Lecho Formation | |
Type: | Geological formation |
Period: | Maastrichtian |
Age: | Early Maastrichtian ~ |
Prilithology: | Sandstone |
Region: | Jujuy, Salta |
Country: | Argentina |
Coordinates: | -26.1°N -65.4°W |
Paleocoordinates: | -28.6°N -52°W |
Unitof: | Salta Group |
Underlies: | Yacoraite Formation |
Overlies: | Los Blanquitos Formation |
Extent: | Salta Basin |
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.
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.
Aves and Dinosaurs 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 | |||
Enantiornis[3] | E. leali | "Postcranial elements"[4] | Enantiornithes | |||
Lectavis | L. bretincola | "Tarsometatarsus and tibiotarsus" | Enantiornithes | |||
Martinavis | M. minor | Partial humerus | Enantiornithes | |||
M. saltariensis | Humerus | |||||
M. vincei | Humeri | |||||
M. whetstonei | Partial humerus | |||||
Noasaurus | N. leali | 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 | S. loricatus | "Partial skeletons of at least [six] individuals, including jaws and armor."[8] | Saltasaurid titanosaurs | |||
Soroavisaurus | S. australis | "Tarsometatarsus and phalanges."[9] | Avisaurid enantiornithes | |||
Yungavolucris | Y. brevipedalis | "Tarsometatarsi" | Enantiornithes | |||