A palaeobiological window into the Lower Cretaceous Cupido Formation: Puerto México section, Nuevo Leon, Mexico

Abstract: A rich geobiological record of Cretaceous biotic and abiotic interactions around the protoGulf of Mexico has been preserved in the massive Cupido carbonate platform, i.e., in a sedimentary sequence that represents a depositional period of approximately 15 Myr. This work documents lateral facies variation on a dip slope reef from a new outcrop in the upper part of the Cupido Formation in the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The measured transect is correlated with a stratigraphic column logged in a nearby section. The preserved fossil biota represents marginal reef facies dominated by abundant rudist shells such as Douvillelia skeltoni, Toucasia sp., Offneria sp., and Amphitrocoelus sp. associated with relatively large colonial corals (with diameters up to 25 cm) like Stelidioseris sp. and to a lesser extent, with stromatoporoids. Benthic foraminifers (miliolids and textularids) with associated dasycladalean algae such as Salpingorella sp. and Terquemella spp. dominate the microfossiliferous content in wackestones to packstones. This facies is overlain by a thin (15-30 cm) stromatolite horizon at the upper end of the measured section. This locality represents a new paleobiological and taphonomic window into one of the most extensive carbonate platform system developed along the margin of the Gulf of Mexico during the Cretaceous. Résumé : Une fenêtre paléobiologique dans la Formation Cupido du Crétacé inférieur : la coupe de Puerto México, Nuevo León, Mexique.- Un enregistrement géobiologique diversifié des interactions biotiques et abiotiques crétacées sur le pourtour du proto-Golfe du Mexique a été préservé au sein de l'imposante plate-forme carbonatée de Cupido, c'est-à-dire dans une séquence sédimentaire qui correspond à une période de dépôt d'une durée approximative de 15 Ma. Ce travail met en exergue la variation latérale des faciès récifaux sur le flanc long (faiblement pentu) d'un nouvel affleurement monoclinal correspondant à la partie supérieure de la Formation Cupido dans l'état de Nuevo León, Mexique. Le transect étudié est corrélé avec la colonne stratigraphique établie dans une coupe proche. Le biote fossile préservé correspond aux faciès de bordure du récif où abondent les coquilles de rudistes, tels que Douvillelia skeltoni, Toucasia sp., Offneria sp. et Amphitrocoelus sp., ces derniers y étant associés à des colonies relativement grosses (avec des diamètres atteignant jusqu'à 25 cm) de coraux tels que Stelidioseris sp. et, dans une moindre mesure, avec des stromatoporoïdés. Les foraminifères benthiques (miliolidés et textularidés), en association avec des algues dasycladales telles que Salpingorella sp. and Terquemella spp., dominent le contenu microfossilifère des wackestones à packstones. Ce faciès est surmonté à la partie sommitale de la coupe étudiée par un mince horizon stromatolithique (15-30 cm). Cette localité offre une nouvelle fenêtre paléobiologique et taphonomique au sein de l'un des plus vastes systèmes de plates-formes carbonatées développées sur le pourtour du Golfe du Mexique au cours du Crétacé

Petroleum Engine ering as a (still) Promising Care er in Geosciences? An Empirical Exam ple in No rtheastern Mexico

More than ever, it is the time to increase the number of engineering students applying to geosciences in order to satisfy the growing national challenges and administrate our natural resources in a responsible and sustai nable manner. This work analyzes the petroleum engineer career at the UANL through a n 8 yr experience in order to critically evaluate the current academic profile that Petroleum Engineers need within a global and shared world. This brief appraisal also pr esents an updated revision of all certified academic programs offering the Petroleum Engineering career in Mexico. At the same time, this work also proposes a modest but realistic academic modality for this particular career to better fulfill the actual ac ademic and industrial demands on this area. Adjusting the academic geoscience workforce implies a redefinition of curricular programs, values and competences for this ca reer in a synergic action with government policies and public and private employees wor ldwide. Certainly, the change should be the driving force to design modern up to date professional profiles and better oil professional s with a global perspective to take on alternative development

Perspective on the Role of Academic Journals on Scientific Colonialism in Paleontology

Academic journals have developed policies that globally regulate the specific protocols that must be followed when using sensitive medical, biological, chemical, and genetic data in research. Yet, paleontological material seems to be excluded. We performed a submission policy search to test the extent of this legal gap in light of colonialism. Results show that, even though most journals adhere to broad ethical guidelines, they do not systematically provide information regarding fossil permits and specifications on their collection and storage, as well as other relevant data (N = 108, > 80% in Asia and North America, > 65% in Europe and Latin America). This problem impacts educational, economical, and scientific development, perpetuates illegal trafficking, and boosts scientific colonialism. It is necessary to implement a mandatory policy for fossil handling, including ethical and legal management in the submission guidelines of journals, and to request that this information is included in materials and method sections

Petroleum Engineering as a (still) Promising Career in Geosciences? An Empirical Example in Northeastern Mexico

More than ever, it is the time to increase the number of engineering students applying to geosciences in order to satisfy the growing national challenges and administrate our natural resources in a responsible and sustainable manner. This work analyzes the petroleum engineer career at the UANL through an 8 years experience in order to critically evaluate the current academic profile that petroleum engineers need within a global and shared world. This brief appraisal also presents an updated revision of all certified academic programs offering the petroleum engineering career in Mexico. At the same time, this work also proposes a modest but realistic academic modality for this particular career to better fulfill the actual academic and industrial demands on this area. Adjusting the academic geoscience workforce implies a redefinition of curricular programs, values and competences for this career in a synergic action with government policies and public and private employees worldwide. Certainly, the change should be the driving force to design modern up to date professional profiles and better oil professionals with a global perspective to take on alternative development

Active sinking at the bottom of the Rincón de Parangueo Maar (Guanajuato, México) and its probable relation with subsidence faults at Salamanca and Celaya

"Rincon de Parangueo is a Quaternary maar that had a perennial lake until the 1980s. The lake was gradually desiccated as a consequence of drawdown in the Salamanca-Valle de Santiago regional aquifer and now functions as a playa-lake. In contrast with the features observed in other crater-lakes in the region (La Alberca, Cíntora, and San Nicolás), which also dried up at the same time, the bottom of the Rincón crater displays clear evidence of active deformation associated with mass movement of lake sediments towards the depocenter inside the crater. The most conspicuous topographic feature is a 10 – 12 m high scarp parallel to the former lake coast. The scarp is produced by an annular shaped normal fault system, down towards the depocenter. Evidence of active mass movement is observed along the topographic scarp. Rotational slides associated with rollover anticlines and local grabens produced by antithetic faults are common on the eastern and northern parts of the scarp. Planar slides with open folds at their base occur at western part of the lake basin. Evaporites (trona, thermonatrite, eitelite, halite, and silvite) are abundant in the playa-lake sediments. Their presence makes us believe that a mass removal process is acting as a consequence of salt dissolution and infiltration of the brine towards the aquifer. This process, probably in conjunction with lake sediment compaction and/or diatreme subsidence, may explain the significantly higher fault displacement rate observed inside the crater ( ≈ 50 cm/year ) in comparison with active faults elsewhere in the Salamanca-Valle de Santiago aquifer ( ≈ 6 cm/year ).""Rincón de Parangueo es un maar cuaternario que hasta los años ochenta contenía un lago perenne en su interior. El lago fue gradualmente desecado como consecuencia de sobre-explotación del acuífero regional Salamanca-Valle de Santiago y ahora funciona como un lago-playa. A diferencia de lo que se observa en otros lagos-cráter de la región (La Alberca, Cíntora y San Nicolás) que también fueron desecados en la misma época, en el fondo del cráter de Rincón se pueden apreciar evidencias claras de deformación activa relacionadas al movimiento en masa de los sedimentos lacustres hacia el depocentro en el cráter. El rasgo topográfico más conspicuo es un escarpe de 10 – 12 m de alto, cercano a la antigua línea de costa del lago, que refleja a un sistema de fallas normales escalonadas, con forma anular y bloques hundidos hacia el depocentro. En el escarpe se observan procesos de remoción en masa que incluyen principalmente deslizamientos rotacionales en la porción oriental y septentrional del escarpe y deslizamientos planares al occidente. Asociados a los movimientos rotacionales hay pliegues roll-over y fallas antitéticas que producen grábenes pequeños cerca de los planos principales de falla. Pliegues abiertos y domos se presentan al pie de los deslizamientos planares en la porción occidental del lago desecado. La abundancia de evaporitas (trona, termonatrita, eitelita, halita y silvita) en el fondo del lago asociadas al hecho de que ahora funciona como lago-playa, nos hacen suponer que existe un proceso de remoción de masa causado por la disolución de las sales e infiltración de la salmuera hacia el acuífero. Este proceso, posiblemente asociado a compactación de los sedimentos lacustres y/o de la diatrema que posiblemente subyace al maar, puede explicar la diferencia significativa entre la tasa de desplazamiento en las fallas adentro del cráter ( ≈ 50 cm/año ) con aquellas en otros sitios del acuífero Salamanca-Valle de Santiago ( ≈ 6 cm/año ).