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La caracterización petrofísica de yacimientos desempeña un rol importante en la industria petrolera, siendo primordial en el gerenciamiento integral y la optimización de procesos de recuperación. El siguiente trabajo planteó el modelado petrofísico y de facies para las unidades formacionales del Grupo Grant y el yacimiento Anderson dentro del Bloque-Bunda-3D-2009 de la cuenca Canning en Australia. Esta propuesta fue dividida en dos etapas. La etapa conceptual se basó en el estudio de la migración y acumulación de hidrocarburos en el área, y la creación de un inventario desde la información registrada en el Sistema de Gestión de Información Geotérmica y de Petróleo de Australia Occidental (WAPIMS). La segunda etapa se desarrolló considerando que la cantidad y distribución de lutitas presentes en las areniscas, tienen un gran impacto en la productividad de los yacimientos de hidrocarburos. Así, el primer paso fue calcular el volumen de lutitas a través del índice lineal de rayos gamma. Posteriormente, se modelaron las facies mediante el uso de redes neuronales y los resultados fueron comparados con las descripciones litológicas reportadas de los núcleos de diámetro completo de perforación. La porosidad efectiva fue modelada mediante el registro de densidad volumétrica de la roca y el tipo de distribución de arcilla; la saturación de agua mediante la correlación de Poupon-Leveaux y el modelo de permeabilidad horizontal fue generado con los datos de análisis convencionales de núcleos de diámetro completo de perforación. Se resalta que la presencia de pirita afectó la respuesta de los registros de densidad volumétrica, porosidad neutrón y de resistividad para algunos pozos del área. Igualmente, el hidrodinamismo actuante y la presencia de agua meteórica en los acuíferos incidió en la respuesta del registro eléctrico resistivo, resultando complejo la identificación de contactos agua - hidrocarburo

The Late Cretaceous Marilia Formation located in the central-southern portion of Brazil is characterized by a succession of sandstones, conglomerates, and paleosols. The paleosols constitute more than 60% of this formation, providing significant information about pedogenetic processes as well as paleoenvironmental and paleoclimate implications. The paleosols of the Marilia Formation have been studied principally from a stratigraphical, sedimentological and paleopedological point of view; however, there are no studies addressing in detail the geochemical behavior of the paleosols. Therefore, we used a robust geochemical dataset combined with stratigraphical and macromorphological interpretations as well as clay mineralogy to conduct a paleoenvironmental and paleoclimate analysis of the Marilia Formation in the western portion of the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. The results indicate that the paleosols of the Marilia Formation can be divided into three pedotypes and pedochemical units based on their geochemical variations and are limited at the base and top by pedochemical markers. Moreover, X-ray diffraction identified quartz and calcite as primary minerals associated with montmorillonite, smectite, illite and palygorskite, indicating wet periods combined with dry stages associated principally with dry and arid environments. The paleosol distribution and weathering index allow us to interpret the paleoenvironmental evolution of the Late Cretaceous Marilia Formation, suggesting an increase in humidity from east to west in the study area.

The Eastern Marlim oilfield, located in the northeastern offshore of the Campos Basin, is a portion of the Marlim Complex, one of the most important oil accumulations ever found in Brazil. This paper presents findings from lithofacies, sequence stratigraphy and petrophysical analyses for the Oligocene-Miocene section of the Eastern Marlim oilfield. Here, we evaluate at least four main lithofacies associations and three major zones recognized in the latter section, presenting sedimentological and stratigraphical interpretations based on stratigraphic correlations, distribution and sand proportion maps, and accompanying petrophysical analysis. Our findings suggest at least two bipartite turbiditic flows representing different stages of deposition associated with a deep-water turbidite sequence, composing the elements of a submarine lobe complex. Massive unconsolidated amalgamated sandstone bodies, displaying very good porosity, lateral and vertical continuity, reflecting excellent reservoirs. The final depositional model of the studied Oligocene-Miocene interval in this work is part of the first-order Highstand System Tract (HST) of the Campos Basin, which in turn represents a second-order, exploration-scale depositional sequence. Finally, the sequence stratigraphic model of the Oligocene-Miocene section of the Eastern Marlim oilfield has an architecture similar to those that have been developed from Oligocene-Miocene global sea level changes.

Rhizoliths are organosedimentary structures produced by plants and are an important proxy for paleoenvironmental reconstructions because the differences in the morphology of rhizoliths and their rooting depths can be used to interpret soil humidity regimes, overall biomass at the soil surface, and the behavior of the water table. With the objective of advancing knowledge on rhizoliths, a study was performed on the macromorphological and micromorphological characterizations of the rhizoliths preserved in the thirty-one paleosols of the Marilia Formation in Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. Based on the topological and architectural attributes of rhizoliths, and on their possible functional adaptations, such as mycorrhizal associations, three different types of rhizoliths are described in this study and represent at least three different plants: rhizohaloes, root casts and rhizocretions. Well-developed paleosols with nodular horizons contain the higher density of long root casts, indicating a seasonally dry environment, because the root casts present two meters in length. These adaptations are associated with an exploitation of a lowered water table during most times of the year. The higher density of rhizoliths indicates an area with agglomerated arboreous arbustive vegetation cover. Paleosols with chalky horizons also show a high density of root casts, indicating a landscape with high plant density that is adapted to drained soils, but with a seasonally elevated water table or the influence of ephemeral flows, given the proximity to the flow channels. The poorly drained paleosols with redoximorphic features show the lowest density of rhizoliths, thus indicating an incipient vegetation in response to near-surface water table and waterlogged soils in a distal floodplain. The rhizogenic laminar horizons have developed near fluvial channels with frequent sedimentary input, resulting in a sequence of laminar horizons composed of rhizocretions that are separated by sandy deposits or poorly developed pedogenic horizons. The micromorphological analysis on the rhizogenic laminar calcretes showed biogenic features, such as alveolar septal structures, calcified filaments, microcodium, calcified cells and pisoliths. Despite the scarce paleobotanical findings in the Marilia Formation, the results obtained indicate an ecosystem that was composed of plants varying from herbaceous to arboreous, with an environment similar to modern semiarid shrublands.

The current research was performed in the eastern portion of the Marlim oilfield to identify the hydrocarbon-generating potential of the Albian-Oligocene sequences (Macae Group, Ubatuba and Carapebus formations) in the Campos Basin, Brazil. On the basis of petroleum geochemical proxies, an integrated approach was developed using source rock characterizations to establish the distribution of source rock properties, such as organic matter content, hydrocarbon-generating potential, thermal maturity and stratigraphic thickness. The outcomes of a comprehensive petroleum geochemical characterization were integrated with cuttings and core sample descriptions, biostratigraphic controls, well log analyses and 2-D/3-D seismic interpretations. Our results reveal that for the Albian-Oligocene deposits, the key geochemical properties required to develop hydrocarbon source kitchens converge in specific locations, demonstrating a variable hydrocarbon potential ranging from poor to excellent and suggesting the existence of local generation pods in the central and principally northern portions of the research area. The accumulation and preservation of the organic matter were influenced by the paleo-topography and tectonic controls, and the lowest concentrations of organic carbon were attributed to significant siliciclastic dilution taking place mostly toward the middle and southern portions of the Eastern Marlim oilfield. Lateral variations in both the lithofacies and organic facies are the main conditions controlling the behavior of the petroleum potential in the investigated sediments. Our results indicate that the Macae Group has sufficient source-rock potential, maturation patterns, and hydrocarbon-generating potential to be considered as an active source rock in the Eastern Marlim oilfield, where the petroleum geochemical properties converge and are adequate to generate hydrocarbon compounds. In addition, the Ubatuba and Carapebus formations are also likely to generate oil and/or gas, but due to their relatively low maturity, it is difficult to establish that these rocks can be active source rocks in the study area.

This is the first report of trace fossils potentially associated with insect social behavior in sandy and well-drained paleosols of the Upper Cretaceous continental sequence of Brazil. The trace fossils consist of dozens of lobed and vertical structures cemented by CaCO 3 and preserved mainly in full relief in paleosols of the Marilia Formation (Bauru Basin) in the state of Minas Gerais. The described ichnofossils are predominantly vertical, up to 2 m long, and are composed of horizontal lobed structures connected by vertical tunnel-like structures that intersect in the center and at the edges. The lobed structures range from 3 to 15 cm long and 2–6 cm thick. Two different hypotheses are analyzed to explain the origin of the trace fossils; the less probable one is that the structures are laminar calcretes associated with rhizoliths and rhizoconcretions. The hypothesis involving social insects was considered because the trace fossils described herein partially resemble a modern ant nest and the ichnofossil Daimoniobarax. The micromorphological analysis of the lobed and tunnel-like structures indicates modifications of the walls, such as the presence of inorganic fluidized linings, dark linings and oriented grains, supporting the hypothesis that they are chambers and shafts. The architecture and size of the reported nests suggest the possibility that social insect colonies existed during the Maastrichtian and are direct evidence of the social behavior and reproductive strategies of the Cretaceous pedofauna.

An organic geochemical investigation combined with sequence stratigraphy was performed in the Ceara Basin, an offshore basin located in Northeastern Brazil. The information available from 30 well logs (gamma-ray, resistivity, density), besides geochemical (TOC, and pyrolysis indexes) and isotopic (δ13C) data, aided the preparation of a dataset for this study. The application of sequence-stratigraphic methods helped classify and correlate seismic and organic facies. Four key petroleum source-rock units were identified, from the oldest to the youngest: (1) Mundau Formation – top of the Rift Sequence (Berriasian-Aptian); (2) Paracuru Formation – Breakup Sequence (Aptian-Albian); (3) Itapaje Member of the Ubarana Formation – Continental Drift Sequence (Albian-Turonian), and (4) Uruburetama Member of the Ubarana Formation – Continental Drift Sequence (Turonian-Maastrichtian). The geochemical characteristics of the Mundau Formation (high total organic carbon (TOC), hydrogen index (HI), relative hydrocarbon potential (RHP = (S1 + S2)/TOC)) point to a typical transgressive sequence. Six transgressive-regressive (T-R) cycles were recognized in the entire Paracuru Formation. The best geochemical marker is related to the top of the Paracuru Formation. This stratigraphic unit can be correlated to a major anoxic event and is the best source rock of this basin. Evaporitic facies found in this top section, maximum RHP values (anoxic conditions), and maximum flooding surfaces related to transgressive events characterize this interval. Moreover, the wide spatial cover of organic-rich rocks, carbon isotopic data, and the recognition of favorable characteristics for anoxia in other basins of the Equatorial Margin are suggestive of the Aptian-Albian Oceanic Anoxic Event (OAE-1b) occurring in the Ceara Basin. The Ubarana Formation represented by the Uruburetama Member and the Itapaje Member yields the least promising source rocks. However, high TOC values suggest the occurrence of the late Cenomanian–early Turonian Oceanic Anoxic Event (OAE-2), when organic-rich strata started to deposit in deep-water regions. The predominance of a regressive interval in the Uruburetama Member points to oxic or sub-oxic conditions. Additionally, the correlations between the Brazilian Equatorial Margin and its African counterpart, and the organic geochemical characterization allied to the definition of depositional systems for these regions proved to be useful for oil exploration.

The Mundau sub-basin composes the western segment of the Ceara Basin, which is one of a series of basins of the Brazilian Equatorial Margin that resulted from the breakup of Western Gondwana. This study investigates the origin and maturation of the organic matter preserved in the rocks of the middle and outer shelf of the Mundau sub-basin, in order to assess the source-rock potential for oil and gas generation. The samples selected for this study are representative of the Mundau, Paracuru, and Ubarana formations, which correlate with the rift, transition, and drift phases of the Western Gondwana breakup. The results indicate moderate to good potential for oil generation and good potential for gas generation for the Mundau Formation. Fault activity during the rift phase favored sediment supply. Kerogen type III predominates in shallower portions and probably reflects the contribution from the continent. Good to excellent potential for oil and gas generation is indicated for the Paracuru Formation. Kerogen types I and II predominate, having the marine organic matter been deposited in reducing conditions. The most promising interval for hydrocarbon generation is limited by the top of the Trairi Member and the top of the Paracuru Formation. Moderate to good potential for oil and gas generation is suggested for the Uruburetama Member of the Ubarana Formation. The source rocks located in the middle shelf were deposited under reducing conditions in a transgressive marine environment. Kerogen varies from type II, to a mixture of types II and III, and to subordinate type III. Poor to fair potential for oil generation is indicated for the Itapaje Member of the Ubarana Formation. Kerogen type IV (inert or degraded) is typical in the middle shelf, and kerogen type IV and subordinate type III are typical on the outer shelf. The presence of inert kerogen is related to high-energy, oxidizing depositional environments. The hydrocarbon expulsion threshold estimated for the outer shelf is at 2106-m, for the middle shelf at 1635-m, and for the deep waters at 3632-m depths. Source rocks of the middle and outer shelves occur between 561 m and 4080 m, whereas those in deep waters occur between 2754 m and 5007 m of depth. The Active Source Rock Depth Limits (ASDL) estimated for the outer shelf is below 4500 m, whereas for deep waters, this limit is close to 6000 m. These organic geochemical constraints are important guidelines for oil and gas exploration in the Ceara and adjacent basins.

With the breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana, the South American Plate has undergone an intense process of tectonic restructuring that led to the genesis of the interior basins that encompassed continental sedimentary sequences. The Brazilian Bauru, Sanfranciscana and Parecis basins during Late Cretaceous have had their evolution linked to this process of structuring and therefore have very similar sedimentary characteristics. The purpose of this study is to establish a detailed understanding of alluvial sedimentary processes and architecture within a stratigraphic sequence framework using the concept of the stratigraphic base level or the ratio between the accommodation space and sediment supply. The integration of the stratigraphic and facies data contributed to defining the stratigraphic architecture of the Bauru, Sanfranciscana and Parecis Basins, supporting a model for continental sequences that depicts qualitative changes in the sedimentation rate (S) and accommodation space (A) that occurred during the Cretaceous. This study discusses the origin of the unconformity surfaces (K-0, K-1 and K-1A) that separate Sequences 1, 2A and 2B and the sedimentary characteristics of the Bauru, Sanfranciscana and Parecis Basins from the Aptian to the Maastrichtian, comparing the results with other Cretaceous Brazilian basins. The lower Cretaceous Sequence 1 (Caiua and Areado groups) is interpreted as a low-accommodation systems tract compound by fluvial and aeolian systems. The upper Cretaceous lacustrine, braided river-dominated alluvial fan and aeolian systems display characteristics of the evolution from high-to low-accommodation systems tracts (Sequences 2A and 2B). Unconformity K-0 is related to the origin of the Bauru Basin itself in the Early Cretaceous. In Sanfranciscana and Parecis basins, the unconformity K-0 marks the contact between aeolian deposits from Lower Cretaceous and Upper Cretaceous alluvial systems (Sequences 1 and 2). Unconformity K-1, which was generated in the Late Cretaceous, is related to an increase of the A/S ratio, whereas Unconformity K-1A is the result of the decrease in the A/S ratio. Unconformity K-1A bound Sequence 2A (lacustrine and fluvial systems) and Sequence 2B (alluvial deposits) in Bauru Basin whereas in the Sanfranciscana and Parecis basins this unconformity marks the transition from alluvial system to aeolian system (Sequences 2A and 2B). Changes in depositional style in both basins correspond to two distinct tectonic moments occurring within the South American plate. The first associated with post-volcanic thermal subsidence of the Early Cretaceous (Serra Geral and Tapirapua volcanismos), and the second moment associated with the uplift occurred in the Late Cretaceous (Alto Paranaiba, Vilhena and Serra Formosa Arcs).

Paleosols are soils that were formed on an ancient landscape. They may be buried soils and/or soils incorporated into the sedimentary sequences, exhumed soils, or soils developed on ancient relief surfaces (relict soils). Exposed on the surface and influenced by later environmental changes, paleosols reveal ancient environments and contain records regarding the climate, vegetation, landforms, organisms, parent material, time, intensity of pedogenesis, and sedimentation rates in effect during their training. In the Marilia Formation, the paleosols, exhumed and buried, developed on sandstones have argic (Btk, Bt and Bss), hydromorphic (Cg) and calcic (Bk) horizons with different degrees of cementation, forming mainly calcretes. The objective of this study was to characterize the genesis of the paleosols of the Marilia Formation, addressing the dynamics of their formation factors and processes at local and regional levels in order to reconstitute the conditions of environmental evolution of the Maastrichtian of the Bauru Basin. Eleven sections (S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, S8, S9, S10 and S11) of the Marilia Formation were described and collected on nine sample profiles. Micromorphological, mineralogical and geochemical analyses were performed according to the specialized literature. In the Marilia Formation, sedimentation, erosion and pedogenesis are processes that occurred together, concomitantly or subsequently, in view of the fluvial paleoenvironmental dynamics. The paleosols indicate the end of depositional cycles, with differentiated rates, intensities and duration. The paleosols of the Marilia Formation comprise well-drained (Bt-horizon) and poorly drained or hydromorphic (Cg-horizon) pedotypes, of drier conditions (Bkm-horizon) and pedotypes indicative of drier periods alternated with periods of higher humidity (Bss-horizon). The profiles were classified as Luvisols (Bt and Btk horizons), Calcisols (Bk and Ck horizons), Arenosols (C-horizons) and Vertisols (Bss-horizons). Paleosols developed on the flatter and lower portions of the slopes and floodplains and were commonly influenced by the oscillation of the groundwater and the seasonality of the climate. Sandstone with allochthonous and autochthonous carbonate cementation constituted the main parent material of the paleosols. The predominant climate during the Maastrichtian was semi-arid, with seasonality and variations in precipitation patterns and a precipitation-evapotranspiration relationship that provided conditions for the formation of paleosols with Bk, Btk, Bss, Bg and Bt horizons. The time of formation of these diagnostic horizons was dependent on climatic and edaphic factors. However, the time factor lasted until approximately 200,000 years, allowing paleosols to develop with Bt-horizons and prismatic and block structures. Calcification and argilluviation were the formation processes responsible for the genesis and evolution of paleosols during the Maastrichtian of the Bauru Basin. Weathering indexes have shown that paleosols with Bt-horizons are more weathered than are those with Btk and Bk horizons. The paleosols with Bk-horizons reflect periods with more arid conditions in the general context of the semi-arid paleoclimate of the Maastrichtian of the Bauru Basin.

In this work, oil-sand outcrops of the Anhembi deposit located in the Parana Basin, Brazil, were investigated using multi-scale imaging spectroscopy. The study incorporated VNIR–SWIR (400–2500 nm) spectroscopic data from imaging (i.e. sisuCHEMA) and nonimaging (i.e. FieldSpec-4) instruments in the lab, an AisaFENIX hyperspectral system on the ground and from the air, and WorldView-3 multispectral instrument. The aim was to assess the usefulness of emerging remote sensing technologies in characterizing hydrocarbon-bearing targets and understand the spatial variability of oil-sands at different scales using multi-source spectroscopic data. The bitumen content of the sands, estimated to be as high as 12 wt. %, was revealed to be unevenly distributed at all scales. Its distribution was shown to be controlled mainly by the clay proportion and permo-porosity of the strata, with the sand sheet facies corresponding to the highest bitumen contents. The ubiquitous clays, identified to be dominantly montmorillonite, were found to be intimately mixed with bitumen at all studied scales. The mean bitumen content was estimated to decrease from ˜ 6 to 4.5% while moving from small-, to deposit-scale as a consequence of the pixel aggregation effect and incremental clay contribution. The study showed that bitumen determination on the ground requires an imaging system with a high signal-to-noise ratio and good illumination conditions. Spectral denoising is also a crucial prerequisite for the extraction of coherent spectral information from the data. WV-3 data was proved capable of resolving HC’s feature at 1700 nm wavelength by its SWIR band-4 over targets encompassing >30% of the 7.5 m SWIR pixel; albeit it was not successful in determining the total bitumen content of the sands. This work indicated that HC signatures, particularly the one centered at 2300 nm, is consistent and comparable among scales, and upon employing properly calibrated data, could be used to confidently map the bitumen content of oil-sands at all imaging scales. A multi-scale spectroscopic approach can provide a complete picture of the variations in geologic targets and is able to fill the gap in scale differences across scales that when integrated, would add synergy and help reduce the uncertainties associated with ore grade estimation.

In the last three decades, records of tribosphenidan mammals from India, continental Africa, Madagascar and South America have challenged the notion of a strictly Laurasian distribution of the group during the Cretaceous. Here, we describe a lower premolar from the Late Cretaceous Adamantina Formation, São Paulo State, Brazil. It differs from all known fossil mammals, except for a putative eutherian from the same geologic unity and Deccanolestes hislopi, from the Maastrichtian of India. The incompleteness of the material precludes narrowing down its taxonomic attribution further than Tribosphenida, but it is larger than most coeval mammals and shows a thin layer of parallel crystallite enamel. The new taxon helps filling two major gaps in the fossil record: the paucity of Mesozoic mammals in more northern parts of South America and of tribosphenidans in the Cretaceous of that continent. In addition, high-precision U-Pb geochronology provided a post-Turonian maximal age (≤87.8 Ma) for the type stratum, which is overlain by the dinosaur-bearing Marília Formation, constraining the age of the Adamantina Formation at the site to late Coniacian–late Maastrichtian. This represents the first radioisotopic age for the Bauru Group, a key stratigraphic unit for the study of Cretaceous tetrapods in Gondwana., Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo

Soils and paleosols reflect the complex interplay between sedimentation, erosion and non-deposition. An analysis of the mineralogical components of paleosols is critical for the reconstitution of the factors, processes and environments in which they were formed. The recognition of mineralogical assemblages can reveal the environmental conditions during pedogenesis and through quantitative analysis it is possible to identify a vertical variation in mineral concentration or leaching over the paleosol profiles, indirectly pointing to environmental processes that dominated during the pedogenetic evolution. The objective of this study is to discuss the significance of mineral phases and to quantify the environmental evolution and degree of development of paleosols of the Marília Formation, Maastrichtian of Bauru Basin. Three sections have been described (A1, A2, A3) in the Marília Formation. The mineralogy was determined by x-ray diffraction, and mineral quantification was obtained through the Rietveld refinement method. The calcretes of the Marília Formation are pedogenic, mostly authigenic minerals. The variation of quartz, calcite, palygorskite and smectite, the micromorphology, and the diversity of subsurface horizons (Bkm, Btkm, Bt) indicate that the studied paleosols did develop in semi-arid conditions, with episodes of higher rainfall rates, humidity, leaching and desilication. RESUMO: Solos e paleossolos refletem complexa inter-relação entre sedimentação, erosão e não-deposição. A análise dos constituintes mineralógicos de paleossolos é fundamental para a reconstituição dos fatores, processos e ambientes no qual esses se formaram. O reconhecimento de determinadas assembléias mineralógicas podem revelar as condições ambientais durante a pedogênese e através da análise quantitativa se torna possível constatar variação vertical ao longo dos perfis de paleossolos, identificando horizontes com maior concentração mineral ou lixiviação, apontando indiretamente processos ambientais que dominavam no decorrer da evolução pedogenética. O objetivo desse trabalho foi discutir o significado das fases minerais e sua quantificação na evolução ambiental e no grau de desenvolvimento dos paleossolos da Formação Marília, Maastrichtiano da Bacia Bauru. Foram descritas três seções (A1, A2, A3) da Formação Marília. A mineralogia foi determinada através da difratometria de raios-x e para a quantificação mineral foi utilizado o método de refinamento Rietveld. Os calcretes da Formação Marília são predominantemente pedogênico, com minerais autigênicos em sua maioria. A variação do teor de quartzo, calcita, paligorskita e esmectita, a micromorfologia e a diversidade de horizontes subsuperficiais (Bkm, Btkm, Bt) demonstraram que os paleossolos se desenvolveram em condições gerais semiáridas, com episódios de maiores taxas de precipitação, umidade, lixiviação e dessilicação.

The application of sequence stratigraphy concepts to continental deposits lacking the referece provided sea level has been a challenge, mainly because the temporal relationships between stratigraphic surfaces and systems tracts depend on the tectonic and climatic evolution of the area. Using the concept of accommodation space (A) and sediment supply (S), we identify specific stacking patterns of aeolian, lacustrine, fluvial and alluvial systems that correspond to the particular tectonic and climatic evolution of the southeastern portion of South America. With the end of the Early Cretaceous volcanism (133 Ma), the southeastern portion of South America underwent tectonic restructuring, which generated basins that encompassed continental sedimentary sequences. The tectonic events responsible for the accumulation of these sequences occurred during two primary phases. The first phase is related to Early Cretaceous thermal subsidence, which was more pronounced in the regions where the thickest Serra Geral Formation basaltic successions are found, resulting in the formation of Bauru Basin. The second phase was related to the Late Cretaceous uplift in southeastern Brazil as a result of magmatic/volcanic activity associated with the Trindade Mantle Plume. Stratigraphic analysis based on well-logs and outcrops and aided by petrographic studies identified three sequences that are bounded by regional unconformities that record important changes in the Bauru Basin's tectonic and paleoenvironmental conditions. The unconformity K-0 is related to the origin of the Bauru Basin in the Early Cretaceous. The Early Cretaceous Sequence 1 (Caiua Group) is interpreted as a second- order sequence, formed by aeolian and fluvial deposits and constituting a Fluvial-Aeolian Systems Tract. Unconformity K-1 that was generated in the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian – Campanian?) is related to the tectonic evolution of the basin and source area. Overlying Unconformity K-1, lacustrine, fluvial and alluvial deposits display progradational characteristics of the two-third- order sequences: Sequences 2A and 2B, constituted by the Fluvial-Lacustrine and Alluvial Systems Tracts, respectively, and separated by the Unconformity K-1A. Sedimentological characteristics, paleosols and stratigraphic architecture, suggest that A/S ratio was neutral in the late stage of the Sequence 1, whereas in the Sequence 2 there was an increase (Sequence 2A) followed by a decrease in the A/S ratio (Sequence 2B). Aeolian facies and paleosol P1 (Sequence 1), fluvial-lacustrine facies and hydromorphic soils (Sequence 2A), and alluvial facies and Paleosol P2 (Sequence 2B), indicate climatic changes in the South American during the Cretaceous. The stratigraphic framework, subaerial unconformities and paleosols provide key elements for subdividing of the Brazilian continental sequence into third-order sequences and systems tracts, for identification of allocyclic and autocyclic patterns in time and space.

Deduction of associated paleoenvironments and paleoclimate, definition of the chronosequence of paleosols, and paleogeographic reconstruction have become possible through the application of micromorphology in paleopedology. Micromorphology has also been useful in recognition of weathering processes and definition of minerals formed in succession. In this respect, the objective of this study was to identify the development of pedogenic processes and discuss their significance in the paleoclimate evolution of the Marília Formation (Maastrichtian) of Bauru Basin. Three sections of the Marília Formation (A1, A2, and A3) were described, comprising nine profiles. Micromorphologic al analysis was carried out according to the specialized literature. In the Marília Formation, the paleosols developed in sandstones have argillic (Btkm, Bt) and carbonate (Bk) horizons with different degrees of cementation, forming mainly calcretes. The evolution of pedogenic processes, in light of micromorphological analysis, evidenced three moments or stages for the genesis of paleosols with Bkm, Btk, and Bt horizons, respectively. In the Maastrichtian in the Bauru Basin, the paleosols with Bkm are older and more arid environments, and those with Bt were formed in wetter weather, but not enough to lead to the genesis of enaulic-related distributions, typical of current Oxisols.

Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-11T17:06:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2016-09-01 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Despite the vast crocodyliform fossil record, little is known about the reproductive biology and nesting strategies of the extinct members of the group. Here we report a large accumulation of crocodilian fossil eggs from the type-locality of the baurusuchid Pissarrachampsa sera. Sedimentary facies and architectural elements of the site support a palaeoenvironmental model with a shallow lacustrine, playa-lake system interacting to ephemeral braided fluvial channels, with aeolian influence and development of sandy soils. The presence of pedogenic calcretes in the palaeosols indicates arid to semi-arid conditions. The crocodilian affinity of the eggs is supported by the thin eggshell which bears wedge-shaped shell units with tabular microstructures. Furthermore, taphonomic data support an autochthonous assemblage of eggs and skeletal remains, hinting at a monotypical stratigraphic horizon and suggesting P. sera as the egg-laying taxon. The repeated pattern of four (eventually five) eggs per clutch at the site demonstrates that P. sera laid fewer eggs compared to modern crocodilians, indicating that k-selected reproductive strategy pattern is pervasive in the fossil record of Notosuchia. In the crocodyliform phylogenetic framework, the k-strategy and the “egg clutch sizes” optimization of Notosuchia is opposite to the strategy with larger clutches consistently occurring in modern Crocodylia and Neosuchia, the sister clade to Notosuchia. Yet, the lack of data on more early-branching taxa renders unclear which pattern is plesiomorphic for Crocodyliformes as a whole. Laborat�rio de Paleontologia de Ribeir�o Preto FFCLRP Universidade de S�o Paulo, Avenida Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeir�o Preto Departamento de Geologia e Recursos Naturais Instituto de Geoci�ncias Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Rua Jo�o Pandi� Cal�geras, 51, Campinas Departamento de Biologia e Zootecnia FEIS-UNESP, Rua Mon��o 226 Orcas Island Museum, PO Box 134, 181 North Beach Road Investigador Correspondiente at Departamento de Geociencias CRILAR CONICET Departamento de Biologia e Zootecnia FEIS-UNESP, Rua Mon��o 226 FAPESP: 2010/14797-0 FAPESP: 2010/19787-2 FAPESP: 2013/11358-3 FAPESP: 2013/23114-1 FAPESP: 2014/03825-3

The influence of post-burial geological processes on preserving pedogenic properties has great importance in identifying ancient paleosols both in the field and in a laboratory. However there are not many publications that focus on characterizing paleosol diagenesis. As temperature and pressure progressively increase, evidence of pedogenesis is modified and destroyed, hindering paleoenvironment characterization and interpretation. This paper discusses diagenetic evidence and its relation to strictly pedogenic features, like structure, cements, nodules, and neoformation of clay minerals using the carbonate paleosols of the Marilia Formation in the upper unit of the Bauru Basin as a case study. Despite the long geotectonic and thermal history of the Marilia Fomation, paleosols bring us pedogenic evidence that can undergo micromorphological analyses, such as cementation, clay illuviation, bioturbation, and ped structures. The results of analyses in 25 paleopedogenic horizons indicate that the paleotopographic features were responsible for distribution of the diagenetic processes and preservation of the paleosol properties. The maturity of those paleosols controls lithification. In mature paleosols that developed in more stable portions of the landscape, characteristics such as carbonate cementation and development of pedogenic structures are the main factors that inhibit diagenesis. However diagenetic processes that influence poorly-developed paleosols are controlled by depositional characteristics and by changes in the water table, enabling more advanced diagenetic processes, compared to mature paleosols.