The Botucatu Formation is an Aptian geologic formation of the Paraná and Pelotas Basins in southern Brazil and northern Uruguay. The formation is composed of quartzitic sandstones, deposited in an eolian environment.Petrolli & Pimentel, 2014, p.1 Fossil theropod tracks have been reported from the formation.Weishampel, et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution." Pp. 517-607.
Description The sandstone is fine-textured and well sorted, containing no pebbles; its colour is occasionally white, yellowish, and reddish, but more commonly it is pinkish. Nearly always it is silicified and therefore compact and hard. The formation was deposited in an arid desert environment, characterized by sabkhas and wadis.Leonardi, 1994, p.50
Fossil content Among the following fossils were reported from the Botucatu Formation:São Bento quarry, Araraquara at Fossilworks.org Coelurosauria indet. Lacertilia indet. Mammalia indet. Ornithopoda indet. Theropoda indet. ?Tritylodontoidea indet.
Ichnofossils Brasilichnium elusivum Farlowichnus rapidus Lacertoidea indet. Pteraichnus isp.
See also List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations List of stratigraphic units with theropod tracks List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Uruguay Itapecuru Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the São Luis and Parnaíba Basins Bahia Group, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the Recôncavo Basin Quiricó Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the São Francisco Basin La Cruz Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the Marayes-El Carrizal Basin, Argentina Rayoso Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the Neuquén Basin, Argentina Cerro Barcino Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the Cañadón Asfalto Basin, Argentina Río Belgrano Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the Austral Basin, Argentina
References
Bibliography
Further reading Leonardi, G. 1989. Inventory and statistics of the South American dinosaurian ichnofauna and its paleobiological interpretation. In D. D. Gillette & M. G. Lockley (ed.), Dinosaur Tracks and Traces 165–178. Leonardi, G. 1980. On the discovery of an abundant ichno-fauna (vertebrates and invertebrates) in the Botucatu Formation s.s. in Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 52(3):559-567 link. Leonardi, G., Carvalho, I.S., and Fernandes, M.A. 2007. The desert ichnofauna from Botucatu Formation (Upper Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous), Brazil. In: Carvalho, I.S., Cassab, R.C.T., Schwanke, C., Carvalho, M.A., Fernandes, A.C.S., Rodrigues, M.A.C., Carvalho, M.S.S., Arai, M., and Oliveira, M.E.Q. (eds.). Paleontologia: Cenários da Vida, I. Interciência, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. p, 372–383. link.