El Peñón Formation

El Peñón Formation Stratigraphic range: Late Aptian ~115–112 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	Villeta Group
Underlies	Capotes Formation
Overlies	Trincheras Formation
Thickness	more than 381 m (1,250 ft)
Lithology
Primary	Calcareous shale
Other	Siltstone, gypsum
Location
Coordinates	5°15′13″N 74°20′28″W / 5.25361°N 74.34111°W / 5.25361; -74.34111Coordinates: 5°15′13″N 74°20′28″W / 5.25361°N 74.34111°W / 5.25361; -74.34111
Region	Altiplano Cundiboyacense Eastern Ranges, Andes
Country	Colombia
Type section
Named for	El Peñón
Named by	Ulloa
Location	El Peñón
Year defined	1982
Coordinates	5°15′13″N 74°20′28″W / 5.25361°N 74.34111°W / 5.25361; -74.34111
Region	Cundinamarca
Country	Colombia
Thickness at type section	381 m (1,250 ft)
Paleogeography of Northern South America 120 Ma, by Ron Blakey

The El Peñón Formation (Spanish: Formación El Peñón, Kipe) is a geological formation of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes. The formation consists of calcareous shales and siltstones and dates to the Early Cretaceous period; Late Aptian epoch and has a measured thickness at its type section of 381 metres (1,250 ft). Ammonite fossils have been found in the formation, deposited in a shallow marine platform environment.

Etymology[]

The formation was defined and named in 1982 by Ulloa after El Peñón, Cundinamarca.^[1]

Description[]

Lithologies[]

The El Peñón Formation has at is type section a thickness of 381 metres (1,250 ft),^[2] and is characterised by a sequence of calcareous shales and siltstones. The middle part of the sequence contains gypsum.^[3] Fossils of the ammonites and have been found in the El Peñón Formation.^[1]

Stratigraphy and depositional environment[]

The El Peñón Formation, part of the Villeta Group, conformably overlies the Trincheras Formation and is conformably overlain by the Capotes Formation.^[4] The age has been estimated to be Late Aptian.^[1] Stratigraphically, the formation is time equivalent with the and a lateral facies equivalent of the Socotá Formation.^[5] The formation has been deposited in a shallow marine platform environment.^[1] In the Late Aptian, central Colombia was dominated by shallow marine carbonate platform environments.^[6]

Outcrops[]

Type locality of the El Peñón Formation to the west of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense

The El Peñón Formation, restricted to Cundinamarca, is locally found around its type locality,^[1] between Bituima and Guayabal de Síquima,^[7] and along the road from Villeta to Sasaima.^[2]

Regional correlations[]

Cretaceous stratigraphy of the central Colombian Eastern Ranges

Age	Paleomap	VMM	Guaduas-Vélez		W Emerald Belt		Villeta anticlinal		Chiquinquirá- Arcabuco	Tunja- Duitama	Altiplano Cundiboyacense		El Cocuy
Maastrichtian							eroded		Guaduas
									Guadalupe
Campanian
					Oliní
Santonian			-
Coniacian			Oliní				Villeta	Conejo		Chipaque
				Loma Gorda	undefined			La Frontera
Turonian				Hondita	La Frontera
Cenomanian			hiatus					Simijaca
					Pacho Fm.			Hiló - Pacho		Une
Albian					Hiló						Une
								Capotes - -
Aptian					Capotes			Socotá - El Peñón	Paja		Fómeque
		Paja			Paja	El Peñón		Trincheras
							La Naveta
Barremian
Hauterivian												Las Juntas
		Rosablanca							Ritoque
Valanginian					Ritoque		- Murca		Rosablanca	hiatus		Macanal
					Rosablanca
Berriasian												Guavio
					Arcabuco
Sources

See also[]

Geology of the Eastern Hills

Geology of the Ocetá Páramo

Geology of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense

References[]

Bibliography[]

• Acosta Garay, Jorge E., and Carlos E. Ulloa Melo. 2002. Mapa Geológico del Departamento de Cundinamarca - 1:250,000 - Memoria explicativa, 1–108. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-04-26.
• Acosta Garay, Jorge, and Carlos E. Ulloa Melo. 2001. Geología de la Plancha 208 Villeta - 1:100,000, 1-84. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-05.
• Villamil, Tomas. 2012. Chronology Relative Sea Level History and a New Sequence Stratigraphic Model for Basinal Cretaceous Facies of Colombia, 161–216. Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM).

Maps[]

• Ulloa, Carlos, and Jorge Acosta. 1998. Plancha 208 - Villeta - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
• Ulloa, Carlos E; Erasmo Rodríguez, and Jorge E. Acosta. 1998. Plancha 227 - La Mesa - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.

External links[]

• Gómez, J.; N.E. Montes; Á. Nivia, and H. Diederix. 2015. Plancha 5-09 del Atlas Geológico de Colombia 2015 – escala 1:500,000, 1. Servicio Geológico Colombiano. Accessed 2017-03-16.