Quaternary biostratigraphy and biogeography of mountain region of Córdoba, Argentina

Abstract

In Argentina, Quaternary paleontological and biostratigraphic studies were mainly conducted in the Pampas plains of the provinces of Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Formosa and Santa Fe. The aim of the present study is to analyse the Pleistocene-Holocene record of the high plains of mountain in Córdoba in order to make interpretations on their biostratigraphical, geochronological, and paleobiogeographical significance. Representatives of 20 extinct and four living mammal species are listed, documenting the existence of two successive Assemblage Zones: Scelidotherium leptocephalum-Glyptodon reticulatus (between 37,095 ± 2020 and 14,040 ± 785 years BP) and Panochthus-Equus (Amerhippus) (between 14,040 ± 785 and 9181 years BP). The presence of supposed Ensenadan or Bonaerian taxa (e.g., Mesotherium sp., Catonyx tarijensis, Megatherium americanum, and Glossotherium sp.) in late Pleistocene sediments suggests that the mountainous area of Córdoba has acted as a refuge area or reservoir. The Quaternary faunas recorded in the Pampean highlands, Pampean flats, and western and northern regions of Argentina do not show differences in the morphological characteristics and numbers of taxa.