New dinosaur ichnites from Aguada Pichana (Cenomanian: Late Cretaceous), Neuquén province, Argentina.

PORFIRI, JUAN; DOS SANTOS, DOMENICA; PINO, DIEGO; GOMEZ, RICARDO; TUNIK, MAISA

Virtual

Jornada; 34 Jornadas Argentinas de Paleontología de Vertebrados; 2021

The main Cenomanian ichnological localities from Neuquén Province are situated around Ezequiel Ramos Mexía Lake. Here, we report a new ichnological locality in Aguada Pichana, 40 km NW from Añelo city. Aguada Pichana represents an important paleontological area with outcrops of the Candeleros Formation (Cenomanian, Upper Cretaceous, Neuquén Group). At least five dinosaur footprint morphotypes are identified, preserved on very fine-grained calcareous sandstones and medium to fine-grained sandstones which developed on floodplain deposits; one morphotype corresponds to sauropods and the other four to theropods. The tracks are distributed in two different stratigraphic levels. The first track-bearing level preserves three small tridactyl trackways, about 14 to 16 cm in length,whereas the second one has semicircular and circular 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, the tridactyl tracks present at least three morphotypes close to Abelichnus, Candeleroichnus, Picunichnus. Also, a small didactyl trackway, about 5 cm in length, is preserved. This new site allows to expand the knowledge about dinosaur ichnology for the center of the Neuquén Province during Cenomanian times. The ?Museo del Desierto Patagónico de Añelo'' and the ?Museo de Ciencias Naturales de la Universidad Nacional del Comahue?, together with the area operator, TOTAL Austral SA, and the company responsible for environmental management, Geólogos Asociados, are in process of developing a comprehensive preservation plan in order to consolidate the new amazing paleontological heritage of the area.