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El Brete, Trancas, Trancas Department, Tucumán Province, Argentinai
Regional Level Types
El Brete- not defined -
TrancasMunicipality
Trancas DepartmentDepartment
Tucumán ProvinceProvince
ArgentinaCountry

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PhotosMapsSearch
Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
26° 3' 33'' South , 65° 21' 47'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Nearest Settlements:
PlacePopulationDistance
Trancas6,658 (2015)19.0km


History:
Some years ago, the National Atomic Energy Commission, has worked in Tucumán province of an aerial survey to determine areas of anomalies. In this regard were made numerous flights by pointing out areas of radioactive anomalies. Fossil organic remains identified initially as bones, in the district Tucumán-Salta of the Trancas Department were found in the area of "El Brete". These fossils were mineralized with strong radioactivity as a result of the impregnation of solutions of uranium.

A ground survey of the area was conducted in an expedition made in 1972 by Raúl Tauber. From the place called "El Brete" on the neighbourhood road continued 300 meters up the bridge over the Clavisán stream and from there, about 100 meters downstream, to the mouth of the Creek in the Tala River. From that point back the Tala River upstream and after travelling about 1000 meters appear in the territory of Salta the first Canyon from a height ranging between 40 and 50 meters with fossils. About two miles above this last point appears a small hill of characteristic shape and which can be seen along the route of the River, which features 50 metres of the same, in the territory of Salta, a cliff edge in which were found abundant fossils impregnated with uranium solutions and fine sandstone banks and you clay consolidated carriers in some sectors of Mirabilite appearing as radiated white efflorescence.
On the other hand, is toured a sector of the El Brete ranch where limestone banks met with Calcite and fossils impregnated with strong radioactivity.
This area was considered by experts as the greatest single fossils deposit discovered thus far in the Argentine Northwest.

Dinosaurs:
The original discovery was made at the end of the 1970s in the 20th century, they were a group of 6 incomplete skeletons of dinosaurs. They were found in the Balbuena subgroup of the Salta of El Brete Formation. It is located in the vicinity of the Arroyo Gonzales at the ranch "El Brete", West of the route No. 9, 11 kilometres from "El Tala" of the Department La Candelaria of the Salta province, near the border with Tucumán. The area attracted attention in 1960 when fragments of bones were found. In 1975 was formed a paleontological expedition organized by the Miguel Lillo Foundation and conducted by Dr Bonaparte, and focused on the top of a hill covered with trees. For two years the excavation continued with the support of many organizations including the CONICET, Chapman Foundation and the municipality of research of the National University of Tucumán. In 1977 Bonaparte reported the discovery and the geological characteristics of the region, with Powell reporting the presence of sauropods, carnosaurs, coelurosaurian and birds. The description of the genus was made in 1980.

Saltasaurus eggs:
A great nesting area was found in two expeditions, in 1997 and in 1999 by the palaeontologists, Luis Chiappe, Rodolfo Coria and Lowell Dingus. The region was called "Auca Mahuevo" and was kept secret, to be able to preserve the fossils from looters.
The eggs have a diameter of 11 to 12 cms. and within them were found embryos fossilized skin impressions, although there was no indication of feathers or skin spines. One interesting thing is that the first fossil has been found with an "egg tooth", this is a structure used to assist in the hatching. This structure appears in the current turtles, crocodiles and in some birds, but in contrast to this is mesodermic, not ectodermic. It is a structure of bone, unlike a real tooth, which was at the end more dorsorostral of the snout. The difference of embryonic origin, also shows a clear case of convergent evolution is preserved the testácea membrane which is attached to the shell. The place had a shape similar to the nesting colonies that are usually seen between birds and turtles. Each nest was separated from the rest by two or three meters. Nests are reminded of the crocodiles, where they receive the warmth for the incubation of the decay of organic matter to form.
These eggs have been assigned to Saltasaurus. Several hundred females apparently dug holes, laid their eggs and then buried them under dirt and vegetation. This provides evidence of behaviour in herds, who along with his armour, may have been a defence against large predators like the Abelisaurus and Aucasaurus.

Hydroxylapatite:
Some fossils like as Teeth fossils horse(Hippidion from Pleistocene), fragments of tusks and bones of Mastodon(Stegomastodon Superbus from Pleistocene), and remains bone of Glyptodon Clavipes, were found in the ravines of the Tala River, in the area of "El Brete", mineralized with Hydroxylapatite [Ca5 (PO4) 3 (OH)], with radioactive nature in some specimens, where the U replaces the Ca with a record of 0.14% U3O8. In some cases coloured to brown by iron oxides.

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Mineral List


7 valid minerals.

Detailed Mineral List:

Aragonite
Formula: CaCO3
Reference: Raúl J. Tauber Larry´s collection;
Aragonite var. Flos Ferri
Formula: CaCO3
Reference: Raúl J. Tauber Larry´s collection;
Azurite
Formula: Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2
Reference: Raúl Jorge Tauber Larry
Calcite
Formula: CaCO3
Reference: Raúl Jorge Tauber Larry;
Hydroxylapatite
Formula: Ca5(PO4)3(OH)
Reference: Linares, E. y Toubes, R.O., 1960. Los minerales radiaoctivos de la República Argentina. 1ras Jornadas Geológicas Argentinas, 3:191-205.
'Iron Ochre'
Reference: Raúl Jorge Tauber Larry
'Limonite'
Reference: Raúl Jorge Tauber Larry´s collection
Malachite
Formula: Cu2(CO3)(OH)2
Reference: Raúl Jorge Tauber Larry
'Meta-autunite Group'
Formula: A1-2(UO2)2(TO4)2 · 5-10H2O
Reference: Raúl Jorge Tauber Larry´s collection
Mirabilite
Formula: Na2SO4 · 10H2O
Reference: Raúl Jorge Tauber Larry
Uraninite
Formula: UO2
Reference: Raúl Jorge Tauber Larry´s collection

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides
Uraninite4.DL.05UO2
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
Aragonite5.AB.15CaCO3
var. Flos Ferri5.AB.15CaCO3
Azurite5.BA.05Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2
Calcite5.AB.05CaCO3
Malachite5.BA.10Cu2(CO3)(OH)2
Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates
Mirabilite7.CD.10Na2SO4 · 10H2O
Group 8 - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates
Hydroxylapatite8.BN.05Ca5(PO4)3(OH)
'Meta-autunite Group'8.EB.A1-2(UO2)2(TO4)2 · 5-10H2O
Unclassified Minerals, Rocks, etc.
'Iron Ochre'-
'Limonite'-

List of minerals for each chemical element

HHydrogen
H MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
H AzuriteCu3(CO3)2(OH)2
H Meta-autunite GroupA1-2(UO2)2(TO4)2 · 5-10H2O
H MirabiliteNa2SO4 · 10H2O
H HydroxylapatiteCa5(PO4)3(OH)
CCarbon
C MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
C AzuriteCu3(CO3)2(OH)2
C CalciteCaCO3
C Aragonite var. Flos FerriCaCO3
C AragoniteCaCO3
OOxygen
O MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
O AzuriteCu3(CO3)2(OH)2
O CalciteCaCO3
O UraniniteUO2
O Meta-autunite GroupA1-2(UO2)2(TO4)2 · 5-10H2O
O MirabiliteNa2SO4 · 10H2O
O HydroxylapatiteCa5(PO4)3(OH)
O Aragonite var. Flos FerriCaCO3
O AragoniteCaCO3
NaSodium
Na MirabiliteNa2SO4 · 10H2O
PPhosphorus
P HydroxylapatiteCa5(PO4)3(OH)
SSulfur
S MirabiliteNa2SO4 · 10H2O
CaCalcium
Ca CalciteCaCO3
Ca HydroxylapatiteCa5(PO4)3(OH)
Ca Aragonite var. Flos FerriCaCO3
Ca AragoniteCaCO3
CuCopper
Cu MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
Cu AzuriteCu3(CO3)2(OH)2
UUranium
U UraniniteUO2
U Meta-autunite GroupA1-2(UO2)2(TO4)2 · 5-10H2O

References

Sort by

Year (asc) Year (desc) Author (A-Z) Author (Z-A)
Danieli, Celestino, Fabre, Víctor, Quartino, B. (1960) Restos óseos uraníferos de la zona de El Brete, Dpto. Candelaria, Prov. de Salta; Acta geológica Lilloana: 3: 3-5. Fundación e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán.
Linares, E., Toubes, R.O. (1960) Los minerales radioactivos de la República Argentina. 1ras Jornadas Geológicas Argentinas: 3: 191-205.
Bonaparte, J., Bossi, G.E. (1967) Sobre la presencia de dinosaurios de la formación Pirgua del grupo Salta y su significado cronológico. Acta Geológica Lilloana: 9: 25-44.
Peña, Hugo A. (1970) Minerales y Rocas de Aplicación de la Provincia de Tucumán. Dirección Provincial de Minas. Tucumán. República Argentina.
Tauber Larry, Raúl J. (1972) Informe sobre la expedición al "Brete", límite Tucumán - Salta. Tucumán. Informe Personal.
Bonaparte, J.F., Salfity, J.A., Bossi, G., Powell, J.E. (1977) Hallazgo de dinosaurios y aves cretácicas en la Formación Lecho de El Brete (Salta), próximo al límite con Tucumán. Acta Geologica Lilloana: 14: 5-17.
Bonaparte, J.F., Powell, J.E. (1980) A continental assemblage of tetrapods from the Upper Cretaceous of Northwestern Argentina (Sauropoda-Coelurosauria-Carnosauria-Aves). Mémoires de la Société Géologique de France: 139: 19-28.
Powell, J.E. (1992) Osteología de Saltasaurus loricatus (Sauropoda-Titanosauridae) del Cretácico Superior del Noroeste argentino. Actas del segundo curso de paleontología en Cuenca. Los Dinosaurios y su entorno biótico, J.L. Sanz y A.D. Buscalioni (eds.): 166-230.
Chiappe, Luis, Dingus, Lowell (2001) Walking on Eggs: The Astonishing Discovery of Thousands of Dinosaur Eggs in the Badlands of Patagonia. Scribner. ISBN 0-7432-1211-8.

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