Fósiles ediacáricos de Vallemí (Cloudina y Corumbella)
In the Vallemí limestones lie some of the first animals with skeletons: Cloudina tubes and Corumbella remains.
What it is
The Itapucumí Group is internationally recognised for its Ediacaran fossil assemblage, one of the best preserved in southwestern Gondwana. It includes Cloudina (tiny carbonate tubes), Namacalathus and Corumbella werneri, along with thrombolites and trace fossils, in a shallow, tide-influenced platform. They are remains of some of the first animals that built mineral skeletons.
A 2023 study dated a volcanic ash layer about 30 m above the fossil-bearing levels of the Cerro Curuzu Formation at 535.7 ± 5.2 million years, that is, in the earliest Cambrian, which helps date the Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary in this part of the world.
How to visit
The fossils are in quarries and outcrops around Vallemí, inside and around the cement plant: it is not an open visiting site. If you are interested, contact the UNA Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences or the San Lázaro municipality.
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Researched and reviewed in September 2026 with 3 sources. A second reviewer checked dates, coordinates and lodging. Hours and prices may change.