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{{Infobox rockunit
| name           = Plottier Formation
| image          =
| caption        =
| type           = [[Geological formation]]
| period         = Coniacian
| age            = late [[Coniacian]]-early [[Santonian]]<br />~{{fossil range|86|85}}
| prilithology   = [[Claystone]]
| otherlithology = [[Sandstone]]
| namedfor       = [[Plottier]]
| namedby        = Fossa Mancini ''et al.''
| year_ts        = 1938
| region         = [[Mendoza Province|Mendoza]], [[Neuquén Province|Neuquén]] & [[Río Negro Province]]s
| country        = {{ARG}}
| coordinates    = {{coord|37.4|S|69.1|W|display=inline,title}}
| paleocoordinates = {{coord|42.2|S|49.4|W|display=inline}}
| unitof         = [[Neuquén Group]]<br />&nbsp;[[Río Neuquén Subgroup]]
| subunits       =
| underlies      = [[Río Colorado Subgroup]]<br />&nbsp;[[Bajo de la Carpa Formation]]
| overlies       = [[Sierra Barrosa Formation]]
| thickness      = Up to {{convert|25|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| extent         = [[Neuquén Basin]]
| area           =
| map            = {{Location map+ | Argentina
| relief = 1
| width   = 250
| float   = center
| places  =
  {{Location map~ | Argentina
  | lat_deg = -37.4
  | lon_deg = -69.1
  | mark = Lightgreen pog.svg
  | marksize = 12
  }}
}}
| map_caption    =
}}

The '''Plottier Formation''' is a [[geologic formation]] that [[outcrop]]s in the [[Argentina|Argentine]] [[Patagonia]]n provinces of [[Río Negro Province|Río Negro]] and [[Neuquén Province|Neuquén]]. It is the younger of two formations belonging to the [[Río Neuquén Subgroup]] within the [[Neuquén Group]] of the [[Neuquén Basin]], with the oldest rocks dating from the late [[Coniacian]] and its youngest maybe from the very start of the [[Santonian]]. Formerly, that subgroup was treated as a formation, and the Plottier Formation was known as the '''Plottier Member'''.<ref name="Sanchez etal 2006">Sánchez ''et al.'', 2006</ref>

== Description ==
A section near the [[Neuquén|Neuquén City]] [[airport]], north of the town of [[Plottier]], is the type locality of the Plottier Formation.<ref>Fossa Mancini ''et al.'', 1938</ref> At its base, this formation grades into the [[Portezuelo Formation]], and it is in turn overlain [[unconformity|conformably]] by the [[Bajo de la Carpa Formation]], a unit of the Río Colorado Subgroup.

The Plottier Formation is the thinnest formation within the Neuquén Group, with a maximum thickness of only {{convert|25|m|ft}}. It is differentiated from the underlying [[Portezuelo Formation]] primarily by its higher content of [[argillite]]s (mud deposits) and was deposited under [[fluvial]] conditions. In 2006, a detailed [[Lithostratigraphy|lithostratigraphic]] and [[paleoecology|paleoecological]] study of a section of the Plottier Formation was published. This section contained [[alluvial]] deposits laid down by what was essentially a low-gradient [[Channel types|wandering river]] throughout the [[mya (unit)|millions of years]], but often was of a single-channel type with little [[meander]]ing.<ref name="Leanza etal 2004">Leanza ''et al.'', 2004</ref><ref name="Sanchez etal 2006" />

== Fossil content ==
Few [[animal]] fossils are known from this formation, including:<ref>[http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?action=collectionSearch&geological_group=Neuqu%E9n&formation=Plottier Plottier Formation] at [[Fossilworks]].org</ref>
* [[Titanosauria|Titanosaurian]] [[Sauropoda|sauropods]] (including ''[[Antarctosaurus|"Antarctosaurus" giganteus]]'',<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Reguero|first1=Marcelo|last2=Otero|first2=Alejandro|date=March 8, 2013|title=Dinosaurs (Reptilia, Archosauria) at Museo de La Plata, Argentina: annotated catalogue of the type material and Antarctic specimens|journal=Palaeontologia Electronica|language=en|volume=16|issue=1|pages=1–24|doi=10.26879/352|issn=1094-8074|doi-access=free|hdl=11336/13790|hdl-access=free}}</ref> ''[[Petrobrasaurus|Petrobrasaurus puestohernandezi]]'',<ref>[http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=collectionSearch&collection_no=117450 ''Petrobrasaurus puestohernandezi'' type] at [[Fossilworks]].org</ref> ''[[Muyelensaurus|Muyelensaurus pecheni]]'' and ''[[Notocolossus|Notocolossus gonzalezparejasi]]''<ref>{{cite journal|author=Flavio Bellardini, Mattia Antonio Baiano, Francisco Barrios, Borja Holgado|date=2018|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322804790|title=New Titanosauria (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) remains from the Upper Cretaceous (Plottier Fm) of the southern Neuquén Basin (Patagonia, Argentina)|journal=Journal of Iberian Geology|volume=44|issue=1|pages=75–84 |doi=10.1007/s41513-018-0047-5|bibcode=2018JIbG...44...75B }}</ref><ref>[http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=collectionSearch&collection_no=175912 ''Notocolossus gonzalezparejasi'' type locality] at [[Fossilworks]].org</ref>)
* A large basal [[Coelurosauria|coelurosaurian]] [[Theropoda|theropod]]
* An [[Azhdarchidae|azhdarchid]] [[pterosaur]], [[Thanatosdrakon|''Thanatosdrakon amaru'']]
* An [[Elasmaria|elasmarian]] [[Ornithopoda|ornithopod]], [[Macrogryphosaurus|''Macrogryphosaurus gondwanicus'']]<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Rozadilla |first1=Sebastián |last2=Cruzado-Caballero |first2=Penélope |last3=Calvo |first3=Jorge O. |date=April 2020 |title=Osteology of Ornithopod Macrogryphosaurus gondwanicus (Dinosauria, Ornithischia) from the Upper Cretaceous of Patagonia, Argentina |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0195667119302460 |journal=Cretaceous Research |language=en |volume=108 |pages=104311 |doi=10.1016/j.cretres.2019.104311|bibcode=2020CrRes.10804311R |s2cid=213679041 }}</ref>
* [[Chelidae|chelid turtles]] ''[[Linderochelys|Linderochelys rinconensis]]'' and ''[[Rionegrochelys|Rionegrochelys caldieroi]]''
* [[Abelisauridae]]<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Hendrickx|first1=Christophe|last2=Tschopp|first2=Emanuel|last3=Ezcurra|first3=Martín d.|date=2020-04-01|title=Taxonomic identification of isolated theropod teeth: The case of the shed tooth crown associated with Aerosteon (Theropoda: Megaraptora) and the dentition of Abelisauridae|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195667118303860|journal=Cretaceous Research|language=en|volume=108|pages=104312|doi=10.1016/j.cretres.2019.104312|bibcode=2020CrRes.10804312H |s2cid=210268523 |issn=0195-6671}}</ref>
* [[Unenlagiinae]]
* [[Ornithopoda]]
* [[Aeolosaurini]]<ref>{{cite journal|author=L. Filippi, Agustin G. Martinelli, Alberto Garrido|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255172783|title=Registro de un dinosaurio Aeolosaurini (Sauropoda, Titanosauria) en el Cretácico Superior (Formación Anacleto) del norte de la provincia de Neuquén, Argentina, y comentarios sobre aeolosaurinos sudamericanos|date=2013|journal=Revista Brasileira de Paleontologia|volume=16|issue=1|page=147-156|doi=10.4072/rbp.2013.1.11|doi-access=free}}</ref>
* [[Saltasauridae]]
* [[Mesoeucrocodylia]]
* [[Crocodyliformes]]
* [[Ichnofossil]]s
** ''[[Scoyenia|Scoyenia sp.]]''
** ''[[Taenidium|Taenidium sp.]]''
* at least one [[mammal]]

There are also [[ichnofossil]]s left on the river's mudflats, as well as fossil [[freshwater]] [[bivalve]]s.<ref name="Sanchez etal 2006" />

== See also ==
* [[List of fossil sites]]
* [[List of dinosaur bearing rock formations]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|20em}}

=== Bibliography ===
* {{aut|Chiappe, Luis M.}} (1993): Enantiornithine (Aves) Tarsometatarsi from the Cretaceous Lecho Formation of Northwestern Argentina. ''American Museum Novitates'' '''3083''': 1-27. [English with Spanish abstract] [http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/bitstream/2246/4981/1/N3083.pdf PDF fulltext]
* {{aut|Coria, Rodolfo A.; Currie, Philip J.; Eberth, David & Garrido, Alberto}} (2002): Bird footprints from the Anacleto Formation (Late Cretaceous), Neuquén, Argentina. ''Ameghiniana'' '''39'''(4): 453-463. [English with Spanish abstract] [https://web.archive.org/web/20061124234955/http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/faculty/philip_currie/uploads/pdfs/2002/2002Bird_Footprints.PDF PDF fulltext]
* {{Cite journal |last1=Fossa Mancini |first1=E. |author2-link=Egidio Feruglio |last2=Feruglio |first2=E. |last3=Yussen de Campana |first3=J.C. |year=1938 |title=Una reunión de geólogos de YPF y el problema de la terminología estratigráfica |language=es |trans-title=A YPF geologists' reunion and the problem of stratigraphy terminology |journal=Boletín de Informaciones Petroleras |volume=15 |pages=1–67}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Leanza |first1=H.A. |last2=Apesteguia |first2=S. |author3-link=Fernando Novas |last3=Novas |first3=F.E. |last4=De la Fuente |first4=M.S. |year=2004 |title=Cretaceous terrestrial beds from the Neuquén Basin (Argentina) and their tetrapod assemblages |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257047651 |journal=[[Cretaceous Research]] |volume=25 |issue=1 |pages=61–87 |doi=10.1016/j.cretres.2003.10.005 |bibcode=2004CrRes..25...61L |accessdate=2019-02-16}}
* {{aut|Lockley, Martin; Matsukawa, Masaki; Ohira, Hiroto; Li, Jianjun; Wright, Joanna; White, Diane & Chen, Peiji}} (2006): Bird tracks from Liaoning Province, China: New insights into avian evolution during the Jurassic-Cretaceous transition. ''Cretaceous Research'' '''27'''(1): 33-43. <small>{{doi|10.1016/j.cretres.2005.10.007}}</small> (HTML abstract). '''Erratum''': <small>{{doi|10.1016/j.cretres.2008.06.002}}</small>
* {{aut|Salgado, L.; Coria, R.A. & Chiappe, Luis M.}} (2005): Osteology of the sauropod embryos from the Upper Cretaceous of Patagonia. ''Acta Palaeontologica Polonica'' '''50'''(1): 79–92. [http://www.app.pan.pl/archive/published/app50/app50-079.pdf PDF fulltext]
* {{Cite journal |last1=Sánchez |first1=María Lidia |last2=Heredia |first2=Susana |last3=Calvo |first3=Jorge O. |year=2006 |title=Paleoambientes sedimentarios del Cretácico Superior de la Formación Plottier (Grupo Neuquén), Departamento Confluencia, Neuquén |language=es |trans-title=Sedimentary paleoenvironments in the Upper Cretaceous Plottier Formation (Neuquen Group), Confluencia, Neuquén |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262615949 |journal=[[Revista de la Asociación Geológica Argentina]] |volume=61 |pages=3–18 |accessdate=2019-02-16}}

== Further reading ==
{{commonscat|Plottier Formation}}
* A. B. Arcucci, L. S. Filippi, and J. O. Calvo. 2011. "Un nuevo Mesoeucrocodylia Cretácio del norte de la Cuenca Neuquina, Argentina" ["A new Cretaceous Mesoeucrocodylia from the north of the Neuquen Basin, Argentina"]. ''Revista Brasileira de Paleontologia'' (in Spanish). 14(1):51–60.
*  L. S. Filippi, J. I. Canudo, J. L. Salgado, A. Garrido, R. García, I. Cerda, and A. Otero. 2011. "A new sauropod titanosaur from the Plottier Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Patagonia (Argentina)". ''Geologica Acta'' 9(1):1–12.
* B. J. González Riga, M. C. Lamanna, L. D. Ortiz David, J. O. Calvo, and J. P. Coria. 2016. "A gigantic new dinosaur from Argentina and the evolution of the sauropod hind foot". ''Scientific Reports'' 6:19165:1–15.

[[Category:Geologic formations of Argentina]]
[[Category:Neuquén Group]]
[[Category:Upper Cretaceous Series of South America]]
[[Category:Cretaceous Argentina]]
[[Category:Coniacian Stage]]
[[Category:Shale formations]]
[[Category:Sandstone formations]]
[[Category:Alluvial deposits]]
[[Category:Fluvial deposits]]
[[Category:Fossiliferous stratigraphic units of South America]]
[[Category:Paleontology in Argentina]]
[[Category:Geology of Neuquén Province]]
[[Category:Geology of Río Negro Province]]