User:Abyssal/Prehistory of South America

The Prehistory of South America Portal Introduction The Prehistory of South America portal collects and presents articles, images and categories on the prehistorical period in time (before 10,000 years ago) of the continent South America. South America has a rather unique prehistory, both regarding the human settlement prehistory and early history and the flora and fauna prehistory of the continent. For approximately 115 million years, since the Aptian, the continent was no longer connected to Africa and the other landmasses of Eurasia and North America and during the early Cenozoic, the continent became unconnected to Australia. The only connection to another continent was with Antarctica, that drifted away in the late Eocene, approximately 35 million years ago. The next 30 million years, until the late Miocene to early Pliocene (6-4 million years ago), South America was completely isolated from the other landmasses, separated by the Atlantic, Pacific, Antarctic and paleo-Caribbean oceans. This caused the evolution of a unique prehistoric fauna and flora in South America. Due to plate tectonic movements in the Neogene, the isthmus of Panama was formed, leading to the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI), drastically reshaping the faunal assemblages of both Americas, but South America in particular, with many more migration from north to south than vice versa. The history of human settlement was equally recent, with the oldest evidences dating to approximately 18,500 years ago (Monte Verde, Chile). Human migration resembled the migration of prehistoric animals; via the Isthmus of Panama, arriving first in what is now Colombia. The indigenous people spread out across the continent with hunter-gatherer lifestyles. The human prehistory is followed by a period of sedentary settlement and the development of agriculture into various civilizations. Selected article on prehistoric South America Artist's rendering of a bolide impact. The Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event was the mass extinction of three-quarters of Earth's plant and animal species during a geologically brief interval about 66 million years (Ma) ago. A wide range of species perished in the K–Pg extinction, most notably the non-avian dinosaurs. However, other groups that sustained losses or vanished include mammals, pterosaurs, birds, lizards, insects, and plants. In the oceans, the K–Pg extinction devastated the giant marine lizards, plesiosaurs, fishes, ammonites and plankton. It marked the end of the Cretaceous period and with it, the entire Mesozoic Era, opening the Cenozoic Era which continues today. In the geologic record, the K–Pg event is marked by a thin layer of sediment called the K–Pg boundary, which can be found throughout the world in marine and terrestrial rocks. The boundary clay shows high levels of the metal iridium, which is rare in the Earth's crust but abundant in asteroids. It is now generally believed that the K–Pg extinction was triggered by a massive comet/asteroid impact and its catastrophic effects on the global environment, including a lingering impact winter that halted photosynthesis in plants and plankton. However, some scientists maintain the extinction was caused or exacerbated by other factors, such as volcanic eruptions, climate change, and/or sea level change. Whatever the cause, many of the surviving animal groups diversified during the ensuing Paleogene period. Mammals in particular radiated into new forms such as horses, whales, bats, and primates. (see more...) Need help? Do you have a question about Abyssal/Prehistory of South America that you can't find the answer to? Consider asking it at the Wikipedia reference desk. Selected image An ant preserved in a small, roughly 1.5 cm by 2 cm piece of Colombian amber. Photo credit: Brocken Inaglory Did you know? ... that Francisco Javier Muñiz was considered the first important naturalist from Argentina? ... that the archaeological site of Chan-Chan gives its name to the Chanchaense Complex, a archaeological culture extending across Chile from 37° to 55° South? ...that Sacisaurus was named for a one-legged Brazilian elf, as the first skeleton was found missing a leg? ... that although the first Callawayasaurus fossil was discovered in 1962, it was not until 1999 that they were recognized as a separate genus? ... that the recently described genus Koilamasuchus from the Early Triassic of Argentina is the best-known early archosauriform in South America? Quality Content These articles are considered of high quality, subdivided into Featured, Good and B-class articles related to the prehistory of South America: Amargasaurus Cerro Azul Charles Darwin Ferugliotherium Giganotosaurus Herrerasaurus Nevado del Ruiz Oryzomys Oxalaia Transandinomys Tutupaca Ubinas Ampato Antofalla Aucanquilcha Bare-tailed woolly opossum Capybara Cerro Blanco Cerro Tuzgle Common vampire bat Coropuna Cotton-top tamarin Green iguana Incapillo Irruputuncu El Laco Laguna del Maule Lake Tauca Lascar Licancabur Nevado de Longaví La Pacana Parinacota Patagosaurus Poison dart frog Pudú Purico complex Sabancaya San Pedro Six-banded armadillo Socompa Tacora Tata Sabaya El Tatio Trachylepis tschudii Trapalcotherium Vilama White-headed capuchin Yucamane Galán Cesar-Ranchería Basin Cocinetas Basin Coypu Cuche Formation Galeras Greater rhea Honda Group Ocetá Páramo Patagonia Sabana Formation SALMA Santos Basin Subcategories Prehistory of South America Prehistoric South America Geology of South America Neoproterozoic South America Paleozoic South America Mesozoic South America Cenozoic South America Pre-Columbian era Prehistory of Argentina Prehistory of Brazil Prehistory of Chile Prehistory of Colombia Prehistory of Ecuador Prehistory of the Guianas Prehistoric life of South America Prehistory of Paraguay Prehistory of Peru Prehistory of Uruguay Prehistory of Venezuela Geologic formations of South America Things you can do Desired articles, sorted by how frequently linked to: Prehistory of South America Filling in the links of SALMA Sarmiento Formation Santa Cruz Formation, Argentina Solimões Formation Tarija Formation Urumaco Formation Luján Formation Eoastrapostylops Tetragonostylops Pericotoxodon Astrapothericulus Hyperleptus Proadinotherium Pseudoprepotherium Ñuapua Formation Monte León Formation Sopas Formation Monte Hermoso Formation Honda Group, Bolivia Salla Formation Salamanca Formation Divisadero Largo Formation El Brete Astrapotheriinae Dolores Formation Gaiman Formation Deseado Formation Yahuarango Formation Fitzcarrald Arch Borhyaenoidea Chionopsis Cheloniceras Saccella Neoglyptatelus Gyrinodon Paratrigodon Psammacoma Jandaíra Formation Chucal Formation Revista Brasileira de Paleontologia Tremembé Formation San Gregorio Formation, Venezuela Ulloma Formation Lumbrera Formation Ipururo Formation Epecuén Formation Nothrotheriinae Yupoi Formation Falcón Basin Cerro Azul Formation Cerro Bandera Formation Related content Prehistory of Africa Prehistory of North America Prehistory of Antarctica Prehistory of Asia Prehistory of Europe Prehistory of Oceania South America Archaeology Earth sciences Paleontology Extinct and Endangered Species Paleozoic Mesozoic Cenozoic Dinosaurs Associated Wikimedia The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject: Commons Free media repository Wikibooks Free textbooks and manuals Wikidata Free knowledge base Wikinews Free-content news Wikiquote Collection of quotations Wikisource Free-content library Wikiversity Free learning tools Wiktionary Dictionary and thesaurus Category:Portals with titles not starting with a proper noun