Tzimol, a Campanian marine paleontological site of the Angostura Formation near Comitán, Chiapas, southeastern Mexico

This manuscript reports the discovery of Tzimol. This is a new paleontological site of Campanian age belonging to the Angostura Formation that is quarried with commercial purposes by local people of the Ochuxhob town, Municipality of Tzimol, Chiapas, Mexico. The fossil assemblage recovered from Tzim...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cretaceous research 2020-03, Vol.107, p.104279, Article 104279
Main Authors: Alvarado-Ortega, Jesús, Cantalice, Kleyton Magno, Martínez-Melo, Alejandra, García-Barrera, Pedro, Than-Marchese, Bruno Andrés, Díaz-Cruz, Jesús Alberto, Barrientos-Lara, Jair Israel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Angostura formation
Campanian
Earth Sciences
Lagesrtätte
Mexico
Paleontology
Sciences of the Universe
Tzimol
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Summary:This manuscript reports the discovery of Tzimol. This is a new paleontological site of Campanian age belonging to the Angostura Formation that is quarried with commercial purposes by local people of the Ochuxhob town, Municipality of Tzimol, Chiapas, Mexico. The fossil assemblage recovered from Tzimol is rich, diverse, and contains well-preserved specimens, which allows to identify this site as a new Lagerstätte in the southeastern end of North America. The assemblage includes microfossils as foraminifera and algae; as well as macrofossils of plants, vertebrates, and invertebrates. The plants are represented by possible fruits, leaves, and remains of conifers and palms. The invertebrates include scarce bivalves, gastropods, scaphopods, and echinoderms. The vertebrates are mainly different groups of fishes and a single mosasaur. Among these, the fossils as far identified include echinoid belonging to indeterminate hemiasterids, the rudist Radiolites acutocostata that support the Campanian age of these strata, fish remains of Nursallia, Saurodon, and Enchodus previously known in Mexico, as well as the first discovery of Apuliadercetis in America. Here, fishes are the best-preserved fossils, their bones are often articulated or otherwise scattered very close, and under UV light, large fishes show phosphatized muscles preserved. The lithological features and fossil diversity observed in Tzimol suggest that it was deposited into a marine environment shallow and of low energy, like a lagoon.
ISSN:0195-6671
1095-998X
DOI:10.1016/j.cretres.2019.104279