Papers by FERNANDO BARROSO BARCENILLA
Geosciences
Accessible palaeontological sites conform highly adequate out-of-school environments for meaningf... more Accessible palaeontological sites conform highly adequate out-of-school environments for meaningful learning experiences regarding formal and non-formal teaching of geosciences. With a perspective of international cooperation, two correlative Cenomanian–Turonian (Upper Cretaceous) outcrops from the Iberian Peninsula have been chosen as the focus of this project—the sections of Figueira da Foz (Portugal) and Tamajón (Spain)—along with the Palaeontological and Archaeological Interpretation Centre of Tamajón (CIPAT). Virtualization of fossil samples and sites has been undertaken by means of phase-shift scanning, photogrammetry, and small object scanning by structured light and laser triangulation, resulting in three-dimensional virtual models of the main fossil tracks and invertebrate fossil samples. These virtual fossils have allowed the development of transdisciplinary didactic activities for different educational levels and the general public, which have been presented as file cards...
RIVISTA ITALIANA DI PALEONTOLOGIA E STRATIGRAFIA
Teeth provide information about the evolutionary pathway of an organism, its biology and habitat.... more Teeth provide information about the evolutionary pathway of an organism, its biology and habitat. This is the case even of fossilized teeth, since they have perdurable biomineralized structures, as biological apatite. The material that has been selected for this study comprises teeth from modern crocodilian individuals and extinct Cretaceous crocodylomorphs from Lo Hueco site. Microanatomy, histochemistry and crystallographic nature of enamel, dentine and cementum have been characterized by Polarized Light Microscopy, SEM-EDS, Confocal Raman Spectroscopy and SR-µXRD. A focus has been made on dentine lamination. In the fossil sample short-period incremental lines show alternate presence of dentinal tubules that has not been described previously either in living or fossil archosaur. This could be related to influence of environmental circadian rhythms in the abundance, size and/or activity of cells depositing dentine in the day-night cycle. Regarding histochemical and crystallographic...
Actas de las XXXII Jornadas de la Sociedad Española de Paleontología, 2016, ISBN 978-84-9138-016-0, págs. 95-100, 2016
A Serra da Boa Viagem reúne um conjunto de elementos patrimoniais naturais e culturais que a torn... more A Serra da Boa Viagem reúne um conjunto de elementos patrimoniais naturais e culturais que a tornam num interessante local para a promoção do geoturismo. Desde logo a sua localização geográfica privilegiada, bem como a geodiversidade e biodiversidade intrínsecas a um maciço calcário, para além da envolvente cultural e material da exploração dos seus recursos geológicos, tornam este maciço num local aprazível para rotas pedestres dirigidas ao público em geral, com uma oferta que pode ser diversificada e complementar ao turismo nas praias da região. O percurso pedestre proposto é um contributo para a valorização e sensibilização do património geológico da Serra da Boa Viagem, e para a sua promoção e divulgação científica e educativa, fundamentando-se num longo histórico de estudos sobre a geologia local e regional. A adoção de uma abordagem holística, integrando conceitos da biodiversidade, como também culturais, irá potenciar a maior atratividade do geoturismo, como também permitir a...
La Educación fuera del aula permite desarrollar importantes estrategias didácticas enfocadas al a... more La Educación fuera del aula permite desarrollar importantes estrategias didácticas enfocadas al aprendizaje de las Ciencias de la Tierra al aire libre, complementando a las actividades de seminarios en aulas y laboratorios de prácticas. Puede implementarse como salidas de campo a entornos naturales, museos y centros de interpretación, mostrándose como un recurso educativo que promueve habilidades geocientíficas y actitudes positivas hacia la Geoconservación. Con el objetivo de progresar en la Educación fuera del aula a través de un contexto de cooperación Ibérica, se han seleccionado cinco yacimientos paleontológicos del Cretácico de la Cuenca Ibérica (España), y de la Orla Meso-Cenozoica Occidental Portuguesa y la Cuenca del Algarve (Portugal), con contextos bioestratigráficos análogos en relación a su edad, litofacies, contenido fósil y paleoambientes inferidos. Estos afloramientos están siendo empleados para el diseño y desarrollo de propuestas didácticas y acciones educativas qu...
Los trabajos de catalogacion y gestion de las colecciones geologicas para docencia e investigacio... more Los trabajos de catalogacion y gestion de las colecciones geologicas para docencia e investigacion del Departamento de Geologia, Geografia y Medio Ambiente de la Universidad de Alcala (Espana), que actualmente se estan realizando, han permitido recuperar, reunir y restaurar diverso material de la coleccion historica “Bargallo”, hasta ahora disperso en varias facultades. Esta coleccion docente se encuentra compuesta por muestras de rocas, minerales y fosiles, ademas de distinto material original asociado, como etiquetas y cajas de diferentes tamanos. Fue elaborada a principios del siglo XX por el profesor Modesto Bargallo para sus clases de Ciencias Naturales en la Escuela de Magisterio de Guadalajara. En la actualidad, esta coleccion se encuentra incompleta pero se ha logrado recuperar en total mas de medio centenar de muestras litologicas, mineralogicas y paleontologicas. La coleccion Bargallo posee un alto valor historico puesto que los elementos que la componen, junto a los texto...
Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, 2017
Three new Lower Cretaceous vertebrate sites (Vadillos-1, Vadillos-2, El Tobar) have been recently... more Three new Lower Cretaceous vertebrate sites (Vadillos-1, Vadillos-2, El Tobar) have been recently discovered and studied in the Cuenca Province (Central Spain). They are located in deposits of "Wealden" facies belonging to the El Collado Sandstone and Clay Formation. In these outcrops, micro and macroremains corresponding to plants, invertebrates and vertebrates have been collected and subsequently assigned to macrophytes, charophytes (e.g., Atopochara trivolvis triquetra, Globator maillardii trochiliscoides, Clavator harrisii harrisii), ostracods (e.g., Cypridea gr. modesta, Cypridea cf. C. isasae, Cypridea sp. aff. C. moneta, Cypridea sp. 1, Cypridea sp. 2), molluscs (Unionoida, Viviparus sp.), fishes, amphibians, turtles (cf. Eucryptodira), crocodyliforms (Neosuchia) and dinosaurs (ankylosaurs, ornithopods, theropods). Among the vertebrate remains, scales, teeth, plates, osteoderms, phalanges, ribs, vertebrae and other incomplete bones, as well as eggshell fragments have been identified. This rich and diverse assemblage was deposited in an upper Barremian alluvial-palustrine muddy floodplain crossed by braided sandy channels.
Palaios, 2013
Stable isotope analyses (d 18 O PO4 , d 18 O CO3 , and d 13 C) are reported for the first time on... more Stable isotope analyses (d 18 O PO4 , d 18 O CO3 , and d 13 C) are reported for the first time on crocodilian, theropod, and sauropod teeth from two stratigraphic levels (G1 and G2) from the late Campanian-early Maastrichtian ''Lo Hueco'' fossil site (Cuenca, Spain) in order to better understand paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental conditions existing in the Iberian Peninsula during the Late Cretaceous. Diagenetic alteration was evaluated using three tests: (1) consistent differences in enamel and dentine d 18 O PO4 values, (2) crocodilian d 18 O PO4 values consistently lower than dinosaur d 18 O PO4 values in agreement with the proposed latitudinal distribution between ectotherms and endotherms, and (3) a Dd 18 O CO3-PO4 value of 9.1 ± 1.7%o for dinosaurs in accordance with the expected equilibrium fractionation between carbonate and phosphate in unaltered modern mammalian bioapatite. Calculated d 18 O H2O values are slightly higher in crocodilians compared to dinosaurs since semiaquatic ectothermic taxa d 18 O H2O represents local meteoric waters in a brief window of time when the conditions are favorable for apatite synthesis, whereas terrestrial endothermic taxa d 18 O H2O records ingested water year-round. Mean air temperature calculated using crocodilian and dinosaur d 18 O H2O values shows an increase between G1 and G2, which may be related to differences in the sedimentological setting and/or to a shift toward warmer conditions over time. Finally, the sauropod mean d 13 C value (211.1 ± 0.2%o, VPDB) is in the predicted range for C 3 vegetation.
Geobios, 2009
The ammonites assigned to the genera Fagesia Pervinquière, and Neoptychites Kossmat, of the Wiedm... more The ammonites assigned to the genera Fagesia Pervinquière, and Neoptychites Kossmat, of the Wiedmann (Tübingen, Germany) and Goy, Carretero and Meléndez (Madrid, Spain) collections obtained from the Iberian Trough have been revised. New mainly lower Turonian specimens of the species Fagesia catinus (Mantell), F. tevesthensis (Peron), F. rudra (Stoliczka), F. superstes (Kossmat), F. pachydiscoides Spath, and Neoptychites cephalotus (Courtiller) have also been presented. In addition we have described one new species: F. mortzestus. Studies of the morphologies and the geographical and stratigraphical distributions of all these species have led to the identification of several phylogenetic relationships between them, and to distinguishing one main phase in the evolution of the family Vascoceratidae Douvillé, characterised by the dominance of Fagesia with Neoptychites. Résumé Ce travail présente une révision des ammonites des collections Wiedmann (Tübingen, Allemagne) et Goy, Carretero et Meléndez (Madrid, Espagne) qui proviennent du Bassin Ibérique et qui ont été assignées aux genres Fagesia Pervinquière et Neoptychites Kossmat. Sont également présentés de nouveaux exemplaires, majoritairement du Turonien inférieur, attribués aux espèces Fagesia catinus (Mantell), F. tevesthensis (Péron), F. rudra (Stoliczka), F. superstes (Kossmat), F. pachydiscoides Spath et Neoptychites cephalotus (Courtiller). Nous avons également décrit une nouvelle espèce : F. mortzestus. L'étude morphologique et les distributions géographiques et temporelles de ces espèces ont permis de les situer d'un point de vue phylogénétique et de distinguer une étape principale dans l'évolution de la famille Vascoceratidae Douvillé, caractérisée par la dominance de Fagesia avec Neoptychites.
Cretaceous Research, 2009
The palaeontological site of ''Lo Hueco'' was discovered in Cuenca, Spain, in 2007. It includes a... more The palaeontological site of ''Lo Hueco'' was discovered in Cuenca, Spain, in 2007. It includes a stratigraphic interval in ''Garumn'' facies belonging to the upper part of the Villalba de la Sierra Formation. A succession of versicolor marly mudstone levels (V, G1, R1, G2, R2 and M) can be observed at the site studied. This succession is partially modified by a sandy channel structure (C) and by a sulphated interval (S). The C structure and the G1, G2 and R2 (lower part) levels have an extremely rich and varied fossil concentration and have provided to date more than 8500 macroremains. These are mainly from vertebrates, but also from plants and invertebrates. In general, vertebrates are represented by mineralized bones with an early infilling of gypsum, a ferruginous crust, and a secondary precipitation of gypsum; invertebrates by internal moulds; and plants by carbonized remains. Among the vertebrates, titanosaur dinosaurs (some of them with partially articulated skeletons) are by far the most common representatives, although lepisosteid fishes, bothremydid turtles, squamate lizards, eusuchian crocodiles, and ornithischian and theropod dinosaurs are also well represented. The relative stratigraphic position and the palaeontological content of this site allow to attribute it to the upper Campanian-lower Maastrichtian. Interpretation of its materials suggests a near coast muddy flood plain crossed by distributary sandy channels environment, exposed to brackish to fresh water aquatic influence.
Cretaceous Research, 2015
The historical holotypes of the Cenomanian (Upper Cretaceous) ammonites Vascoceras gamai Choffat,... more The historical holotypes of the Cenomanian (Upper Cretaceous) ammonites Vascoceras gamai Choffat, 1898 (type of the genus), and Vascoceras barcoicense (Choffat, 1898), thought to be destroyed by the fire of March 1978 at the National Museum of Natural History, Lisbon, Portugal, have been rediscovered in good state of preservation. Based on the study of the originals, these upper Cenomanian specimens can be rehabilitated as holotypes, maintaining and justifying the status of both taxa as well as of Vascoceras cauvini Chudeau, 1909.
FIG. 2. — Cretaceous nautiloid and ammonites of the d'Orbigny Collection of the National Muse... more FIG. 2. — Cretaceous nautiloid and ammonites of the d'Orbigny Collection of the National Museum of Natural History and Science (Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência): A-C, Angulithes triangularis de Montfort, 1808 in oral (A) and lateral (B) views, and original label (C): Nº 459/Nautilus triangularis (Montf), Andar 20º Cenomaniense, Terreno Cretaceo, Localidade Fouras (Charente inf.re); D-G, Phylloceras (Hypophylloceras) tethys (d'Orbigny, 1840) in ventral (D), lateral (E) and oral (F) views, and original label (G): Nº 360/Ammonites Tethys (d'Orb), Andar 17º Neocomiense, Terreno Cretaceo, Localidade Arredores de [environs of] Sisteron (Basses Alpes); H-K, Ptychophylloceras (Semisulcatoceras) semisulcatum (d'Orbigny, 1840) in ventral (H), lateral (I) and oral (J) views, and original label (K): Nº 359/Ammonites semisulcatus (d'Orb), Andar 17º Neocomiense, Terreno Cretaceo, Localidade Sisteron (Basses Alpes). Scale bar: 2 cm.
Land, 2022
The important paleontological and archaeological discoveries made in Tamajón in recent years have... more The important paleontological and archaeological discoveries made in Tamajón in recent years have enriched the exceptional natural and cultural heritage of this town in the north of the Guadalajara province (central Spain). The extraordinary educational and outreach value of these findings led the PaleoIbérica Research Group to develop a project for the design and creation of the Paleontological and Archaeological Interpretation Centre of Tamajón (CIPAT, acronym in Spanish). In this new space, students and the general public have access to knowledge of the past of the region through three exhibition and didactic areas and the support of a rigorous and engaging infographic. The Paleontological Area allows visitors to explore, through fossils, replicas, models (real and virtual) and dioramas, the diversity of coastal and marine life that inhabited the region during the Late Cretaceous Age. Moreover, the area highlights crocodylomorphs, dinosaurs and fishes (identified through their fo...
O almejar <em>da</em> <em>Fé, do Império</em>, de novos horizontes e riqu... more O almejar <em>da</em> <em>Fé, do Império</em>, de novos horizontes e riquezas, colocou Portugal na vanguarda do movimento expansionista europeu para além-mar<em> Ocidental</em>. O descobrimento do caminho marítimo para a Índia, entre 1497 e 1499, em expedição liderada por D. Vasco da Gama, viria a mudar profundamente os cenários político e económico desse período do Renascimento, mas resultaria também na catálise do avanço da Ciência e da Tecnologia, ficando como marco indelével da expansão portuguesa. Personagem marcante da nobreza da época manuelina, daquela que fez de além-mar e do longínquo Oriente o espaço de feitos e de engrandecimentos, o Conde da Vidigueira contribuiu também para a riqueza histórica da Heráldica e Falerística lusitânicas. Fê-lo não só através das suas armas enobrecidas com as do próprio Reino, embora com uma alteração quase impercetível (besantes de ouro e não de prata), como também, mais tarde, no decurso de efemérides co...
The study of Upper Cretaceous <i>Cyclothyris</i> from Spain and the revision of asymm... more The study of Upper Cretaceous <i>Cyclothyris</i> from Spain and the revision of asymmetrical rhynchonellides from numerous European collections have led to improve some systematical, biostratigraphical and palaeobiogeographical questions, allowing to update taxonomically this group. The species studied here are the following: <i>Cyclothyris difformis</i> (Valenciennes in Lamarck, 1819); <i>Cyclothyris nekvasilovae</i> sp. nov.; <i>Cyclothyris</i>? <i>contorta</i>? (d'Orbigny, 1847); <i>Cyclothyris zahalkai</i> Nekvasilová, 1973; <i>Cyclothyris segurai</i> Berrocal-Casero, 2020; <i>Cyclothyris cardiatelia</i> Berrocal-Casero, 2020; <i>Cyclothyris claudicans</i> (Coquand, 1879); <i>Cyclothyris globata</i> (Arnaud, 1877); and <i>Cyclothyris</i>? <i>vesicularis</i> (Coquand, 1860). Starting from the preliminary interpretation about the funct...
A detailed taxonomic analysis has been carried out including the Acanthoceratidae family ammonoid... more A detailed taxonomic analysis has been carried out including the Acanthoceratidae family ammonoids collected in the materials of the upper Cenomanian and lower Turonian appearing in the location of Puentedey, as weIl as in other sections belonging to neighbouring towns. All of them are located in northem Spain. Nineteen cephalopod genera and twenty-eight species have been identified, among which eight genera and fifteen species are included in the family Acanthoceratidae. Some of them are found in Spain for the first time, such as Euomphaloceras euomphalum and Fagesia catinus species. This research has made it possible to develop a biostratigraphic section which represents the observed cephalopod succession in the materials from the upper Cenomanian to the lower Turonian of Puentedey Formation series type, where eight ammonite biohorizons have been identified. This has enabled us to establish its zonal division. In the upper Cenomanian, three ammonite bioestratigraphic zones have be...
PocketQubes are a form factor of highly miniaturized satellites with a body of one or more cubic ... more PocketQubes are a form factor of highly miniaturized satellites with a body of one or more cubic units of 5 cm. In this paper, the characteristics of PocketQubes in terms of their constraints and their (potential) utility are treated. To avoid space debris and limit collision risk, the orbits of PocketQubes need to be constraint. An analysis of orbital decay characteristics has been carried out which, considering existing space regulations and a pro-active attitude, PocketQubes should preferably be launched in low Earth orbits below 400 km altitude. Due to technical constraints, such as form factor, power and attitude control, the domain of applications for single PocketQube missions is limited. Still, they can act as low-cost training and technology demonstration platforms. To make PocketQubes an attractive platform for other types of missions, not only the launch cost, but also the development, production and operations cost should be significantly lower than CubeSats. When the PocketQube platform matures and produced in high numbers, networks of PocketQubes can enable new applications. Applications considered feasible are in the field of (but not limited to) continuous surveillance using optical instruments, gravity field monitoring using precise orbit determination, in-situ measurements of the space environment, low data rate or bandwidth communication services and inexpensive probes around other celestial bodies.
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Papers by FERNANDO BARROSO BARCENILLA