus ceibalii n. gen., n. sp. Powell 1979
Powell 1979 1 specimen
PVL 3760.11
Reptilia
Antarctosaurus sp. Huene 1927
2 specimens
PVL 3670.12
    = Sauropoda indet. Marsh 1878
Powell 1979
    = Titanosaurinae indet. Lydekker 1893
Bonaparte 1996
    = Titanosauridae indet. Lydekker 1885
Powell 2003
    = Lithostrotia indet. Wilson and Upchurch 2003
Gallina and Otero 2015
Laplatasaurus sp. Huene 1927
Powell 1979 1 specimen
    = ? Titanosaurus sp. Lydekker 1877
Powell 2003
    = Lithostrotia indet. Wilson and Upchurch 2003
Gallina and Otero 2015
see common names

Geography
Country:Argentina State/province:Salta County:Candelaria
Coordinates: 24.3° South, 65.3° West (view map)
Paleocoordinates:27.6° South, 47.5° West
Basis of coordinate:based on political unit
Altitude:1216 meters
Geographic resolution:outcrop
Time
Period:Cretaceous Epoch:Late/Upper Cretaceous
Stage:Campanian 10 m.y. bin:Cretaceous 7
*Period:Late/Upper Cretaceous *Epoch:Senonian
*International age/stage:Early/Lower Maastrichtian - Middle Maastrichtian
Key time interval:Campanian
Age range of interval:83.60000 - 72.10000 m.y. ago
* legacy (obsolete) database fields
Stratigraphy
Geological group:Salta Formation:Los Blanquitos
Stratigraphic resolution:bed
Stratigraphy comments: details of several local stratigraphic sections given for correlative purposes. Pirgua Subgroup, upper section of formation. Earlier suggestions for age included Maastrichtian, but overlying Lecho Fm is now considered ?Campanian-Early Maastrichtian.
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology:micaceous,gray,red lithified conglomeratic sandstone
Secondary lithology:pebbly,gray,green lithified calcareous sandstone
Includes fossils?Y
Lithology description: Friable, micaceous, grayish-red sandstone with quartz pebbles furrowed with small carbonate veins. In the base of this layer the remains of the titanosaurid dinosaur described were discovered. Above the layer with bones appears a lens of thick, greenish-gray, calcareous, very hard sandstone with pebbles and gravel. The bones were covered by a "halo" of the same rock but of greenish or grayish color, especially visible because the normal sediment is red. Thickness 1.5 m. (translated from Spanish by M. Carrano)
Environment:fluvial indet.
Glacial or sequence phase:transgressive
Geology comments: depositional facies in local "sub-basins", but overall regional character is not described in detail. "fluvial environment of some energy."
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body
Size of fossils:macrofossils
Preservation of anatomical detail:medium
Articulated whole bodies:none
Associated major elements:some
Disassociated major elements:some
Disassociated minor elements:none
Fragmentation:frequent
Bioerosion:none
Spatial resolution:parautochthonous
Collection methods and comments
Collection methods:selective quarrying,mechanical,field collection
Collection size:1 individuals
Reason for describing collection:biostratigraphic analysis
Collectors:F. Leal, J. Bonaparte and crew Collection dates:1966–1975
Taxonomic list comments:specimen probably not assignable to Antarctosaurus as originally indicated
Metadata
Also known as:El Ceibal, Potrero del Nogalito
Database number:13209
Authorizer:M. Carrano Enterer:M. Carrano
Modifier:P. Mannion Research group:vertebrate
Created:2002-01-29 12:42:08 Last modified:2021-04-15 09:09:55
Access level:the public Released:2002-01-29 12:42:08
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:
4386.5% 40440J. F. Bonaparte and G. Bossi. 1967. Sobre la presencia de dinosaurios en la Formación Pirgua del Grupo Salta y su significado cronologico [On the presence of dinosaurs in the Pirgua Formation of the Salta Group and its chronologic significance]. Acta Geologica Lilloana 9:25-44 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Carrano]

Secondary references:

59610 J. F. Bonaparte. 1978. El Mesozoico de America de Sur y sus Tetrapodos [The Mesozoic of South America and its tetrapods]. Opera Lilloana 26:1-596 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
63573 J. F. Bonaparte. 1984. I dinosauri dell’Argentina [. In G. M. Ronzoni, M. L. Greggio, & T. B. Guarinoni (eds.), Sulle Orme dei Dinosauri 125-143 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
16547ETE J. F. Bonaparte. 1996. Cretaceous tetrapods of Argentina. Münchner Geowissenschaften Abhandlungen 30:73-130 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
55175 J. F. Bonaparte, J. A. Salfity, G. Bossi and J. E. Powell. 1977. Hallazgo de dinosaurios y aves cretacicas en la Formación Lecho de El Brete (Salta), proximo al limite con Tucumán [Discovery of Cretaceous dinosaurs and birds in the Lecho Formation of El Brete (Salta), near the border with Tucumán]. Acta Geològica Lilloana 14:5-17 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
76398 P. A. Gallina, S. Apesteguía, and F. A. Gianechini. 2010. Primitive broad-crowned titanosaurs in the Uppermost Cretaceous?. XXV Jornadas Argentinas de Paleontología de Vertebrados. Resúmenes. Ameghiniana 47(4 (suppl.)):12R [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
76304 P. A. Gallina and A. Otero. 2015. Reassessment of Laplatasaurus araukanicus (Sauropoda: Titanosauria) from the Upper Cretaceous of Patagonia, Argentina. Ameghiniana 52(5):487-501 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
11802ETE F. E. Novas and F. L. Agnolin. 2004. Unquillosaurus ceibali Powell, a giant maniraptoran (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Late Cretaceous of Argentina. Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, nuevo serie 6(1):61-66 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
11803ETE J. E. Powell. 1979. Sobre una asociacion de Dinosaurios y otras evidencias de vertebrados del Crétacico Superior de la region de La Candelaria, Prov. de Salta, Argentina. Ameghiniana 16(1-2):191-204 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
13712ETE J. E. Powell. 2003. Revision of South American titanosaurid dinosaurs: palaeobiological, palaeobiogeographical and phylogenetic aspects. Records of the Queen Victoria Museum Launceston 111:1-173 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Carrano]