Fossil woods from the Eocene of Corcovado, Argentinean Patagonia. Geological setting and conifers

PUJANA R.R.; ARAMENDIA I.; GARCIA MASSINI J.L.; NOETINGER S.

IAWA JOURNAL

INT ASSOC WOOD ANATOMISTS

Año: 2021

0928-1541

Eocene paleofloras of Patagonia are diverse and increasingly known. A new assemblage of fossil wood has been recovered from Eocene sediments in Corcovado, western Argentinean Patagonia. The lithological succession (formerly Arroyo Lyn Formation sensu Pesce 1979) is correlated with the Huitrera Formation. The specimens were mostly found in situ in sandstones and conglomerates. One third of the assemblage are conifers. We found four taxonomic types: Agathoxylon cf. antarcticus (Araucariaceae), Phyllocladoxylon antarcticum (Podocarpaceae), Podocarpoxylon dusenii (Podocarpaceae), and Cupressinoxylon hallei (Cupressaceae or Podocarpaceae). The presence of four taxonomic units in just 7 samples suggests a significant species richness. Araucariaceae and dominant Podocarpaceae are usually found in previously described conifer wood assemblages from the Eocene of Patagonia and Antarctica. The diversity of the conifer assemblage is very similar to that found at Laguna del Hunco locality (these two localities are 170 km distant), also from the Huitrera Formation. This is consistent with the proposal that the bearing sediments of both localities are from the same stratigraphic unit.