earth science

La Colonia Formation

La Colonia Formation is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand La Colonia Formation rather than just read about it. In short: The La Colonia Formation is a geological formation in Argentina whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.

Key takeaways

La Colonia Formation belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect La Colonia Formation to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of La Colonia Formation from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The La Colonia Formation is a geological formation in Argentina whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation. Originally thought to be Campanian (c.73-72 million years ago) in age or earlier, studies of underlying formations have made a Maastrichtian (72–66 million years ago) age more likely. A further study in 2021 utilizing magnetostratigraphy and palynological data provided an age of 69 to 64 million years ago.

Description

It is divided up into three distinct facies, the first is up to 16 metres (52 ft) thick and consists of conglomerate, the second is by far the thickest at over 100 metres (330 ft), consists of siltstone and claystone, with interbeds of claystone/shale and sandstone, the third is less than 10 metres (33 ft) thick and consists of clay, and probably represents a nearshore marine environment. The paleoflora was known for its aquatic components, Paleoazolla and Regnellidium. However, recent paleobotanical discoveries at the Cañadón del Irupé locality have revealed the presence of a more diverse range of plants associated with these water bodies, including pteridophytes, gymnosperms, and various angiosperms. Among these are fossil leaves and fruits assignable to Nelumbonaceae.

During the Maastrichtian, Patagonia was flooded by the Transgression of the Kawas Sea. This would have likely rendered much of Patagonia, including the region represented by what is now the La Colonia Formation, scattered faunal Islands.

Fossil content

Turtles

Fish

Plesiosaurs

Dinosaurs

Ornithischians

Sauropods

Theropods

Mammals Over 300 mammal specimens have been found in the La Colonia Formation.

Snakes Fossils of madtsoiids, and perhaps boids, have been found in the formation.

See also List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations Allen Formation, Campanian to Maastrichtian fossiliferous formation of the Neuquén Basin Angostura Colorada Formation, Campanian to Maastrichtian fossiliferous formation of the North Patagonian Massif Colorado Formation, Campanian to Maastrichtian fossiliferous formation of the Colorado Basin Lago Colhué Huapí Formation, Campanian to Maastrichtian fossiliferous formation of the Golfo San Jorge Basin

References

Bibliography Gasparini, Zulma; Sterli, Juliana; Parras, Ana; O'Gorman, José Patricio; Salgado, Leonardo; Varela, Julio; Pol, Diego (May 2015). "Late Cretaceous reptilian biota of the La Colonia Formation, central Patagonia, Argentina: Occurrences, preservation and paleoenvironments". Cretaceous Research. 54: 154–168. Bibcode:2015CrRes..54..154G. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2014.11.010. hdl:11336/19244. Gandolfo, Maria A.; Cuneo, Ruben N. (February 2005). "Fossil Nelumbonaceae from the La Colonia Formation (Campanian–Maastrichtian, Upper Cretaceous), Chubut, Patagonia, Argentina". Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. 133 (3–4): 169–178. Bibcode:2005RPaPa.133..169G. doi:10.1016/j.revpalbo.2004.09.007. Patricio O'Gorman, JosÉ (2 January 2020). "First record of Kawanectes lafquenianum (Plesiosauria, Elasmosauridae) from the La Colonia Formation of Argentina, with comments on the mandibular morphology of elasmosaurids". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 44 (1): 176–193. Bibcode:2020Alch...44..176P. doi:10.1080/03115518.2019.1687754. Leanza, Héctor A; Apesteguı́a, Sebastián; Novas, Fernando E; de la Fuente, Marcelo S (February 2004). "Cretaceous terrestrial beds from the Neuquén Basin (Argentina) and their tetrapod assemblages". Cretaceous Research. 25 (1): 61–87. Bibcode:2004CrRes..25...61L. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2003.10.005. Rauhut, Oliver W. M. (10 December 2004). "Provenance and anatomy of Genyodectes serus , a large-toothed ceratosaur (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from Patagonia". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 24 (4): 894–902. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2004)024[0894:PAAOGS]2.0.CO;2. Rauhut, Oliver W.M.; Cladera, Gerardo; Vickers-Rich, Patricia; Rich, Thomas H. (October 2003). "Dinosaur remains from the Lower Cretaceous of the Chubut Group, Argentina". Cretaceous Research. 24 (5): 487–497. Bibcode:2003CrRes..24..487R. doi:10.1016/S0195-6671(03)00067-3. Rougier, Guillermo W.; Chornogubsky, Laura; Casadio, Silvio; Arango, Natalia Paéz; Giallombardo, Andres (February 2009). "Mammals from the Allen Formation, Late Cretaceous, Argentina". Cretaceous Research. 30 (1): 223–238. Bibcode:2009CrRes..30..223R. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2008.07.006. hdl:11336/103413. Sterli, Juliana; De La Fuente, Marcelo S. (January 2011). "A new turtle from the La Colonia Formation (Campanian–Maastrichtian), Patagonia, Argentina, with remarks on the evolution of the vertebral column in turtles". Palaeontology. 54 (1): 63–78. Bibcode:2011Palgy..54...63S. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2010.01002.x. Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; Osmólska, Halszka (2004). The Dinosauria, Second Edition. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-94143-4.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with La Colonia Formation

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what La Colonia Formation claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to La Colonia Formation before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about La Colonia Formation ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of La Colonia Formation

In research: La Colonia Formation appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses La Colonia Formation in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: La Colonia Formation is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cañadón Asfalto Basin, Conglomerate formations of Argentina, Cretaceous Argentina, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for La Colonia Formation outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “La Colonia Formation” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study La Colonia Formation in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what La Colonia Formation means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain La Colonia Formation out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is La Colonia Formation in simple terms?

The La Colonia Formation is a geological formation in Argentina whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.

Why does La Colonia Formation matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study La Colonia Formation?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on La Colonia Formation.