Lower Cretaceous ammonites from the Neuquén Basin, Argentina: a Hauterivian Olcostephanus fauna

The olcostephanid fauna of the Olcostephanus (O.) laticosta[formerlyO . (O.) leanzai] Subzone (Agrio Formation) represents the last of four discrete invasions of olcostephanid ammonites into the Neuquén Basin of west-central Argentina. Olcostephanus (O.)laticosta (Gerth) dominates the fauna and is known only from the Neuquén Basin. But the co-occurrence of the distinctive subgenus Jeannoticeras, newly recorded from Argentina, provides a link with the ‘standard’ West Mediterranean sequence and indicates that the O. (O.) laticosta Subzone is probably of mid Early Hauterivian age. This is supported by the discovery of two specimens of the widely distributed late Early Hauterivian speciesO . (O.) variegatus (Paquier) in the overlying Hoplitocrioceras giovinei Subzone. O. (Jeannoticeras) agrioensis sp. nov. is described.     

Oxfordian reef architecture of the La Manga Formation, Neuquén Basin, Mendoza Province, Argentina

The Neuquén back-arc basin is located on the west margin of the South American platform between latitudes 36° and 40° S. The basin is famous for its continuous sedimentary record from the Late Triassic to Cenozoic comprising continental and marine clastic, carbonate, and evaporitic deposits up to 2.600 m in thickness.The stratigraphical and paleontological studies of the outcrops of the La Manga Formation, Argentina, located near the Bardas Blancas region, Mendoza province (35° S and 69° O) allow the reconstruction of the sedimentary environments of an Oxfordian carbonate ramp, where outer ramp, middle ramp, inner ramp (oolitic shoal), inner ramp margin (patch reef) lagoon and paleokarst were differentiated. The reefs consist of back reef facies and in situ framework of coral boundstones that was formed at the top of shallowing-upward succession.Coral reefs were analyzed by defining coral colonies shapes, paleontological content, coral diversity and taphonomy studies. In some studied sections abundant fragments of gryphaeids, encrusting bryozoans, and isolated sponges provided a suitable substrate for coral colonization; however, other sections show an increase in the proportions of ooids, peloidal and coral intraclasts.The core reef facies is composed of white-grey unstratified and low diversity scleractinian coral limestone dominated by robust and thinly branching corals with cerioid–phocoid growths and massive coral colonies with meandroid–thamnasteroid growth forms.The assemblage is characterized by Actinastraea sp., Australoseris sp., Thamnasteria sp. and Garateastrea sp. Internal facies organization and different types of coral colonies allow to recognize the development of varying framework as well as intercolony areas. A superstratal growth fabric characterizes the coral assemblage. On the basis of coral growth fabric (branche and domal types), the reef of La Manga Formation is considered a typical mixstones. The intercolony areas consist of biomicrites and biomicrorudites containing abundant coral fragments, parautochthonous gryphaeids and another bivalves (Ctenostreon sp.), gastropods (Harpagodes sp., Natica sp.), echinoderms test and spines (Plegiocidaris sp.), miliolids, Cayeuxia sp., Acicularia sp., Salpingoporella sp., intraclasts, ooids, peloids and coated grains.The domal growth forms are probably more protected against biological and physical destruction, meanwhile delicate branching growth forms with very open and fragile framework were more affected and fragmented due to wave action and bioerosion.The reef fabric shows different intervals of truncation as consequence of erosion resulting from coral destruction by storm waves or currents. The maximum flooding surface separates oolitic shoal facies below from the aggradational and progradational coralline limestones facies above. Subsequent sea-level fall and karstification (148 Ma) affected reef and oolitic facies.     

The Upper Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) fluvial–aeolian systems of the southern Neuquén Basin, Argentina

The Kimmeridgian Quebrada del Sapo Formation in the southernmost Neuquén Basin in Argentina represents a succession up to 40 m thick of coarse- to fine-grained fluvial deposits overlain by aeolian deposits. These fluvial–aeolian deposits reflect a significant palaeogeographic change in the basin and are related to a major, tectonically enhanced, relative sea-level fall. The fluvial section is dominated by braided-channel, fine-grained ephemeral, and sheetflood deposits. Aeolian facies are dominated by dune deposits, with minor sandsheet and interdune units. Changes in the nature of both fluvial and aeolian sedimentation within the studied area suggest a regional variability of accommodation/sediment supply conditions. The regional changes of the aeolian succession likely reflect different relative positions within a major erg. In the upwind margin of the erg, a shallow water table promoted water-lain sedimentation in interdune areas, whereas in the central parts of the erg, dry sediment accumulation took place above the regional water-table level. The vertical transition observed in the Quebrada del Sapo Formation, from fluvial to aeolian deposits, may be the result of a local climatic change to drier conditions due to the development of a climatic barrier imposed by growth of a magmatic arc to the west. Alternatively, the vertical transition could be related to a lowering of the water table associated with the compartmentalization of the basin during a period of low sea level.     

First U–Pb SHRIMP age of the Hauterivian stage, Neuquén Basin, Argentina

A high-resolution ion-microprobe (SHRIMP) U–Pb zircon age from a tuff layer intercalated in the ammonoid bearing sedimentary succession of the Neuquén Basin in Argentina provides a robust geochronologic date to add to the absolute ages and to improve the relative chronology of the Early Cretaceous Hauterivian stage. The tuff layer appears interbedded between shales of the upper member (Agua de la Mula) of the Agrio Formation within the Spitidiscus riccardii ammonoid zone (base of the Late Hauterivian) yielding a date of 132.5 ± 1.3 Ma. This date confirms and supports an accurate correlation between the ammonoid biostratigraphy of the Neuquén Basin with the Western Mediterranean Province of the Tethys during the Early Cretaceous and matches with the most recently published time scale. It also casts doubts on the validity of K–Ar ages on glauconite-grains recently reported from the Lower Cretaceous of the Vocontian Basin of France.     

Phenotypic plasticity of Acanthoscaphites tridens (Late Cretaceous ammonites): additional data

The concept of phenotypic plasticity of the temporal species Acanthoscaphites tridens s. str., as recently proposed by myself is elaborated upon, in response to issues raised in a commentary to the original paper. The terms phenomorphic class and dominant phenotype are explained in greater detail, as well as the evaluation of phenotypic plasticity in studies for extinct species.     

Aeolian/fluvial interactions and high-resolution sequence stratigraphy of a non-marine lowstand wedge: the Avilé Member of the Agrio Formation (Lower Cretaceous), central Neuquén Basin, Argentina

Abstract Accumulation within the unconformity‐based Hauterivian Avilé Sandstone of the Neuquén Basin, Argentina, was characterized by a close interaction between fluvial and aeolian processes developed after a major relative sea‐level drop that almost completely desiccated the entire basin and juxtaposed these non‐marine deposits on shallow‐ and deep‐marine facies. Aeolian deposits within the Avilé Member include dune (A1) and sand sheet (A2) units that characterize the lower part of the unit. Fluvial deposits comprise distal flood units (F1) interbedded with aeolian dune deposits in the middle part of the succession, and low‐ (F2) and high‐sinuosity (F3) channels associated with floodplain deposits (F4) towards the top. The internal characteristics of the aeolian system indicate that its accumulation was strongly controlled by water‐table dynamics, with the development of multiple horizontal deflation super surfaces that truncate dune deposits and form the basal boundary of flood deposits and sand sheet units. A long‐term wetting‐upward trend is recorded throughout the entire unit, with an increase in fluvial activity towards the top and the development of a more permanent fluvial system overlying a major erosion surface interpreted as a sequence boundary. The upward increase in water‐table influence might be related to relative sea‐level rise, which controlled the position of the water table and allowed the accumulation of tabular aeolian units bounded by horizontal deflation surfaces. This high‐frequency, eustatically driven process acted together with a long‐term climatic change towards wetter conditions.     

From Alluvial Fan to Playa: An Upper Jurassic Ephemeral Fluvial System, Neuquén Basin, Argentina

The Upper Jurassic fill of the back-arc Neuquén Basin includes a lowstand wedge known as the Tordillo Formation. The studied deposits crop out along a N-S oriented belt that runs parallel to the Andean magmatic arc. They are limited to the south by the east-west oriented positive structure of the Huincul arch formed as a result of Upper Jurassic tectonic inversion. The Tordillo deposits were formed in an arid fluvial-dominated system characterised by systematic downstream changes in architectural style. A gravelly and sandy bedload fluvial system is recognised in the southern upstream sector. The reduced thickness and the coarse grain size suggest steep gradients, excess of bedload supply and a low subsidence rate. Thicker and finer-grained deposits prevail to the north and northeast. They were formed under arid conditions in a wadi-sand flat-playa fluvial system. This distal facies association indicates increased accommodation owing to high rates of subsidence relative to coarse siliciclastic sedimentation rates. These low-gradient deposits are characterised by cyclic alternations of mud-dominated and sand-dominated packages interpreted as high- and low-accommodation systems tracts. The overall fining upward stacking pattern of the Tordillo Formation suggests a change towards higher accommodation rates. This is accompanied by frequent development of soil horizons and darker primary and reworked pyroclastic deposits. These attributes indicate a stronger explosive volcanic activity associated with increased precipitation and high water table emplacement towards the end of the Tordillo lowstand wedge.     

Tidally dominated, rimmed-shelf facies of the Picún Leufú Formation (Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary) in southwest Gondwana, Neuquén Basin, Argentina

A palaeoenvironmental model for the Picún Leufú Formation (Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary), which crops out in the Neuquén Basin, Argentina, on the southwestern margin of Gondwana, is presented in this paper for the first time. Detailed stratigraphic sections exposed along National Road 40 where it crosses the Picún Leufú Creek (type locality) and in the Cerrito Caracoles area, were examined and sampled. Based on a combination of the sedimentological data obtained (facies/microfacies analysis) and the relationship between benthic macrofaunas and their taphonomic attributes, it is concluded that the formation reflects a tidally dominated, rimmed-shelf setting characterized by prograding bars dissected by channels and thick lagoonal facies with shoal developments. In the Cerrito Caracoles area, where only the basal part of the formation is exposed, it is interpreted to have been deposited in a shallow subtidal marine environment in which shelf margin facies with patch reefs have been recognized.     

Sharp‐based marine sandstone bodies in the Mulichinco Formation (Lower Cretaceous), Neuquén Basin,Argentina: remnants of transgressive offshore sand ridges

The interpretation of sharp‐based shallow‐marine sandstone bodies encased in offshore mudstones, particularly transgressive units, has been a subject of recent debate. This contribution provides a multiple‐dataset approach and new identification criteria which could help in the recognition of transgressive offshore sandstone bodies worldwide. This study integrates sedimentology, ichnology, taphonomy and palaeoecology of Mulichinco Formation strata in the central Neuquén Basin (Argentina) in order to describe and interpret sharp‐based sandstone bodies developed in ramp‐type marine settings. These bodies are sandwiched between finer‐grained siliciclastics beneath and thin carbonates above. The underlying sediments comprise progradational successions from offshore mudstones to offshore transition muddy sandstones, grading occasionally into lower shoreface sandstones. The surfaces capping the regressive siliciclastics are flat and regionally extensive, and are demarcated by skeletal concentrations and a Glossifungites suite; they are also marked by sandstone rip‐up clasts, with encrustations and borings on all sides. These surfaces are interpreted as composite discontinuities, cut during a relative sea‐level fall and remodelled during the initial transgression. The overlying transgressive sandstone bodies are 3 to 7 m thick, >4 km long and about three times longer than wide; they are composed of fine‐grained sandstones with little lateral change in grain size. Cross‐stratification and/or cross‐lamination are common, typically with smaller‐scale structures and finer grain size towards the top. Large‐scale, low‐angle (5° to 8°) inclined stratification is also common, dipping at ca 30° with respect to body elongation and dominant currents. These sandstone bodies are interpreted as offshore sand ridges, probably developed under the influence of tidal currents. Intense burrowing is typical at the top of each unit, suggesting an abandonment stage. Final deactivation favoured colonization by epibenthic‐dominated communities and the formation of skeletal‐rich limestones during the latest transgressive conditions. As partial reworking of pre‐existing ridges occurred during this stage, the Mulichinco sandstone bodies are considered the remnants of transgressive offshore sand units.     

Architecture and development of the alluvial sediments of the Upper Jurassic Tordillo Formation in the Cañada Ancha Valley, northern Neuquén Basin, Argentina

The Upper Jurassic Tordillo Formation at Cañada Ancha area, northern Neuquén Basin, Argentina, comprises a multi-stage suit of predominantly alluvial sediments that is heterolithic in nature. In that suit, several lithofacies, architectural elements, and bounding surfaces of different order have been identified and their lateral and vertical distribution characterized. This analysis allowed the differentiation of 3 main units (lower, middle and upper), 20 subunits (C-1 to C-20), and the characterization of their alluvial styles.The lower unit (which comprises subunits C-1 to C-4) is mainly formed by fine- to medium-grained sandstones, which become medium- to coarse-grained towards the top. These sandstones characterize settings ranging from floodplains with isolated, unconfined flows, to more complex, vertically stacked, multi-storey sheet sandstones of braided fluvial systems. The middle unit (C-5 to C-10) is dominated by pale brown-grey fine-to coarse-grained sands and medium size subangular to angular conglomerates, which reflect amalgamated complexes of sandstone sheets and downstream accretion macroforms. Remarkably, this alluvial sedimentation was episodically punctuated by volcaniclastic flows. The upper unit (C-11 to C-20) consists of finer sediments, mainly pink to white fine-to medium grained sandstones and red to green siltstones. Towards the top, bioturbation becomes important, and also the presence of volcanosedimentary flows is noticeable. Fluvial settings include braided sheet sandstones with waning flood deposits evolving to isolated high-sinuosity fluvial systems, with flash flood deposits. At the top of this unit, facies may suggest marine influence.Vertical changes in the fluvial style result from both climatic and tectonic controls. A semiarid to arid climate and the active tectonism linked to the eastward migration of the Andean volcanic arc determined major bounding surfaces, fluvial style evolution and the presence of the volcano-sedimentary deposits. Different stages of high and low subsidence rates has been deduced from the vertical stacking of sediments.     

Sedimentary response to a tectonically induced sea-level fall in a shallow back-arc basin: the Mulichinco Formation (Lower Cretaceous), Neuquén Basin, Argentina

This study examines the sedimentary response to a tectonically driven relative sea‐level fall that occurred in the Neuquén Basin, west‐central Argentina, during the late Early Valanginian (Early Cretaceous). At this time the basin lay behind the emergent Andean magmatic arc to the west. Following the relative sea‐level fall, sedimentation was limited to the central part of the Neuquén Basin, with the deposition of a predominantly clastic, continental to shallow marine wedge on top of basinal black shales. This lowstand wedge is called the Mulichinco Formation and consists of a third‐order sequence that lasted about 2 Myr and contains high frequency lowstand, transgressive, and highstand deposits. Significant variations in facies, depositional architecture, and internal organization of the sequence occur along depositional strike. These variations are attributed mainly to tectonic and topographic controls upon sediment flux, basin gradient, fault tilting, and shifting of the depocentre through time. These controls were ultimately related to asymmetrically distributed tectonic activity that was greater towards the magmatic arc in the west. The superposition of fluvial deposits directly upon offshore facies provides unequivocal evidence for a sequence boundary at the base of the Mulichinco Formation. However, the Mulichinco sequence boundary is marked by shallow, low erosional relief and widespread fluvial deposition. The surface lacks prominent valleys traditionally associated with sequence boundaries. This non‐erosive sequence boundary geometry is attributed to the ramp‐type geometry of the basin and/or rapid uplift that limited stratigraphic adjustment to base‐level fall. Significant along‐strike facies changes and a low‐relief sequence boundary are attributes that may be common in tectonically active, semi‐enclosed basins (e.g. shallow back‐arc basins, foreland basins).     

First record of the puzosiine ammonite genus Pachydesmoceras from the Middle and Upper Turonian of Poland

Two gigantic individuals of the puzosiine ammonite genus Pachydesmoceras, from uppermost Middle and lower Upper Turonian strata in central and southwest Poland, are described and illustrated as the first examples of this genus to be recorded from Poland. Specific identification is problematic because of internal mould preservation and deformation to various extent; in addition, comparative material from other European localities is lacking. Representatives of Pachydesmoceras are typical of the Tethyan Realm; records from the European and Northwest Pacific provinces in the Boreal Realm are few. Both Polish specimens are referred to as P. cf. pachydiscoide Matsumoto.     

Hyperpycnal delivery of sand to the continental shelf: Insights from the Jurassic Lajas Formation,Neuquén Basin,Argentina

Hyperpycnal currents are river‐derived turbidity currents capable of transporting significant volumes of sediment from the shoreline onto the shelf and potentially further to deep ocean basins. However, their capacity to deposit sand bodies on the continental shelf is poorly understood. Shelf hyperpycnites remain an overlooked depositional element in source to sink systems, primarily due to their limited recognition in the rock record. Recent discoveries of modern shelf hyperpycnites, and previous work describing hyperpycnites deposited in slope or deep‐water settings, provide a valuable framework for understanding and recognizing shelf hyperpycnites in the rock record. This article describes well‐sorted lobate sand bodies on the continental shelf of the Neuquén Basin, Argentina, interpreted to have been deposited by hyperpycnal currents. These hyperpycnites of the Jurassic Lajas Formation are characterized by well‐sorted, medium‐grained, parallel‐laminated sandstones with hundreds of metre extensive, decimetre thick beds encased by organic‐rich, thinly laminated sandstone and siltstone. These deposits represent slightly obliquely‐migrating sand lobes fed by small rivers and deposited on the continental shelf. Hyperpycnites of the Lajas Formation highlight several unique characteristics of hyperpycnal deposits, including their distinctively thick horizontal laminae attributed to pulsing of the hyperpycnal currents, the extraction of coarse gravel due to low flow competence, and the extraction of mud due to lofting of light interstitial fluid. Recognition of shelf hyperpycnites in the Lajas Formation of the Neuquén Basin allows for a broader understanding of shelf processes and adds to the developing facies models of hyperpycnites. Recognizing and understanding the geometry and internal architecture of shelf hyperpycnites will improve current understanding of sediment transfer from rivers to deeper water, will improve palaeoenvironmental interpretations of sediment gravity‐flow deposits, and has implications for modelling potentially high‐quality hydrocarbon reservoirs.     

First record of a clupeomorph fish in the Neuquén Group (Portezuelo Formation), Upper Cretaceous of Patagonia, Argentina

A new genus and species of clupeomorph fish, Leufuichthys minimus, is described from the fluvial deposits of the Portezuelo Formation, Upper Cretaceous (Turonian-Coniacian) of the Neuquén Group, Patagonia, Argentina. It is a small-sized fish with an estimated body length up to 46 mm. Among other characters, the new species shows the following: abdominal scutes; abdomen moderately convex; anal fin elongate-based; three uroneurals; two epurals; caudal fin bearing very elongate rays; and cycloid scales. Leufuichthys minimus gen. et sp. nov. shows a greater similarity with Kwangoclupea dartevellei, a clupeomorph described from a marine Cenomanian deposit of the Democratic Republic of Congo (Africa), mainly due to the presence of an elongate-based anal fin, bearing more than 20 fin-rays, differing from it by the presence of a not hypertrophied abdomen. As far as known, L. minimus gen. et sp. nov. is the first clupeomorph described in the Upper Cretaceous of Patagonia and represents one fortuitous preservation of an articulated fish in fluvial deposits.     

The status of Dollodon and other basal iguanodonts (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Lower Cretaceous of Europe

Dollodon bampingi was recently named based upon a specimen from the Bernissart Quarry that had previously been referred to Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis. The initial diagnosis of Dollodon did not adequately distinguish it from Mantellisaurus or from other basal iguanodonts, necessitating a reassessment of the material. Firsthand examination of the holotypes of the two taxa and numerous other basal iguanodont specimens, as well as a principal components analysis of basal iguanodont dentaries, did not find any morphological features to justify the distinction of Dollodon from Mantellisaurus. D. bampingi is thus best considered a junior synonym of M. atherfieldensis. Furthermore, the recent referral of the species Iguanodon seelyi to the genus Dollodon is not supported; I. seelyi is indistinguishable from Iguanodon bernissartensis, and is considered a junior synonym of that species. Finally, the recently named taxon Proplanicoxa galtoni, also based upon a specimen formerly attributed to M. atherfieldensis, is considered a nomen dubium and probable junior synonym of M. atherfieldensis. Thus, only two species of large-bodied basal iguanodont should be recognized from the Barremian-Aptian of England and Belgium: M. atherfieldensis and I. bernissartensis.     

Ptychodus decurrens Agassiz (Elasmobranchii: Ptychodontidae) from the Upper Cretaceous of India

Although a very high invertebrate faunal diversity is known from the outcrops of the Ariyalur group in the Cauvery Basin, southern India, little is known about its vertebrate fauna. Recent fieldwork in the badland exposures of the Karai Formation (Upper Cenomanian-Lower Turonian) near Garudamangalam in the basin has yielded two teeth belonging to the Late Cretaceous shark Ptychodus decurrens (Ptychodontidae). The fossil record of Ptychodus decurrens from the southern continents is very poor, being known from a single Late/Middle Albian occurrence in Australia. This finding documents the first record of fossil P. decurrens in India and second from a Gondwanan landmass, and provides the first evidence of a cosmopolitan, Pangaean, distribution of the species during the Albian-Turonian and additional insights into the palaeoecology of the Cauvery Basin during the deposition of the Karai Formation.     

Sedimentary petrology and geochemistry of siliciclastic rocks from the upper Jurassic Tordillo Formation (Neuquén Basin, western Argentina): Implications for provenance and tectonic setting

The Upper Jurassic Tordillo Formation is exposed along the western edge of the Neuquén Basin (west central Argentina) and consists of fluvial strata deposited under arid/semiarid conditions. The pebble composition of conglomerates, mineralogical composition of sandstones and pelitic rocks, and major- and trace-element geochemistry of sandstones, mudstones, and primary pyroclastic deposits are evaluated to determine the provenance and tectonic setting of the sedimentary basin. Conglomerates and sandstones derived almost exclusively from volcanic sources. The stratigraphic sections to the south show a clast population of conglomerates dominated by silicic volcanic fragments and a predominance of feldspathic litharenites. This framework composition records erosion of Triassic–Jurassic synrift volcaniclastic rocks and basement rocks from the Huincul arch, which was exhumed as a result of Late Jurassic inversion. In the northwestern part of the study area, conglomerates show a large proportion of mafic and acidic volcanic rock fragments, and sandstones are characterised by a high content of mafic volcanic rock fragments and plagioclase. These data suggest that the source of the sandstones and conglomerates was primarily the Andean magmatic arc, located west of the Neuquén Basin. The clay mineral assemblage is interpreted as the result of a complex set of factors, including source rock, climate, transport, and diagenesis. Postdepositional processes produced significant variations in the original compositions, especially the fine-grained deposits. The Tordillo sediments are characterised by moderate SiO₂ contents, variable abundances of K₂O and Na₂O, and a relatively high proportion of ferromagnesian elements. The degree of chemical weathering in the source area, expressed as the chemical index of alteration, is low to moderate. The major element geochemistry and Th/Sc, K/Rb, Co/Th, La/Sc, and Cr/Th values point to a significant input of detrital volcanic material of calcalkaline felsic and intermediate composition. However, major element geochemistry is not useful for interpreting the tectonic setting. Discrimination plots based on immobile trace elements, such as Ti, Zr, La, Sc, and Th, show that most data lie in the active continental margin field. Geochemical information is not sufficiently sensitive to differentiate the two different source areas recognized by petrographic and modal analyses of conglomerates and sandstones.     

The Olduvai buffalo Pelorovis and the origin of Bos

The origin of the genus Bos is a debated issue. From ∼ 0.5 Ma until historic times, the genus is well known in the Eurasian large mammal assemblages, where it is represented by Bos primigenius. This species has a highly derived cranial anatomy that shows important morphological differences from other Plio-Pleistocene Eurasian genera of the tribe Bovini such as Leptobos, Bison, Proamphibos-Hemibos, and Bubalus. The oldest clear evidence of Bos is the skull fragment ASB-198-1 from the middle Pleistocene (∼ 0.6-0.8 Ma) site of Asbole (Lower Awash Valley, Ethiopia). The first appearance of Bos in Europe is at the site of Venosa-Notarchirico, Italy (∼ 0.5-0.6 Ma). Although the origin of Bos has traditionally been connected with Leptobos and Bison, after a detailed anatomical and morphometric study we propose here a different origin, connecting the middle Pleistocene Eurasian forms of B. primigenius with the African Late Pliocene and early Pleistocene large size member of the tribe Bovini Pelorovis sensu stricto. The dispersal of the Bos lineage in Western Europe during middle Pleistocene times seems to coincide with the arrival of the Acheulean tool technology in this continent.     

The discovery of Isocrinus cf. robustus from the Lias Group (Lower Jurassic) near Dunrobin Castle, Sutherland, Scotland

A single stem section (pluricolumnal) belonging to a post-Palaeozoic crinoid (sea lily) is reported from a small outcrop of Lower Jurassic Lias Group strata exposed in low cliff near Dunrobin Castle. This is the first Jurassic crinoid recorded from Eastern Scotland and the small fragment has enough diagnostic characters to be assigned to the species Isocrinus cf. robustus; a crinoid found commonly in the Lower Jurassic of England. The Scottish form collected has unusual morphology that is atypical of the genus.