Los Colorados Formation
Encyclopedia
The Los Colorados Formation is a sedimentary rock formation found in La Rioja
, Argentina
. It has a Norian
age (Upper Triassic), and is notable for its fossil
s of early dinosaur
s, including the coelophysoid Zupaysaurus
and the "prosauropods" Coloradisaurus
, Lessemsaurus
, and Riojasaurus
.
La Rioja Province (Argentina)
La Rioja is a one of the provinces of Argentina and is located in the west of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Catamarca, Córdoba, San Luis and San Juan.-History:...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. It has a Norian
Norian
The Norian is a division of the Triassic geological period. It has the rank of an age or stage . The Norian lasted from 216.5 ± 2.0 to 203.6 ± 1.5 million years ago. It was preceded by the Carnian and succeeded by the Rhaetian.-Stratigraphic definitions:The Norian was named after the Noric Alps in...
age (Upper Triassic), and is notable for its fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s of early dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s, including the coelophysoid Zupaysaurus
Zupaysaurus
Zupaysaurus is a genus of early theropod dinosaur living during the Rhaetian stage of the Late Triassic to Hettangian stage of the Early Jurassic of what is now Argentina. Although a full skeleton has not yet been discovered, Zupaysaurus can be considered a bipedal predator, up to 4 meters ...
and the "prosauropods" Coloradisaurus
Coloradisaurus
Coloradisaurus is a genus of massospondylid sauropodomorph dinosaur. It lived during the Late Triassic period in what is now La Rioja Province, Argentina. It is known from the holotype PVL 5904, nearly complete skull...
, Lessemsaurus
Lessemsaurus
Lessemsaurus is an extinct genus of sauropodomorph dinosaur named for the writer of popular science books Don Lessem. The type species, L. sauropoides, was formally described by José Fernando Bonaparte in 1999...
, and Riojasaurus
Riojasaurus
Riojasaurus was a herbivorous prosauropod dinosaur named after La Rioja Province in Argentina where it was found by José Bonaparte. It lived during the Late Triassic and grew to about long. Riojasaurus is the only known riojasaurid to live in South America.-Description:Riojasaurus had a heavy...
.
Dinosaurs
Indeterminate theropod remains present in the Provincia de la Rioja.| Dinosaur Dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of... s of the Los Colorados Formation |
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"Skull, adult." |
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"Partial cervical, dorsal, and sacral vertebrae, adult." |
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