earth science

Sierra Barrosa Formation

Sierra Barrosa 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 Sierra Barrosa Formation rather than just read about it. In short: The Sierra Barrosa Formation is a geologic formation of the Neuquén Basin in the northern Patagonian provinces of Mendoza and Neuquén. The formation dates to the Late Cretaceous, middle to late Coniacian, and belongs to the Río Neuquén Subgroup of the Neuquén Group.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The Sierra Barrosa Formation is a geologic formation of the Neuquén Basin in the northern Patagonian provinces of Mendoza and Neuquén. The formation dates to the Late Cretaceous, middle to late Coniacian, and belongs to the Río Neuquén Subgroup of the Neuquén Group. The formation overlies the Los Bastos Formation and is overlain by the Plottier Formation. As the underlying Los Bastos Formation, the Sierra Barrosa Formation comprises mudstones and sandstones deposited in a fluvial environment.

Description The formation was named by Garrido in 2010 as sandy unit conformably and transitionally overlying the Los Bastos Formation, which in turns overlies the Portezuelo Formation within which both units were formerly included. The formation in the same manner underlies the Plottier Formation, all belonging to the Río Neuquén Subgroup of the Neuquén Group in the Neuquén Basin. The unit now known as Sierra Barrosa Formation was included in the original definition by Herrero Ducloux (1938, 1939) as "Portezuelo Superior", as part of the "Portezuelo Beds" he described. The type locality of the formation is located at the southern edge of the eponymous Sierra Barrosa, to the east of Cerro Challacó. The formation at its type section reaches a thickness of 62 metres (203 ft). The formation comprises fine-to-medium grained sandstones intercalated by thin levels of mudstones. The formation has similar lithological characteristics as the Portezuelo Formation and was deposited in a fluvial environment characterized by highly sinuous channels. Based on the stratigraphic relations with the overlying and underlying units, the age has been estimated to be middle to late Coniacian.

Fossil content

Crocodylomorphs

Dinosaurs

Ornithischians

Sauropods

Theropods

See also List of dinosaur bearing rock formations

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Sierra Barrosa Formation

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Sierra Barrosa 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 Sierra Barrosa 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 Sierra Barrosa 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 Sierra Barrosa Formation

In research: Sierra Barrosa 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 Sierra Barrosa 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: Sierra Barrosa Formation is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Coniacian Stage, Cretaceous Argentina, Fluvial deposits, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Sierra Barrosa 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 Sierra Barrosa Formation in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Sierra Barrosa Formation in simple terms?

Why does Sierra Barrosa 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 Sierra Barrosa 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 Sierra Barrosa Formation.