Lecho Formation

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.

Lecho Formation
Stratigraphic range: Early Maastrichtian
~70–68 Ma
↓
TypeGeological formation
Unit ofSalta Group
UnderliesYacoraite Formation
OverliesLos Blanquitos Formation
Lithology
PrimarySandstone
Location
Coordinates26.1°S 65.4°W / -26.1; -65.4
Approximate paleocoordinates28.6°S 52.0°W / -28.6; -52.0
RegionJujuy, Salta
Country Argentina
ExtentSalta Basin
Lecho Formation (Argentina)

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.

Fossil content
Dinosaurs from the Lecho Formation
GenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImages
Elbretornis E. bonapartei Scapula, partial coracoid, humerus, partial radius, partial ulna[2] Enantiornithes
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

References
  1. Weishampel et al., 2004, "Dinosaur distribution (Late Cretaceous, South America)." pp. 600-604
  2. Walker & Dyke, 2009
  3. "63.7 Provincia de Salta, Argentina; 3. Lower Kirtland Formation," in Weishampel et al., 2004, p.603
  4. "Table 11.1," in Weishampel et al., 2004, p.213
  5. "Table 3.1," in Weishampel et al., 2004, p.49
  6. Frankfurt & Chiappe, 1999
  7. Agnolin & Martinelli, 2007
  8. "Table 13.1," in Weishampel et al., 2004, p.270
  9. "Table 11.1," in Weishampel et al., 2004, p.214

Bibliography
  • Walker, _, and _ Dyke. 2009. Euenantiornithine birds from the Late Cretaceous of El Brete (Argentina). Irish Journal of Earth Sciences 27. 15–62.
  • Agnolin, F.L., and A.G. Martinelli. 2007. Did oviraptorosaurs (Dinosauria; Theropoda) inhabit Argentina?. Cretaceous Research 28. 785–790.
  • Weishampel, David B.; Peter Dodson, and Halszka Osmólska (eds.). 2004. The Dinosauria, 2nd edition, 1–880. Berkeley: University of California Press. Accessed 2019-02-21. ISBN 0-520-24209-2
  • Frankfurt, N.G., and L.M. Chiappe. 1999. A Possible Oviraptorosaur From The Late Cretaceous of Northwestern Argentina. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 19. 101–105.
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