Dinosaurs and rivers on the edge of a desert: A first recognition of fluvial deposits associated to the Botucatu Formation (Jurassic/Cretaceous), Brazil

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Highlights

  • First occurrence of fluvial deposits related to the desertic Botucatu Formation.

  • Dinosaur tracks, vertebrate burrows and invertebrate ichnofossils were documented.

  • A significant part of Permian Aquidauana Formation is reinterpreted as Jurassic—Cretaceous Botucatu Formation.

  • Sedimentological interpretation suggesting a fluvial system at the basal section of the Botucatu Formation.

Abstract

This work aimed to investigate the ichnofossiliferous sites in Nioaque and surrounding region, Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil, analyzing their paleontological, stratigraphic and paleoenvironmental context, because dinosaur tracks were found in an area previously mapped as Permo–Carboniferous age. Some sedimentary facies previously assigned to the glacial Aquidauana Formation were herein reinterpreted as part of the basal section of the Botucatu Formation (Late Jurassic/Early Cretaceous) and include floodplain and residual channel deposits, possibly representing the lower half of this formation's sequence in the studied area. The ichnofossils that have been found include both isolated tracks of Theropoda and Ornithopoda, a trackway of Eubrontes isp., a vertebrate burrow and invertebrate traces (Palaeophycus) possibly related to the Entradichnus ichnofacies. Sedimentological interpretation suggests the existence of a river system just before the deposition of the typical Botucatu eolian facies in this region. This is the first documented record of fluvial deposits transitionally to the traditional eolian Botucatu Formation. Noteworthy, the dinosaur tracks have played a key role for the interpretation of these rocks as Botucatu Formation and for better understanding the whole system due to the impossible Paleozoic age (dinosaur tracks).

Introduction

Several eolian systems developed through the Early Cretaceous in the Gondwana supercontinent (e.g., Scherer and Lavina, 2006; Mountney et al., 1999; Veiga and Spalletti, 2007). The ancient Botucatu desert, which was a large eolian system (e.g., Holz et al., 2008; Scherer and Goldberg, 2007), has just few mentions of non-eolian facies at its basal portion (Schneider et al., 1974; Rocha-Campos and Farjallat, 1966). Research on this geological unit in Mato Grosso do Sul State, central-western Brazil, has brought new perspectives for the understanding of the paleoenvironmental context of the Botucatu desert in this area.

In 1990 dinosaur tracks were found in outcrops along the Nioaque river (Fazenda Minuano, MSNI01 site), Mato Grosso do Sul (Martins, 1990), which has become a local attraction. This occurrence was later revised, and some doubts were raised regarding its interpretation and genesis, as well as the relationship of these deposits with the Late Jurassic – Early Cretaceous Botucatu Formation (Scheffler and Silva, 2006; Silva and Scheffler, 2008). In 2009, the Bodoquena-Pantanal Geopark was created by state law (Mato Grosso do Sul, 2009), including this track site as one of its geosites (Rolim and Theodorovicz, 2012). Yet, activities related to this subject have not achieved great progress mostly because of the lack of scientific works to substantiate them.

One of the major research issues in this area is the inconsistency between the official geological map and field work evidence. At first, the main objective of this work was to study the fossil footprints found in the region. However, the Geological Map of Mato Grosso do Sul State from the Geological Survey of Brazil (Lacerda Filho et al., 2004), based on previous studies (e.g., Almeida, 1945; Beurlen, 1956; Schneider et al., 1974; Correa et al., 1976; Del’Arco et al., 1982; Fúlfaro and Petri, 1988), attributes the rocks of this region to the Permian Aquidauana Formation, underlying the Late Jurassic – Early Cretaceous eolian sandstones of the Botucatu Formation. Nonetheless, the morphology of the vertebrate tracks clearly indicates non-avian dinosaurs as producers (Martins, 1990; Scheffler and Silva, 2006; Silva and Scheffler, 2008), which is inconsistent with the Permian age. Therefore, it is necessary to reconsider the identity of these deposits regarding sedimentological, stratigraphical and ichnological aspects, which is the objective of this paper, including the study of new tracks and localities.

Section snippets

Geological settings

The studied area is in the mid-west of Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil (Fig. 1), a region which is predominantly formed by sedimentary rocks from the Paraná Basin dated between Carboniferous and Cretaceous, in addition to occurrences of Quaternary deposits. The interval between the Carboniferous and the Permian is represented by the Aquidauana Formation. The rocks of the Botucatu Formation, Late Jurassic – Early Cretaceous, overlie the Aquidauana Formation and are alternated, mainly at the

Material and methods

This study was developed through bibliographic review and fieldwork based on the preliminary survey of 64 outcrops in the municipalities of Corguinho, Anastácio and Nioaque, Mato Grosso do Sul State (see supplementary material). As the region is flat and densely vegetated, the study area was determined according to the outcropping potential, basically corresponding to erosive cuts along rivers and road cuts. Therefore, the outcrops are mostly small, low and without horizontal continuity.

Sedimentary framework

The facies were surveyed based on field data that, although incomplete due to logistical difficulties and strong weathering of the sites, allow the first recognition of a depositional system not previously recorded in the Paraná Basin.

Only two facies (Dm, Fl) were identified as the typical Aquidauana Formation (Milani et al., 2007), both are cropping out in two different sites (Fig. 2 A-B; Table 1). They correspond to typical lithology produced in periglacial depositional systems, in which

Systematic paleontology

  • Ornithopoda track

Locality: MSNI01 site, Nioaque, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.

Material: MSNI01-02a, isolated track preserved in concave epirelief (Fig. 5).

Description: MSNI01-02a is a semidigitigrade to digitigrade, tridactyl, mesaxonic track with rounded hypices, impressions of digits III and IV preserved with rounded ends, without claw marks. The digit II impression is partially covered by sediment that moved from the margins to the center of the digit imprint, obscuring its original shape. The

Interactions with the substrate

A better knowledge on the preservation of tracks can aid in diagnosing the properties and sediment behavior during the deposition. In such context, the moisture/density relationship within the substrate is the most significant factor that controls the track morphology (Manning, 2004). When studying tracks in wind-blown cross-strata of the Lower Jurassic Navajo Sandstone, USA, Loope (2006) interpreted circular structures as microfault-bounded masses of sand generated within the substrate by

Conclusions

A new set of facies has been identified in the basal deposits of the Botucatu Formation, Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous of the Paraná Basin. Several ichnofossils have been found in those deposits, including three small sized Theropoda dinosaur footprints, an Ornithopoda dinosaur footprint, an isolated track and a trackway attributed to Eubrontes isp., two possible swimming traces, a tetrapod burrow and nine sites with invertebrates traces. The study of ichnofossils combined to facies analysis

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank to the Nioaque City Hall, Geopark Bodoquena-Pantanal and Museu Nacional for support and partnership conceived to conduct the field work. Also thank to the scientific director of Geopark Bodoquena-Pantanal, Dr. Afrânio Soares, for providing material support. Thank to the Nioaque mayor Valdir Júnior and to João Orcidiney Xavier for the logistic support; the municipal teachers Andréa Rocha, Noêmia Leandro and Jaqueline da Paz; the councillor Pablo Correa; the 9° GAC commander

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