Caragua: Tortonian, Chile

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Mammalia - Notoungulata
Bostelmann et al. 2016
Mammalia - Notoungulata - Mesotheriidae
Holotype (at first was SGO PV 2004 but this specimen number was taken so now it's SGO.PV.22500 according to ref 69958) articulated partial skeleton including a largely complete skull and mandibles; eight vertebrae (all cervicals and first thoracic); left distal humerus, left ulna and radius; right distal ulna and radius; and moderately complete hands (both sides, right manus in articulation with distal ulna and radius) (10 measurements)
see common names

Geography
Country:Chile State/province:Parinacota
Coordinates: 18.5° South, 69.6° West (view map)
Paleocoordinates:18.0° South, 67.4° West (Wright 2013)
Basis of coordinate:stated in text
Altitude:2923 meters
Geographic resolution:small collection
Time
Period: Neogene Epoch: Miocene
Stage: Tortonian 10 m.y. bin: Cenozoic 6
Key time interval: Tortonian
Age range of interval: 11.63 - 7.246 m.y. ago
Age estimate: 11.4 ± 0.3 to 10.7 ± 0.3 Ma (K-Ar)
Stratigraphy
Formation:Huaylas
Stratigraphic resolution:bed
Stratigraphy comments: Our observations along Quebrada Belén indicate that the Huaylas Formation in this area is a largely conglomeratic, gray-colored sedimentary unit with sporadic finer intervals, especially in the basal levels that crop out in the western exposures. The mesotheriid specimens from the various Caragua localities all appear to be from within the lowest part of the formation in the finer sediments (sands to conglomeratic sands). Salinas et al. (1991) noted that the unit varies widely in facies but crop out only in a discontinuous band along the lower courses of the Quebradas Belén and Lupica. The westernmost parts are massive, moderately consolidated siltstones and sandstones with sporadic gravel interbeds in the form of paleochannels; in the central portions, gravels with angular and subangular clasts and sandy matrix dominate; and in the east, immature to mature gravels with conglomerate, sandstone, and siltstone layers appear (Salinas et al., 1991).

Bostelmann et al 2016: The bearing levels are composed by fine to medium-grained sandstones lacking apparent stratification, deposited at the basal portion of the Lower Member of the Huaylas Formation that represent predominantly fluvial/alluvial environments.
40Ar/39Ar dates taken from biotite on the Caragua-Tignamar tuff, which
immediately overlies the fossiliferous levels, indicate a mean upper age of 10.7±0.3 Ma (early late Miocene, Tortonian age). An andesitic lava underlying the base of the Huaylas Formation in discordant contact provides a maximum age of 11.7±0.7 Ma.
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology: lithified sandy,conglomeratic sandstone
Includes fossils?Y
Environment:lacustrine indet.
Geology comments: The lowest levels of the Huaylas Formation south of Quebrada Belen (and SE of the Quebradas Belen/Lupica confluence), including the sandy pebble conglomerate that produced the new specimen, appear coarser than those that yielded the more complete specimen reported by Salinas et al. (1991). Munoz and Charrier (1996; Munoz discovered SGO PV 4004) indicated that SGO PV 4004 came from lacustrine beds of the lower Huaylas Formation.
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body,original phosphate
Size of fossils:macrofossils
Collection methods and comments
Collection methods:field collection
Reason for describing collection:taxonomic analysis
Collection method comments: Repository: Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Santiago, Chile (vertebrate paleontology collections).
Metadata
Database number:144471
Authorizer:C. Jaramillo, P. Mannion Enterer:J. Ceballos, M. Kouvari
Modifier:M. Kouvari Research group:vertebrate
Created:2013-05-08 02:43:06 Last modified:2025-02-22 15:12:02
Access level:database members Released:2015-05-08 02:43:06
Creative Commons license:CC0
Reference information

Primary reference:
46710. J. J. Flynn, D. A. Croft, R. Charrier, A. R. Wyss, G. Hérail and M. García. 2005. New Mesotheriidae (Mammalia, Notoungulata, Typotheria), geochronology and tectonics of the Caragua area, northernmost Chile. Journal of South American Earth Sciences 19(1):55-74 [C. Jaramillo/J. Ceballos/A. Cárdenas]

Secondary references:

72448 E. Bostelmann, K. Moreno, and D. A. Croft. 2016. Hegetotherium cerdasensis (Mammalia, Notoungulata. Hegetoteriidae) in the early Late Miocene of Northern Chile. V Simposio de Paleontología en Chile [P. Mannion/M. Kouvari]