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