The Chapadmalalan age is a period of
geologic time
The geologic time scale, or geological time scale, (GTS) is a representation of time based on the rock record of Earth. It is a system of chronological dating that uses chronostratigraphy (the process of relating strata to time) and geochro ...
(4.0–3.0
Ma) within the
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58[Neogene
The Neogene ( ), informally Upper Tertiary or Late Tertiary, is a geologic period and system that spans 20.45 million years from the end of the Paleogene Period million years ago ( Mya) to the beginning of the present Quaternary Period Mya. ...](_blank)
used more specifically with
South American Land Mammal Ages. It follows the
Montehermosan and precedes the
Uquian age.
Fossil content
Fossils of ''
Josephoartigasia magna
''Josephoartigasia'' is an extinct genus of enormous dinomyid rodent from the Early Pliocene to Early Pleistocene of Uruguay. The only living member of Dinomyidae is the pacarana. ''Josephoartigasia'' is named after Uruguayan national hero Jos ...
'', a rodent in the family
Dinomyidae
The Dinomyidae are a family of South American hystricognath rodents: the dinomyids were once a very speciose group, but now contains only a single living species, the pacarana. Several of the extinct dinomyids were among the largest rodents know ...
from this age have been found in southern
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
.
[Francis, J. C. & Mones, A. (1966). ''Artigasia magna'' n. g., n. sp. (Eumegamyinae), un roedor gigantesco de la época Pliocena Superior de las Barrancas de San Gregorio, Departamento de San José, República Oriental del Uruguay. ''Kraglieviana'' 3, 89–100.]
References
Neogene South America
Pliocene life
Piacenzian
Zanclean
{{geochronology-stub