The Santa Maria Formation is a sedimentary rock formation found in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It has a late Ladinian – early Carnian age (Middle – Upper Triassic), and is notable for its fossils of early dinosaurs, including the herrerasaur Staurikosaurus, the basal saurischian Teyuwasu, and the basal sauropodomorph Saturnalia. It received this name because it was discovered first in the city of Santa Maria.
The distinguished English paleontologist Arthur Smith Woodward determined the age of Santa Maria Formation dated Mesozoic Era, Upper Triassic period (about 220 million years).
The Santa Maria Formation is in the geopark of Paleorrota.
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