Santana Formation

The Santana Formation is a Lagerstätte in northeastern Brazil's Araripe Basin where the states of Pernambuco, Piaui and Ceara come together. The geological formation, named after the village of Santana do Cariri, lies at the base of the Araripe Plateau. The strata were laid down during the early Cretaceous, specifically during the late Aptian to Cenomanian , 108 to 92 million years ago, in a shallow inland sea.

What makes the Santana Formation extraordinary are above all its spectacularly well-preserved fossil fishes, some 25 species. Even the contents of their stomachs are preserved, permitting paleotologists to establish predator-prey relationships in this ecosystem. There are also fine examples of [[pterosaur[[s, reptiles and amphibians, invertebrates (particularly insects), plants. Even dinosaurs are represented: a new maniraptor was described in 1996. The unusual taphonomy of the site resulted in limestone accretions that formed nodules around dead organisms, preserving even soft parts of their anatomy.

A considerable local industry has developed, selling these beautiful fossils to collectors.

External link

• [http://palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/Palaeofiles/Lagerstatten/santana/ Santana Formation fossils
• geol/jgs/1996/00000153/00000001/15310005 "A new crested maniraptoran dinosaur from the Santana Formation"
• American Museum of Natural History: Brazilian fossil fishes