The Triassic Santa Juana Formation at the lower Biobío River, south central Chile

A sequence of Triassic rocks is exposed near the town of Concepción, Chile. These clastic strata are interpreted as the deposits of rivers, lakes, playas, and alluvial fans. The deposits comprise conglomerates, arkosic sandstones, and sand-, silt- and mudstones. Four facies associations comprising eight sedimentary facies can be distinguished. Plant fossils from the sedimentary sequence of the Santa Juana Formation indicate a Carnian age. The flora includes ferns ( Gleichenites, Cladophlebis, Dictyophyllum, Thaumatopteris, Asterotheca, Saportaea) and seed ferns ( Kurtziana, Antevsia, Dicroidium), ginkgophytes ( Sphenobaiera), cycads ( Pseudoctenis), conifers ( Heidiphyllum, Telemachus, Rissikia), and gymnosperms of uncertain affinities ( Linguifolium, Gontriglossa). Two new species are presented: Pseudoctenis santajuanensis and Gontriglossa reinerae.