First record of Procyon cancrivorus (G. Cuvier, 1798) (Carnivora,Procyonidae) in stratigraphic context in the Late Pleistocene of Brazil

Although five genera of procyonids are currently present in South America, only two of the extant genera, Procyon and Nasua are represented in the South American fossil record. A recent discovery of a procyonid lower second molar in Late Pleistocene deposits of Aurora do Tocantins, northern Brazil, offers potential to further our understanding of the stratigraphic and temporal range of South American fossil procyonids. We use geometric morphometric analysis of two-dimensional landmarks and semilandmarks to explore morphological variation in the lower second molars of extant Procyon lotor and Procyon cancrivorus and multivariate methods to support the identification of the Pleistocene specimen as P. cancrivorus. This material represents the second fossil record of P. cancrivorus in South America Procyonids entered South America in two phases: the first comprising by Cyonasua and Chapadmalania during the Late Miocene, and the other recent genera, beginning in the Late Pleistocene. These Late Miocene procyonids were more carnivorous than Late Pleistocene-Recent omnivorous taxa and possible went extinct due to competition with other placental carnivorans that entered South America and diversified during the latest Pliocene-Early Pleistocene.     

An archaeological perspective of the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary in northern South America

In this paper, I examine Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene adaptations of hunter-gatherers to different ecosystems in northern South America. The role played by the climatic events associated with the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary in the evolution of culture in that part of the Americas is assessed in the light of those adaptations. The conclusion is that the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary is not very useful in understanding the human process of early colonization and adaptation to the various ecosystems of northern South America, because a mechanism of cultural change cannot be linked to that boundary.     

Nothrotheriops sp. (Mammalia,Xenarthra) from the Late Pleistocene of Argentina: implications for the dispersion of ground sloths during the Great American Biotic Interchange

The aim of this contribution is to describe a femur (MCRS 199) assigned to Nothrotheriops sp. from the Late Pleistocene of Santa Fe Province (Argentina), and discuss the implications of this find in the context of the dispersal of ground sloths during the Great American Biotic Interchange. The specimen MCRS 199 is smaller than the femora referred to the North American species Nothrotheriops texanus and Nothrotheriops shastensis but shares several features with these species: (i) shape and position of the greater trochanter, (ii) development of the lesser trochanter, (iii) presence of connection between the third trochanter and the ectepicondyle, (iv) distal third of the femur wider, with ML/DW index of 1.93, and (v) location and relationship of the distal condyles. These similarities allow us to assign MCRS 199 to Nothrotheriops sp. The record of Nothrotheriops sp. from Santa Fe Province chronologically coincides with the earliest records of Nothrotheriops shastensis suggesting a broad geographical distribution of Nothrotheriops during the Late Pleistocene, ranging from 33–36°N (e.g. states of California and Arizona, USA) to 31°S (northern Salado River, Santa Fe Province, Argentina). Thus, Nothrotheriops have dispersed from North America (where Nothrotheriops has early records, Calabrian–Middle Pleistocene) to South America where localities bearing Nothrotheriops are Late Pleistocene in age. In addition, once in South America and probably during the Middle Pleistocene, Nothrotheriops probably gave rise to its sister taxon, Nothrotherium, with records from the Middle Pleistocene (e.g. 223 ka BP, northeastern Brazil) to the Late Pleistocene (e.g. 15 ka BP).     

Late Pliocene Glyptodontinae (Xenarthra,Cingulata, Glyptodontidae) of South and North America: Morphology and paleobiogeographical implications in the GABI

Knowledge of the main aspects of the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI) concerning the glyptodontine Glyptodontidae (Xenarthra) is very scarce. A bidirectional dispersal process was recently proposed for this clade, with the presence of the North American genus Glyptotherium Osborn recognized in latest Pleistocene sediments of northern South America (Venezuela and Brazil). However, the earliest stages of this paleobiogeographical process remain poorly understood, mainly because of the limited fossil record on this clade in late Pliocene sediments. The goals of this contribution are: a) to present and describe the first record of a glyptodontine glyptodontid from the late Pliocene of northern South America, tentatively assigned to a new species of Boreostemma Carlini et al. (Boreostemma? sp. nov); and b) to analyze its paleobiogeographical implications with respect to the GABI. This new material was recovered from the San Gregorio Formation (late Pliocene, prior the GABI) in northern Venezuela, where it is represented by several osteoderms of the dorsal carapace. A comparison among the three known late Pliocene glyptodontine glyptodontids of a) southern South America (Paraglyptodon), b) northern South America (Boreostemma), and c) southern North America ("Glyptotherium"), reveals a series of shared characters between (b) and (c), not present in (a). The most important of these shared characters in (b) and (c) are: all the osteoderms present a great development of the central figure, which is always larger than the peripherals; the sulcus that delimits the central and peripheral figures is narrower and shallower; and all the osteoderms present are relatively thin. This evidence suggests that the lineage of Glyptodontinae which participated in the GABI and subsequently diversified in North America originated in northern South America. Moreover, the evident morphological differences between these glyptodontines with respect to the southern South American forms show a significant separation of both lineages since at least latest Miocene-early Pliocene.     

Theropod remains from the uppermost Cretaceous of Colombia and their implications for the palaeozoogeography of western Gondwana

Dinosaur remains from Upper Cretaceous outcrops of northern Gondwana are extremely rare, in contrast with the much richer sample of coeval beds from southern Gondwana. Dinosaur remains from the uppermost Cretaceous Ortega locality of the Upper Magdalena Basin (Maastrichtian) of the Department of Tolima, Colombia, provides new information on northern Gondwanan faunas of this time. A revision of dinosaur material from this outcrop, consisting of three theropod shed teeth, reveals the presence of two morphotypes. One of them is referred to Abelisauridae based on the presence of crowns with mesial margin with a strong curvature beginning at about the second-third of the crown height and straight to slightly concave distal margin. The second morphotype exhibits un-serrated mesial and distal margins without carinae and no constriction at the base of the crown, a combination of features only observed in unenlagiine dromaeosaurids within Theropoda. Members of these clades are also present in coeval beds of southern and central South America, Madagascar, northern Africa, and India, indicating a cosmopolitan distribution in western and central Gondwana during the Late Cretaceous. Regarding South America, abelisaurid and probably dromaeosaurid theropods are recorded across a large latitudinal area, from the Palaeo-Equator to considerably high palaeo-latitudes in Patagonia, and probably spanning quite different environmental conditions.     

The missing Myopus: plugging the gaps in Late Pleistocene small mammal identification in western Europe with geometric morphometrics

Lemmus and Myopus are two lemming species with distinct habitat requirements but which show very similar dental morphologies. They are thus extremely difficult to distinguish from one another in the fossil record on the basis of their dental remains, leading to poor understanding of the palaeobiogeographical evolution of Myopus as well as inaccurate palaeoenvrionmental reconstructions. Currently, the presence of Myopus in the fossil register from the Pleistocene is still debated and no firm occurrence of this lemming in western Europe has yet been confirmed for the Late Pleistocene. In this paper, we used geometric morphometrics on modern material to establish morphological differences between Lemmus and Myopus teeth (first lower and third upper molars). Morphological data were then used to build a robust linear discriminant model able to confidently classify isolated teeth of these two genera, and finally, linear discriminant models were used on fossil remains of Lemmus/Myopus from two Late Pleistocene archaeological/palaeontological sites (Grotte des Gorges and Gully Cave). This study demonstrates, for the first time, the presence of Myopus schisticolor in west European Late Pleistocene sites between the end of Marine Isotope Stage 3 and the beginning of the Holocene, during climatic events that favoured the development of taiga forest of birch and pine in these regions.     

江西九江中更新世红土物质来源研究

华南地区广泛分布中更新世红土。目前, 对其物质来源尚有争议。九江红土剖面的沉积时代已得到很好限定, 同时由于其沉积连续、地层出露较好, 是开展中更新世红土物质来源研究的理想剖面。通过对九江中更新世红土2件碎屑锆石样品的分析, 共获得177颗谐和锆石U-Pb年龄, 主要峰值集中在新元古代(816 Ma、801 Ma和991 Ma)、古元古代(2019 Ma、2022 Ma和2481 Ma)和新太古代(2502 Ma), 并具有不显著的中生代峰值(135 Ma)。将其与潜在远源和近源物源区的锆石U-Pb年龄组成进行对比, 结果发现中国北方戈壁、沙漠和黄土高原、塔里木盆地、华北平原并不是九江中更新世红土的主要源区。庐山北麓早更新世发育的洪积扇为九江中更新世红土发育提供了充足物质。九江中更新世红土和九江晚更新世黄土的碎屑锆石U-Pb年龄组成存在明显差别, 后者主要来自长江河漫滩的碎屑物质。不同的气候条件主导了九江地区红土和黄土的发育, 二者都受控于青藏高原构造隆升产生的环境变化。     

Pollen‐ and diatom based environmental history since the Last Glacial Maximum from the Andean core Fúquene‐7, Colombia

The late Pleistocene–Holocene ecological and limnological history of Lake Fúquene (2580 m a.s.l.), in the Colombian Andes, is reconstructed on the basis of diatom, pollen and sediment analyses of the upper 7 m of the core Fúquene‐7. Time control is provided by 11 accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) ¹⁴C dates ranging from 19 670 ± 240 to 6040 ± 60 yr BP. In this paper we present the evolution of the lake and its surroundings. Glacial times were cold and dry, lake‐levels were low and the area was surrounded by paramo and subparamo vegetation. Late‐glacial conditions were warm and humid. The El Abra Stadial, a Younger Dryas equivalent, is reflected by a gap in the sedimentary record, a consequence of the cessation of deposition owing to a drop in lake‐level. The early Holocene was warm and humid; at this time the lake reached its maximum extension and was surrounded by Andean forest. The onset of the drier climate prevailing today took place in the middle Holocene, a process that is reflected earlier in the diatom and sediment records than in the pollen records. In the late Holocene human activity reduced the forest and transformed the landscape. Climate patterns from the Late‐glacial and throughout the Holocene, as represented in our record, are similar to other records from Colombia and northern South America (the Caribbean, Venezuela and Panama) and suggest that the changes in lake‐level were the result of precipitation variations driven by latitudinal shifts of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geotectonic evolution of the Western Cordillera of Colombia: New aspects from geochemical data on volcanic rocks

The Western Cordillera of Colombia (WCC) is part of the Basic Igneous Complex (BIC), which is one of the world's largest ophiolitic complexes, extending from Costa Rica through Panama and Colombia to Ecuador. Major and trace element data on 32 volcanic rocks from the central and northern parts of the Western Cordillera are presented; no data have been available to date for volcanic rocks from the northern parts of the Western Cordillera. Petrographical and geochemical investigations show that the rocks are altered and have undergone low-grade metamorphism. The subalkaline rocks are represented by tholeiitic basalts, calc-alkaline basic andesites, andesites, and one dacite. It is concluded that a mature oceanic island arc existed in the Cretaceous, in what is now the northern part of the Western Cordillera. The tectonics of the region, particularly the intensive imbrication of the chain, indicates the presence of a paleo-subduction zone with an oceanic island arc that accreted on the old continental margin. These new data, combined with new and previous data from the central part of the BIC of Colombia, suggest that volcanic rocks of the Western Cordillera can be interpreted as allochthonous slabs. These slabs were imbricated with back-arc and fore-arc sediments and tonalitic bodies during the closing of a back-arc basin in northwestern South America and accretion of an oceanic island arc. Oblique subduction accreted these different areas to the continental margin during Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary times. Two plate-tectonic models are proposed: a) development of the calc-alkaline volcanic rocks in the northern parts of the Western Cordillera, separated by tholeiitic rocks, formed along a transform fault represented by the tholeiitic basalts of the central and southern parts of the Western Cordillera; or b) development of an oceanic island arc along the Cretaceous continental margin of northwestern South America. In the central and southern parts of this island arc, accretion took place early and therefore only an island-arc tholeiitic suite was formed.     

Plio-Pleistocene geological record and small mammal faunas, eastern shore of the Azov Sea, Southern European Russia

The shoreline of the Taganrog Gulf of the Azov Sea at the mouth of Don River provides a series of extended Upper Pliocene and Quaternary sections that have been actively studied in the last century. This extraglacial region had a complex sedimentary history combining subaerial aggradation with marine, fluvial, and deltaic sedimentation. The well-exposed stratigraphical sequence and abundant palaeontological record continuously attract geologists and highlight the region as one of international importance for the addressing of numerous problems of Late Pliocene and Quaternary stratigraphy and palaeogeography. Fossil mammalian faunas of the region include important Eurasian biostratigraphical markers such as Stenocranius ex gr. hintoni-gregaloides, Lagurini spp., and Mimomys savini. For many years, fossil remains of mammals provide decisive clues to the geological history of the region. Recent geological studies of reference sections have provided data on small mammals, palaeomagnetism and palaeogeographical reconstructions in the northeastern part of the Azovian Region. Mammalian assemblages indicate the presence of the Late Pliocene, late Early Pleistocene, Middle Pleistocene and Late Pleistocene levels and, in addition, provide a clear biostratigraphical context for the Early Middle Pleistocene transition.     

晚更新世以来南黄海北部泥质区沉积物元素的分布及来源分析

为研究南黄海北部泥质区元素地球化学特征对于地层划分与物质来源的指示意义,对南黄海北部DLC70-3孔(孔深71.20 m)沉积物作了元素地球化学分析和物源判别。根据元素含量及比值的变化,可将DLC70-3孔岩心划分为5层,它们分别反映了末次间冰期(暖期)晚期以来黄海海面波动以及沉积物物源的变化。运用判别函数、MgO/Na₂O与CIA的散点图等方法分析了DLC70-3孔沉积物的物质来源,结果显示该孔沉积物主要来源于黄河,长江物质对该孔中上部及下部沉积物有较明显影响。DLC70-3孔物源指数反映0~4.50 m和27.80~38.80 m沉积物以黄河源为主,4.50~27.80 m、38.80~55.00 m和55.00~71.20 m沉积物以长江源为主;可见黄河从晚更新世中期到现代对南黄海北部沉积起着重要作用,而长江物质在晚更新世早期开始对南黄海北部沉积就有明显影响。     

论塔里木盆地“东河砂岩”的地质时代

系统总结了关于近年来塔里木盆地重要储油层——“东河砂岩”年代研究所取得的主要进展 ,包括 1)“东河砂岩”中发现晚泥盆世孢子和胴甲鱼化石 ;　 2 )含砾砂岩段发现晚泥盆世盾皮鱼化石 ;　 3)下泥岩段下部发现晚泥盆世孢子 ;　 4 )下泥岩段上部和生屑灰岩段分别发现石炭纪初期第一、二孢子组合带 ;　 5 )生屑灰岩段发现石炭纪初期的牙形刺 ;　 6 )化学 -生物地层学研究结果指示 ,泥盆系 -石炭系界线应在“东河砂岩”顶面之上。据此 ,“东河砂岩”的时代应为泥盆纪。     

Carbon isotope evidence for CAM photosynthesis in the Mesozoic

Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis, a flexible adaptation to water‐stress, has not been shown to occur before the Pleistocene, despite suggestions that CAM first evolved in the Mesozoic or earlier. Here we report on multiple (≥7) positive organic carbon isotope excursions (δ¹³C_org > ?20 ‰ ) in Late Triassic and Early Jurassic (c. 200 Ma) sedimentary rocks from an arid terrestrial ecosystem in South Africa. These excursions are interpreted as evidence of the episodic dominance of CAM plants in response to heightened aridity in the heartland of Gondwana, and hint at climatic instability in a greenhouse world.     

Quaternary records of the dire wolf, Canis dirus, in North and South America

The dire wolf was an important large, late Pleistocene predator in North and South America, well adapted to preying on megaherbivores. Geographically widespread, Canis dirus is reported from 136 localities in North America from Alberta, Canada, southward and from three localities in South America (Muaco, Venezuela; Talara, Peru; and Tarija, Bolivia). The species lived in a variety of environments, from forested mountains to open grasslands and plains ranging in elevation from sea level to 2255 m (7400 feet). Canis dirus is assigned to the Rancholabrean land mammal age of North America and the Lujanian land mammal age of South America and was among the many large carnivores and megaherbivores that became extinct in North and South America near the end of the Pleistocene Epoch.     

Intracontinental movements in Western Gondwanaland: a palaeomagnetic test

Early Cretaceous intracontinental movements within Africa and/or South America, to account for misfit problem in the pre-drift reconstruction of Western Gondwana, have been tested using palaeomagnetic poles from both continents. Each continent has been considered as comprising separate subplates according to the boundaries proposed by Pindell and Dewey (1982) and Curie (1983): i.e., northern Africa ( ), southern Africa ( ), northern South America (nsa) and southern South America ( ). Visual and statistical distribution of Late Permian to Jurassic poles from the African subplates indicate two distinct groups before rotating relative to , while after the rotation they become indistinguishable. The distribution and sparsity of data from South America limit the study in this continent as the data are statistically indistinguishable before and after rotation of with respect to . When the test is extended to the reconstruction of Western Gondwana, the tightest grouping of the poles occurs when an intracontinental movement is assumed within Africa. This suggests that the misfit between the two continents is probably due to intracontinental deformation within Africa and not in South America. If confirmed, this may have profound implications in the kinematics of the processes related to the opening of the South and Central Atlantic Oceans and also the origin of the West African Rift System.     

A new site from the Spanish Middle Pleistocene with cold-resistant faunal elements: La Parte (Asturias,Spain)

The La Parte (Asturias) northern Spain site contains a cold-adapted mammal faunal assemblage that corresponds to a level radiometrically dated to a minimum age of 150 ka. It represents the most ancient site with cold resistant fauna in the Iberian Peninsula.Among the species recorded in La Parte, Coelodonta antiquitatis and Rangifer tarandus represent the typical cold-adapted large mammal association.The presence of the woolly rhino at La Parte provides relevant environmental information about the Mammoth Steppe. This species was not as abundant in the Middle Pleistocene as during the Late Pleistocene, when its cold-adapted features can be studied from an evolutionary perspective. The remains attributed to R. tarandus suggest an open steppe ecosystem.The presence of Marmota sp. is also confirmed in La Parte. A first interpretation would suggest an alpine or periglacial ecosystem, but based on recent results which do not support the correlation between phylogeny and climatic tolerance for extant species of Marmota (López and Cuenca, 2002. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 186, 311), we propose the presence of this rodent suggests an open landscape with cold conditions.The rest of the taxa included in the La Parte assemblage (Crocuta crocuta, Panthera leo, Cervus elaphus, Megaloceros cf. giganteus, Bison priscus and Equus caballus) are usually associated with typical cold-adapted faunas, but they are also found in woody temperate zones so they do not characterize by themselves a cold period. The faunal association from La Parte suggests a combination of steppic and open woodland ecological conditions.     

Undiscovered Petroleum of the Brazilian Interior Rift Basins

Brazil is estimated to contain 52% of the undiscovered oil and gas resources of South America, outside of Venezuela and Colombia. The Reconcavo, Tucano-Jatoba, and Tacutu interior rift basins of Brazil are investigated in this paper, the first in a series dealing with undiscovered petroleum of South America (exclusive of Venezuela and Colombia). Preliminary estimates of the undiscovered petroleum resources are 0.273 billion barrels of oil (BBO) and 1.234 trillion cubic feet of gas (TCFG) for the four basins. A review of the 1983-1993 history of petroleum reserves in South America indicated that an initial consensus estimate of 0.27 BBO and 4.15 TCFG (mean values) by the World Energy Program Group at the U.S. Geological Survey is too low. An adjusted range of probabilities is recalculated from original identified reserves, resulting in revised mean values of 0.29 BBO and 4.15 TCFG for the four interior rift basins. Of these four basins, the Reconcavo is in a mature stage of exploration with 80 fields; the other rift basins, as well as most of the other basins in Brazil, have not been as extensively investigated. In the Reconcavo basin, the principal plays are found in the pre-rift fault blocks, and in lower Cretaceous turbidites and sand lenses. Three gas fields are known in the southern Tucano subbasin. The three subbasins (southern, central, and northern) and the adjacent Jatoba basin become progressively less prospective northward because of lower levels of source-rock maturation. The plays in these basins are similar to those of the Reconcavo. The main play in the small Tacutu basin of northwestern Brazil is in deltaic sandstones; fractured basement rocks and volcanics constitute a minor play. The best reservoirs may be expected on the margins of the basin, although the reservoir seals are absent or poorly developed.     

湖南杨二洞更新世晚期动物群研究

湖南花垣县杨二洞化石点位于沅江上游,动物群种类包括有6目26种,动物群时代为晚更新世末期。杨二洞小型哺乳动物化石材料较多。有些小型哺乳动物在我国更新世时期首次发现,如大爪长尾鼩、大黑伏翼、大齿鼠等。杨二洞动物群在我国西南地区更新世末期的材料之中,具有较为突出的森林性特征,反映出湘西北更新世末期具有南亚热带森林古环境。动物群综合研究发现,小家鼠、褐家鼠在中更新世晚期分别产生于中国东北和长江下游,其中小家鼠在更新世晚期经华北向长江流域及其以南扩散,褐家鼠在更新世较晚时期分别向华北和岭南扩散。晚更新世以来,有较多小哺乳动物出现了从低海拔向高海拔山区进行生境转移的现象,这种生境转移对认识大熊猫生态演变有重要参考。杨二洞堆积物特征反映,沅江上游晚更新世末期时河床侵蚀性下切明显,地貌变化显著。     

Jurassic break-up of the Peri-Gondwanan margin in northern Colombia: Basin formation and implications for terrane transfer

Jurassic extensional basins developed along the northwestern margin of South America during the break-up of Pangea. Presently, these basins are dispersed in several tectonic blocks of the northern Andes and Mexico, hindering reconstruction of western equatorial Pangea before break-up. This is the case of the Cosinas Basin (Guajira block) and the Machiques Basin (Perijá Range), in northern Colombia, which are filled by Jurassic sedimentary and volcano-sedimentary successions. Autochthonous and para-autochthonous hypotheses on the origin of this basins have been proposed. The purpose of this research is to document the sedimentological evolution, depositional age (Sr-isotope + U-Pb geochronology), sediment provenance and paleogeography of the Cosinas and Machiques basins in order to constrain whether these basins formed within a single extensional margin or they formed as extensional basins in different tectonic blocks. Volcanic detrital zircon U-Pb ages documented in La Quinta Formation in the Machiques Basin and at the base of Rancho Grande Formation in the Cosinas Basin suggest that extensional basins were active in Early Jurassic time. However, a significant difference exists in their subsequent history. Whereas in the Machiques Basin dominates the accumulation of Lower and Middle Jurassic volcanoclastic deposits with abrupt lateral thickness changes, accumulation in the Cosinas Basin is dominantly of siliciclastic strata, with the record of two major marine incursions in Late Jurassic time. Integration of provenance results indicates that the Santander Massif supplied sediments to the Machiques Basin. In contrast, Middle to Upper Jurassic sandstones of the Cosinas Basin document unroofing of basement blocks that include metamorphic, sedimentary and plutonic rocks from the Guajira and Maya blocks. The similarity in age and composition of pre-Jurassic rocks in northwestern South America and the so-called peri-Gondwana blocks in the Mexican subcontinent (i.e., Maya and Oaxaquia blocks) challenge the use of detrital zircon population as an indicator of the autochthonous or para-autochthonous origin of the Guajira block. Large uncertainty of paleomagnetic results, and the lack of constraints for the time magnetization acquisition preclude estimating paleolatitudes for the Guajira block in Jurassic time but support previous interpretation of ca. 70°-90° clockwise rotation of the Guajira block relative to stable South America craton.Our preferred paleogeography considers that the Cosinas and Machiques basins were close to each other along the western continental margin of Pangea during the onset of extension in Early Jurassic time. The change from continental to marine depositional environments in Middle to Late Jurassic time along the Cosinas Basin, which have not been identified in the Machiques Basin or other autochthonous Jurassic basins in northwestern South America, allow us to propose that these blocks were separated during the Callovian - Tithonian interval, with the Cosinas Basin remaining closer to a conjugate Mexican margin, that we interpret as the Maya block. Collision of the Guajira block with the South American margin occurred near the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary, as documented by deformation of Jurassic units previous to deposition of Berriasian strata in the Guajira block.