Cerro Fortaleza Formation
Geological formation in Argentina
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Cerro Fortaleza Formation, in older literature described as Pari Aike Formation, is a Late Cretaceous geologic formation of Campanian to Maastrichtian age[1][2] (although it has formerly been reported to be Cenomanian to Santonian)[3] of the Austral Basin in southern Patagonia, Argentina.
| Cerro Fortaleza Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Campanian to Maastrichtian ~ | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Underlies | La Irene Formation |
| Overlies | Anita Formation |
| Thickness | 460 m (1,510 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sandstone |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 49.9°S 72.1°W |
| Approximate paleocoordinates | 51.9°S 61.8°W |
| Region | Santa Cruz Province, southern Patagonia |
| Country | Argentina |
| Extent | Austral Basin |
  Cerro Fortaleza Formation (Argentina) | |
Description
The sandstones of the formation were deposited in a fluvial environment. The formation has an estimated thickness of 460 metres (1,510 ft) and overlies the Anita Formation, while it is overlain by the La Irene Formation.[4] These formations are considered Campanian and Maastrichtian in age, respectively,[4][3] making the Cerro Fortaleza Formation aged between them.
Paleobiota
The giant titanosaurs Puertasaurus and Dreadnoughtus, the megaraptoran Orkoraptor, the berthasaurid Austrocheirus isasii, and the ornithopod Talenkauen have been recovered from the formation alongside turtles and crocodiles.[5][6][7]
Dinosaurs
Color key
|
Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; |
Ornithischians
| Ornithischians of the Cerro Fortaleza Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxa | Species | Locality | Stratigraphic unit | Material | Notes | Images |
| Ankylosauria indet. | Indeterminate | Small isolated osteoderms | ||||
| Iguanodontoidea indet. | Indeterminate | One incomplete maxillary tooth crown | ||||
| Ornithopoda indet. | Indeterminate | Two isolated caudal centra | ||||
| Talenkauen | T. santacrucensis | Corro Los Hornos near Lake Viedma. | Upper | A partial articulated skeleton missing the rear part of the skull, the tail, and the hands | An elasmarian ornithopod |  |
Sauropods
| Sauropods of the Cerro Fortaleza Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxa | Species | Locality | Stratigraphic unit | Material | Notes | Images |
| Clasmodosaurus | C. spatula | Lago Viedma | Two incomplete teeth | A titanosaur | ||
| Indeterminate | 32 isolated teeth | |||||
| Dreadnoughtus | D. schrani | Rio La Leona Valley | Upper | Four incomplete proximal caudals and an incomplete left astragalus | A titanosaur | .jpg) |
| Puertasaurus | P. reuili | Cerros Los Hornos, La Leona | Upper | A partial skeleton, including four disarticulated vertebrae (one cervical, one dorsal, and two caudal vertebrae) | A titanosaur |  |
Theropods
| Theropods of the Cerro Fortaleza Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxa | Species | Locality | Stratigraphic unit | Material | Notes | Images |
| Abelisauridae indet. | Indeterminate | An incomplete ziphodont tooth | ||||
| Austrocheirus | A. isasii | Hoyada Arroyo Seco | Upper | An incomplete right ulna | A ceratosaurian theropod |  |
| Orkoraptor | O. burkei | Cerro Los Hornos | Upper | Several isolated teeth, including two anteriormost, probably premaxillary teeth, left manual phalanx I-1, right, nearly complete fibula, and right ungual. | A megaraptoran |  |
Fish
| Fish of the Cerro Fortaleza Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxa | Species | Locality | Stratigraphic unit | Material | Notes | Images |
| Atlantoceratodus | A. iheringi | Cerro Los Hornos and Hoyada Arroyo Seco. | Four lower tooth plates, one lower tooth plate attached to a partial mandibular bone and four upper tooth plates | A lungfish | ||
