Journal of South American Earth Sciences最新文献

Trace fossils produced by fossorial mammals are relatively common in the North American fossil record. Yaviichnus iniyooensis consists of a system of chambers and tunnels marked by characteristic paired-groove marks. This text aims to analyze four burrows with well-preserved bioglyphs to determine whether one or more individuals produced them. The burrows were found in the Chilapa Formation (early Oligocene), which outcrops on the outskirts of Santiago Yolomécatl town, northwestern Oaxaca. Bioglyphs are visible on the external surfaces of the tunnel casts. These marks are short, straight, and paired, and are attributable to the incisor marks of Gregorymys spp. They may have been produced during the same ecological period. Analysis of the measurements of the width of these paired marks revealed two distinct groups: one ranging from 2.2 to 3.2 mm (mean 2.95 mm; n = 12) and another ranging from 3.4 to 5.3 mm (mean 3.99 mm; n = 31). A Mann-Whitney U test indicated statistically significant differences between the median widths of the groups. The presence of two different groups of incisor marks within a single burrow system suggests that multiple individuals were the producers. This supports the hypothesis that several individuals of Gregorymys veloxikua and G. mixtecorum were the attributable producers of Yaviichnus iniyooensis. The most plausible explanation is that burrows were reused by specimens of both species of Gregorymys, possibly linked to aridity conditions and non-solitary behaviour.

The integration of ICP-OES, XRD, chemical analysis, and scanning electron microscopy was used to investigate the source area, weathering, paleoclimate conditions, and provenance of the siltstones of the Santa Maria Formation (Middle to Upper Triassic, Southern Brazil). This unit is regionally subdivided, from base to top, into the Passo das Tropas Member (Late Anisian–Middle Ladinian) and the Alemoa Member (Middle Ladinian–Carnian). The Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA) was calculated for both members to highlight the weathering processes of primary minerals. The CIA results indicate moderate to extreme weathering of the source rocks for the siltstones. The extreme chemical alteration observed in the Passo das Tropas siltstones (CIA = 76.97–90.83) and in the mid-section of the Alemoa Member (CIA = 87.96–89.63) suggests weathering under more humid conditions, related to an increase in paleorainfall. Paleoclimate was interpreted as semi-arid to arid, with alternating wet and dry seasons. These results align with the geochemical behavior of uranium and thorium. Samples with higher CIA values show higher Th/U ratios, indicating a shift toward a more humid climate. X-ray diffraction analysis of the fine fraction (FF < 2 μm) of the samples identified mixed-layered illite-smectite (I/S) clay minerals with minor amounts of quartz. Regarding provenance, Th/U ratios coupled with Th vs. Sc and La-Th-Sc plots, suggest an upper crustal protolith for the southern Santa Maria siltstones, consisting of uplifted rocks from the crystalline basement of the Sul-Rio-Grandense shield and sedimentary rocks of the Camaquã Basin. The Th/Sc, Sc/Th, Co/Th, and La/Sc ratios, along with the contents of Al₂O₃, SiO₂, TiO₂, Co, V, Ni, and Sc, indicate a more felsic composition for the Passo das Tropas Member. Meanwhile, the source rocks of the Alemoa Member sediments demonstrate a more mafic composition in the mid-section, transitioning to a felsic composition in the uppermost succession.

A Cambrian sedimentary sequence with a predominant lithology of limestone, sandy limestone, and quartzite pertaining to the Bolsa and Abrigo formations is exposed in the Sierra Los Ajos to the east of Cananea city (northeastern Sonora, Mexico). Two fossil assemblages from Guzhangian layers of the Abrigo Formation are described herein. The trilobites identified comprise Tricrepicephalus texanus (Shumard), Crepicephalus sp., Coosia ariston (Walcott), Coosia sp., Cedaria cf. eurycheilos Palmer, Coosella sp., Llanoaspis modesta Lochman, and Llanoaspis? sp., representing the Cedaria and Crepicephalus zones (Miaolingian, Guzhangian). The Cambrian rocks of northeastern Sonora (Sierra Los Ajos, El Tule, and Mesteñas hills), southern Arizona, and Texas, were deposited as part of a thick sedimentary sequence on the southwestern margin of Laurentia, associated with an inner shelf marine environment. The distribution of the trilobites identified confirms the existence of a widespread Cambrian faunal province that includes the southeastern United States of America and northwestern Mexico.

This contribution provides a comprehensive description and classification of fifteen lithofacies within the Carboniferous rocks attributed to the Arroyo del Torreón Formation and Sofía Dacite in order to understand the eruptive dynamics and the evolution of volcanism associated with the onset of the Gondwanan Orogenic Cycle at the Cordillera del Viento (Argentina). The outcrops of Carboniferous volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks linked to this cycle are restricted to the Cordilllera del Viento range. In consequence, they offer a valuable opportunity to research the volcanic arc products of the pre-Choiyoi magmatism.

The Arroyo del Torreón Formation lithofacies interpretation and its distribution indicate that the volcanism commenced with local andesitic lava flows followed by a volcano-sedimentary sequence formed by multiple pumice-rich quasi-steady concentrated pyroclastic density currents alternating with episodes of epiclastic sedimentation. The latter are covered ignimbrites developed by boiling over eruptions. Crystal-rich tuffs overlie the ignimbrites and represent a transition to a plinian eruption. This eruption style continued, developing concentrated pyroclastic density currents with highly unsteadiness conditions and scarce fall-out deposits. Conversely, the Sofía Dacite, represent a notable shift in the volcanism style, characterized by dacitic to rhyolitic lava flows with minor pyroclastic beds. Zircon dating of a pumice-rich lapilli-tuff from the Arroyo del Torreón Formation yielded a minimum age of 327.77 ± 1.79 Ma that was interpreted as the maximum depositional age for this unit. Similarly, zircons from a porphyritic dacite representing the Sofía Dacite provided a Concordia age of 329.11 ± 1.31 Ma that was interpreted as the crystallisation age of this rock.

Consequently, we propose a new stratigraphic division of the Arroyo del Torreón Formation into two members. The Cerro San Pedro Member will comprise the pyroclastic rocks at the base of the sequence, while the Sofía Member will include the upper lava-dominated portion of the unit. In this sense, the whole lithostratigraphic unit represents a distinctive Carboniferous basin associated with arc-related volcanism representative from the pre-Choiyoi magmatism.

This study seeks to unravel the exhumation history of Permian granodiorites corresponding to the Huingancó volcano-plutonic Complex in the southern sector of the Cordillera del Viento (∼37°S), located within the Chos Malal fold-thrust belt. In this context, mineral chemistry analyses were conducted on the granodiorites using electron microprobe data to infer the P-T conditions of emplacement, resulting in 700–900 °C and pressures ranging between 1 and 2.4 kbar. Employing a geostatic gradient of 3.7 km/kbar, these values give an estimate of emplacement depths between 4 and 9 km. In order to understand their exhumation path, five samples from the Huingancó Granodiorite were taken along the Huaraco creek on the western flank of the Cordillera del Viento anticline to perform apatite fission track (AFT) analysis. This analysis yielded new cooling ages for the study area ranging between 50 and 80 Ma. Furthermore, inverse thermal modeling using the fission track data revealed two significant exhumation events during the Andean cycle: one during the Late Cretaceous-Paleocene and the other in Miocene times, separated by a period of gradual cooling or stability during Eocene-Oligocene times. These important cooling events are associated with the main construction phases of the Cordillera del Viento. Finally, to characterize its deformation evolution, a structural kinematic model is proposed based on a balanced structural section and its reconstruction to its non-deformed pre-Cretaceous state. The resulting model allows us to identify the structures and mechanisms of uplift rising the Cordillera del Viento, and their association with the main exhumation events depicted in the inverse thermal modeling. The main structure of the Cordillera del Viento corresponds to a fault bending fold that involves the basement in the deformation. Subsequently, its insertion as an intracutaneous wedge is related with the development of the thin-skinned structures at the internal sector of the Chos Malal fold and thrust belt.

The fossil record of Upper Cretaceous fishes in Colombia is particularly scarce, with only eleven previously identified species. This study presents the first comprehensive report of the extinct aulopiform fish family Enchodontidae from the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia. Fieldwork in the municipality of Matanza (Santander Department) yielded five fossil specimens, including jaw and skull fragments. These specimens were collected from the Upper Cretaceous La Luna Formation and were described and examined to approximate their taxonomic affinity, depositional environment, and geological age. Detailed morphological analyses associate these new specimens with the genus Enchodus. Our findings provide new data that contribute to the understanding of Enchodus diversity and distribution. The presence of key diagnostic characters in our specimens aligns with established phylogenetic frameworks, while further highlighting the potential for the presence of new species within this record.

Resumen

El registro fósil de peces del Cretácico Superior en Colombia es notablemente escaso, con solo once especies previamente identificadas. Este estudio presenta el primer registro de la familia de peces extintos Enchodontidae para la Cordillera Oriental de Colombia. El trabajo de campo en el municipio de Matanza (Departamento de Santander) produjo cinco especímenes fósiles, incluidos fragmentos de mandíbulas y cráneos. Estos especímenes fueron recolectados de la Formación La Luna del Cretácico Superior y analizados para establecer su afinidad taxonómica, ambiente de deposición y edad geológica. Los análisis morfológicos detallados asocian estos nuevos especímenes con el género Enchodus. Nuestros hallazgos aportan nuevos y valiosos datos que contribuyen a la comprensión de la diversidad y distribución de Enchodus. La presencia de caracteres diagnósticos clave en nuestros especímenes se alinea con las hipótesis filogenéticas establecidas, al tiempo que destaca el potential de nuevas especies dentro del registro aquí tratado.