Lecho Formation

Lecho Formation
Stratigraphic range: Late Cretaceous
Type Geological formation
Underlies Yacoraite Formation
Location
Region South America

The Lecho Formation is a geological formation in Argentina whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.[1]

According to Frankfurt and Chiappe (1999), the Lecho Formation is located in northwestern Argentina and 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. The paleoenvironment was a fluvio-lacustrine coastal plain. Fossils from this formation include the titanosaur Saltasaurus along with a variety of avian and non-avian theropods.

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Vertebrate paleofauna

Dinosaurs reported from the Lecho Formation
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Images

Elbretornis

E. bonapartei

Scapula, partial coracoid, humerus, partial radius, partial ulna[2]

Enantiornithes
Noasaurus

Enantiornis[3]

E. leali[3]

"Postcranial elements."[4]

Enantiornithes

Lectavis[3]

L. bretincola[3]

"Tarsometatarsus and tibiotarsus."[4]

Enantiornithes

Martinavis

M. minor

Partial humerus[2]

Enantiornithes

M. saltariensis

Humerus[2]

M. vincei

Humeri[2]

M. whetstonei

Partial humerus[2]

Noasaurus[3]

N. leali[3]

Isolated elements from the head and foot, as well as a verebral arch.[5] A putative oviraptorosaurian cervical vertebra [6] is likely to belong to this taxon.[7]

Noasaurid abelisaurs

Saltasaurus[3]

S. loricatus[3]

"Partial skeletons of at least [six] individuals, including jaws and armor."[8]

Saltasaurid titanosaurs

Soroavisaurus[3]

S. australis[3]

"Tarsometatarsus and phalanges."[9]

Avisaurid enantiornithes

Yungavolucris[3]

Y. brevipedalis[3]

"Tarsometatarsi."[9]

Enantiornithes

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Weishampel, David B; et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution (Late Cretaceous, South America)." In: Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 600-604. ISBN 0-520-24209-2.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Walker and Dyke (2009). "Euenantiornithine birds from the Late Cretaceous of El Brete (Argentina)." Irish Journal of Earth Sciences, 27: 15-62.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "63.7 Provincia de Salta, Argentina; 3. Lower Kirtland Formation," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 603.
  4. 1 2 "Table 11.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 213.
  5. ↑ "Table 3.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 49.
  6. ↑ Frankfurt, N.G., and L.M. Chiappe (1999). "A Possible Oviraptorosaur From The Late Cretaceous of Northwestern Argentina," Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 19(1): 101-105.
  7. ↑ Agnolin, F.L., and Martinelli, A.G. (2007) "Did oviraptorosaurs (Dinosauria; Theropoda) inhabit Argentina?" Cretaceous Research, 28: 785-790.
  8. ↑ "Table 13.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 270.
  9. 1 2 "Table 11.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 214.

References


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