Earth:La Quinta Formation

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La Quinta Formation
Stratigraphic range: Hettangian—Aalenian
201.46–174.8 Ma
The La Quinta Formation near its type section in Táchira, Venezuela
TypeGeological formation
UnderliesRío Negro Formation
OverliesMucuchachi Formation
Thicknessup to 11,000 ft (3,400 m)
Lithology
PrimarySandstone
OtherTuff, conglomerate
Location
Coordinates [ ⚑ ] : 8°09′N 72°01′W / 8.15°N 72.02°W / 8.15; -72.02
Paleocoordinates [ ⚑ ] 0°06′N 42°42′W / 0.1°N 42.7°W / 0.1; -42.7
RegionCesar-Ranchería & Maracaibo Basins
Serranía del Perijá & Cordillera de Mérida
CountryColombia, Venezuela
Type section
Named forLa Quinta quarry
La Quinta Formation is located in Venezuela
La Quinta Formation
La Quinta Formation (Venezuela)

The La Quinta Formation is a Jurassic geologic formation which crops out in the Cordillera de Mérida and Serranía del Perijá of western Venezuela and northeastern Colombia. The formation is also present in the subsurface of the Cesar-Ranchería and Maracaibo Basins. At its type locality near La Grita, Táchira, it consists of a basal dacitic tuff followed by interlayered sandstones, tuffs, siltstones and rare limestones.[1] Dinosaur remains including Laquintasaura,[2] Tachiraptor, and Perijasaurus[3] are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.[4]

U–Pb zircon analysis demonstrates that the formation dates to 200.91+0.55 Ma at its base[2] and a maximum age of 174.8 Ma.[3]

Paleofauna

Genus Species location Material Notes Images
Laquintasaura[2] L. venezuelae

Venezuela

Partial skeleton First dinosaur identified from Venezuela

Perijasaurus

P. lapaz

Cesar Department, Colombia

Partial dorsal vertebra Previously known as the "Cesar sauropod", and was the first dinosaur discovered in Colombia

Tachiraptor

T. admirabilis Venezuela A tibia and ischium

Regional correlations

Template:Stratigraphy of the Llanos Basin

See also

  • List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations
    • List of stratigraphic units with few dinosaur genera

Notes

References

Bibliography

  • Barrett, Paul M.; Butler, Richard J.; Mundil, Roland; Scheyer, Torsten M.; Irmis, Randall B.; Sánchez-Villagra, Marcelo R. (2014), "A palaeoequatorial ornithischian and new constraints on early dinosaur diversification", Proceedings of the Royal Society B (Royal Society) 281 (1791): 1–7, doi:10.1098/rspb.2014.1147, PMID 25100698, PMC 4132680, http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/281/1791/20141147.full.pdf, retrieved 2018-08-18 
  • Barrett, P. M., R. J. Butler, S. C. Moore-Fay, F. E. Novas, J. M. Moody, J. M. Clark, and M. R. Sänchez-Villagra. 'Dinosaur Remains from the La Quinta Formation (Lower or Middle Jurassic) of the Venezuelan Andes'. Paläontologische Zeitschrift 82, no. 2 (2008): 163–177.
  • Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. 861 pp. ISBN 0-520-24209-2.

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