ANOTHER DISCOVERY OF DINOSAUR FOOT-PRINTS IN THE RED-BEDS FORMATION (CUZCO-SICUANI BASIN, SOUTHERN PERU) - STRATIGRAPHIC AND TECTONIC IMPLICATIONS

The discovery of dinosaur foot-prints near the top of the Red Beds For mation allows a more precise definition of the stratigraphy of souther n Peru. The sedimentation of the Cuzco-Sicuani basin lasted at most 20 Ma (Santonian-Paleocene) rather than 45 Ma as was thought until now. The Cuzco-Sicuani basin is a foreland basin characterized by synsedime ntary deformation, mostly in a compressive tectonic regime, which affe cts the entire sequence. These tectonic events represent the beginning of the uplift of the Andes. Their duration could be considered as equ ivalent to the duration of the sedimentation in the area. The Peruvian phase, traditionally placed at about 85 Ma, would thus only represent the beginning of those tectonic events in the region.