NEW DINOSAUR ICHNITES FROM AGUADA PICHANA (CENOMANIAN: LATE CRETACEOUS), NEUQUÉN PROVINCE, ARGENTINA

PORFIRI, JUAN; DOS SANTOS, DOMENICA; BAIANO, MATTIA; YURAK DÍAZ, MARKO; PINO, DIEGO; GÓMEZ, RICARDO; TUNIK, MAISA

Jornada; 34° Jornadas Argentinas de Paleontología de Vertebrados; 2021

Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales (IANIGLA), Museo de Historia Natural de San Rafael (MHNSR) y Museo de Ciencias Naturales y Antropológicas "Juan Cornelio Mpyano" (MCNAM)

The main Cenomanian ichnological localities from Neuquén Province are situated aroundEzequiel Ramos Mexía Lake. Here, we report a new ichnological locality in AguadaPichana, 40 km NW from Añelo city. Aguada Pichana represents an importantpaleontological area with outcrops of the Candeleros Formation (Cenomanian, UpperCretaceous, Neuquén Group). At least five dinosaur footprint morphotypes are identified,preserved on very fine-grained calcareous sandstones and medium to fine-grainedsandstones which developed on floodplain deposits; one morphotype corresponds tosauropods and the other four to theropods. The tracks are distributed in two differentstratigraphic levels. The first track-bearing level preserves three small tridactyltrackways, about 14 to 16 cm in length,whereas the second one has semicircular andcircular concave depressions of 100 cm in diameter and several footprints represented by tridactyl tracks preserved as concave epireliefs at the top of a bedding plane. Here, thetridactyl tracks present at least three morphotypes close to Abelichnus, Candeleroichnusand Picunichnus. Also, a small didactyl trackway, about 5 cm in length, is preserved. Thisnew site allows to expand the knowledge about dinosaur ichnology for the center of theNeuquén Province during Cenomanian times. The ?Museo del Desierto Patagónico deAñelo´´ and the ?Museo de Ciencias Naturales de la Universidad Nacional del Comahue?,together with the area operator, TOTAL Austral SA, and the company responsible forenvironmental management, Geólogos Asociados, are in process of developing acomprehensive preservation plan in order to consolidate the new amazing paleontologicalheritage of the area.