Loma Gorda Formation

The Loma Gorda Formation (Spanish: Formación Loma Gorda, Kl, Kslg) is a fossiliferous geological formation of the Upper Magdalena Valley (VSM) and surrounding Central and Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes, extending from Cundinamarca in the north to Huila and easternmost Tolima in the south. The uppermost unit of the Güagüaquí Group, a sequence of laminated siltstones and shales, dates to the Late Cretaceous period; Turonian to Coniacian epochs, and has a maximum thickness of 167 metres (548 ft).

Loma Gorda Formation Stratigraphic range: Turonian-Coniacian ~90–86.3 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	Güagüaquí Group
Underlies	Oliní Group
Overlies	Hondita Formation
Thickness	up to 167 m (548 ft)
Lithology
Primary	Siltstone, shale
Other	Calcareous concretions
Location
Coordinates	4°15′37.5″N 74°43′28.7″W
Region	Cundinamarca, Huila & Tolima
Country	Colombia
Extent	Upper Magdalena Valley, Central & Eastern Ranges, Andes
Type section
Named for	Loma Gorda ("Fat Hill")
Named by	De Porta
Location	Ricaurte, Cundinamarca
Year defined	1966
Coordinates	4°15′37.5″N 74°43′28.7″W
Region	Cundinamarca, Huila, Tolima
Country	Colombia
Paleogeography of Northern South America 90 Ma, by Ron Blakey

Etymology

The formation was named in 1966 by De Porta, named Loma Gorda ("Fat Hill") in Ricaurte, Cundinamarca.[1]

Description

Lithologies

The Loma Gorda Formation is characterised by laminated siltstones and shales with calcareous concretions.[2] The formation has provided fossils of Ankinatsytes venezolanus, Barroisiceras onilahyense, Codazziceras ospinae, Eulophoceras jacobi, Fagesia catinus, Hauericeras madagascarensis, Hoplitoides ingens, H. lagiraldae, Mitonia gracilis, Mytiloides kossmati, M. goppelnensis, M. scupini, Neoptychites cf. andinus, Paralenticeras sieversi, Paramammites sp., Peroniceras subtricarinatum, Prionocycloceras guayabanum, Reesidites subtuberculatum, Subprionotropis colombianus, Allocrioceras sp., Anagaudryceras sp., Anomia sp., Benueites sp., Choffaticeras sp., Dydimotis sp., Forresteria sp., Gauthiericeras sp., Morrowites sp., Nannovascoceras sp., and Quitmaniceras sp..[3]

Stratigraphy and depositional environment

The Loma Gorda Formation is the uppermost unit of the Güagüaquí Group.[1] It overlies the Hondita Formation and is overlain by the Oliní Group. The age has been estimated on the basis of ammonites to be ranging from Turonian to Coniacian.[2] Stratigraphically, the formation is time equivalent with the upper parts of the Chipaque, La Luna and La Frontera Formations.[4] The formation was deposited in a relative highstand sequence with an oceanic oxygen depletion event, sharply marked in Colombia and characterised by the appearance of calcareous concretions with a thick pyrite rim.[5]

Outcrops

Type locality of the Loma Gorda Formation to the southwest of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense

The type locality of the Loma Gorda Formation is located close to Loma Gorda in Ricaurte, Cundinamarca.[6] Other outcrops of the Loma Gorda Formation have been noted east of the Magdalena River northeast of Honda,[7] west of Nariño,[8] west across the Magdalena River in San Luis, Tolima,[9] between the Tetuán and Saldaña Rivers west of Coyaima and east and west of Ataco,[10] to the east of the Prado River reservoir,[11] north and west of Aipe,[12] surrounding Alpujarra, Tolima,[13] south of Palermo, Huila, displaced by the Baché Fault,[14] east of Iquira,[15] north of Yaguará,[16] south of La Plata where the formation is cut by the Itaibe Fault,[17] a small patch east of Gigante, Huila,[18] northwest and northeast of San Agustín,[19] and north of Timaná surrounding the Magdalena River.[20]

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		Umir	Córdoba		Seca		eroded		Guaduas				Colón-Mito Juan
					Umir				Guadalupe
Campanian					Córdoba
					Oliní
Santonian		La Luna	Cimarrona - La Tabla										La Luna
Coniacian			Oliní				Villeta	Conejo		Chipaque
			Güagüaquí	Loma Gorda	undefined			La Frontera
Turonian				Hondita	La Frontera	Otanche
Cenomanian		Simití	hiatus		La Corona			Simijaca					Capacho
					Pacho Fm.			Hiló - Pacho	Churuvita	Une			Aguardiente
Albian					Hiló				Chiquinquirá	Tibasosa	Une
		Tablazo			Tablazo			Capotes - La Palma - Simití	Simití				Tibú-Mercedes
Aptian					Capotes			Socotá - El Peñón	Paja		Fómeque
		Paja			Paja	El Peñón		Trincheras					Río Negro
							La Naveta
Barremian
Hauterivian						Muzo					Cáqueza	Las Juntas
		Rosablanca							Ritoque
Valanginian					Ritoque	Furatena	Útica - Murca		Rosablanca	hiatus		Macanal
					Rosablanca
Berriasian		Cumbre			Cumbre				Los Medios			Guavio
		Tambor			Arcabuco				Cumbre
Sources

Stratigraphy of the Llanos Basin and surrounding provinces

Ma	Age	Paleomap	Regional events	Catatumbo	Cordillera	proximal Llanos	distal Llanos	Putumayo	VSM	Environments	Maximum thickness	Petroleum geology	Notes
0.01	Holocene		Holocene volcanism Seismic activity	alluvium								Overburden
1	Pleistocene		Pleistocene volcanism Andean orogeny 3 Glaciations	Guayabo	Soatá Sabana	Necesidad	Guayabo	Gigante Neiva		Alluvial to fluvial (Guayabo)	550 m (1,800 ft) (Guayabo)		[21][22][23][24]
2.6	Pliocene		Pliocene volcanism Andean orogeny 3 GABI		Subachoque
5.3	Messinian		Andean orogeny 3 Foreland		Marichuela			Caimán	Honda				[23][25]
13.5	Langhian		Regional flooding	León	hiatus	Caja	León			Lacustrine (León)	400 m (1,300 ft) (León)	Seal	[24][26]
16.2	Burdigalian		Miocene inundations Andean orogeny 2	C1		Carbonera C1		Ospina		Proximal fluvio-deltaic (C1)	850 m (2,790 ft) (Carbonera)	Reservoir	[25][24]
17.3				C2		Carbonera C2				Distal lacustrine-deltaic (C2)		Seal
19				C3		Carbonera C3				Proximal fluvio-deltaic (C3)		Reservoir
21	Early Miocene		Pebas wetlands	C4		Carbonera C4			Barzalosa	Distal fluvio-deltaic (C4)		Seal
23	Late Oligocene		Andean orogeny 1 Foredeep	C5		Carbonera C5		Orito		Proximal fluvio-deltaic (C5)		Reservoir	[22][25]
25				C6		Carbonera C6				Distal fluvio-lacustrine (C6)		Seal
28	Early Oligocene			C7		C7		Pepino	Gualanday	Proximal deltaic-marine (C7)		Reservoir	[22][25][27]
32	Oligo-Eocene			C8	Usme	C8	onlap			Marine-deltaic (C8)		Seal Source	[27]
35	Late Eocene			Mirador		Mirador				Coastal (Mirador)	240 m (790 ft) (Mirador)	Reservoir	[24][28]
40	Middle Eocene				Regadera				hiatus
45
50	Early Eocene			Socha		Los Cuervos				Deltaic (Los Cuervos)	260 m (850 ft) (Los Cuervos)	Seal Source	[24][28]
55	Late Paleocene		PETM 2000 ppm CO2	Los Cuervos	Bogotá				Gualanday
60	Early Paleocene		SALMA	Barco	Guaduas	Barco		Rumiyaco		Fluvial (Barco)	225 m (738 ft) (Barco)	Reservoir	[21][22][25][24][29]
65	Maastrichtian		KT extinction	Catatumbo	Guadalupe				Monserrate	Deltaic-fluvial (Guadalupe)	750 m (2,460 ft) (Guadalupe)	Reservoir	[21][24]
72	Campanian		End of rifting	Colón-Mito Juan									[24][30]
83	Santonian							Villeta/Güagüaquí
86	Coniacian
89	Turonian		Cenomanian-Turonian anoxic event	La Luna	Chipaque	Gachetá	hiatus			Restricted marine (all)	500 m (1,600 ft) (Gachetá)	Source	[21][24][31]
93	Cenomanian		Rift 2
100	Albian				Une	Une		Caballos		Deltaic (Une)	500 m (1,600 ft) (Une)	Reservoir	[25][31]
113	Aptian			Capacho	Fómeque			Motema	Yaví	Open marine (Fómeque)	800 m (2,600 ft) (Fómeque)	Source (Fóm)	[22][24][32]
125	Barremian		High biodiversity	Aguardiente	Paja					Shallow to open marine (Paja)	940 m (3,080 ft) (Paja)	Reservoir	[21]
129	Hauterivian		Rift 1	Tibú- Mercedes	Las Juntas	hiatus				Deltaic (Las Juntas)	910 m (2,990 ft) (Las Juntas)	Reservoir (LJun)	[21]
133	Valanginian			Río Negro	Cáqueza Macanal Rosablanca					Restricted marine (Macanal)	2,935 m (9,629 ft) (Macanal)	Source (Mac)	[22][33]
140	Berriasian			Girón
145	Tithonian		Break-up of Pangea	Jordán	Arcabuco	Buenavista Batá		Saldaña		Alluvial, fluvial (Buenavista)	110 m (360 ft) (Buenavista)	"Jurassic"	[25][34]
150	Early-Mid Jurassic		Passive margin 2	La Quinta	Montebel Noreán	hiatus				Coastal tuff (La Quinta)	100 m (330 ft) (La Quinta)		[35]
201	Late Triassic			Mucuchachi				Payandé					[25]
235	Early Triassic		Pangea		hiatus							"Paleozoic"
250	Permian
300	Late Carboniferous		Famatinian orogeny						Cerro Neiva ()				[36]
340	Early Carboniferous		Fossil fish Romer's gap		Cuche (355-385)	Farallones ()				Deltaic, estuarine (Cuche)	900 m (3,000 ft) (Cuche)
360	Late Devonian		Passive margin 1	Río Cachirí (360-419)					Ambicá ()	Alluvial-fluvial-reef (Farallones)	2,400 m (7,900 ft) (Farallones)		[33][37][38][39][40]
390	Early Devonian		High biodiversity	Floresta (387-400) El Tíbet						Shallow marine (Floresta)	600 m (2,000 ft) (Floresta)
410	Late Silurian		Silurian mystery
425	Early Silurian			hiatus
440	Late Ordovician		Rich fauna in Bolivia	San Pedro (450-490)		Duda ()
470	Early Ordovician		First fossils		Busbanzá (>470±22) Chuscales Otengá	Guape ()		Río Nevado ()	Hígado () Agua Blanca Venado (470-475)				[41][42][43]
488	Late Cambrian		Regional intrusions	Chicamocha (490-515)	Quetame ()	Ariarí ()		SJ del Guaviare (490-590)	San Isidro ()				[44][45]
515	Early Cambrian		Cambrian explosion										[43][46]
542	Ediacaran		Break-up of Rodinia		pre-Quetame		post-Parguaza		El Barro ()	Yellow: allochthonous basement (Chibcha Terrane) Green: autochthonous basement (Río Negro-Juruena Province)		Basement	[47][48]
600	Neoproterozoic		Cariri Velhos orogeny	Bucaramanga (600-1400)				pre-Guaviare					[44]
800			Snowball Earth										[49]
1000	Mesoproterozoic		Sunsás orogeny			Ariarí (1000)			La Urraca (1030-1100)				[50][51][52][53]
1300			Rondônia-Juruá orogeny			pre-Ariarí	Parguaza (1300-1400)		Garzón (1180-1550)				[54]
1400				pre-Bucaramanga									[55]
1600	Paleoproterozoic						Maimachi (1500-1700)		pre-Garzón				[56]
1800			Tapajós orogeny				Mitú (1800)						[54][56]
1950			Transamazonic orogeny				pre-Mitú						[54]
2200			Columbia
2530	Archean		Carajas-Imataca orogeny										[54]
3100			Kenorland
Sources

Legend

• group
• important formation
• fossiliferous formation
• minor formation
• (age in Ma)
• proximal Llanos (Medina)[note 1]
• distal Llanos (Saltarin 1A well)[note 2]

See also

Geology of the Eastern Hills

Geology of the Ocetá Páramo

Geology of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense

Geology of the Middle Magdalena Valley

Notes

1. based on Duarte et al. (2019)[57], García González et al. (2009),[58] and geological report of Villavicencio[59]
2. based on Duarte et al. (2019)[57] and the hydrocarbon potential evaluation performed by the UIS and ANH in 2009[60]

References

1. Acosta & Ulloa, 2002, p.23
2. Acosta & Ulloa, 2002, p.24
3. Patarroyo, 2011
4. Acosta & Ulloa, 2002, p.22
5. Villamil, 2012, p.173
6. Acosta & Ulloa, 2001, p.43
7. Plancha 207, 2010
8. Plancha 245, 1999
9. Plancha 264, 2002
10. Plancha 282, 1993
11. Plancha 283, 2009
12. Plancha 302, 1993
13. Plancha 303, 2002
14. Plancha 323, 1998
15. Plancha 344, 1999
16. Plancha 345, 1999
17. Plancha 366, 1998
18. Plancha 367, 2003
19. Plancha 388, 2002
20. Plancha 389, 2003
21. García González et al., 2009, p.27
22. García González et al., 2009, p.50
23. García González et al., 2009, p.85
24. Barrero et al., 2007, p.60
25. Barrero et al., 2007, p.58
26. Plancha 111, 2001, p.29
27. Plancha 177, 2015, p.39
28. Plancha 111, 2001, p.26
29. Plancha 111, 2001, p.24
30. Plancha 111, 2001, p.23
31. Pulido & Gómez, 2001, p.32
32. Pulido & Gómez, 2001, p.30
33. Pulido & Gómez, 2001, pp.21-26
34. Pulido & Gómez, 2001, p.28
35. Correa Martínez et al., 2019, p.49
36. Plancha 303, 2002, p.27
37. Terraza et al., 2008, p.22
38. Plancha 229, 2015, pp.46-55
39. Plancha 303, 2002, p.26
40. Moreno Sánchez et al., 2009, p.53
41. Mantilla Figueroa et al., 2015, p.43
42. Manosalva Sánchez et al., 2017, p.84
43. Plancha 303, 2002, p.24
44. Mantilla Figueroa et al., 2015, p.42
45. Arango Mejía et al., 2012, p.25
46. Plancha 350, 2011, p.49
47. Pulido & Gómez, 2001, pp.17-21
48. Plancha 111, 2001, p.13
49. Plancha 303, 2002, p.23
50. Plancha 348, 2015, p.38
51. Planchas 367-414, 2003, p.35
52. Toro Toro et al., 2014, p.22
53. Plancha 303, 2002, p.21
54. Bonilla et al., 2016, p.19
55. Gómez Tapias et al., 2015, p.209
56. Bonilla et al., 2016, p.22
57. Duarte et al., 2019
58. García González et al., 2009
59. Pulido & Gómez, 2001
60. García González et al., 2009, p.60

Bibliography

• Acosta, Jorge E., and Carlos E. Ulloa. 2002. Mapa geológico del Departamento de Cundinamarca 1:250,000 - Memoria Explicativa, 1–108. INGEOMINAS.
• Patarroyo, Pedro. 2011. Sucesión de Amonitas del Cretácico Superior (Cenomaniano-Coniaciano) de la parte más alta de la Formación Hondita y de la Formación Loma Gorda en la Quebrada Bambucá, Aipe - Huila (Colombia). Boletín de Geología 33. 69–92. Accessed 2019-03-13.
• 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

• Barrero L., Darío, and Carlos J. Vesga O. 2009. Plancha 188 - La Dorada - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
• Barrero, Darío, and Carlos J. Vesga. 2010. Plancha 207 - Honda - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
• Acosta, Jorge E.; Rafael Guatame; Oscar Torres, and Frank Solano. 1999. Plancha 245 - Girardot - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
• Calcedo, Juan Carlos, and Roberto Terraza. 2000. Plancha 264 - Espinal - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
• Carvajal, Cesar; Jaime Fuquen, and Luis Gómez. 1993. Plancha 282 - Chaparral - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
• Cossio, Ubaldo; Gabriel Rodríguez, and Miguel Rodríguez. 1995. Plancha 283 - Purificación - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
• Fuquen, Jaime; Gabriel Rodríguez; Ubaldo Cossio, and Alberto Núñez. 1993. Plancha 302 - Aipe - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
• Acosta, Jorge; Pablo Caro; Jaime Fuquen, and José Osorno. 2002. Plancha 303 - Colombia - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS.
• Ferreira, Paulina; Alberto Núñez, and Miguel Rodríguez. 1998. Plancha 323 - Neiva - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
• Marquínez, Germán; C. Morales, and Alberto Núñez. 1999. Plancha 344 - Tesalia - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
• Velandia, F.; C.J. Morales; J.C. Caicedo, and Alberto Núñez. 1999. Plancha 345 - Campoalegre - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
• Marquínez, Germán; Yohana Rodríguez; Roberto Terraza, and Mario Martínez. 2003. Plancha 365 - Coconuco - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
• Rodríguez, Gabriel; Paulina Ferreira; Francisco Velandia, and Alberto Núñez. 1998. Plancha 366 - Garzón - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
• Rodríguez, Gabriel; Gilberto Zapata, and M. Velázquez. 2003. Plancha 367 - Gigante - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
• Cárdenas, Jorge; Jaime Fuquen, and Alberto Núñez. 2002. Plancha 388 - Pitalito - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
• Rodríguez, Gabriel; Gilberto Zapata, and M. Velázquez. 2003. Plancha 389 - Timaná - 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.