Interhemispheric Radio-Astrochronological Calibration of the Time Scales from the Andean and the Tethyan Areas in the Valanginian–Hauterivian (Early Cretaceous)

An integrated radio-astrochronological framework of the Agrio Formation in the Andean Neuquén Basin of west-central Argentina provides new constraints on the age and the duration of the late Valanginian through Hauterivian stratigraphic interval. A CA-ID TIMS U-Pb age of 126.97 ± 0.04(0.07)[0.15] Ma is presented here from the upper Hauterivian Agua de la Mula Member of the Agrio Formation. Biostratigraphic data from ammonoids and calcareous nannofossils and this high precision new radioisotopic age, together with three former ones from the same Agrio Formation are combined with new astrochronological data in the Andes. These are correlated with modern cyclostratigraphic studies in the classical sections of the Mediterranean Province of the Tethys, supporting detailed interhemispheric correlations for the Early Cretaceous. We also provide new δ¹³C data from the Agrio Formation which are compared with records from the classic Tethyan sections. According to our calibration, the minimum in the values in the mid-Hauterivian appears to be synchronous and, thus, another important stratigraphic marker for global correlation. A new duration of 5.21 ± 0.08 myr is calculated for the Hauterivian Stage, starting at 131.29 ± 0.19 Ma and ending at 126.08 ± 0.19 Ma. The difference between the duration of the Hauterivian in GTS2016 and in this study is 1.32 myr while the base and top of the GTS2016 Hauterivian differ respectively by 3.40 and 4.69 myr.