Lecho Formation
Geologic formation in Argentina
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The Lecho Formation is a geological formation in the Salta Basin of the provinces Jujuy and Salta of northwestern Argentina. Its strata date back to the Early Maastrichtian, and is a unit of the Salta Group. The fine-grained bioturbated sandstones of the formation were deposited in a fluvial to lacustrine coastal plain environment.
| Lecho Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Early Maastrichtian ~ | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Unit of | Salta Group |
| Underlies | Yacoraite Formation |
| Overlies | Los Blanquitos Formation |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sandstone |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 26.1°S 65.4°W |
| Approximate paleocoordinates | 28.6°S 52.0°W |
| Region | Jujuy, Salta |
| Country | Argentina |
| Extent | Salta Basin |
  Lecho Formation (Argentina) | |
Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.[1]
According to Frankfurt and Chiappe (1999), the Lecho Formation is composed of reddish sandstones. The Lecho is part of the Upper/Late Cretaceous Balbuena Subgroup (Salta Group), which is a near-border stratigraphic unit of the Andean sedimentary basin. Fossils from this formation include the titanosaur Saltasaurus along with a variety of avian and non-avian theropods.
Fossil content
Dinosaurs
| Dinosaurs from the Lecho Formation | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Material | Notes | Images |
| Abelisauridae[2] | Indeterminate | El Brete | Isolated teeth. | May represent more than one species of abelisaurid | |
| Elbretornis[3] | E. bonapartei | El Brete | Scapula, partial coracoid, humerus, partial radius, partial ulna | An enantiornithine bird | |
| Enantiornis[3][4] | E. leali | El Brete | Postcranial elements | An enantiornithine bird | |
| Euenantiornithes indet.[3] | Indeterminate | El Brete | Partial right lower jaw | An enantiornithine bird | |
| Lectavis[5] | L. bretincola | El Brete | Tarsometatarsus and tibiotarsus | An enantiornithine bird |  |
| Martinavis[3] | M. minor | El Brete | Partial humerus | An enantiornithine bird | |
| M. saltariensis | El Brete | Humerus | |||
| M. vincei | El Brete | Humeri | |||
| M. whetstonei | El Brete | Partial humerus | |||
| Noasaurus[2] | N. leali | El Brete | Isolated elements from the head and foot, as well as a verebral arch. | A Noasaurid abelisaur |  |
| Saltasaurus[6] | S. loricatus | El Brete | "Partial skeletons of at least [six] individuals, including jaws and armor."[7] | A saltasaurid titanosaur |  |
| Soroavisaurus[5] | S. australis | El Brete | Tarsometatarsus and phalanges. | An enantiornithine bird |  |
| Yungavolucris[5] | Y. brevipedalis | El Brete | Tarsometatarsi | An enantiornithine bird | |