# Lecho Formation

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Lecho_Formation
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Lecho_Formation.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lecho_Formation
> Source revision: 1352446332
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Geologic formation in Argentina

Lecho Formation Stratigraphic range: Early Maastrichtian ~70–68 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Type Geological formation Unit of Salta Group Underlies Yacoraite Formation Overlies Los Blanquitos Formation Lithology Primary Sandstone Location Coordinates 26°06′S 65°24′W / 26.1°S 65.4°W / -26.1; -65.4 Approximate paleocoordinates 28°36′S 52°00′W / 28.6°S 52.0°W / -28.6; -52.0 Region Jujuy, Salta Country Argentina Extent Salta Basin Lecho Formation (Argentina)

The **Lecho Formation** is a geological [formation](/source/Formation_(geology)) in the [Salta Basin](/source/Salta_Basin) of the provinces [Jujuy](/source/Jujuy_Province) and [Salta](/source/Salta_Province) of northwestern [Argentina](/source/Argentina). Its strata date back to the [Early Maastrichtian](/source/Maastrichtian), and is a unit of the [Salta Group](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Salta_Group&action=edit&redlink=1). The fine-grained [bioturbated](/source/Bioturbation) [sandstones](/source/Sandstone) of the formation were deposited in a [fluvial](/source/Fluvial) to [lacustrine](/source/Lacustrine) coastal plain [environment](/source/Depositional_environment).

Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.[1]

According to Frankfurt and Chiappe (1999), the Lecho Formation is composed of reddish [sandstones](/source/Sandstone). The Lecho is part of the Upper/Late Cretaceous Balbuena Subgroup (Salta Group), which is a near-border stratigraphic unit of the Andean sedimentary basin. Fossils from this formation include the [titanosaur](/source/Titanosaur) *[Saltasaurus](/source/Saltasaurus)* along with a variety of [avian](/source/Bird) and non-avian [theropods](/source/Theropods).

## Fossil content

### Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs from the Lecho Formation Genus Species Location Material Notes Images Abelisauridae[2] Indeterminate El Brete Isolated teeth. May represent more than one species of abelisaurid Elbretornis[3] E. bonapartei El Brete Scapula, partial coracoid, humerus, partial radius, partial ulna An enantiornithine bird Enantiornis[3][4] E. leali El Brete Postcranial elements An enantiornithine bird Euenantiornithes indet.[3] Indeterminate El Brete Partial right lower jaw An enantiornithine bird Lectavis[5] L. bretincola El Brete Tarsometatarsus and tibiotarsus An enantiornithine bird Martinavis[3] M. minor El Brete Partial humerus An enantiornithine bird M. saltariensis El Brete Humerus M. vincei El Brete Humeri M. whetstonei El Brete Partial humerus Noasaurus[2] N. leali El Brete Isolated elements from the head and foot, as well as a verebral arch. A Noasaurid abelisaur Saltasaurus[6] S. loricatus El Brete "Partial skeletons of at least [six] individuals, including jaws and armor."[7] A saltasaurid titanosaur Soroavisaurus[5] S. australis El Brete Tarsometatarsus and phalanges. An enantiornithine bird Yungavolucris[5] Y. brevipedalis El Brete Tarsometatarsi An enantiornithine bird

## See also

- [List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations](/source/List_of_dinosaur-bearing_rock_formations)

- [Marília Formation](/source/Mar%C3%ADlia_Formation)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-cretaceousdistribution_1-0)** Weishampel et al., 2004, "Dinosaur distribution (Late Cretaceous, South America)." pp. 600-604

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_2-1) Hendrickx, Christophe; Cerroni, Mauricio A; Agnolín, Federico L; Catalano, Santiago; Ribeiro, Cátia F; Delcourt, Rafael (2024-12-01). ["Osteology, relationship, and feeding ecology of the theropod dinosaur *Noasaurus leali*, from the Late Cretaceous of North-Western Argentina"](https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article/doi/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae150/7926352). *Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society*. **202** (4). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae150](https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fzoolinnean%2Fzlae150). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0024-4082](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0024-4082).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-El-Brete-09_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-El-Brete-09_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-El-Brete-09_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-El-Brete-09_3-3) Cyril A. Walker; Gareth J. Dyke (2009). ["Euenantiornithine birds from the Late Cretaceous of El Brete (Argentina)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120320093759/http://www.ria.ie/RIA/files/40/40a4c454-eef2-4de0-922d-48ae0c42037f.pdf) (PDF). *Irish Journal of Earth Sciences*. **27**: 15–62. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.3318/IJES.2010.27.15](https://doi.org/10.3318%2FIJES.2010.27.15). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [129573066](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:129573066). Archived from [the original](http://www.ria.ie/RIA/files/40/40a4c454-eef2-4de0-922d-48ae0c42037f.pdf) (PDF) on 2012-03-20.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-lecho_4-0)** Walker, C. A. (1981). ["New subclass of birds from the Cretaceous of South America"](https://www.nature.com/articles/292051a0). *Nature*. **292** (5818): 51–53. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1038/292051a0](https://doi.org/10.1038%2F292051a0). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0028-0836](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0028-0836).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Chiappe1993_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Chiappe1993_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Chiappe1993_5-2) Chiappe, Luis (1993). ["Enantiornithine (Aves) tarsometatarsi from the Cretaceous Lecho Formation of northwestern Argentina"](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270821578). *American Museum Novitates* (3083): 1–27. [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [39613970](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:39613970).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Zurriaguz, Virginia; Powell, Jaime (2015-05-01). ["New contributions to the presacral osteology of *Saltasaurus loricatus* (Sauropoda, Titanosauria) from the Upper Cretaceous of northern Argentina"](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195667114002420). *Cretaceous Research*. **54**: 283–300. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1016/j.cretres.2014.12.012](https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.cretres.2014.12.012). [hdl](/source/Hdl_(identifier)):[11336/32746](https://hdl.handle.net/11336%2F32746). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0195-6671](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0195-6671).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-table-13-1-270_7-0)** "Table 13.1," in Weishampel et al., 2004, p.270

### Bibliography

- Walker; Dyke (2009), "Euenantiornithine birds from the Late Cretaceous of El Brete (Argentina)", *[Irish Journal of Earth Sciences](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Irish_Journal_of_Earth_Sciences&action=edit&redlink=1)*, **27**: 15–62, [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.3318/IJES.2010.27.15](https://doi.org/10.3318%2FIJES.2010.27.15)

- Agnolin, F.L.; Martinelli, A.G. (2007), ["Did oviraptorosaurs (Dinosauria; Theropoda) inhabit Argentina?"](http://doc.rero.ch/record/16150/files/PAL_E2405.pdf) (PDF), *[Cretaceous Research](/source/Cretaceous_Research)*, **28** (5): 785–790, [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2007CrRes..28..785A](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2007CrRes..28..785A), [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1016/j.cretres.2006.10.006](https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.cretres.2006.10.006)

- [Weishampel, David B.](/source/David_B._Weishampel); [Dodson, Peter](/source/Peter_Dodson); [Osmólska, Halszka](/source/Halszka_Osm%C3%B3lska) (2004), [*The Dinosauria, 2nd edition*](https://books.google.com/books?id=vtZFDb_iw40C), Berkeley: University of California Press, pp. 1–880, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-520-24209-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-520-24209-2), retrieved 2019-02-21{{[citation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Citation)}}: CS1 maint: publisher location ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_publisher_location))

- Frankfurt, N.G.; Chiappe, L.M. (1999), "A Possible Oviraptorosaur From The Late Cretaceous of Northwestern Argentina", *[Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology](/source/Journal_of_Vertebrate_Paleontology)*, **19** (1): 101–105, [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[1999JVPal..19..101F](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999JVPal..19..101F), [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1080/02724634.1999.10011126](https://doi.org/10.1080%2F02724634.1999.10011126)

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Lecho Formation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lecho_Formation) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lecho_Formation?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.