| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1043909 | Quaternary International | 2009 | 7 Pages |
The identification of sedimentary deposits containing probable Ensenadan Stage/Age (0.5–1.8 Ma) fossil remains in several points of the Río de la Plata basin, Uruguay, allows positioning of some geological events in stratigraphic order. These events are indicators of important climate changes that occurred during the Late Pliocene, and Early and Middle Pleistocene. The dataset obtained in this research identifies the occurrence of arid climate during the Early Pleistocene. At this time, the deposition of the loessic San Bautista Member (new name) of the Raigón Formation, containing Cardiatherium talicei, took place. The overlying Libertad Formation includes a sequence of paleosols developed on the loess sediments that formed in a climate much warmer and more humid than the present one. In comparison with the δ18O marine isotopic stage curve, the highest temperatures during the period were recorded at around 1.7 ± 0.1 Ma. At this time, abundant Ensenadan vegetation and megafauna components occurred in the Río de La Plata region, but disappeared towards 0.6 Ma, in coincidence with the significant glaciations that took place in the Southern Hemisphere. Several aspects of the revision of the Quaternary stratigraphy and paleoclimates in Uruguay are examined, using new criteria, field observations and global comparisons.
