earth science

Portezuelo Formation

Portezuelo 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 Portezuelo Formation rather than just read about it. In short: The Portezuelo Formation is a geologic formation of Late Cretaceous (Late Turonian to Early Coniacian) age, outcropping in the Mendoza, Río Negro and Neuquén provinces of Argentina. It is the fourth-oldest formation in the Neuquén Group and the older of the two formations in the Río Neuquén Subgroup.

Key takeaways

Portezuelo 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 Portezuelo Formation to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Portezuelo Formation from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Portezuelo Formation is a geologic formation of Late Cretaceous (Late Turonian to Early Coniacian) age, outcropping in the Mendoza, Río Negro and Neuquén provinces of Argentina. It is the fourth-oldest formation in the Neuquén Group and the older of the two formations in the Río Neuquén Subgroup. Formerly, that subgroup was treated as a formation, and the Portezuelo Formation was known as the Portezuelo Member.

Description The type locality of the Portezuelo Formation is the mountain range known as Sierra del Portezuelo in Neuquén Province. This formation conformably overlies the Lisandro Formation of the Río Limay Subgroup. In the top layers it grades into the Plottier Formation, the younger formation within the Río Neuquén Subgroup. Sandstones and siltstones, probably deposited under fluvial conditions, make up the Portezuelo Formation. There are also occasional cemented claystone deposits, as well as numerous paleosols (fossil soils). The formation varies between 95 and 130 metres (312 and 427 ft) thick throughout its range.

Fossil content Many dinosaur fossils have recently been described from this formation, as well as remains of several other types of animals:

teleosteid fish including Leufuichthys ceratodontiform lungfish including Chaoceratodus abelisauroid theropods (A possible noasaurid and an abelisaurid) several other theropods, including a modern, possibly galliform bird ornithopods, including possible iguanodonts

Dinosaurs

Ornithischians

Sauropods

Theropods

Crocodyliformes

Pterosaurs

Turtles

See also List of fossil sites List of dinosaur bearing rock formations

References

Bibliography Agnolin, Federico L.; Novas, Fernando E.; Lio, Gabriel (2006). "Neornithine bird coracoid from the Upper Cretaceous of Patagonia". Ameghiniana. 43: 245–248. Retrieved 2019-02-16. Leanza, H.A.; Apesteguia, S.; Novas, F.E.; De la Fuente, M.S. (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. Retrieved 2019-02-16. Paulina-Carabajal, Ariana; Currie, Philip (2017). "The braincase of the theropod dinosaur Murusraptor: osteology, neuroanatomy and comments on the paleobiological implications of certain endocranial features". Ameghiniana. 54 (5): 617–640. doi:10.5710/AMGH.25.03.2017.3062. hdl:11336/184065. Retrieved 2020-12-11. Porfiri, Juan D.; Calvo, Jorge Orlando; Dos Santos, Domenica Diniz; Juárez Valieri, Ruben D. (2007). New record of Neuquenraptor (Theropoda, Dromaeosauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia. Jornadas Argentinas de Paleontología de Vertebrados. pp. 34R. Retrieved 2019-02-16. Sánchez, María Lidia; Heredia, Susana; Calvo, Jorge O. (2006). "Paleoambientes sedimentarios del Cretácico Superior de la Formación Plottier (Grupo Neuquén), Departamento Confluencia, Neuquén (Sedimentary paleoenvironments in the Upper Cretaceous Plottier Formation (Neuquen Group), Confluencia, Neuquén)". Revista de la Asociación Geológica Argentina. 61: 3–18. Retrieved 2019-02-16. Wichmann, R (1929). "Los Estratos con Dinosaurios y su techo en el este del Territorio del Neuquén ("The dinosaur-bearing strata and their upper limit in eastern Neuquén Territory")". Dirección General de Geología, Minería e Hidrogeología Publicación. 32: 1–9.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Portezuelo Formation

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Portezuelo 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 Portezuelo 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 Portezuelo 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 Portezuelo Formation

In research: Portezuelo 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 Portezuelo 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: Portezuelo Formation is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Conglomerate formations of Argentina, Cretaceous Argentina, Cretaceous paleontological sites of South America, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Portezuelo 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.

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How to study Portezuelo Formation in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Portezuelo 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 Portezuelo Formation out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Portezuelo Formation in simple terms?

Why does Portezuelo 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 Portezuelo 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 Portezuelo Formation.