First dinosaur tracks from the Açu Formation, Potiguar Basin (mid-Cretaceous of Brazil)

We record a new ichnosite bearing dinosaur tracks from the mid-Cretaceous (Aptian? -Cenomanian) of Brazil. The Fazenda dos Pingos ichnosite is situated within a sandstone pavement of the Açu Formation (Açu 3 unit) from the Potiguar Basin in the State of Rio Grande do Norte. This is a small ichnofauna, with only a few individual isolated tracks. One specimen is unequivocally attributed to a large sauropod and another to an ornithopod. Two other specimens represent poorly preserved tracks assigned to sauropods. This is the first record of dinosaur tracks from the Potiguar Basin and from the Rio Grande do Norte State.

Key words
tracks; dinosaur; Açu Formation; Potiguar Basin; mid-Cretaceous

Authorship

GIUSEPPE LEONARDI

Instituto Cavanis, Dorsoduro, 898, 30123, Venezia, VE, ItalyInstituto CavanisItalyVenezia, VE, ItalyInstituto Cavanis, Dorsoduro, 898, 30123, Venezia, VE, Italy

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0592-693X

MARIA DE FÁTIMA C.F. DOS SANTOS

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Museu Câmara Cascudo, Avenida Hermes da Fonseca, 1398, Tirol, 59015-001 Natal, RN, Brazil Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do NorteBrazilNatal, RN, BrazilUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Museu Câmara Cascudo, Avenida Hermes da Fonseca, 1398, Tirol, 59015-001 Natal, RN, Brazil

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6322-2810

FERNANDO HENRIQUE DE S. BARBOSA

Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Departamento de Estratigrafia e Paleontologia, Faculdade de Geologia, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, Maracanã, 20550013 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilUniversidade do Estado do Rio de JaneiroBrazilRio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilUniversidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Departamento de Estratigrafia e Paleontologia, Faculdade de Geologia, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, Maracanã, 20550013 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9738-2468

Correspondence to: Fernando Henrique de Souza Barbosa E-mail: fhsbarbosa@gmail.com

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS

GL: supervised the work, prepared the manuscript and discussed the results. MFCFS: discovered the ichnosite, wrote part of the manuscript and discussed part of results. FHSB: wrote part of manuscript, provided illustrations and discussed part of results.

SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Instituto Cavanis, Dorsoduro, 898, 30123, Venezia, VE, ItalyInstituto CavanisItalyVenezia, VE, ItalyInstituto Cavanis, Dorsoduro, 898, 30123, Venezia, VE, Italy

Figures | Tables

Figures (5)
Tables (1)

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Figure 1
Map of the Brazilian northeastern basins with the main occurrences of dinosaur tracks (a), map of Potiguar Basin with localization oh the paleontological sites [tracks and bones] (b) and simplified stratigraphic section of the Potiguar Basin (c; modified from Pessoa Neto et al. 2007). Abbreviations: AL, Alagoas; ALG, Alagamar; BRS, Barreiras; CE, Ceará; DpE, Depositional Environment; Fm, Formation (litostratigraphic unit); GMR, Guamaré; Gr, Group (litostratigraphic unit); JD, Jandaíra; Mya, million years; MC, Macau; PB, Paraíba; PCD, Pescada; PD, Pendência; PE, Pernambuco; PI, Piauí; QBD, Quebradas; RN, Rio Grande do Norte; TB, Tibau; UBN, Ubarana.

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Figure 2
Partial view of a sandstone section with make-up characteristic of the Açu Formation, which occurs close to the new ichnosite bearing dinosaur tracks. Arcosean composition, medium to coarse texture, well selected, showing large tabular cross-stratifications (tangential at the base and truncated at the top). It is interpreted as braided river channel (a); This cavern, called Gruta dos Pingos is a good reference mark to find the rocky pavement with the dinosaur tracks (b); The tracks are located on the surface of a plateau more or less 15 m over the “ceiling” of the cavern of Pingos (c); An aspect of the structure (trough cross stratification) of the Açu Formation layers on the wall between the Gruta dos Pingos and the track bearing surface (d); and the environment of the Pingos farm is the typical Brazilian northeastern “caatinga”, with xique-xique cacti, (Pilocereus gounellei), pereiro trees (Aspidosperma pyrifolium) and the macambiras (Bromeliaceae, Bromelia laciniosa); and a lot of stone (e). The hammer for a graphic scale = 28 cm.

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Figure 3
This is a fine and large sauropod hind-footprint (AÇPI 1), rather deeply imprinted. It produced a large and high displacement rim, especially large in front of the track, and there it probably covered the whole corresponding fore-footprint, which is not seen (a); Interpretative drawing of the same sauropod hind-track AÇPI 1 (b); The solid thick line represents the footprint’s outline: the thin lines indicate anatomical details and the outline of the displacement rim. The hatched surface represents the eroded portion of the footprint’s sole; The probable sauropod hind-footprint AÇPI 2 (c); and the probable sauropod hind-footprint AÇPI 3 (d). All of them from the same ichnosite, at Pingos farm.

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Figure 5
Art reconstruction of the trace producers, showing the probable living environment of the animals (Art by Guilherme Gehr).

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Figure 4
The deep ornithopod footprint AÇPI 4, probably a left one (a); Interpretative drawing of the same ornithopod hind-track (b); Solid thick lines indicate footprint outline. Thin lines indicate anatomical details and the outline of the displacement rim; and for comparison, some unnamed tracks attributed to ornithopods from the Early Cretaceous (Hauterivian-Barremian, local stage Aratu) of the Sousa Basin, from the Mãe d’Água ichnosite, Rio Piranhas Formation, Western Paraíba, Brazil (Redrawn from Leonardi, 1987b) (c).

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Table I
Track measurements of specimens identified at Fazenda dos Pingos ichnosite (Açu Formation).

Figure 1 Map of the Brazilian northeastern basins with the main occurrences of dinosaur tracks (a), map of Potiguar Basin with localization oh the paleontological sites [tracks and bones] (b) and simplified stratigraphic section of the Potiguar Basin (c; modified from Pessoa Neto et al. 2007). Abbreviations: AL, Alagoas; ALG, Alagamar; BRS, Barreiras; CE, Ceará; DpE, Depositional Environment; Fm, Formation (litostratigraphic unit); GMR, Guamaré; Gr, Group (litostratigraphic unit); JD, Jandaíra; Mya, million years; MC, Macau; PB, Paraíba; PCD, Pescada; PD, Pendência; PE, Pernambuco; PI, Piauí; QBD, Quebradas; RN, Rio Grande do Norte; TB, Tibau; UBN, Ubarana.

Figure 2 Partial view of a sandstone section with make-up characteristic of the Açu Formation, which occurs close to the new ichnosite bearing dinosaur tracks. Arcosean composition, medium to coarse texture, well selected, showing large tabular cross-stratifications (tangential at the base and truncated at the top). It is interpreted as braided river channel (a); This cavern, called Gruta dos Pingos is a good reference mark to find the rocky pavement with the dinosaur tracks (b); The tracks are located on the surface of a plateau more or less 15 m over the “ceiling” of the cavern of Pingos (c); An aspect of the structure (trough cross stratification) of the Açu Formation layers on the wall between the Gruta dos Pingos and the track bearing surface (d); and the environment of the Pingos farm is the typical Brazilian northeastern “caatinga”, with xique-xique cacti, (Pilocereus gounellei), pereiro trees (Aspidosperma pyrifolium) and the macambiras (Bromeliaceae, Bromelia laciniosa); and a lot of stone (e). The hammer for a graphic scale = 28 cm.

Figure 3 This is a fine and large sauropod hind-footprint (AÇPI 1), rather deeply imprinted. It produced a large and high displacement rim, especially large in front of the track, and there it probably covered the whole corresponding fore-footprint, which is not seen (a); Interpretative drawing of the same sauropod hind-track AÇPI 1 (b); The solid thick line represents the footprint’s outline: the thin lines indicate anatomical details and the outline of the displacement rim. The hatched surface represents the eroded portion of the footprint’s sole; The probable sauropod hind-footprint AÇPI 2 (c); and the probable sauropod hind-footprint AÇPI 3 (d). All of them from the same ichnosite, at Pingos farm.

Figure 5 Art reconstruction of the trace producers, showing the probable living environment of the animals (Art by Guilherme Gehr).

Figure 4 The deep ornithopod footprint AÇPI 4, probably a left one (a); Interpretative drawing of the same ornithopod hind-track (b); Solid thick lines indicate footprint outline. Thin lines indicate anatomical details and the outline of the displacement rim; and for comparison, some unnamed tracks attributed to ornithopods from the Early Cretaceous (Hauterivian-Barremian, local stage Aratu) of the Sousa Basin, from the Mãe d’Água ichnosite, Rio Piranhas Formation, Western Paraíba, Brazil (Redrawn from Leonardi, 1987b) (c).

Table I Track measurements of specimens identified at Fazenda dos Pingos ichnosite (Açu Formation).

Code	Hind-track length (cm)	Hind-track max. width (cm)	Depth of the track	Thickness of the displacement rim	Max width of the displacement rim
AÇPI 1	82	60	3-5 cm	~ 5-7 cm	40 cm
AÇPI 2	84,4	51,2	---	~ 1 cm	---
AÇPI 3	66,7	32	---	~ 1 cm	---
AÇPI 4	59	50	20-23 cm	~7-8 cm	20 cm

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First dinosaur tracks from the Açu Formation, Potiguar Basin (mid-Cretaceous of Brazil)

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[1] Correspondence to: Fernando Henrique de Souza Barbosa E-mail: fhsbarbosa@gmail.com