Caleta Herradura Formation

Caleta Herradura Formation (Spanish: Formación Caleta Herradura) is a geologic formation of Late Miocene (Montehermosan) age, cropping out on the Mejillones Peninsula in northern Chile. The erosion at the Coastal Cliff of northern Chile have created particularly good exposures of Caleta Herradura Formation. The formation deposited in a half graben within Mejillones Peninsula. The formation rests nonconformably on the Jorgino Formation.[1]

Caleta Herradura Formation Stratigraphic range: Late Miocene-Pliocene (Montehermosan)
Type	Geological formation
Underlies	La Portada Formation
Overlies	Jorgino Formation
Thickness	380 m (1,250 ft)
Lithology
Primary	Sandstone, sandy mudstone, breccia, conglomerate
Other	Diatomite
Location
Coordinates	23.4°S 70.5°W
Approximate paleocoordinates	23.5°S 69.8°W
Region	Antofagasta Region
Country	Chile
Extent	Mejillones Peninsula
Type section
Named for	Caleta Herradura Chica
Caleta Herradura Formation (Chile)

Fossil content

The following fossils have been found in the formation:

Group	Fossils	Notes
Mammals	Balaenopteridae indet., Odontoceti indet., Otariidae indet.	[2]
Birds	Spheniscus chilensis, Milvago sp., Phalacrocorax sp.	[2]
Fish	Carcharodon carcharias, Carcharias sp., Carcharhinus sp., Chondrichthyes indet., Myliobatidae indet.	[2]

See also

• Cerro Ballena
• Coquimbo Formation
• Navidad Formation
• Pisco Formation

References

1. Di Celma, Claudio; Cantalamessa, Gino (2007). "Sedimentology and high-frequency sequence stratigraphy of a forearc extensional basin: The Miocene Caleta Herradura Formation, Mejillones Peninsula, northern Chile". Sedimentary Geology. 198 (1–2): 29–52. Bibcode:2007SedG..198...29D. doi:10.1016/j.sedgeo.2006.11.003.
2. Cuenca del Tiburón at Fossilworks.org

Further reading

• S. D. Emslie and C. G. Correa. 2003. A new species of penguin (Spheniscidae: Spheniscus) and other birds from the late Pliocene of Chile. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 116(2):308-316