Cerro Ballena: Tortonian - Messinian, Chile

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Mammalia - Nothrotheriidae
Thalassocnus natans Muizon and McDonald 1995
1 individual
Mammalia - Carnivora - Phocidae
Phocidae indet. (Gray 1821)
1 individual
original and current combination Phocadae
Australophoca changorum Valenzuela-Toro et al. 2016
Valenzuela-Toro et al. 2016 1 specimen
Acrophoca sp. Muizon 1981
2 individuals
Mammalia - Cetacea
Delphinoidea indet. Flower 1865
1 individual
Mammalia - Cetacea - Odobenocetopsidae
Odobenocetops sp. Muizon 1993
1 individual
Mammalia - Cetacea
Physeteroidea indet. Gray 1868
1 individual
Mammalia - Cetacea - Balaenopteridae
Balaenopteridae indet. Gray 1864
31 individuals
Actinopteri - Istiophoriformes - Xiphiidae
Xiphiidae indet. Swainson 1839
1 individual
Actinopteri - Istiophoriformes - Istiophoridae
Istiophoridae indet.
1 individual
Chondrichthyes - Lamniformes - Lamnidae
Carcharodon hastalis (Agassiz 1838)
2 individuals
see common names

Geography
Country:Chile
Coordinates: 27.0° South, 70.8° West (view map)
Paleocoordinates:27.3° South, 68.8° West
Basis of coordinate:stated in text
Geographic resolution:local area
Time
Period:Neogene Epoch:Miocene
10 m.y. bin:Cenozoic 6
Key time interval:Tortonian - Messinian
Age range of interval:11.63000 - 5.33300 m.y. ago
Stratigraphy
Formation:Bahía Inglesa
Stratigraphic resolution:group of beds
Stratigraphy comments: the strata in Cerro Ballena were deposited at a time period in between the deposition of the ELJ and MTM horizons of the Pisco Formation. Thus, we infer a Late Miocene age (or Late Tortonian to Early Messinian stage) for the Bah ́ıa Inglesa Formation part of the section at Cerro Ballena
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology:very fine,fine sandstone
Includes fossils?Y
Lithology description: fine to very fine-grained sandstones
Environment:lagoonal/restricted shallow subtidal
Geology comments: The assemblage at Cerro Ballena shares specific features with HAB-mediated mass strandings.

lagoonal/restricted shallow subtidal, submarine canyon, upper continental slope to outer shelf
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body,original phosphate
Size of fossils:macrofossils
Collection methods and comments
Collection methods:surface (in situ),field collection
Reason for describing collection:general faunal/floral analysis
Metadata
Database number:154642
Authorizer:M. Uhen Enterer:M. Uhen
Modifier:G. Varnham Research group:vertebrate
Created:2014-02-27 18:04:52 Last modified:2022-03-02 04:12:28
Access level:the public Released:2014-02-27 18:04:52
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:
50270. N. D. Pyenson, C. S. Gutstein, J. F. Parham, J. P. Le Roux, C. C. Chavarría, H. Little, A. Metallo, V. Rossi, A. M. Valenzuela-Toro, J. Velez-Juarbe, C. M. Santelli, D. R. Rogers, M. A. Cozzuol and M. E. Suárez. 2014. Repeated mass strandings of Miocene marine mammals from Atacama Region of Chile point to sudden death at sea. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 281(1781):20133316 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen/M. Uhen]

Secondary references:

77279 C. S. Gutstein, F. E. Horwitz, A. M. Valenzuela-Toro and C. P. Figueroa-Bravo. 2015. Cetáceos fósiles de Chile: Contexto evolutivo y paleobiogeográfico. Publicación Ocasional del Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Chile 63:339-383 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]
77272 A. Valenzuela Toro and C. Gutstein. 2015. Mamíferos marinos (Excepto Cetáceos) fósiles de Chile. Publicación Ocasional del Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Chile 63:385-400 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]
57210 A. Valenzuela-Toro, N. D. Pyenson, C. S. Gutstein and M. E. Suarez. 2016. A new dwarf seal from the Late Neogene of South America and the evolution of pinnipeds in the southern hemisphere. Papers in Palaeontology 2(1):101-115 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen/M. Uhen]