Plaza Huincul facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Plaza Huincul
City
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Country	Argentina
Province	Neuquén
Area
• Total	10,000 sq mi (30,000 km2)
Elevation	1,775 ft (541 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	13,572
• Density	1.17/sq mi (0.45/km2)
Time zone	UTC−3 (ART)
Climate	BWk

Plaza Huincul is a small city in the Neuquén province of southwestern Argentina. About 13,000 people live there. It's located about 1,288 kilometers southwest of Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires.

This city is in the middle of a desert. It grew quickly after oil was found nearby in 1918. Plaza Huincul is famous for finding some of the world's largest dinosaur fossils. These include Argentinosaurus, Giganotosaurus, and Mapusaurus.

Plaza Huincul has an oil and gas refinery owned by YPF, an Argentinian oil company. It shares many things with the nearby city of Cutral Có, especially when it comes to dinosaur tourism. A very important road, National Road Number 22, goes right through Plaza Huincul. The city's economy mostly depends on oil and gas services. There are also a growing number of farms that raise sheep and goats.

History of Plaza Huincul

The area where Plaza Huincul is today was first explored in 1876. This was during a time known as the "Desert Campaign." A Chilean man named Campos and his wife, Carmen Funes, were the first to settle here. They were known for welcoming travelers like the Pehuenches and Mapuches tribes. They later made Plaza Huincul their permanent home. The name "Plaza Huincul" means "Plaza of the hills."

The town grew fast after September 13, 1918. On that day, the YPF oil company brought workers to Plaza Huincul. They came to set up the company's first oil rig. A train station opened in Plaza Huincul on November 20, 1921. Today, a large arch still stands as a reminder of the entrance to the old YPF camp.

Plaza Huincul officially became a municipality, or city, on February 1, 1967.

Dinosaur Discoveries

Plaza Huincul gave its name to the Huincul Formation. This is a rock layer that holds many fossils from the Late Cretaceous period. This was a time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

Argentinosaurus: The Giant Sauropod

The Argentinosaurus was found near Plaza Huincul in 1987. This dinosaur is the largest ever found from mostly complete remains. Guillermo Heredia, a farmer, found the first bone on his farm. He thought the large leg bone, called a fibula, was just a petrified tree trunk. Scientists believe Argentinosaurus was about 35 meters (115 feet) long. They also think it weighed between 75 and 100 tons. That's like 10 to 15 elephants!

Giganotosaurus: A Huge Hunter

Another big discovery in the Huincul Formation happened in 1993. A local fossil hunter named Rubén Carolini found a leg bone from a huge meat-eating dinosaur. He was riding his dune buggy when he found it. A team of experts, led by Rodolfo Coria, came to dig up the fossil. They found a very complete skeleton, about 70% of the dinosaur. It even had part of its skull.

They had found a new type of giant meat-eater, a Carcharodontosauridae. This dinosaur was likely as big as, or even bigger than, Tyrannosaurus rex. In 1994, this 12 to 13-meter (39 to 43-foot) long carnivore was named Giganotosaurus.

Mapusaurus: Hunting in Packs

Between 1997 and 2001, Rodolfo Coria and Canadian scientist Philip J. Currie dug up more fossils. They thought they had found another Giganotosaurus. But they noticed some differences in the bones, especially in the skull. These differences showed it was a close relative of Giganotosaurus, but a new species.

In 2006, this new dinosaur was named Mapusaurus. The discovery of Mapusaurus also helped support a theory by Phil Currie. He believed that some large meat-eating dinosaurs might have hunted in groups.

Geography and Climate

Where is Plaza Huincul?

Plaza Huincul is in the Neuquén province, in western Argentina. Its exact location is 38°55′00″S latitude and 69°09′00″W longitude. The city covers an area of about 30,000 square kilometers. It is built on mostly flat, low-lying land.

Two important roads pass through the city: Provincial Road 17 and National Road 22. Road 17 connects Plaza Huincul to Osorno, Chile and even Bariloche. Plaza Huincul is about 161 kilometers (100 miles) from the border between Argentina and Chile.

Plaza Huincul's Climate

Plaza Huincul has a desert climate. This means it's generally dry. Temperatures change a lot throughout the year. The average temperature is about 13.1 degrees Celsius (55.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

January is the hottest month, with an average temperature of 29 degrees Celsius (84 degrees Fahrenheit). July is the coldest month, with an average of 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit). The city gets very little rain, only about 157 millimeters (6.2 inches) per year. This is about 13 millimeters (0.5 inches) each month.

See also

In Spanish: Plaza Huincul para niños