In: Albanesi G. L., Beresi M. S. and Peralta S. H. (Eds.).

INSUGEO, Serie Correlación Geológica, 17: 191–237

Proceedings 9th ISOS Tucumán, 2003 – ISSN 1514–4186

First occurrence of Epiphyton, cyanobacteria from the

Middle Ordovician of the Ponón Trehue, Mendoza
Province, Argentina

Matilde BERESI 1 and Susana HEREDIA 2

Introduction

Outcrops of the Precordillera terrane, extend from latitude 29º S to 33º S, and
correlative rocks appear near San Rafael City (35º S / 68º 20 ‘ W) in the south of Mendoza
Province, Western Argentina (Figure 1a)(“Cuyania” of Ramos, 1995; Keller et al., 1996).
These lower Paleozoic exposures occur in the Sierra Pintada range, which represent the
San Rafael Block (Criado Roqué and Ibáñez, 1979). In the San Rafael Block the lowest
sedimentary unit is represented by the Ponón Trehué Formation, whose Llanvirn–Caradoc
deposits suggest shallow clastic to deep carbonate facies. Astini (1999) suggests that these
deposits represent an extensional episode postdating the collision of the Precordillera
terrane. The Ponón Trehué Formation overlies the Precambrian basement (Cerro La Ven-
tana Formation), which is composed of Grenvillian (Bordonaro et al., 1996) rocks: gneisses,
granitoids and siliciclastic metasediments. These rocks are alternatively overlain by
Ordovician (Ponón Trehué Formation) and Carboniferous strata (Pájaro Bobo Formation),
which present a northwest–southeast alignment. The relationship between the continental
reddish sedimentary rocks of Carboniferous age and the igneous–metamorphic Grenvillian
complex is tectonic, while the contact between the latter ones and the Ordovician clastic
sediments is an erosive unconformity (Criado Roqué and Ibáñez, 1979; Heredia, 1996). In
a recent study of this area, Astini (2002) considered that the limestones of the Ponón
Trehué Formation (sensu Bordonaro et al., 1996) were blocks and fragmentary carbonate
bodies discontinuously exposed floating in arkose conglomerate, in agreement with Heredia
(1998, 2001) and Beresi and Heredia (2000). We consider that the Ponón Trehué Formation
represents a depositional cycle. This formation involves two different deposits: the lower
one comprises coarse siliciclastic deposits (including olistoliths) and the upper one consists
of fine, dark carbonate–fine clastic deposits. The biostratigraphy of these Ordovician
outcrops has been based on conodont assemblages (Heredia, 1982; Bordonaro et al. 1996;
Heredia, 1996; Lehnert et al., 1999; Heredia, 2001; Cingolani and Heredia, 2001). The
conodont distribution in the Ponón Trehué Formation recognizes two biozones: the Pygodus
serra Zone and Pygodus anserinus Zone (Figure1b). Additional fossil materials recovered from
the sampling are brachiopods, sponge spicules (Beresi and Heredia, 2000), briozoos,
ostracodes, trilobites and algae fragments.

1
Cricyt, Ianigla, Avda. R.Leal s/n, 5500 Mendoza, Argentina. E–mail: mberesi@lab.cricyt.edu.ar,www.cricyt.edu.ar/
instituto/ianigla
2
Museo de Geología y Paleontología, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Buenos Aires 1400 (8300), Neuquén, Ar-
gentina. E–mail: sheredia@uncoma.edu.ar, www.uncoma.edu.ar/museo
 252

Figure 1. Scanning Electron Microscope microphotograph of Epiphyton sp., from Ponón Trehué Formation, Mendoza province, Argentina. Scale bar 0,1 mm.
CORRELACIÓN GEOLÓGICA Nº 17
FIRST OCCURRENCE OF EPIPHYTON, CYANOBACTERIA FROM THE MIDDLE ORDOVICIAN ... 253

The purpose of this study is to record for the first time the occurrence of Epiphyton in the
Ordovician carbonate platform of the Cuyania terrane. This cyanobacterium was recovered
from La Tortuga section (Middle Ordovician) of the Ponón Trehué region, southern Mendoza
province.

Ponón Trehué Formation in La Tortuga Section

This is a normally graded siliciclastic–carbonate succession, 25 m in thickness (Figure 1b).

The basement of the La Tortuga section is composed of metamorphic rocks (Criado Roqué
and Ibáñez, 1979), which are Grenvillian in age. An erosive surface separates it from the
Ordovician sedimentary rocks. A normally graded, very thick conglomerate that contains pebbles
and blocks derived from the underlying rocks occurs at the base of the unit. It passes transitionally
into very thick sandstones with carbonate cement that show thick parallel laminations. They are
also normally graded with thick grains of quartz chaotically interbedded among fine silts. These
dark gray to black siliciclastic–carbonate beds exhibit remains of crinoids, trilobites and
brachiopods on the bedding plane surface. Progressively to the top, the beds are thinner (1 to 2
cm in thickness) and laminated–normally–graded carbonate sandstones are recognized.
Transitionally, thin dark limestone beds occur, and grade into slumped limestones and black
shales beds, with floating isolated rounded clasts of quartz. The top of this succession is truncated
by faulting.
The Ponón Trehué Formation is characterized by an increasing amount of carbonate ma-
terial towards–the top. The sequence represents a transition from a predominantly coarse clastic
shallow regime (Astini, 2002) to a predominantly clinoform deep–water carbonate regime
(Heredia and Beresi, 2000; Beresi and Heredia, 2000; Heredia, 2001; Astini, 2002).

Material and methods

Sampling was restricted to carbonate layers. These limestones were subject to the standard procedure for
conodonts (Stone, 1987). The insoluble residue was recovered with sieve nº100 and 200 IRAM. Only two
samples (T12 and T14) yielded Epiphyton specimens which were separated using a binocular microscope. So
far, 15 specimens have been collected. The preservation of the specimens is good; despite their frequently being
incomplete.

Systematic Paleontology

Epiphyton sp.
Plate 1
1. External morphology:
a. Skeleton: calcareous dendritic, elongate, dichotomously branching
b. Stem: straight, elongate, diameter: 0.2 mm, length: 0.6mm
c. Main Branches: diameter:0.4,0–5,0.8mm, length .0.3–0.5mm, angles acute: 45 º
d. Secondary branches: diameter: 0.1 mm, Length: fragmentary 0.2mm
Occurrence: Present in samples PT 12 and PT 14 of the Ponón Trehué Formation, La Tor-
tuga section, San Rafael Block, southern Mendoza province, Argentina.
254 CORRELACIÓN GEOLÓGICA Nº 17

Plate1. Scanning Electron Microscope microphotograph of Epiphyton sp., from Ponón Trehué Formation,
Mendoza province, Argentina. Scale bar 0,1 mm.

Remarks: Specimens are well preserved, especially the one illustrated. They have a radial
branching pattern with the marked distal multiplication of branches commonly observed in the
genus.

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Received: February 15, 2003

Accepted: June 15, 2003