El Pleistoceno de Mendoza: una síntesis geológica y paleontológica

MEHL, ADRIANA; ROJO, L.D.; DE FRANCESCO, CLAUDIO GERMÁN; CERDEÑO, ESPERANZA; FORASIEPI, ANALÍA M.

Opera Lilloana

Fundación Miguel Lillo

Año: 2019 vol. 52 p. 537 - 573

0078-5245

The Pleistocene in Mendoza: geological and paleontological appraisal. Mendoza Province represents ca. 5% of the Argentine territory, with almost 150,000 km2. The Andean Range overlays its occidental border, with the highest elevations in the province (Aconcagua: 6,958 masl). The presence of the Andes has been linked to changes in the environments with establishment of deserts and semi-deserts,and the evolution of the biota. The Pleistocene is characterized by drastic climatic changes with glacial and interglacial events. Concomitantly, the communities (vegetation, invertebrates, and vertebrates) fluctuated in altitude and latitude. Mostly local extinctions have been registered during the Pleistocene, with the exception of the megafauna, whose last records date from the late Pleistocene?early Holocene. The fossil record is still sparse in the province compared to other Argentine areas. Further scientific effort has the potential to increase the knowledge of the past biodiversity, interpret environmental fluctuations in relation to the major geological events and climatic changes, and eventually predict effects of current global warming