Article
Biology
Julia Soledad D'Angelo, Jordi Alexis Garcia Marsa, Federico Lisandro Agnolin, Fernando Emilio Novas
Summary: The aim of this study is to analyze the osteohistology of an unnamed elasmosaurid skeleton from late Cretaceous beds in Argentina. The results show that the specimen reached somatic and sexual maturity, and it exhibits unique features that have implications for paleobiology and paleoecology. One notable aspect is the presence of an external fundamental system (EFS) in the gastralia, indicating somatic maturation. Contrary to previous hypotheses, the phalanx and vertebral apophysis show osteoporotic bone, while the dorsal rib and gastralia display a thick pachyostosic cortical tissue, challenging the idea of ontogenetic shift in bone density during elasmosaurid development.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Norah Salem Alsaiari, Muhammad Ahmad, Irum Shaheen, Ijaz Ali, Umay Amara, Fatimah Mohammed Alzahrani, Sayed M. Eldin, Waqas Ul Arifeen, Tae Jo Ko, Iftikhar Hussain
Summary: In this study, composites based on ZnO/NiO were successfully fabricated and exhibited high specific capacity and long stability as electrode materials for supercapacitors. The synthesized 3D flower-shaped ZnO/NiO composite was characterized using various techniques. The electrochemical measurements showed that the highest specific capacity of 350 C g-1 was achieved at 2 A g-1 current, while the lowest specific capacity of 217 C g-1 was observed at 20 A g-1. After 8000 GCD cycles, the 3D flower-shaped ZnO/NiO electrode demonstrated a cyclic stability of 72.1% capacitance retention and 97.1% Coulombic efficiency.
JOURNAL OF ELECTROANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Geology
Facundo Riguetti, Paolo Citton, Sebastian Apesteguia, Gerardo Gabriel Zacarias, Xabier Pereda-Suberbiola
Summary: Research on fossil tracks in South America has been increasing since the second half of the 20th Century. A new record of trackways attributed to cf. Tetrapodosaurus from Bolivia provides insights into the morphology and trackmaker identification of ankylosaurian dinosaurs in South America. The tracks from Ninu-Mayu show similarities to Tetrapodosaurus borealis and belong to the Nodosauridae family, indicating the presence of ankylosaurian dinosaurs in the region.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Geology
Ezequiel I. Vera, Valeria S. Perez Loinaze, Damian Moyano-Paz, Marina D. Coronel, Makoto Manabe, Takanobu Tsuihiji, Fernando E. Novas
Summary: Few latest Cretaceous fossil floras have been discovered in South America, particularly in the Austral-Magallanes Basin. This study describes the diverse fossil elements found in the Chorrillo Formation, including water lily remains, leaf impressions, and palynological samples. The findings reveal the presence of a diverse community in low energy freshwater environments during the Late Cretaceous.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Geology
Marcos Martin-Jimenez, Vlad Codrea, Adan Perez-Garcia
Summary: Kallokibotion bajazidi is one of the few stem turtles identified in the Upper Cretaceous of Europe, described almost a century ago by Franz Nopcsa. Recent studies have significantly improved knowledge about this taxon, confirming its attribution to a stem turtle and proposing it as the sister taxon of the crown Testudines.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Geology
Igor S. Peretyazhko, Elena A. Savina
Summary: The volcanic rocks of Govorov Guyot in Magellan Seamounts have various compositions and crystallization temperatures and pressures. Some of these rocks contain remnants from metasomatized oceanic lithosphere. The ascending basaltic melts lost water during their formation. The sources of these volcanic rocks are likely unrelated to Pacific Plate subduction.
INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGY REVIEW
(2022)
Article
Geology
Gerardo Alvarez Herrera, Federico Agnolin, Sebastian Rozadilla, Gaston E. Lo Coco, Makoto Manabe, Takanobu Tsuihiji, Fernando E. Novas
Summary: In this study, researchers describe a new enantiornithine bird fossil, Yatenavis ieujensis, which represents one of the youngest occurrences of this group in the Upper Cretaceous. The specimen, a distal half of a right humerus, was discovered in southern Santa Cruz Province, Argentina, and is the southernmost enantiornithine fossil found to date. Yatenavis possesses unique characteristics, some of which are shared with an unnamed enantiornithine from another fossil site in Patagonia.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Valentin Fischer, Nikolay G. Zverkov, Maxim S. Arkhangelsky, Ilya M. Stenshin, Ivan Blagovetshensky, Gleb N. Uspensky
Summary: Plesiosaurian marine reptiles evolved a wide range of body shapes during the Jurassic and Cretaceous, including long-necked forms. The new elasmosaurid, Jucha squalea gen. et sp. nov., found in European Russia, is one of the oldest and basalmost elasmosaurids known, showing an early attempt at cervical elongation. The shape of cervical centra among elasmosaurids suggests multiple episodes of elongation and shortening, although the precise patterns are obscured by an unstable phylogenetic signal.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Geology
Kecheng Niu, Lida Xing
Summary: The record of dinosaur footprints in China has been sparse compared to the abundance of skeletal body fossils. However, a new discovery in Longxiang Village, Fujian Province, has revealed the largest known Upper Cretaceous dinosaur track assemblage in China, as well as the first recorded evidence of dinosaurs in Fujian Province. The tracks include various sizes of ornithopod tracks, scarce sauropod and small-medium tridactyl theropod tracks, and the absence of large forms. The presence of different deinonychosaur tracks is particularly remarkable. This unusual dinosaur track assemblage from Longxiang enhances our understanding of dinosaur evolution in Late Cretaceous faunas in East Asia.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Jonny Wu, Yi-An Lin, Nicolas Flament, Jeremy Tsung-Jui Wu, Yiduo Liu
Summary: This study reconstructs the tectonic evolution of the Northwest Pacific-Izanagi plate since the Cretaceous period using geological mapping and global tomography. The results indicate that the subduction of the Izanagi plate under Eurasia was relatively limited, mainly occurring between the Bohai Bay-Yellow Sea in China and northern Russia. The interaction between the vanished Izanagi plate and the Pacific plate had a significant impact on the tectonic evolution of Eurasia.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geology
Thiago S. Marinho, Agustin G. Martinelli, Giorgio Basilici, Marcus Vinicius T. Soares, Andre Marconato, Luiz C. B. Ribeiro, Fabiano Iori
Summary: Notosuchians are a diverse group found in rocks of the Upper Cretaceous Bauru Group in southeastern Brazil, occupying various terrestrial ecological niches. The Uberaba Formation is one of the most prolific Upper Cretaceous units in Brazil, with the discovery of a new taxon, Eptalofosuchus viridi, and other notosuchian remains.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Geology
Sven Sachs, Johan Lindgren, Daniel Madzia, Benjamin P. Kear
Summary: Thalassomedon haningtoni is one of the most completely preserved elasmosaurid plesiosaurians known, with distinct cranial traits indicating conspecificity and consistent phylogenetic relationships with other North American elasmosaurid taxa. The species may demonstrate successive lineage divergences within the Western Interior Seaway during the middle to latest Cretaceous.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Emilia A. Caylor, Barbara Carrapa, Kurt Sundell, Peter G. DeCelles, Joshua M. Smith
Summary: The Fort Crittenden Formation in southeastern Arizona is a syntectonic deposit associated with Laramide tectonic activity, with sediment deposition estimated to have occurred between approximately 86 and 76 million years ago. The lack of age zircons in the majority of the formation suggests a decrease in magmatic activity in the Cordilleran arc between approximately 90 and 76 million years ago. This formation shows evidence of paleodrainage reorganization in response to active tectonics, and regional data indicates that the Laramide deformation front migrated eastward into southwestern New Mexico by 75 million years ago.
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Adan Perez-Garcia
Summary: A new pleurodiran turtle, identified as attributable to Bothremydidae, is described from an Upper Cretaceous outcrop in Southwestern Niger. The unique features of Abalakemys chapmanae gen. et sp. nov. include an almost complete large shell, an exclusive ornamental pattern on the plate's outer surface, small fourth pleural scutes, and a noticeably wedged posterior plastral lobe. This turtle could belong to Nigeremydini, a poorly understood lineage of Bothremydodda that inhabited the African Trans-Saharan seaway, with limited shell information available.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Essam F. Sharaf, Hussain Sheikha
Summary: A detailed reservoir description of the Lower Cretaceous Muddy Formation is crucial for enhancing oil recovery in the Bell Creek field. The study highlights challenges such as stratigraphic subdivision, rock type complexity, and fluid contacts, and outlines a workflow to address uncertainties and refine the geological model. Integrating dynamic data and history matching in reservoir simulation helps reduce model uncertainties and improves the geological model accuracy for better data to the simulation model.
MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Luis Ossa-Fuentes, Sergio Soto-Acuna, Paula Bona, Michel Sallaberry, Alexander O. Vargas
Summary: In the evolution from dinosaurs to birds, the avian ankle underwent significant changes. By studying embryos of birds, crocodiles, and iguanas, it was discovered that the formation of the avian ankle is a result of the fusion of earlier cartilages. Throughout the transition from dinosaurs to birds, the embryonic cartilage dt2 was consistently present.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Geology
Jhonatan Alarcon-Munoz, Laura Codorniu, Edwin Gonzalez, Mario E. Suarez, Manuel Suarez, Omar Vicencio-Campos, Sergio Soto-Acuna, Jonatan Kaluza, David Rubilar-Rogers, Alexander O. Vargas
Summary: We have discovered ctenochasmatid pterosaurs fossils in Cerro Tormento, Cerros Bravos, Northern Chile. The fossils include cervical vertebrae, scapula, humerus, femur, and tibiotarsus impressions. These findings suggest that Ctenochasmatidae was widespread in northern Chile and Cerro Tormento may have been a pterosaur colony.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Geology
Rodrigo A. Otero, Mario E. Suarez
Summary: This study presents new material of ray-finned fishes from Upper Cretaceous strata in central Chile, including specimens of the genus Enchodus and teeth of Pachyrhizodus and indeterminate pachycormids. It provides a critical review of historical ray-finned fishes in the region and suggests that the latest Cretaceous actinopterygian diversity along the southeastern Pacific was more discrete and scarce than previously thought.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Juan Pablo Guevara, Felipe Suazo E. Lara, Jhonatan Alarcon-Munoz, Karina E. Buldrini, Sergio Soto-Acuna, David Rubilar-Rogers
Summary: This study describes the first fossil record of an ancient anuran from the Neogene era in Chile, which shares similarities with extant members of the Rhinella genus. The discovery represents the southernmost Bufonidae fossil record in South America for the Miocene epoch.
JOURNAL OF SOUTH AMERICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rodrigo A. Otero
Summary: This contribution presents novel records of ray-finned fishes from the Oxfordian of Cerritos Bayos, northern Chile, including new diversity of Pachycormiformes and the first Upper Jurassic local record of a Lepisosteidae. These new records expand the known actinopterygian diversity from the Upper Jurassic of southeastern Panthalassa.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Rodrigo A. Otero, David Rubilar-Rogers, Sergio Soto-Acuna, Alexander M. Vargas, Gonzalo Mella Rojas, Raul Ugalde, Osvaldo Rojas, Jennyfer Rojas, Fernando E. Novas
Summary: This contribution reveals new vertebrate remains found in Triassic strata in the Atacama Desert, northern Chile. These include the first temnospondyl record in the El Bordo Basin, as well as actinopterygians related to Pseudobeaconiidae and a ray-finned fish with uncertain classification, Guaymayenia paramillensis. The findings suggest a Middle-to-Upper Triassic age for the Estratos El Bordo unit, providing insights into the paleoenvironment of southwestern South America during this time.
JOURNAL OF SOUTH AMERICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Sarah N. Davis, Sergio Soto-Acuna, Roy A. Fernandez, Jared Amudeo-Plaza, Marcelo A. Leppe, David Rubilar-Rogers, Alexander O. Vargas, Julia A. Clarke
Summary: The end Cretaceous mass extinction resulted in a significant change in biodiversity, leading to the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs. To understand the diversity of dinosaur clades before this event and the recovery of avian dinosaurs, a better understanding of the global fossil record is needed. The recently described fossil record from southern localities, particularly in southern South America, is crucial in accurately assessing dinosaur diversity trends during the late Cretaceous.
JOURNAL OF SOUTH AMERICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Hans P. Puschel, Jhonatan Alarcon-Munoz, Sergio Soto-Acuna, Raul Ugalde, Sarah L. Shelley, Stephen L. Brusatte
Summary: This study describes a new fossil of the macraucheniine macraucheniid, Micrauchenia saladensis, from Chile. The specimen includes various skeletal elements and shows consistent features with terrestrial and cursorial locomotion. It is the smallest member of the Macraucheniinae subfamily and shares certain characteristics with other macraucheniines. Phylogenetic analyses confirm its affiliation with the Macraucheniinae subfamily, but its exact placement within the subfamily remains uncertain.
JOURNAL OF MAMMALIAN EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jhonatan Alarcon-Munoz, Alexander O. Vargas, Hans P. Puschel, Sergio Soto-Acuna, Leslie Manriquez, Marcelo Leppe, Jonatan Kaluza, Veronica Milla, Carolina S. Gutstein, Jose Palma-Liberona, Wolfgang Stinnesbeck, Eberhard Frey, Juan Pablo Pino, Daniel Bajor, Elaine Nunez, Hector Ortiz, David Rubilar-Rogers, Penelope Cruzado-Caballero
Summary: In the Mesozoic era, advanced duck-billed dinosaurs were so successful that they outcompeted other herbivores, leading to a decline in dinosaur diversity. The discovery of the first species of a duck-billed dinosaur from a subantarctic region in Chile suggests that the ancestors of this species arrived earlier in South America and expanded further south than other hadrosaurids. This finding challenges previous assumptions that alleged subantarctic and Antarctic remains of hadrosaurids belong to the same group.
Article
Paleontology
Carolina Acosta Hospitaleche, Sergio Soto-Acuna
Summary: This article describes a new cranium of a penguin species from the Late Miocene, found in the Bahia Inglesa Formation in Northern Chile. The specimen exhibits unique characteristics that suggest it may belong to a new species within the Eudypula Bonaparte, 1856 or Spheniscus Brisson, 1760 genus, or possibly a more basal taxon related to them. The size of the specimen is similar to extant Spheniscus species, but smaller than fossil species of Spheniscus. However, due to incomplete material and a lack of comparison with other fossil species, a more accurate assignment cannot be made.
COMPTES RENDUS PALEVOL
(2023)
Article
Geology
Jimmy de Rooij, Sybrand A. N. Lucassen, Charlotte Furer, Anne S. Schulp, P. Martin Sander
Summary: This study presents a detailed osteohistological analysis on Triceratops horridus and Triceratops cf. prorsus specimens, aiming to understand the growth and development of ceratopsids. The analysis reveals a distinct pattern of bone tissue growth in Triceratops limb elements, but also suggests that taxonomic ambiguity between Torosaurus and Triceratops cannot be solely resolved based on histological data.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Review
Geology
J. R. Ovando-Figueroa, J. A. Moreno-Bedmar, M. Company, J. A. Jacobo-Delgado
Summary: This article presents a review of ammonoid specimens from the Berriasian and Valanginian age in Zacatecas, Mexico. The study includes updated museographic information, new images, and 3D models of the specimens. Taxonomic identification has revealed six species and two genera. Stratigraphic range data suggests that the specimens belong to the uppermost upper Berriasian to lower Valanginian interval, with several biozones identified. Additionally, a paleobiogeographic analysis indicates a clear affinity with contemporaneous ammonoid assemblages from the Mediterranean region.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
Jake Kotevski, Ruairidh J. Duncan, Adele H. Pentland, James P. Rule, Patricia Vickers-Rich, Thomas H. Rich, Erich M. G. Fitzgerald, Alistair R. Evans, Stephen F. Poropat
Summary: The cranial remains of non-avian theropod dinosaurs from the Cretaceous period in Australia are poorly understood. This study presents new evidence of non-mandibular cranial material, possibly belonging to the Megaraptoridae family, and contributes to the limited knowledge of Australian Cretaceous theropod cranial remains.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
Josh Jenkins Shaw, Alexey Solodovnikov, Evgeny E. Perkovsky
Summary: A fossil of the monogeneric rove beetle subfamily Trichophyinae (genus Trichophya) has been discovered in the Upper Cretaceous Taimyr amber from northern Siberia. This finding indicates the morphological differences between ancient and modern Trichophya species groups. By comparing the morphology, distribution, and habitat requirements of extant species, the taxonomy, biogeography, and paleoecology of the Trichophya in Taimyr amber can be better understood.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
Martin Kostak, Frank Wiese, Zuzana Kozlova, Adam Culka, Martin Mazuch, Martin Soucek
Summary: A well-preserved fossil of an upper Cretaceous acanthoceratoid ammonite has been discovered in the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin, providing important insights into the jaw anatomy of these extinct organisms.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
Gustavo Santiago, Marcelo de Araujo Carvalho, Renato Rodriguez Cabral Ramos, Sandro Marcelo Scheffler
Summary: The Santa Marta Formation in the Antarctic Peninsula is an important sedimentary sequence that provides insights into paleoenvironmental changes. The distribution of sedimentary organic matter reveals three distinct palynofacies associations and shows a progressive transgression from terrestrial to marine environments.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
B. J. Vazquez, D. Castanera, B. Vila
Summary: In Europe, the fossil record of sauropods in the uppermost Cretaceous is mainly found in Spain, France, and Romania. Recently, a significant discovery of titanosaurs' teeth was made in Els Nerets, Spain, which contains the largest tooth sample from the Late Cretaceous in Europe. The teeth show distinct characteristics but cannot be attributed to any known European species. Based on tooth morphology and wear facets distribution, a new taxon is proposed.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
Youssef S. Bazeen, Walid G. Kassab, El Sayed M. Moneer, Gebely A. Abu El-Kheir, Mohamed K. Abdelgawad, Haitham M. Ayyad
Summary: This study investigates the Maastrichtian-Danian succession in the Abu Minqar section of the Western Desert of Egypt, using an integrated analysis of biostratigraphy and chemostratigraphy. The results suggest that regional tectonics played a substantial role in the depositional history and paleoenvironmental circumstances of the southern Tethys margin.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
Fernando R. Rios, Ana M. P. Mizusaki, Rualdo Menegat, Isaque C. Rodrigues
Summary: This study examines the temporal and spatial relationships between fluvio-aeolian, aeolian, and volcanic systems in the southernmost part of the Parana Basin during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. By analyzing facies and architectural elements, the evolution of the volcano-sedimentary record is reconstructed.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
Antonio M. Casas, Arsenio Munoz, Alberto Tella, Carlos L. Liesa
Summary: This work proposes the application of magnetic surveying to study the cyclicity in sedimentary basins. Through measuring the total magnetic field and vertical magnetic gradient, the short-wavelength magnetic anomalies associated with the sedimentary sequence can be analyzed, providing information about the magnetic susceptibility and magnetic remanence of different sedimentary units. The cyclostratigraphic analysis reveals the existence of various cycles and enables the dating of the basin fill, offering new constraints for basin evolution.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
Ottilia Szives, Josep A. Moreno-Bedmar, Beatriz Aguirre-Urreta, Miguel Company, Camille Frau, Mikel Lopez-Horgue, Antoine Pictet, Izabela Ploch, Christian Salazar, Ricardo Barragan, Jean -Louis Latil, Jens Lehmann, Stephane Reboulet, Emmanuel Robert
Summary: The 7th meeting of the IUGS Lower Cretaceous Ammonite Working Group discussed important changes in the geological age classification, including adjustments and improvements to the upper Tithonian-Berriasian, upper Aptian, and Albian stages. The meeting also discussed the Valanginian and Hauterivian stages, and provided discussions on zonal indices and units, emphasizing the use of interval zones and subzones.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
Felix Schlagintweit, David Gercar, Bostjan Rozic
Summary: A mixed assemblage of planktonic and benthonic foraminifera has been found in the Lower Flyschoid Formation in the western part of the Slovenian Basin. These findings provide valuable insights into the biostratigraphy and paleogeographic configuration of the region during the Early to Middle Cretaceous.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
Arkaprava Mukhopadhyay, Debarati Chattopadhyay, Arghya Poddar, Ranita Saha, Sachin Patil, Tushar Sonkar, Sujoy Das, Rudranil Basak, Shubhabrata Paul, Arindam Roy
Summary: Predator-prey interaction exerts significant selection pressure on the evolutionary pathways of both parties. This research presents a new dataset of gastropod drilling predation on molluscan prey from the Upper Cretaceous, highlighting the influence of drilling predation during this period. The study utilizes a hybrid method of surface sampling without physically breaking the host rock. Findings suggest that drilling predation was an established form of predation during the Late Cretaceous, yet remains understudied.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
Dany Azar, Andre Nel
Summary: Lebanoaktassia curiosa is a new genus and species of strange dragonfly, representing the first Gondwanan species of the family Aktassiidae. It was found in Hjoula, Lebanon, along with two endemic dragonfly families, suggesting a possible connection to an island insular system in the Early Cretaceous.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
Pablo M. Villegas, A. Martin Umazano, Marcelo Krause, Mariana Brea
Summary: Conifer fossil woods from the Campanian Puntudo Chico Formation were studied, confirming the presence of Brachyoxylon currumillii and the introduction of Cupressinoxylon sp. cf. C. artabeae in the formation. The new specimens of Podocarpoxylon mazzonii suggest that this taxon is common in the Cretaceous to Eocene floristic assemblages. The growth-ring analysis of these fossil trees indicates their development under temperate and humid conditions, with slight sensitivity from year to year and a terminal event representing a cessation or retardation of cambial activity. Other paleoclimatic proxies suggest a temperate-warm and humid depositional environment with some semi-arid events in the Puntudo Chico Formation.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
