Botucatu Formation

Botucatu Formation
Stratigraphic range: Aptian
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	São Bento Group
Underlies	Serra Geral Formation
Overlies	Rio do Rasto Formation
Lithology
Primary	Sandstone
Location
Coordinates
Approximate paleocoordinates
Region	Rio Grande do Sul
Country	Brazil Uruguay
Extent	Paraná & Pelotas Basins
Type section
Named for	Botucatu
File:Mapa Geologia Bacia do Paraná simples.png Geologic map of the Paraná Basin with the Paleozoic and Mesozoic units in light blue

The Botucatu Formation is an Aptian geologic formation of the Paraná and Pelotas Basins in southern Brazil and northern Uruguay. The formation is composed of quartzitic sandstones, deposited in an eolian environment. Fossil theropod tracks have been reported from the formation.

Description

The sandstone is fine-textured and well sorted, containing no pebbles; its colour is occasionally white, yellowish, and reddish, but more commonly it is pinkish. Nearly always it is silicified and therefore compact and hard. The formation was deposited in an arid desert environment, characterized by sabkhas and wadis.

Fossil content

Among the following fossils were reported from the Botucatu Formation:

• Coelurosauria indet.
• Lacertilia indet.
• Mammalia indet.
• Ornithopoda indet.
• Theropoda indet.
• ?Tritylodontoidea indet.
• Vespersaurus paranensis

Ichnofossils

• Brasilichnium elusivum
• Farlowichnus rapidus
• Lacertoidea indet.
• Pteraichnus isp.

See also

• List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations
  • List of stratigraphic units with theropod tracks
• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Uruguay
• Itapecuru Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the São Luis and Parnaíba Basins
• Bahia Group, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the Recôncavo Basin
• Quiricó Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the São Francisco Basin
• La Cruz Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the Marayes-El Carrizal Basin, Argentina
• Rayoso Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the Neuquén Basin, Argentina
• Cerro Barcino Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the Cañadón Asfalto Basin, Argentina
• Río Belgrano Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the Austral Basin, Argentina

Further reading

• Leonardi, G. 1989. Inventory and statistics of the South American dinosaurian ichnofauna and its paleobiological interpretation. In D. D. Gillette & M. G. Lockley (ed.), Dinosaur Tracks and Traces 165–178.
• Leonardi, G. 1980. On the discovery of an abundant ichno-fauna (vertebrates and invertebrates) in the Botucatu Formation s.s. in Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 52(3):559-567 link.
• Leonardi, G., Carvalho, I.S., and Fernandes, M.A. 2007. The desert ichnofauna from Botucatu Formation (Upper Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous), Brazil. In: Carvalho, I.S., Cassab, R.C.T., Schwanke, C., Carvalho, M.A., Fernandes, A.C.S., Rodrigues, M.A.C., Carvalho, M.S.S., Arai, M., and Oliveira, M.E.Q. (eds.). Paleontologia: Cenários da Vida, I. Interciência, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. p, 372–383. link.