The Botucatu Formation is an Aptian geologic formation of the Paraná and Pelotas Basins in southern Brazil and northern Uruguay. The formation is composed of quartzitic sandstones, deposited in an eolian environment. Fossil theropod tracks have been reported from the formation.
Description
The sandstone is fine-textured and well sorted, containing no pebbles; its colour is occasionally white, yellowish, and reddish, but more commonly it is pinkish. Nearly always it is silicified and therefore compact and hard. The formation was deposited in an arid desert environment, characterized by sabkhas and wadis.
Fossil content
Among the following fossils were reported from the Botucatu Formation:
Ichnofossils
See also
- List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations
- List of stratigraphic units with theropod tracks
- List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Uruguay
- Itapecuru Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the São Luis and ParnaÃÂba Basins
- Bahia Group, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the Recôncavo Basin
- Quiricó Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the São Francisco Basin
- La Cruz Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the Marayes-El Carrizal Basin, Argentina
- Rayoso Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the Neuquén Basin, Argentina
- Cerro Barcino Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the Cañadón Asfalto Basin, Argentina
- RÃÂo Belgrano Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the Austral Basin, Argentina
References
Bibliography
Further reading
- Leonardi, G. 1989. Inventory and statistics of the South American dinosaurian ichnofauna and its paleobiological interpretation. In D. D. Gillette & M. G. Lockley (ed.), Dinosaur Tracks and Traces 165âÂÂ178.
- Leonardi, G. 1980. On the discovery of an abundant ichno-fauna (vertebrates and invertebrates) in the Botucatu Formation s.s. in Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 52(3):559-567 link.
- Leonardi, G., Carvalho, I.S., and Fernandes, M.A. 2007. The desert ichnofauna from Botucatu Formation (Upper JurassicâÂÂLower Cretaceous), Brazil. In: Carvalho, I.S., Cassab, R.C.T., Schwanke, C., Carvalho, M.A., Fernandes, A.C.S., Rodrigues, M.A.C., Carvalho, M.S.S., Arai, M., and Oliveira, M.E.Q. (eds.). Paleontologia: Cenários da Vida, I. Interciência, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. p, 372âÂÂ383. link.