The State of San Luis Potosí, Mexico, is rich in fossils and has a long-standing tradition of paleontological research. Nevertheless, most of these studies have been focused on vertebrates and invertebrates body fossils, with the ichnological record being overlooked. Here, we report the occurrence of ichnofossils (Diplocraterion parallelum, Ophiomorpha nodosa, Skolithos linearis, and Palaeophycus tubularis) from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Cárdenas Formation, southeastern San Luis Potosí. Invertebrate trace fossils and associated body fossils suggest that the Cárdenas Formation was deposited in a low to high energy system, with occasional storm events, in a shallow water platform (delta plain or coastal paleoenvironment influenced by tidal action).
This paper documents the occurrence of Skolithos linearis, Planolites beverleyensis, and Thalassinoides isp. in the Cárdenas Formation (Late Cretaceous), southeastern San Luis Potosí, central Mexico. This is the second record of S. linearis for this lithological unit, while P. beverleyensis and Thalassinoides isp. are documented for the very first time in this formation. The ichnoassemblage is referred to the Cruziana Ichnofacies which, in concert with associated invertebrate body fossils (Exogyra costata), suggest a shoreface setting with moderate- to low-energy conditions and episodic storms.
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