Bioerosion pattern as a paleoenvironmental proxy: A case of study from quaternary deposits from central patagonia (Chubut, Argentina)

Abstract

Bioerosion is a valuable proxy for biotic parameters which allows us to infer paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic changes over time. In Argentina, bioerosion analysis on marine Quaternary deposits increased in recent years [1,2]. However, most ichnological studies are concentrated in the San Jorge Gulf [2,3], one of the most productive regions of the Argentine Sea at present. Little is known about the deposits located in Patagonia north of the Gulf. To the north of Bahía Camarones (San Jorge Gulf, Central Patagonia, Argentina) is the Bahía Vera-Cabo Raso. It presents well-preserved deposits from the Jurassic to the Quaternary [3,4]. However, ichnological analyses are scarce in this area, with only one bioerosion trace known from the Quaternary marine deposits [3]. Therefore, this work aims to ichnotaxonomic composition recorded in molluscan shells in the Bahía Vera-Cabo Raso area during the Quaternary and to discuss the differences in bioerosion patterns through time.