Cyclic pattern of South American land-mammal evolution and sedimentation: Testing their apparent concomitance in a Paleocene sequence in Central Patagonia

BOND, MARIANO; CARLINI, ALFREDO A.; GOIN, FRANCISCO J.; LEGARRETA, LEONARDO; ORTIZ JAUREGUIZAR, EDGARDO; PASCUAL, ROSENDO; PRADO, JOSÉ LUIS; ULIANA, MIGUEL

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Congreso; VI Congreso Argentino de Paleontología y Bioestratigrafía; 1994

Museo Paleontológico "Egidio Feruglio"

A comparative analysis of increased known taxa of the Paleocene faunal zones of Patagonia suggests that they represent three distinct episodes in South American mammal evolution. particularly the last two unquestionably documented as equivalent to the "Itaboraian" and Riochican SALMASs so far known. If finally were three, as we suspect, together to the oldest Tiuparnpian they made four known Paleocene SALMAs. This achievement convalidates Simpson's presumption that the Rio Chico group (sic) contains different successive faunas so distinctive that separate designations and stage names will probably be necessary for them. On the other hand, it demonstrates that in South America. as elsewhere. without knowledge of Paleocene mammals. many basic questions concerning the origin and evolution of mammalian adaptations would not be answerable, Actually, more tan one-third of the known orders of the Cenozoic had their beginnings. or origins. in the Paleocene.