Nitrous oxideNitrous oxide, also known as dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide, is a chemical compound with chemical formula N2O. Under room conditions, it is a colourless non-flammable gas, with a pleasant, slightly-sweet odor. It is commonly known as laughing gas due to the exhilarating effects of inhaling it, and because it can cause spontaneous laughter in some people; it's also known as NOS or nitrous in racing and motorsports, where its usage is widespread. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anaesthetic and analgesic effects. Nitrous oxide is present in the atmosphere where it acts as a powerful greenhouse gas. ChemistryThe structure of the nitrous oxide molecule is a linear chain of a nitrogen atom bound to a second nitrogen, which in turn is bound to an oxygen atom. It can be considered a resonance hybrid of Nitrous oxide [[N2O]] should not be confused with the other nitrogen oxides such as nitric oxide NO and nitrogen dioxide NO2. Note that nitrous oxide is isoelectric with carbon dioxide. Nitrous oxide can be prepared by heating ammonium nitrate in the laboratory. Nitrous oxide can be used to nitrites by mixing it with boiling alkali metals, and to oxidize organic compounds at high temperatures. The CAS number of nitrous oxide is 10024-97-2 and its UN number is 1070. HistoryThe gas was discovered by Joseph Priestley in 1772. Humphry Davy in the 1790s tested the gas on himself and some of his friends, including the poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey. They soon realised that nitrous oxide considerably dulled the sensation of pain, even if the inhaler were still semi-conscious. And so it came into use as an anaesthetic, particularly by dentists, who do not typically have access to the services of an anesthesiologist and who may benefit from a patient who can respond to verbal commands. UsesInhalant effects — laughing gasNitrous oxide (N2O) is a dissociative that can cause analgesia, euphoria, dizziness, flanging of sound, and, in some cases, slight hallucinations and mild aphrodisiac effect. It can also result in mild nausea or lingering dizziness if too much is inhaled in too short a time. During the 19th century, William James and many contemporaries found that inhalation of nitrous oxide resulted in a powerful spiritual and mystical experience for the user. James claimed to experience the fusing of dichotomies into a unity and a revelation of ultimate truth during the inhalation of nitrous oxide. Memory of this experience, however, quickly faded and any attempt to communicate was difficult at best. The drug currently enjoys moderate popularity in the United States psychedelic community as an inhalant. It was often sold at Grateful Dead and Phish concerts. One slang term for the drug is Hippie Crack; this term implies commentary on the typical user of the substances as well as purported similarities between its psychological addiction potential or the short-lived duration of its effects and similar properties of "crack" cocaine. The recreational use of nitrous oxide is restricted in many districts. In California, for instance, inhalation of nitrous oxide "for the purpose of causing euphoria, or for the purpose of changing in any manner, one’s mental processes," is a criminal offense under its criminal code Cal. Pen. Code, Sec. 381b.) The Centre for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics, a nonprofit law and policy center in the United States, contends that such laws are unconstitutional "prior restraints on speech" and constitute "cognitive censorship." Since nitrous oxide can cause dizziness, dissociation, and temporary loss of motor control, it is unsafe to inhale while standing up. Inhalation of nitrous oxide directly from a whipped cream charger or a tank poses serious health risks, as it can cause the lungs to collapse from high levels of pressure, forcing air into the chest cavity, and can cause frostbite since the gas is very cold when released. For those reasons, most recreational nitrous oxide users will discharge the gas into a balloon before inhaling. While the pure gas itself is not toxic, death can result if it is inhaled in such a way that not enough oxygen is breathed in. Long-term use in large quantities has been associated with dangerous symptoms similar to vitamin B12 deficiency: anemia due to reduced hemopoiesis, neuropathy, tinnitus, and numbness in extremities. In chronic use it is also teratogenic, and foetotoxic. It can be habit-forming, mainly because of its short-lived effect (generally from 1 - 5 minutes in recreational doses) and ease of access. Inhaling industrial-grade nitrous oxide is also dangerous, as it contains many impurities and is not intended for use on humans. Finally, nitrous oxide should not be confused with nitric oxide, an extremely poisonous gas. MedicineMedical grade Nitrous Oxide tanks used in dentistrythe nitrous oxide is a very strong analgesic and a week mixture o it with oxygen is used in operation.n NOTE""""----IT does not produce laughing fits-------"""""" general anesthetic, and is generally not used alone in anaesthesia. However, it has a very low short-term toxicity and is an excellent analgesic, so a 50/50 mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen ("gas and air", supplied under the trade name Entonox) is commonly used during childbirth, for dental procedures, and in emergency medicine. In general anesthesia it is often used in an 2:1 ratio with oxygen in addition to more powerful general anaesthetic agents such as sevoflurane or desflurane. Its lower solubility in blood means it has a very rapid onset and offset. It has a MAC of 105% and a blood:gas partition coefficient of 0.46. Less than 0.004% is metabolised in humans. Nitrous Oxide is liquid at approximately 760 psi at room temperature, and is usually stored and shipped as a self-pressurized liquid. Aerosol propellantThe gas is licensed for use as a food additive, specifically as an aerosol spray propellant. Its most common uses in this context are in aerosol whipped cream canisters and as an inert gas used to displace staleness-inducing oxygen when filling packages of potato chips and other similar snack foods. The gas is excellently soluble in fatty compounds. In aerosol whipped cream, it is dissolved in the fatty cream until it leaves the can, when it becomes gaseous and thus creates foam. One can easily obtain the propellant by slowly turning the canister upside down (NO SHAKING) and letting all the contents out, leaving you the N2O. However, if one is using the Nitrous for recreational purposes, using N2O straight from a whipped cream can is unadvisable due to the fact that it is frequently cut with certain chemicals that can cause headaches or nausea. There is also usually a negligible amount of N2O in the cans. Rocket motorsNitrous oxide can be used as an oxidizer in a rocket engine. This has the advantages over other oxidizers that it is non-toxic and, due to its stability at room temperature, easy to store and relatively safe to carry on a flight. Nitrous oxide has notably been the oxidizer of choice in several hybrid rocket designs (using solid fuel with a liquid or gaseous oxidizer). The combination of nitrous oxide with hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene fuel has been used by SpaceShipOne and others. It is also notably used in amateur and high power rocketry with various plastics as the fuel. An episode of MythBusters featured a hybrid rocket built using paraffin wax mixed with powdered carbon as its solid fuel and nitrous oxide as its oxidizer. Internal Combustion EngineIn car racing, nitrous oxide (often just "nitrous" in this context) is sometimes injected into the intake manifold (or just prior to the intake manifold) to increase power: even though the gas itself is not flammable, it delivers more oxygen than atmospheric air by breaking down at elevated temperatures, thus allowing the engine to burn more fuel and air. Additionally, since nitrous oxide is stored as a liquid, the evaporation of liquid nitrous oxide in the intake manifold causes a large drop in intake charge temperature. This results in a smaller, denser charge, and can reduce detonation, as well as increase power available to the engine. The same technique was used during by World War II Luftwaffe aircraft with the GM 1 system to boost the power output of aircraft engines. Originally meant to provide the Luftwaffe standard aircraft with superior high-altitude performance, technological considerations limited its use to extremely high altitudes. Accordingly, it was only used by specialized planes like high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, high-speed bombers and high-altitude interceptors. One of the major problems of using nitrous oxide in a reciprocating engine is that it can produce enough power to destroy the engine. Power increases of 100-300% are possible, and unless the mechanical structure of the engine is reinforced, most engines would not survive this kind of operation. There are several ways of introducing nitrous into a motor. Nitrous kits such as such as NOS, Nitrous Express, Nitrous Direct brands offer different solutions. You will find Dry kits, Wet kits & Direct port. See nitrous It is very important with nitrous oxide augmentation of internal combustion engines to maintain temperatures and fuel levels so as to prevent preignition, or detonation (sometimes referred to as knocking, pinging or pinking). SafetyThe major safety hazards of nitrous oxide come from the fact that it is a compressed liquified gas, and a dissociative anaesthetic. While normally inert in storage and fairly safe to handle, nitrous oxide can decompose energetically and potentially detonate if initiated under the wrong circumstances. Liquid nitrous oxide acts a good solvent for many organic compounds; liquid mixtures can form somewhat sensitive explosives. Contamination with fuels has been implicated in a handful of rocketry accidents, where small quantities of nitrous / fuel mixtures detonated, triggering the explosive decomposition of residual nitrous oxide in plumbing. Nitrous oxide in the atmosphereGreenhouse gas trendsNitrogen oxides, nitrous oxide included, are greenhouse gases; per kilogram, nitrous oxide has 296 times the effect of carbon dioxide for producing global warming [1]. Therefore, nitrogen oxides are a subject of efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, such as the Kyoto Protocol. Behind carbon dioxide and methane, nitrous oxide is the third most important gas that contribute to global warming. Nitrous oxide is naturally emitted from soils and oceans. Human activity contributes to the release of the gas through the cultivation of soil and the production and use of nitrogen fertilizers, the production of nylon, and the burning of fossil fuels and other organic matter. Human activity is thought to account for somewhat less than 2 teragrams (this is multiplied by appx 300 when calculated as a ratio to Carbon Dioxide) of nitrogen oxides per year, nature for over 15 teragrams [2]. Legality in the United StatesPossession of nitrous oxide is illegal in most localities in the United States for the purposes of inhaling or ingesting if not under the care of a physician or dentist. Nitrous oxide injection systems for automobiles are usually legal, although the use of a nitrous oxide system is likely to result in speeds that are in violation of other traffic laws. Some localities also require certified system components. There have been numerous reported instances of police officers arresting drivers of vehicles equipped with nitrous oxide injection systems on the grounds that he or she intends to inhale it. However, such auto-grade nitrous oxide is mixed with hydrogen sulfide and would cause significant deleterious effects if inhaled. NeuropharmacologyTo meet Wikipedia's quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup.See rationale on the talk page, or replace this tag with a more specific message. Editing help is available. (Tagged December 2005) Nitrous oxide shares many pharmacological similarities with classical gaseous and intravenous anesthetics, however, there are well-documented unquestionable differences. Nitrous oxide is relatively non-polar and has a low molecular weight, allowing it to dissolve through fats easily. This makes it effective for propelling whipped cream and also permits the gas to quickly penetrate fatty phospholipid cell membranes. Nitrous oxide diffuses through membranes much faster than any other anesthetic gas, giving it an extremely rapid onset. It is chemically inert at body temperatures, and so it is carried free in the blood rather than binding to hemogloubin. Like many classical anesthetics, N2O non-competitively inhibits the NMDA receptor with high affinity and efficacy at concentrations directly proportional to its anaesthetic concentrations (Jevtovic-Todorovic et al., 1998; Mennerick et al., 1998; Yamakura & Harris, 2000). The evidence on the effect of N2O on GABA-A currents is mixed, but tends to show a lower potency potentiation (Dzoljic & Van Duijn, 1998; Mennerick et al., 1998; Yamakura & Harris, 2000). N2O, like other volatile anesthetics, activates twin-pore potassium channels, albeit weakly. These channels are largely responsible for keeping neurons at the resting (unexcited) potential (Gruss et al., 2004). Unlike many anesthetics, however, N2O does not seem to affect calcium channels (Mennerick et al., 1998). Unlike most general anesthetics, N2O seems to somehow affect the benzodiazepine receptor. In many behavioral tests of anxiety, low doses of N2O is a successful anxiolytic. This anti-anxiety effect is partially reversed by benzodiazepine receptor antagonists. Mirroring this, animals which have developed tolerance to the anxiolytic effects of benzodiazepines are partially tolerant to nitrous oxide (Czech & Green, 1992; Emmanouil et al., 1994; Quock et al., 1992). Indeed, in humans given 30% N2O, benzodiazepine receptor antagonists reduced the subjective reports of feeling “high”, but did not alter psycho-motor performance (Zacny et al., 1995). Most interestingly, the effects of N2O seem somehow linked to the interaction between the endogenous opioid system and the descending noradrenergic system. When animals are given morphine chronically they develop tolerance to its antinociceptive (pain killing) effects; this also renders the animals tolerant to the antinocicpetive effects of N2O (Berkowitz et al., 1979). Administration of antibodies which bind and block the activity of some endogenous opioids (not beta-endorphin) block the antinociceptive effects of N2O (Branda et al., 2000; Cahill et al., 2000). Drugs which inhibit the breakdown of endogenous opioids also potentiate the antinociceptive effects of N2O (Branda et al., 2000). Several experiments have shown that opioid receptor antagonists applied directly to the brain block the antinociceptive effects of N2O, but these drugs have no effect when injected into the spinal cord. Conversely, alpha-adrenoreceptor antagonists block the antinociceptive effects of N2O when given directly to the spinal cord, but not when applied directly to the brain (Fang et al., 1997; Guo et al., 1999; Guo et al., 1996). Indeed, alpha2B-adrenoreceptor knockout mice or animals depleted in noradrenaline are nearly completely resistant to the antinociceptive effects of N2O (Sawamura et al., 2000; Zhang et al., 1999). It seems N2O-induced released of endogenous opioids causes disinhibition of brainstem noradrenergic neurons, which descend into the spinal cord and inhibit pain signaling. Exactly how N2O causes the release of opioids is still uncertain. In conclusion, N2O induces its effects through classical volatile anaesthetic mechanisms like NMDA receptor antagonist, GABA-A potentiation and potassium channel activation as well as novel mechanisms such as a benzodiazepine-like effect and stimulating endogenous opioid receptors. Laughing Gas in fiction
This page about Nitrous Oxide includes information from a Wikipedia article. Additional articles about Nitrous Oxide News stories about Nitrous Oxide External links for Nitrous Oxide Videos for Nitrous Oxide Wikis about Nitrous Oxide Discussion Groups about Nitrous Oxide Blogs about Nitrous Oxide Images of Nitrous Oxide |
|
In conclusion, N2O induces its effects through classical volatile anaesthetic mechanisms like NMDA receptor antagonist, GABA-A potentiation and potassium channel activation as well as novel mechanisms such as a benzodiazepine-like effect and stimulating endogenous opioid receptors. This further opened up some of the area to prospectors. Exactly how N2O causes the release of opioids is still uncertain. In 1885 a mining expeditionary party under the Romanian adventurer Julius Popper landed in southern Patagonia in search of gold, which they found after travelling southwards towards the lands of Tierra del Fuego. It seems N2O-induced released of endogenous opioids causes disinhibition of brainstem noradrenergic neurons, which descend into the spinal cord and inhibit pain signaling. Captain George Chaworth Musters in 1869 wandered in company with a band of Tehuelches through the whole length of the country from the strait to the Manzaneros in the north-west, and collected a great deal of information about the people and their mode of life. Indeed, alpha2B-adrenoreceptor knockout mice or animals depleted in noradrenaline are nearly completely resistant to the antinociceptive effects of N2O (Sawamura et al., 2000; Zhang et al., 1999). The expeditions of HMS Adventure (1826–1830) and HMS Beagle (1832–1836) under Philip Parker King and Robert FitzRoy respectively were of first-rate importance, the latter especially from the participation of Charles Darwin; however nothing was observed of the interior of the country except for 200 miles (320 km) of the course of the Santa Cruz. Conversely, alpha-adrenoreceptor antagonists block the antinociceptive effects of N2O when given directly to the spinal cord, but not when applied directly to the brain (Fang et al., 1997; Guo et al., 1999; Guo et al., 1996). Thomas Falkner, a Jesuit who resided near forty years in those parts, published his Description of Patagonia (Hereford, 1774); Francesco Viedma founded El Carmen, and Antonio advanced inland to the Andes (1782); and Basilio Villarino ascended the Rio Negro (1782). Several experiments have shown that opioid receptor antagonists applied directly to the brain block the antinociceptive effects of N2O, but these drugs have no effect when injected into the spinal cord. In the second half of the 18th century knowledge of Patagonia was further augmented by the voyages of the previously-mentioned John Byron (1764–1765), Samuel Wallis (1766, in the same HMS Dolphin which Byron had earlier sailed in) and Louis Antoine de Bougainville (1766). Drugs which inhibit the breakdown of endogenous opioids also potentiate the antinociceptive effects of N2O (Branda et al., 2000). Interest soon subsided, although awareness of and belief in the myth persisted in some quarters even up into the 20th century1. Administration of antibodies which bind and block the activity of some endogenous opioids (not beta-endorphin) block the antinociceptive effects of N2O (Branda et al., 2000; Cahill et al., 2000). In this publication, drawn from their official logs, it became clear that the people Byron's expedition had encountered were no taller than 6 foot 6 inches, tall perhaps but by no means giants. When animals are given morphine chronically they develop tolerance to its antinociceptive (pain killing) effects; this also renders the animals tolerant to the antinocicpetive effects of N2O (Berkowitz et al., 1979). In 1773 John Hawkesworth published on behalf of the Admiralty a compendium of noted English southern-hemisphere explorers' journals, including that of James Cook and John Byron. Most interestingly, the effects of N2O seem somehow linked to the interaction between the endogenous opioid system and the descending noradrenergic system. However, the Patagonian giant frenzy was to die down substantially only a few years later, when some more sober and analytical accounts were published. Indeed, in humans given 30% N2O, benzodiazepine receptor antagonists reduced the subjective reports of feeling “high”, but did not alter psycho-motor performance (Zacny et al., 1995). Byron and crew had spent some time along the coast, and the publication (Voyage Round the World in His Majesty’s Ship the Dolphin) seemed to give proof positive of their existence; the publication became an overnight best-seller, thousands of extra copies were to be sold to a willing public, and other prior accounts of the region were hastily re-published (even those in which giant-like folk were not mentioned at all). Mirroring this, animals which have developed tolerance to the anxiolytic effects of benzodiazepines are partially tolerant to nitrous oxide (Czech & Green, 1992; Emmanouil et al., 1994; Quock et al., 1992). The concept and general belief persisted for a further 250 years, and was to be sensationally re-ignited in 1767 when an "official" (but anonymous) account was published of Commodore John Byron's recent voyage of global circumnavigation in HMS Dolphin. This anti-anxiety effect is partially reversed by benzodiazepine receptor antagonists. By 1611 the Patagonian god Setebos (Settaboth in Pigafetta) was familiar to the hearers of the Tempest. In many behavioral tests of anxiety, low doses of N2O is a successful anxiolytic. Early charts of the New World sometimes added the legend regio gigantum ("region of the giants") to the Patagonian area. Unlike most general anesthetics, N2O seems to somehow affect the benzodiazepine receptor. This supposed race of Patagonian giants or Patagones entered into the common European perception of this little-known and distant area, to be further fuelled by subsequent reports of other expeditions and famous-name travellers like Sir Francis Drake, which seemed to confirm these accounts. Unlike many anesthetics, however, N2O does not seem to affect calcium channels (Mennerick et al., 1998). The main interest in the region sparked by Pigafetta's account came from his reports of their meeting with the local inhabitants, who they claimed to measure some nine to twelve feet in height —"...so tall that we reached only to his waist"—, and hence the later idea that Patagonia meant "big feet". These channels are largely responsible for keeping neurons at the resting (unexcited) potential (Gruss et al., 2004). However, this etymology is questionable. N2O, like other volatile anesthetics, activates twin-pore potassium channels, albeit weakly. Although Pigafetta's account does not describe how this name came about, subsequent popular interpretations gave credence to a derivation meaning 'land of the big feet'. The evidence on the effect of N2O on GABA-A currents is mixed, but tends to show a lower potency potentiation (Dzoljic & Van Duijn, 1998; Mennerick et al., 1998; Yamakura & Harris, 2000). According to Antonio Pigafetta, one of the Magellan expedition's few survivors and its published chronicler, Magellan bestowed the name "Patagão" (or Patagoni) on the inhabitants they encountered there, and the name "Patagonia" for the region. Like many classical anesthetics, N2O non-competitively inhibits the NMDA receptor with high affinity and efficacy at concentrations directly proportional to its anaesthetic concentrations (Jevtovic-Todorovic et al., 1998; Mennerick et al., 1998; Yamakura & Harris, 2000). The district in the neighbourhood of Puerto Deseado, explored by John Davis about the same period, was taken possession of by Sir John Narborough in the name of King Charles II of England in 1669. It is chemically inert at body temperatures, and so it is carried free in the blood rather than binding to hemogloubin. The settlement which he founded at Nombre de Dios and San Felipe were neglected by the Spanish government, and the latter was in such a miserable state when Thomas Cavendish visited it in 1587 that he called it Port Famine. Nitrous oxide diffuses through membranes much faster than any other anesthetic gas, giving it an extremely rapid onset. Alonzo de Camargo (1539), Juan Ladrilleros (1557) and Hurtado de Mendoza (1558) helped to make known the western coasts, and Sir Francis Drake's voyage in 1577 down the eastern coast through the strait and northward by Chile and Peru was memorable for several reasons; but the geography of Patagonia owes more to Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa (1579–1580), who, devoting himself especially to the south-west region, made careful and accurate surveys. This makes it effective for propelling whipped cream and also permits the gas to quickly penetrate fatty phospholipid cell membranes. Pedro de Mendoza, on whom the country was next bestowed, lived to found Buenos Aires, but not to carry his explorations to the south. Nitrous oxide is relatively non-polar and has a low molecular weight, allowing it to dissolve through fats easily. Rodrigo de Isla, despatched inland in 1535 from San Matias by Alcazava Sotomayor (on whom western Patagonia had been conferred by the king of Spain), was the first European to traverse the great Patagonian plain, and, but for the mutiny of his men, he may have been able to strike across the Andes to reach the Chilean side. Nitrous oxide shares many pharmacological similarities with classical gaseous and intravenous anesthetics, however, there are well-documented unquestionable differences. However, it is also possible that earlier navigators such as Amerigo Vespucci had reached the area (his own account of 1502 has it that he reached its latitudes), however his failure to accurately describe the main geographical features of the region such as the Rio de la Plata casts some doubt on whether he really did so. However, such auto-grade nitrous oxide is mixed with hydrogen sulfide and would cause significant deleterious effects if inhaled. The region of Patagonia was to be first noted in European accounts in 1520 by the expedition of Ferdinand Magellan, who on his passage along the coast named many of the more striking features -- Gulf of San Matias, Cape of 11,000 Virgins (now simply Cape Virgenes), and others. There have been numerous reported instances of police officers arresting drivers of vehicles equipped with nitrous oxide injection systems on the grounds that he or she intends to inhale it. The indigenous peoples of the region included the Tehuelches, whose numbers and society were reduced to near extinction not long after the first contacts with Europeans. Some localities also require certified system components. The region seems to have been inhabited continuously since that time, by various cultures and alternating waves of migration, the details of which are as yet poorly understood. Nitrous oxide injection systems for automobiles are usually legal, although the use of a nitrous oxide system is likely to result in speeds that are in violation of other traffic laws. Human habitation of the region dates back thousands of years, with some early archaeological findings in the southern part of the area dated to the 10th millennium BCE, although later dates of around the 8th millennium BCE are more securely recognised. Possession of nitrous oxide is illegal in most localities in the United States for the purposes of inhaling or ingesting if not under the care of a physician or dentist. Of the many kinds of water-fowl it is enough to mention the flamingo, the upland goose, and in the strait the remarkable steamer duck. Human activity is thought to account for somewhat less than 2 teragrams (this is multiplied by appx 300 when calculated as a ratio to Carbon Dioxide) of nitrogen oxides per year, nature for over 15 teragrams [2]. The carancho or carrion-hawk (Polyborus tharus) is one of the characteristic objects of a Patagonian landscape; the presence of long-tailed green parakeets (Conurus cyanolysius) as far south as the shores of the strait attracted the attention of the earlier navigators; and hummingbirds may be seen flying amidst the falling snow. Human activity contributes to the release of the gas through the cultivation of soil and the production and use of nitrogen fertilizers, the production of nylon, and the burning of fossil fuels and other organic matter. Bird-life is often wonderfully abundant. Nitrous oxide is naturally emitted from soils and oceans. The guanaco roam in herds over the country and form with the rhea (Rhea americana, and more rarely Rhea darwinii) the chief means of subsistence for the natives, who hunt them on horseback with dogs and bolas. Behind carbon dioxide and methane, nitrous oxide is the third most important gas that contribute to global warming. The guanaco, the puma, the zorro or Brazilian fox (Canis azarae), the zorrino or Mephitis patagonica (a kind of skunk), and the tuco-tuco or Ctenomys niagellanicus (a rodent) are the most characteristic mammals of the Patagonian plains. Therefore, nitrogen oxides are a subject of efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, such as the Kyoto Protocol. At Punta Arenas it is 560 mm (22 inches). Nitrogen oxides, nitrous oxide included, are greenhouse gases; per kilogram, nitrous oxide has 296 times the effect of carbon dioxide for producing global warming [1]. The prevailing winds are westerly, and the westward slope has a much heavier precipitation than the eastern; thus at Puerto Montt the mean annual precipitation is 2.46 m (97 inches), but at Bahia Blanca it is 480 mm (19 inches). Contamination with fuels has been implicated in a handful of rocketry accidents, where small quantities of nitrous / fuel mixtures detonated, triggering the explosive decomposition of residual nitrous oxide in plumbing. At Punta Arenas, in the extreme south, the mean temperature is 6 °C (43 °F) and the average extremes 24.5 °C (76 °F) and −2 °C (28 °F). Liquid nitrous oxide acts a good solvent for many organic compounds; liquid mixtures can form somewhat sensitive explosives. the mean annual temperature is 11 °C (52 °F) and the average extremes 25.5 °C (78 °F) and −1.5 °C (29.5 °F), whereas at Bahia Blanca near the Atlantic coast and just outside the northern confines of Patagonia the annual temperature is 15 °C (59 °F) and the range much greater. While normally inert in storage and fairly safe to handle, nitrous oxide can decompose energetically and potentially detonate if initiated under the wrong circumstances. At Puerto Montt, on the inlet behind Chiloé Island. The major safety hazards of nitrous oxide come from the fact that it is a compressed liquified gas, and a dissociative anaesthetic. The east slope is warmer than the west, especially in summer, as a branch of the southern equatorial current reaches its shores, whereas the west coast is washed by a cold current. It is very important with nitrous oxide augmentation of internal combustion engines to maintain temperatures and fuel levels so as to prevent preignition, or detonation (sometimes referred to as knocking, pinging or pinking). The climate is less severe than was supposed by early travellers. See nitrous. It consist of the 47,992 km² of the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, and several minor islands. You will find Dry kits, Wet kits & Direct port. Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago at the southernmost tip of Patagonia, divided between Argentina and Chile. Nitrous kits such as such as NOS, Nitrous Express, Nitrous Direct brands offer different solutions. But the colonization of the western (Chilean) coast has generally failed, principally owing to the adverse climatic conditions of the Cordillera in those latitudes. There are several ways of introducing nitrous into a motor. Its population in 1911 numbered about 4000. Power increases of 100-300% are possible, and unless the mechanical structure of the engine is reinforced, most engines would not survive this kind of operation. Owing to the produce of the cattle farms established there, the working of coal in the neighbourhood, and the export of timber from the surrounding forests, the town of Punta Arenas is in a flourishing condition. One of the major problems of using nitrous oxide in a reciprocating engine is that it can produce enough power to destroy the engine. Puerto Gallegos itself is an important business center, which bids fair to rival the Chilean colony of Punta Arenas, on the Straits of Magellan. Accordingly, it was only used by specialized planes like high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, high-speed bombers and high-altitude interceptors. But the present cattle region par excellence of Patagonia is the department of Rio Gallegos, the farms extending from the Atlantic to the Cordillera. Originally meant to provide the Luftwaffe standard aircraft with superior high-altitude performance, technological considerations limited its use to extremely high altitudes. In Santa Cruz bay an important trade centre has been established. The same technique was used during by World War II Luftwaffe aircraft with the GM 1 system to boost the power output of aircraft engines. The Rio Santa Cruz, originally explored by Captain Robert FitzRoy and Charles Darwin during the Voyage of the Beagle, is an important artery of communication between the regions bordering upon the Cordillera and the Atlantic. This results in a smaller, denser charge, and can reduce detonation, as well as increase power available to the engine. In the Cretaceous hills which flank the Cordillera important lignite beds and deposits of mineral oils have been discovered. Additionally, since nitrous oxide is stored as a liquid, the evaporation of liquid nitrous oxide in the intake manifold causes a large drop in intake charge temperature. The valleys of the Rio Chico throughout their whole extent, as well as those of Lake Shehuen, afford excellent grazing, and around Lakes Belgrano, Burmeister and Rio Mayer and San Martin there are spots suitable for cultivation. In car racing, nitrous oxide (often just "nitrous" in this context) is sometimes injected into the intake manifold (or just prior to the intake manifold) to increase power: even though the gas itself is not flammable, it delivers more oxygen than atmospheric air by breaking down at elevated temperatures, thus allowing the engine to burn more fuel and air. San Julian on Puerto San Julian, where Ferdinand Magellan wintered, was the centre of a cattle farming colony, and colonists have pushed into the interior up the valley of a now extinct river which in comparatively recent times carried down to Puerto San Julian the waters of Lakes Volcan, Beigrano, Azara, Nansen, and some other lakes which now drain into the river Mayer and so into Lake San Martin. An episode of MythBusters featured a hybrid rocket built using paraffin wax mixed with powdered carbon as its solid fuel and nitrous oxide as its oxidizer. Lake Buenos Aires, the largest lake in Patagonia, measuring 120 kilometers (75 miles) in length, poured its waters into the Atlantic even in post-Glacial times by means of the river Deseado; and it is so depicted on the maps of the 17th and 18th centuries; and so too did Lake Pueyrredon, which, through the action of erosion, now empties itself westward, through the river Las Heras, into the Calen inlet of the Pacific, in 48°S. It is also notably used in amateur and high power rocketry with various plastics as the fuel. Into this inlet there flowed at the time of the conquest a voluminous river, which subsequently disappeared, but returned again to its ancient bed, owing to the river Fenix, one of its affluents, which had deviated to the west, regaining its original direction. The combination of nitrous oxide with hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene fuel has been used by SpaceShipOne and others. Puerto Deseado is the outlet for the produce of the Andean region situated between Lakes Buenos Aires and Pueyrredon. Nitrous oxide has notably been the oxidizer of choice in several hybrid rocket designs (using solid fuel with a liquid or gaseous oxidizer). With the exception of certain valleys at Puerto Deseado (Port Desire) and in the transverse basins which occur as far south as Puerto San Julian, and which contain several cattle farms, few spots are capable of cultivation, the pastures being poor, water insufficient and salt lagoons fairly numerous. This has the advantages over other oxidizers that it is non-toxic and, due to its stability at room temperature, easy to store and relatively safe to carry on a flight. The territory of Santa Cruz is arid along the Atlantic coast and in the central portion between 46° and 50°S. Nitrous oxide can be used as an oxidizer in a rocket engine. miles). There is also usually a negligible amount of N2O in the cans. parallel, as far south as the dividing line with Chile, and between Point Dungeness and the watershed of the Cordillera, has an area of 243,943 km² (94,186 sq. However, if one is using the Nitrous for recreational purposes, using N2O straight from a whipped cream can is unadvisable due to the fact that it is frequently cut with certain chemicals that can cause headaches or nausea. Santa Cruz, which stretches from the 46° to the 50°S. One can easily obtain the propellant by slowly turning the canister upside down (NO SHAKING) and letting all the contents out, leaving you the N2O. Every year thousands of fly fishermen flock there for the hope of catching "the big one". In aerosol whipped cream, it is dissolved in the fatty cream until it leaves the can, when it becomes gaseous and thus creates foam. In addition it is one of the highest critically acclaimed group of rivers in the the world for fly fishing. The gas is excellently soluble in fatty compounds. Colonies have also been formed in the basin of Lakes Musters and Colhué Huapi; and on the coasts near the Atlantic, along Bahia Camarones and the Gulf of San Jorge, there are extensive farms. Its most common uses in this context are in aerosol whipped cream canisters and as an inert gas used to displace staleness-inducing oxygen when filling packages of potato chips and other similar snack foods. The streams which form the rivers Mayo and Chalia join the tributaries of the Rio Aisen, which flows into the Pacific, watering in its course extensive and valuable districts where colonization has been initiated by Argentine settlers. The gas is licensed for use as a food additive, specifically as an aerosol spray propellant. At Lake Fontana there are auriferous drifts and lignite deposits which abound in fossil plants of the Cretaceous age. Nitrous Oxide is liquid at approximately 760 psi at room temperature, and is usually stored and shipped as a self-pressurized liquid. This region contains auriferous drifts, but these, like the auriferous deposits, veins of galena and lignite in the mountains farther west which flank the Cordillera, have not been properly investigated. Less than 0.004% is metabolised in humans. Rio Pico, an affluent of the same river, receives nearly the whole of the waters of the extensive undulating plain which lies between the Rio Tecka and the Rio Senguerr to the east of the Cordillera, while the remainder are carried away by the affluents of Rio Jehua: the Cherque, Omkel, and Appeleg. It has a MAC of 105% and a blood:gas partition coefficient of 0.46. The principal affluent of the Palena, the Carrenleufu, carries off the waters of Lake General Paz, situated on the eastern slope of the Cordillera. Its lower solubility in blood means it has a very rapid onset and offset. Other rivers in this territory flow into the Pacific through breaches in the Cordillera, e.g. the upper affluents of the Futaleufú River, Palena and Rio Cisnes. In general anesthesia it is often used in an 2:1 ratio with oxygen in addition to more powerful general anaesthetic agents such as sevoflurane or desflurane. The chief of these colonies is that of 16 de Octubre, formed in 1886, mainly by the inhabitants of Chubut colony, in the longitudinal valley which extends to the eastern foot of the Cordillera. However, it has a very low short-term toxicity and is an excellent analgesic, so a 50/50 mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen ("gas and air", supplied under the trade name Entonox) is commonly used during childbirth, for dental procedures, and in emergency medicine. Between the Chubut and the Senguerr there are vast stretches of fertile land, spreading over the Andean region to the foot of the Cordillera and the lateral ridges of the Pre-Cordillera, and filling the basins of some desiccated lakes, which have been occupied since 1885, and farms and colonies founded upon them. the nitrous oxide is a very strong analgesic and a week mixture o it with oxygen is used in operation.n NOTE""""----IT does not produce laughing fits-------"""""" general anesthetic, and is generally not used alone in anaesthesia. The valley has been irrigated and cultivated, and produces the best wheat of the Argentine Republic. Finally, nitrous oxide should not be confused with nitric oxide, an extremely poisonous gas. Here is the seat of the governor of the territory, and by 1895 the inhabitants of this part of the territory, composed principally of Argentines, Welsh and Italians, numbered 2585. Inhaling industrial-grade nitrous oxide is also dangerous, as it contains many impurities and is not intended for use on humans. The town was founded in 1865 by a group of colonists from Wales, assisted by the Argentine government; and its prosperity has led to the foundation of other important centres in the valley, such as Trelew and Gaiman, which is connected by railway with Puerto Madryn on Bahia Nueva. It can be habit-forming, mainly because of its short-lived effect (generally from 1 - 5 minutes in recreational doses) and ease of access. Rawson, the capital, is situated at the mouth of the river Chubut on the Atlantic (42°30'S). In chronic use it is also teratogenic, and foetotoxic. Chubut territory presents the same characteristics as the Río Negro territory. Long-term use in large quantities has been associated with dangerous symptoms similar to vitamin B12 deficiency: anemia due to reduced hemopoiesis, neuropathy, tinnitus, and numbness in extremities. miles), embracing the region between 42° and 46°S;. While the pure gas itself is not toxic, death can result if it is inhaled in such a way that not enough oxygen is breathed in. Chubut, covers 224,686 km² (86,751 sq. For those reasons, most recreational nitrous oxide users will discharge the gas into a balloon before inhaling. In 42°S there is a third broad transverse depression, apparently the bed of another great river, now perished, which carried to the Atlantic the waters of a portion of the eastern slope of the Andes, between 41° and 42°30;S. Inhalation of nitrous oxide directly from a whipped cream charger or a tank poses serious health risks, as it can cause the lungs to collapse from high levels of pressure, forcing air into the chest cavity, and can cause frostbite since the gas is very cold when released. To the south of the Rio Negro the Patagonian plateau is intersected by the depressions of the Gualicho and Maquinchao, which in former times directed the waters of two great rivers (now disappeared) to the gulf of San Matias, the first-named depression draining the network of the Collon Cura and the second the Nahuel Huapi lake system. Since nitrous oxide can cause dizziness, dissociation, and temporary loss of motor control, it is unsafe to inhale while standing up. In this depression are several settlements, among them Viedma, the capital of the Rio Negro territory, Pringles, General Conesa, Choele Choel and General Roca. 381b.) The Centre for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics, a nonprofit law and policy center in the United States, contends that such laws are unconstitutional "prior restraints on speech" and constitute "cognitive censorship.". the middle part of which is followed by the railway which runs to the settlement of Neuquen at the confluence of the rivers Limay and Neuquen. Code, Sec. The Río Negro River runs along a wide transverse depression. Pen. miles), extending from the Atlantic to the Cordillera of the Andes, to the north of 42°S. In California, for instance, inhalation of nitrous oxide "for the purpose of causing euphoria, or for the purpose of changing in any manner, one’s mental processes," is a criminal offense under its criminal code Cal. Río Negro covers 203,013 km² (78,383 sq. The recreational use of nitrous oxide is restricted in many districts. Lake Lacar is now a contributary of the Pacific, its outlet having been changed to the west, owing to a passage having been opened through the Cordillera. One slang term for the drug is Hippie Crack; this term implies commentary on the typical user of the substances as well as purported similarities between its psychological addiction potential or the short-lived duration of its effects and similar properties of "crack" cocaine. These regions are drained by the river Collon Cura, the principal affluent of the river Limay. It was often sold at Grateful Dead and Phish concerts. Close to these are the famous apple orchards supposed to have been planted by the Jesuits in the 17th and 18th centuries. The drug currently enjoys moderate popularity in the United States psychedelic community as an inhalant. The wide valleys occur near Rio Malleo, Lake Huechulafquen, the river Chimehuin, and Vega de Chapelco, near Lake Lacar, where are situated villages of some importance, such as Junin de los Andes and San Martin de los Andes. Memory of this experience, however, quickly faded and any attempt to communicate was difficult at best. In the centre of the territory, also in the neighborhood of the mining districts, are the valleys of Norquin and Las Lajas, the general camp of the Argentine army in Patagonia, with excellent timber in the forest on the Andean slope. James claimed to experience the fusing of dichotomies into a unity and a revelation of ultimate truth during the inhalation of nitrous oxide. More to the west is the mining region, in great part unexplored, but containing deposits of gold, silver, copper and lignite. During the 19th century, William James and many contemporaries found that inhalation of nitrous oxide resulted in a powerful spiritual and mystical experience for the user. Chos Malal, the capital of the territory, is situated in one of these valleys. It can also result in mild nausea or lingering dizziness if too much is inhaled in too short a time. As the Cordillera is approached the soil becomes more fertile, and suitable districts for the rearing of cattle and other agricultural purposes exist between the regions which surround the Tromen volcano and the first ridges of the Andes. Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a dissociative that can cause analgesia, euphoria, dizziness, flanging of sound, and, in some cases, slight hallucinations and mild aphrodisiac effect. The Neuquen river is not navigable, but as its waters are capable of being easily dammed in places, large stretches of land in its valley are utilized; but the lands on each side of its lower part are of little commercial value. And so it came into use as an anaesthetic, particularly by dentists, who do not typically have access to the services of an anesthesiologist and who may benefit from a patient who can respond to verbal commands. On the upper plains of Neuquen territory thousands of cattle can be fed, and the forests around Lakes Tiaful and Nahuel-Huapi yield large quantities of valuable timber. They soon realised that nitrous oxide considerably dulled the sensation of pain, even if the inhaler were still semi-conscious. miles), including the triangle between the Limay River and Neuquén River, which extends southward to the northern shore of Lake Nahuel-Huapi (41°S) and northward to the Rio Colorado. Humphry Davy in the 1790s tested the gas on himself and some of his friends, including the poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey. Neuquén covers 94,078 km² (36,324 sq. The gas was discovered by Joseph Priestley in 1772. Population = 1,740,000 (2001 census). Nitrous oxide can be used to nitrites by mixing it with boiling alkali metals, and to oxidize organic compounds at high temperatures. The animals undoubtedly reached these localities from the east; it is not at all probable that they advanced from the north southwards across the plateau intersected at that cime by great rivers and covered by the ice-sheet. Nitrous oxide can be prepared by heating ammonium nitrate in the laboratory. One fact, however, which apparently demonstrates with greater certainty the existence in recent times of land that is now lost, is the presence of remains of pampean mammals in Pleistocene deposits in the bay of Puerto San Julian and in Santa Cruz. Note that nitrous oxide is isoelectric with carbon dioxide. There are besides, in the neighborhood of the present coast, deposits of volcanic ashes, and the ocean throws up on its shores blocks of basaltic lava, which in all probability proceed from eruptions of submerged volcanoes now extinct. Nitrous oxide [[N2O]] should not be confused with the other nitrogen oxides such as nitric oxide NO and nitrogen dioxide NO2. From an examination of the pampean formation it is evident that in recent times the land of the province of Buenos Aires extended farther to the east, and that the advance of the sea, and the salt-water deposits left by it when it retired, forming some of the lowlands which occur on the littoral and in the interior of the pampas, are much more recent phenomena; and certain caps of shingle, derived from rocks of a different class from those of the neighboring hills, which are observed on the Atlantic coasts of the same province, and increase in quantity and size towards the south, seem to indicate that the caps of shingle which now cover such a great part of the Patagonian territory recently extended farther to the east, over land which has now disappeared beneath the sea, while other marine deposits along the same coasts became converted into bays during the subsequent advance of the sea. It can be considered a resonance hybrid of. They are composed of caps of shingle, with great, more or less rounded boulders, sand and volcanic ashes, precisely of the same form as occurs on the Patagonian plateau. The structure of the nitrous oxide molecule is a linear chain of a nitrogen atom bound to a second nitrogen, which in turn is bound to an oxygen atom. Some of the promontories of Chiloé are still called huapi, the Araucanian equivalent for "islands"; and this may perhaps be accepted as perpetuating the recollection of the time when they actually were islands. . In so far as its main characteristics are concerned, Patagonia seems to be a portion of the Antarctic continent, the permanence of which dates from very recent times, as is evidenced by the apparent recent emergence of the islets around Chiloé, and by the general character of the pampean formation. Nitrous oxide is present in the atmosphere where it acts as a powerful greenhouse gas. Several of the high peaks are still active volcanoes. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anaesthetic and analgesic effects. These ice-sheets, which scooped out the greater part of the longitudinal depressions, and appear to have rapidly retreated to the point where the glaciers now exist, did not, however, in their retirement fill up with their detritus the fjords of the Cordillera, for these are now occupied by deep lakes on the east, and on the west by the Pacific channels, some of which are as much as 250 fathoms (460 m) in depth, and soundings taken in them show that the fjords are as usual deeper in the vicinity of the mountains than to the west of the islands. It is commonly known as laughing gas due to the exhilarating effects of inhaling it, and because it can cause spontaneous laughter in some people; it's also known as NOS or nitrous in racing and motorsports, where its usage is widespread. In Patagonia an immense ice-sheet extended to the east of the present Atlantic coast during the first ice age, at the close of the Tertiary epoch, while, during the second glacial age in modern times, the terminal moraines have generally stopped, 30 miles (50 km) in the north and 50 miles (80 km) in the south, east of the summit of the Cordillera. Under room conditions, it is a colourless non-flammable gas, with a pleasant, slightly-sweet odor. Glaciers occupy the valleys of the main chain and some of the lateral ridges of the Cordillera, and descend to lakes San Martín Lake, Viedma Lake, Argentino Lake and others in the same locality, strewing them with icebergs. Nitrous oxide, also known as dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide, is a chemical compound with chemical formula N2O. It would not be surprising if this latter animal were still in existence, for footprints, which may be attributed to it, have been observed on the borders of the rivers Tamangoand Pista, affluents of the Las Hefas, which run through the eastern foot-hills of the Cordillera in 47°S. In the Munsters episode where Herman sneaks into the hospital to visit Eddie after hours, Herman is given Laughing Gas by the staff. With the remains of Grypotherium have been found those of the horse (Onoshippidium), which are known only from the lower pampas mud, and of the Arciotherium, which is found, although not in abundance, in even the most modern Pleistocene deposits in the pampas of Buenos Aires. In Black Sheep, the two main protagonists borrow a police car and its nitrous oxide boosters leak after hitting a pothole, intoxicating the duo. In deposits of much later date, formed when the physiognomy of the country did not differ materially from that of the present time, there have been discovered remains of pampean mammals, such as Glyptodon and Macrauchenia, and in a cave near Last Hope Inlet, a gigantic ground sloth (Grypoiherium listai), an animal which lived contemporaneously with man, and whose skin, well preserved, showed that its extermination was undoubtedly very recent. The main character of Zodiac, Sangamon Taylor, uses it as a drug, and even came up with Sangamon's Principle to explain why it should be used over other drugs. In the Tertiary marine formation a considerable number of cetaceans has been discovered. Two of the main characters in Taxi get trapped in a room filled with laughing gas. Other specimens of the interesting fauna of Patagonia, belonging to the Middle Tertiary, are the gigantic wingless birds, exceeding in size any hitherto known, and the singular mammal Pyrotherium, also of very large dimensions. One of the main characters in the musical film version of Little Shop of Horrors dies from the inhalation of Laughing Gas. The Patagonian Myolania belongs to the Upper Chalk, having been found associated with remains of Dinosauria. Laughing Gas is one of the main weapons used by the Batman villain, The Joker, only he uses a concoction which is portrayed as being green and lethal. This, together with the discovery of the perfect cranium of a chelonian of the genus Myolania, which may be said to be almost identical with Myolania oweni of the Pleistocene age in Queensland, forms an evident proof of the connection between the Australian and South American continents. Laughing Gas (novel). The Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary deposits have revealed a most interesting vertebrate fauna. Laughing Gas (movie). They are divided by Wilckensi into the following series (in ascending order):. The Tertiary deposits are greatly varied in character, and there is considerable difference of opinion concerning the succession and correlation of the beds. Porphyritic rocks occur between the schists and the quartzites. First come Lower Cretaceous hills, raised by granite and dioritic rocks, undoubtedly of Tertiary origin, as in some cases these rocks have broken across the Tertiary beds, so rich in mammal remains; then follow, on the west, metamorphic schists of uncertain age; then quartzites appear, resting directly on the primitive granite and gneiss which form the axis of the Cordillera. The Tertiary plateau, flat on the east, gradually rising on the west, shows Upper Cretaceous caps at its base. The geological constitution is in accordance with the orographic physiognomy. This latter depression contains the richest and most fertile land of Patagonia. There, in contact with folded Cretaceous rocks, uplifted by the Tertiary granite, erosion, caused principally by the sudden melting and retreat of the ice, aided by tectonic changes, has scooped out a deep longitudinal depression, which generally separates the plateau from the first lofty hills, the ridges generally called the pre-Cordillera, while on the west of these there is a similar longitudinal depression all along the foot of the snowy Andean Cordillera. In the central region volcanic eruptions, which have taken part in the formation of the plateau from the Tertiary period down to the present era, cover a large part with basaltic lava-caps; and in the western third more recent glacial deposits appear above the lava. Besides these transverse depressions (some of them marking lines of ancient inter-oceanic communication), there are others which were occupied by more or less extensive lakes, such as the Yagagtoo, Musters, and Colhue Huapi, and others situated to the south of Puerto Deseado, in the centre of the country. Among the depressions by which the plateau is intersected transversely, the principal are the Gualichu, south of the Rio Negro, the Maquinchao and Valcheta (through which previously flowed the waters of lake Nahuel Huapi, which now feed the river Limay); the Senguerr, the Deseado River. Towards the Andes the shingle gives place to porphyry, granite, and basalt lavas, animal life becomes more abundant and vegetation more luxuriant, acquiring the characteristics of the flora of the western coast, and consisting principally of southern beech and conifers. In the hollows of the plains are ponds or lakes of brackish and fresh water. The general character of the Argentine portion of Patagonia is for the most part a region of vast steppe-like plains, rising in a succession of abrupt terraces about 100 meters (330 feet) at a time, and covered with an enormous bed of shingle almost bare of vegetation. . East of the Andes the Argentine portion of Patagonia includes the provinces of Neuquén, Río Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz, and Tierra del Fuego, as well as the southern tip of the Buenos Aires Province. The Chilean portion embraces the southern part of the region of Los Lagos, and the regions of Aysen and Magallanes (excluding the portion of Antarctica claimed by Chile). Patagonia is that portion of South America which, to the east of the Andes, lies south of the Neuquén and Río Colorado rivers, and, to the west of the Andes, south of (42°S). Confined to the eastern part of the region. Pliocene. Sandstones and conglomerates with marine fossils. Paranfl series. Middle and Upper Miocene. Containing remains of mammals. Santa Cruz series. Lower Miocene. Partly marine, partly terrestrial. Patagonian Molasse. Eocene and Oligocene. Of terrestrial origin, containing remains of mammalia. Pyrotherium-Notostylops beds. |