earth science

South American land mammal age

South American land mammal age 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 South American land mammal age rather than just read about it. In short: The South American land mammal ages (SALMA) establish a geologic timescale for prehistoric South American fauna beginning 64.5 Ma during the Paleocene and continuing through to the Late Pleistocene (0.011 Ma). These periods are referred to as ages, stages, or intervals and were established using geographic place names where fossil materials where obtained.

Key takeaways

South American land mammal age belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
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Reproduce the core statement of South American land mammal age from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The South American land mammal ages (SALMA) establish a geologic timescale for prehistoric South American fauna beginning 64.5 Ma during the Paleocene and continuing through to the Late Pleistocene (0.011 Ma). These periods are referred to as ages, stages, or intervals and were established using geographic place names where fossil materials where obtained. The basic unit of measurement is the first/last boundary statement. This shows that the first appearance event of one taxon is known to predate the last appearance event of another. If two taxa are found in the same fossil quarry or at the same stratigraphic horizon, then their age-range zones overlap.

Background South America was an island continent for much of the Cenozoic, or the "Age of Mammals". As a result, its mammals evolved in their own unique directions, as Australia and Madagascar still have today.

Paleogeographic timeline A simplified paleogeographic timeline of South America:

66 Ma – South America was connected to both North America and Antarctica. Soon after this point, it lost its connection to North America. 66–50 Ma – Tiupampan to Casamayoran - South America was connected to Antarctica which, in turn, was connected to Australia. The Antarctica–Australia connection was lost around the end of this interval or perhaps as much as 15 million years later. 50–34 Ma – Casamayoran to Tinguirirican - South America was connected to Antarctica, which was not yet covered by ice. 34 Ma – Tinguirirican - South America and Antarctica became detached and glaciations started to form in Antarctica. 34–9 Ma – Tinguirirican to Chasicoan - South America had no land connections to any other continent. 9–3 Ma – Huayquerian to Chapadmalalan - islands formed between South and North America. A complete Isthmus of Panama most likely formed near the end of this interval, leading to the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI). 3 Ma to present – Uquian to Holocene - the land connection between South and North America is established and migration between the formerly separated continents occurs. Significantly higher rates of extinction due to climatic changes occur in South America compared to North America, resulting in an asymmetrical exchange of species between the continents. North American originating taxa diversify significantly in South America during this period. It was previously believed this asymmetry was due to the main migrational route being from north to south, rather than the opposite way. Pleistocene – the glacials and interglacials of the Pleistocene caused drastic eustatic sea level changes, widening and narrowing the land bridge at the 'bottleneck' of Panama. As a side-effect, the vegetation changed during this period of strong climatic changes. Late Pleistocene – the earliest humans arrived in South America and settled in various parts of the continent. Evidence for cohabitation with the latest Pleistocene megafauna has been found at multiple locations, such as Monte Verde in coastal Chile and Tibitó on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense in Colombia.

Definitions Including some revised age estimates for Paleogene units.

Cenozoic fossiliferous stratigraphic units in South America The following formations have provided vertebrate, insect or plant fossils, formations with other invertebrates are excluded:

Fossil content

See also

Biochronology North American land mammal age (NALMA) Asian land mammal age (ALMA) European land mammal age (ELMA or ELMMZ) African land mammal age (AFLMA) List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Colombia List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Ecuador List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Paraguay List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Uruguay List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Venezuela

Notes and references

Notes

References

Bibliography

SALMA Flynn, J.; Swisher, C.C. (1995), "Cenozoic South American Land Mammal Ages: correlation to global geochronology", Geochronology Time Scales and Global Stratigraphic Correlation, SEPM Special Publication, 54: 317–333 Paleogene Gurovich, Yamila (2005), Bio-Evolutionary aspects of Mesozoic Mammals: Description, phylogenetic relationships and evolution of the Gondwanatheria, (Late Cretaceous and Paleocene of Gondwana) (PhD thesis), Universidad de Buenos Aires, pp. 1–621, retrieved 2018-10-01 Woodburne, M.O.; Goin, F.J.; Bond, M.; Carlini, A.A.; Gelfo, J.N.; López, G.M.; Iglesias, A.; Zimicz, A.N. (2013), "Paleogene Land Mammal Faunas of South America; a Response to Global Climatic Changes and Indigenous Floral Diversity", Journal of Mammalian Evolution, 21: 1–73, doi:10.1007/s10914-012-9222-1, hdl:11336/31253, retrieved 2019-02-15

Pebas Wetlands Antoine, P.; Abello, J.A.; Adnet, S.; Altamirano Sierra, A.J.; Baby, P.; Billet, G.; Boivin, M.; Calderón, Y.; Candela and J. Chabain, F. Corfu, D. A. Croft, M. Ganerød, C. Jaramillo, S. Klaus, L. Marivaux, R. E. Navarrete, M. J. Orliac, F. Parra, M. E. Pérez, F. Pujos, J. Rage, Anthony Ravel, Céline Robinet, Martin Roddaz, Julia Victoria Tejada Lara, Jorge Vélez-Juarbe, Frank P. Wesselingh and Rodolfo Salas Gismondi, A.R. (2016), "A 60-million-year Cenozoic history of western Amazonian ecosystems in Contamana, eastern Peru" (PDF), Gondwana Research, 31: 30–59, Bibcode:2016GondR..31...30A, doi:10.1016/j.gr.2015.11.001, retrieved 2020-03-19{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Salas Gismondi, Rodolfo; Flynn, John J.; Baby, Patrice; Tejada Lara, Julia V.; Wesselingh, Frank P.; Antoine, Pierre-Olivier (2015), "A Miocene hyperdiverse crocodylian community reveals peculiar trophic dynamics in proto-Amazonian mega-wetlands", Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 282 (1804) 20142490, doi:10.1098/rspb.2014.2490, PMC 4375856, PMID 25716785, retrieved 2019-02-13 Wesselingh, F.P.; Hoorn, M.C.; Guerrero, J.; Räsänen, M.E.; Romero Pittmann, L.; Salo, J. (2006), "The stratigraphy and regional structure of Miocene deposits in western Amazonia (Peru, Colombia and Brazil), with implications for late Neogene landscape evolution", Scripta Geologica, 133: 291–322, retrieved 2017-08-15

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Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with South American land mammal age

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what South American land mammal age 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 South American land mammal age 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 South American land mammal age 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 South American land mammal age

In research: South American land mammal age 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 South American land mammal age 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: South American land mammal age is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cenozoic mammals of South America, Fossiliferous stratigraphic units of South America, Regional geologic time scales, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for South American land mammal age 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 South American land mammal age in 20 minutes

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Frequently asked questions

What is South American land mammal age in simple terms?

Why does South American land mammal age 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 South American land mammal age?

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.

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It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on South American land mammal age.