Mulichinco Formation

Mulichinco Formation
Mulichinco Formation
Stratigraphic range: Valanginian; ~
	Mulichinco Formation at Puerta Curaco
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	Mendoza Group
Underlies	Agrio Formation
Overlies	Vaca Muerta
Thickness	200–400 metres (660–1,310 ft)
Lithology
Primary	Mudstone, siltstone, sandstone
Other	Limestone
Location
Coordinates	38°30′S 70°12′W / 38.5°S 70.2°W
Approximate paleocoordinates	37°48′S 33°30′W / 37.8°S 33.5°W
Region	Neuquén Province
Country	Argentina
Extent	Neuquén Basin
	Mulichinco Formation (Argentina)

The Mulichinco Formation is a geological formation in Argentina. It is Valanginian in age and is predominantly terrestrial, being deposited at a time of marine regression in the Neuquén Basin, and predominantly consists of siliciclastic rocks.^[1]

Fossil content

Color key

Taxon	Reclassified taxon	Taxon falsely reported as present	Dubious taxon or junior synonym	Ichnotaxon	Ootaxon	Morphotaxon

Notes
Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; ~~crossed out~~ taxa are discredited.

Dinosaurs

Ornithopods

Ornithopods of the Mulichinco Formation
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes	Images
Emiliasaura^[2]	E. alessandrii				A iguanodontian ornithopod

Sauropods

Sauropods of the Mulichinco Formation
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes	Images
Pilmatueia^[3]^[4]	P. faundezi				A dicraeosaurid sauropod

Theropods

Theropods of the Mulichinco Formation
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes	Images
Lajasvenator^[5]	L. ascheriae				A carcharodontosaurid theropod

Echinoderms

Echinoderms of the Mulichinco Formation
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes	Images
Tethyaster^[6]	T. antares				A astropectinid starfish

Plants

Plants of the Mulichinco Formation
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes	Images
Tempskya^[7]	T. dernbachii				A tree fern

References

^ Schwarz et al., 2005
^ Coria, R. A.; Cerda, A. A.; Escaso, F.; Baiano, M. A.; Bellardini, F.; Braun, A.; Coria, L. M.; Gutierrez, J. M.; Pino, D.; Windholz, G. J.; Currie, P. J.; Ortega, F. (2025). "First Valanginian (Early Cretaceous) ornithopod (Dinosauria, Ornithischia) from Patagonia". Cretaceous Research. 166. 106027. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2024.106027.
^ Rodolfo A. Coria; Guillermo J. Windholz; Francisco Ortega; Philip J. Currie (2019). "A new dicraeosaurid sauropod from the Lower Cretaceous (Mulichinco Formation, Valanginian, Neuquén Basin) of Argentina". Cretaceous Research. 93: 33–48. Bibcode:2019CrRes..93...33C. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2018.08.019. S2CID 135017018.
^ Windholz GJ, Coria RA, Bellardini F, Baiano MA, Pino D, Ortega F, Currie PJ (2022). "On a dicraeosaurid specimen from the Mulichinco Formation (Valanginian, Neuquén Basin) of Argentina and phylogenetic relationships of the South American dicraeosaurids (Sauropoda, Diplodocoidea)" (PDF). Comptes Rendus Palevol. 21 (45): 991–1019. doi:10.5852/cr-palevol2022v21a45. S2CID 255055245.
^ Coria, Rodolfo A.; Currie, Philip J.; Ortega, Francisco; Baiano, Mattia A. (2020-07-01). "An Early Cretaceous, medium-sized carcharodontosaurid theropod (Dinosauria, Saurischia) from the Mulichinco Formation (upper Valanginian), Neuquén Province, Patagonia, Argentina". Cretaceous Research. 111: 104319. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2019.104319. hdl:11336/122794. ISSN 0195-6671.
^ Diana Elizabeth Fernández; Damián Eduardo Pérez; Leticia Luci; Martín Alejandro Carrizo (2014). "An Early Cretaceous astropectinid (Echinodermata, Asteroidea) from Patagonia (Argentina): A new species and the oldest record of the family for the Southern Hemisphere". Andean Geology. 41 (1): 210–223. doi:10.5027/andgeoV41n1-a08. hdl:11336/29659.
^ Martínez, Leandro C.A.; Olivo, Mariana S. (August 2015). "Tempskya in the Valanginian of South America (Mulichinco Formation, Neuquén Basin, Argentina) — Systematics, palaeoclimatology and palaeoecology". Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. 219: 116–131. Bibcode:2015RPaPa.219..116M. doi:10.1016/j.revpalbo.2015.04.002. hdl:11336/49538.

Bibliography

Coria, Rodolfo A.; Currie, Philip J.; Ortega, Francisco; Baiano, Mattia A. (2019), "An Early Cretaceous, medium-sized carcharodontosaurid theropod (Dinosauria, Saurischia) from the Mulichinco Formation (upper Valanginian), Neuquén Province, Patagonia, Argentina", Cretaceous Research, 111: 104319, doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2019.104319, hdl:11336/122794
Coria, Rodolfo A.; Windholz, Guillermo J.; Ortega, Francisco; Currie, Philip J. (2018), "A new dicraeosaurid sauropod from the Lower Cretaceous (Mulichinco Formation, Valanginian, Neuquén Basin) of Argentina", Cretaceous Research, 93: 33–48, Bibcode:2019CrRes..93...33C, doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2018.08.019doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2018.08.019
Gnaedinger, S.; Coria, R. A.; Koppelhus, E.; Casadío, S.; Tunik, M.; Currie, P. (2017), "First Lower Cretaceous record of Podocarpaceae wood associated with dinosaur remains from Patagonia, Neuquén Province, Argentina", Cretaceous Research, 78: 228–239, Bibcode:2017CrRes..78..228G, doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2017.06.014, hdl:11336/30408
Schwarz, Ernesto; Howell, John A. (2005), "Sedimentary evolution and depositional architecture of a lowstand sequence set: the Lower Cretaceous Mulichinco Formation, Neuquén Basin, Argentina", Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 252 (1): 109–138, Bibcode:2005GSLSP.252..109S, doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.2005.252.01.06doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.2005.252.01.06 Bibcode:2005GSLSP.252..109S ISSN 0305-8719

[1] Schwarz et al., 2005

[2] Coria, R. A.; Cerda, A. A.; Escaso, F.; Baiano, M. A.; Bellardini, F.; Braun, A.; Coria, L. M.; Gutierrez, J. M.; Pino, D.; Windholz, G. J.; Currie, P. J.; Ortega, F. (2025). "First Valanginian (Early Cretaceous) ornithopod (Dinosauria, Ornithischia) from Patagonia". Cretaceous Research. 166. 106027. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2024.106027.

[3] Rodolfo A. Coria; Guillermo J. Windholz; Francisco Ortega; Philip J. Currie (2019). "A new dicraeosaurid sauropod from the Lower Cretaceous (Mulichinco Formation, Valanginian, Neuquén Basin) of Argentina". Cretaceous Research. 93: 33–48. Bibcode:2019CrRes..93...33C. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2018.08.019. S2CID 135017018.

[4] Windholz GJ, Coria RA, Bellardini F, Baiano MA, Pino D, Ortega F, Currie PJ (2022). "On a dicraeosaurid specimen from the Mulichinco Formation (Valanginian, Neuquén Basin) of Argentina and phylogenetic relationships of the South American dicraeosaurids (Sauropoda, Diplodocoidea)" (PDF). Comptes Rendus Palevol. 21 (45): 991–1019. doi:10.5852/cr-palevol2022v21a45. S2CID 255055245.

[Lajasvenator-5] Coria, Rodolfo A.; Currie, Philip J.; Ortega, Francisco; Baiano, Mattia A. (2020-07-01). "An Early Cretaceous, medium-sized carcharodontosaurid theropod (Dinosauria, Saurischia) from the Mulichinco Formation (upper Valanginian), Neuquén Province, Patagonia, Argentina". Cretaceous Research. 111: 104319. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2019.104319. hdl:11336/122794. ISSN 0195-6671.

[6] Diana Elizabeth Fernández; Damián Eduardo Pérez; Leticia Luci; Martín Alejandro Carrizo (2014). "An Early Cretaceous astropectinid (Echinodermata, Asteroidea) from Patagonia (Argentina): A new species and the oldest record of the family for the Southern Hemisphere". Andean Geology. 41 (1): 210–223. doi:10.5027/andgeoV41n1-a08. hdl:11336/29659.

[7] Martínez, Leandro C.A.; Olivo, Mariana S. (August 2015). "Tempskya in the Valanginian of South America (Mulichinco Formation, Neuquén Basin, Argentina) — Systematics, palaeoclimatology and palaeoecology". Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. 219: 116–131. Bibcode:2015RPaPa.219..116M. doi:10.1016/j.revpalbo.2015.04.002. hdl:11336/49538.

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