Caballos Formation

Geological formation in Colombia

Caballos Formation
Stratigraphic range: Aptian-Albian ~120–100 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Type	Geological formation
Underlies	Hondita Formation
Overlies	Yaví & Saldaña Formations
Thickness	up to 411 m (1,348 ft)
Lithology
Primary	Sandstone, shale, siltstone
Other	Limestone, coal
Location
Coordinates	3°49′18.9″N 75°21′22.4″W / 3.821917°N 75.356222°W / 3.821917; -75.356222
Region	Caquetá, Huila, Putumayo & Tolima Departments
Country	Colombia
Extent	VSM & Caguán-Putumayo Basin Central & Eastern Ranges, Andes
Type section
Named for	Cerro Caballos
Named by	Corrigan
Location	Olaya Herrera
Year defined	1967
Coordinates	3°49′18.9″N 75°21′22.4″W / 3.821917°N 75.356222°W / 3.821917; -75.356222
Approximate paleocoordinates	2°54′S 47°24′W / 2.9°S 47.4°W / -2.9; -47.4
Region	Tolima
Country	Colombia
Thickness at type section	411 m (1,348 ft)
Paleogeography of Northern South America 105 Ma, by Ron Blakey

The Caballos Formation (Spanish: Formación Caballos, KI) is a geological formation of the Upper Magdalena Valley (VSM), Caguán-Putumayo Basin, Central and Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes. The sandstone and shale formation dates to the Middle Cretaceous period; Aptian to Albian epochs and has a maximum thickness of 411 metres (1,348 ft).

Etymology

The formation was defined and named in 1967 by Corrigan after Cerro Caballos, to the west of Olaya Herrera, Tolima.^[1]

Description

Lithologies

The Caballos Formation has a maximum thickness of 411 metres (1,348 ft) in the Quebrada Bambucá and is characterized by a lower sequence of fine to coarse sandstones, of lithic arenite, quartz arenite and feldspar arenite composition, a middle section of fossiliferous black shales and siltstones, intercalated by micritic limestones and coals and very fine sandstones. The upper part of the formation contains conglomerates and glauconitic sandstones.^[1]

Stratigraphy and depositional environment

The Caballos Formation in some parts concordantly overlies the Yaví Formation and in other parts rests unconformably on the Saldaña Formation and Ibagué Batholith.^[2] The formation is overlain by the Hondita Formation. The age has been estimated to be Aptian to Albian. Stratigraphically, the formation is time equivalent with the Une, Aguardiente, Simijaca, El Peñón, Capotes, Tablazo, Tibú-Mercedes and Pacho Formations.^[3] The formation has been deposited in a fluvial to estuarine and shallow marine environment.^[4]

The Caballos Formation is a source, reservoir and seal rock in the Upper Magdalena Valley,^[5]^[6] and a source and reservoir rock in the Caguán-Putumayo Basin.^[7]^[8] The Orito and Moqueta Fields of the latter basin produce from Caballos reservoirs.

Fossil content

The formation has provided fossils of Heminautilus etheringtoni,^[9] Araucarites sp., Brachyphyllum sp., Cladophlebis sp., and Weichselia sp.,^[10] as well as many types of pollen.^[11]

Outcrops

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Type locality of the Caballos Formation in Tolima

The Caballos Formation is apart from its type locality, found in Huila, Tolima and Putumayo Departments.

Regional correlations

Stratigraphy of the Llanos Basin and surrounding provinces
Ma	Age	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)		^[12]^[13]^[14]^[15]
2.6	Pliocene	Pliocene volcanism Andean orogeny 3 GABI		Subachoque			Gigante Neiva
5.3	Messinian	Andean orogeny 3 Foreland		Marichuela			Caimán	Honda				^[14]^[16]
13.5	Langhian	Regional flooding	León	hiatus	Caja	León	Caimán		Lacustrine (León)	400 m (1,300 ft) (León)	Seal	^[15]^[17]
16.2	Burdigalian	Miocene inundations Andean orogeny 2	C1		Carbonera C1		Ospina		Proximal fluvio-deltaic (C1)	850 m (2,790 ft) (Carbonera)	Reservoir	^[16]^[15]
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	^[13]^[16]
25	Late Oligocene		C6		Carbonera C6		Orito		Distal fluvio-lacustrine (C6)		Seal
28	Early Oligocene		C7		C7		Pepino	Gualanday	Proximal deltaic-marine (C7)		Reservoir	^[13]^[16]^[18]
32	Oligo-Eocene		C8	Usme	C8	onlap			Marine-deltaic (C8)		Seal Source	^[18]
35	Late Eocene		Mirador	Usme	Mirador				Coastal (Mirador)	240 m (790 ft) (Mirador)	Reservoir	^[15]^[19]
40	Middle Eocene			Regadera				hiatus
45	Middle Eocene
50	Early Eocene		Socha		Los Cuervos				Deltaic (Los Cuervos)	260 m (850 ft) (Los Cuervos)	Seal Source	^[15]^[19]
55	Late Paleocene	PETM 2000 ppm CO₂	Los Cuervos	Bogotá	Los Cuervos			Gualanday	Deltaic (Los Cuervos)	260 m (850 ft) (Los Cuervos)	Seal Source
60	Early Paleocene	SALMA	Barco	Guaduas	Barco		Rumiyaco	Gualanday	Fluvial (Barco)	225 m (738 ft) (Barco)	Reservoir	^[12]^[13]^[16]^[15]^[20]
65	Maastrichtian	KT extinction	Catatumbo	Guadalupe				Monserrate	Deltaic-fluvial (Guadalupe)	750 m (2,460 ft) (Guadalupe)	Reservoir	^[12]^[15]
72	Campanian	End of rifting	Colón-Mito Juan					Monserrate				^[15]^[21]
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	^[12]^[15]^[22]
93	Cenomanian	Rift 2		Chipaque	Gachetá				Restricted marine (all)	500 m (1,600 ft) (Gachetá)	Source
100	Albian			Une	Une		Caballos		Deltaic (Une)	500 m (1,600 ft) (Une)	Reservoir	^[16]^[22]
113	Aptian		Capacho	Fómeque			Motema	Yaví	Open marine (Fómeque)	800 m (2,600 ft) (Fómeque)	Source (Fóm)	^[13]^[15]^[23]
125	Barremian	High biodiversity	Aguardiente	Paja					Shallow to open marine (Paja)	940 m (3,080 ft) (Paja)	Reservoir	^[12]
129	Hauterivian	Rift 1	Tibú- Mercedes	Las Juntas	hiatus				Deltaic (Las Juntas)	910 m (2,990 ft) (Las Juntas)	Reservoir (LJun)	^[12]
133	Valanginian		Río Negro	Cáqueza Macanal Rosablanca					Restricted marine (Macanal)	2,935 m (9,629 ft) (Macanal)	Source (Mac)	^[13]^[24]
140	Berriasian		Girón	Cáqueza Macanal Rosablanca					Restricted marine (Macanal)	2,935 m (9,629 ft) (Macanal)	Source (Mac)
145	Tithonian	Break-up of Pangea	Jordán	Arcabuco	Buenavista Batá		Saldaña		Alluvial, fluvial (Buenavista)	110 m (360 ft) (Buenavista)	"Jurassic"	^[16]^[25]
150	Early-Mid Jurassic	Passive margin 2	La Quinta	Montebel Noreán	hiatus		Saldaña		Coastal tuff (La Quinta)	100 m (330 ft) (La Quinta)		^[26]
201	Late Triassic	Passive margin 2	Mucuchachi	Montebel Noreán			Payandé					^[16]
235	Early Triassic	Pangea		hiatus							"Paleozoic"
250	Permian	Pangea
300	Late Carboniferous	Famatinian orogeny						Cerro Neiva ()				^[27]
340	Early Carboniferous	Fossil fish Romer's gap		Cuche (355-385)	Farallones ()			Cerro Neiva ()	Deltaic, estuarine (Cuche)	900 m (3,000 ft) (Cuche)
360	Late Devonian	Passive margin 1	Río Cachirí (360-419)	Cuche (355-385)	Farallones ()			Ambicá ()	Alluvial-fluvial-reef (Farallones)	2,400 m (7,900 ft) (Farallones)		^[24]^[28]^[29]^[30]^[31]
390	Early Devonian	High biodiversity	Floresta (387-400) El Tíbet					Ambicá ()	Shallow marine (Floresta)	600 m (2,000 ft) (Floresta)
410	Late Silurian	Silurian mystery	Floresta (387-400) El Tíbet
425	Early Silurian	Silurian mystery	hiatus
440	Late Ordovician	Rich fauna in Bolivia	San Pedro (450-490)		Duda ()
470	Early Ordovician	First fossils	San Pedro (450-490)	Busbanzá (>470±22) Chuscales Otengá	Guape ()		Río Nevado ()	Hígado () Agua Blanca Venado (470-475)				^[32]^[33]^[34]
488	Late Cambrian	Regional intrusions	Chicamocha (490-515)	Quetame ()	Ariarí ()		SJ del Guaviare (490-590)	San Isidro ()				^[35]^[36]
515	Early Cambrian	Cambrian explosion		Quetame ()				San Isidro ()				^[34]^[37]
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	^[38]^[39]
600	Neoproterozoic	Cariri Velhos orogeny	Bucaramanga (600-1400)				pre-Guaviare					^[35]
800	Neoproterozoic	Snowball Earth										^[40]
1000	Mesoproterozoic	Sunsás orogeny			Ariarí (1000)			La Urraca (1030-1100)				^[41]^[42]^[43]^[44]
1300		Rondônia-Juruá orogeny			pre-Ariarí	Parguaza (1300-1400)		Garzón (1180-1550)				^[45]
1400			pre-Bucaramanga					Garzón (1180-1550)				^[46]
1600	Paleoproterozoic					Maimachi (1500-1700)		pre-Garzón				^[47]
1800		Tapajós orogeny				Mitú (1800)						^[45]^[47]
1950		Transamazonic orogeny				pre-Mitú						^[45]
2200		Columbia
2530	Archean	Carajas-Imataca orogeny										^[45]
3100	Archean	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]}

Notes

^ based on Duarte et al. (2019)^[48], García González et al. (2009),^[49] and geological report of Villavicencio^[50]
^ based on Duarte et al. (2019)^[48] and the hydrocarbon potential evaluation performed by the UIS and ANH in 2009^[51]

References

^ ^a ^b Velandia et al., 2001, p.53
^ Velandia et al., 2001, p.34
^ Velandia et al., 2001, p.54
^ Villamil, 2012, p.166
^ ANH, 2007, p.84
^ García González et al., 2009, p.83
^ ANH, 2007, p.57
^ García González et al., 2009, p.16
^ Badouin et al., 2016, p.87
^ Monje et al., 2016, p.38
^ Los Mangos at Fossilworks.org
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f García González et al., 2009, p.27
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f García González et al., 2009, p.50
^ ^a ^b García González et al., 2009, p.85
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Barrero et al., 2007, p.60
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Barrero et al., 2007, p.58
^ Plancha 111, 2001, p.29
^ ^a ^b Plancha 177, 2015, p.39
^ ^a ^b Plancha 111, 2001, p.26
^ Plancha 111, 2001, p.24
^ Plancha 111, 2001, p.23
^ ^a ^b Pulido & Gómez, 2001, p.32
^ Pulido & Gómez, 2001, p.30
^ ^a ^b Pulido & Gómez, 2001, pp.21-26
^ Pulido & Gómez, 2001, p.28
^ Correa Martínez et al., 2019, p.49
^ Plancha 303, 2002, p.27
^ Terraza et al., 2008, p.22
^ Plancha 229, 2015, pp.46-55
^ Plancha 303, 2002, p.26
^ Moreno Sánchez et al., 2009, p.53
^ Mantilla Figueroa et al., 2015, p.43
^ Manosalva Sánchez et al., 2017, p.84
^ ^a ^b Plancha 303, 2002, p.24
^ ^a ^b Mantilla Figueroa et al., 2015, p.42
^ Arango Mejía et al., 2012, p.25
^ Plancha 350, 2011, p.49
^ Pulido & Gómez, 2001, pp.17-21
^ Plancha 111, 2001, p.13
^ Plancha 303, 2002, p.23
^ Plancha 348, 2015, p.38
^ Planchas 367-414, 2003, p.35
^ Toro Toro et al., 2014, p.22
^ Plancha 303, 2002, p.21
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Bonilla et al., 2016, p.19
^ Gómez Tapias et al., 2015, p.209
^ ^a ^b Bonilla et al., 2016, p.22
^ ^a ^b Duarte et al., 2019
^ García González et al., 2009
^ Pulido & Gómez, 2001
^ García González et al., 2009, p.60

Bibliography

Badouin, Cyril; Gérard Delanoy; Josep Antón Moreno Bedmar; Antoine Pictet; Jean Vermeulen; Gabriel Conte; Roland Gonnet; Patrick Boselli, and Marc Bonelli. 2016. Revision of the Early Cretaceous genera Heminautilus SPATH, 1927, and Josanautilus MARTÍNEZ & GRAUGES, 2006 (Nautilida, Cenoceratidae). Carnets Geologicás 16. 61–212. Accessed 2017-01-20.
Barrero, Dario; Andrés Pardo; Carlos A. Vargas, and Juan F. Martínez. 2007. Colombian Sedimentary Basins: Nomenclature, Boundaries and Petroleum Geology, a New Proposal, 1–92. ANH.
García González, Mario; Ricardo Mier Umaña; Luis Enrique Cruz Guevara, and Mauricio Vásquez. 2009. Informe Ejecutivo - evaluación del potencial hidrocarburífero de las cuencas colombianas, 1–219. Universidad Industrial de Santander.
Monje Durán, Camila; Camila Martínez; Ignacio Escapa, and Santiago Madriñán. 2016. Nuevos registros de helechos y coníferas del Cretácico Inferior en la cuenca del Valle Superior del Magdalena, Colombia. Boletín de Geología, Universidad Industrial de Santander 38. 29–42. Accessed 2017-03-31.
Núñez Tello, Alberto. 2003. Cartografía geológica de las zonas Andina Sur y Garzón-Quetame (Colombia) - Memoria explicativa de las planchas 411 La Cruz, 412 San Juan de Villalobos, 430 Mocoa, 431 Piamonte, 448 Monopamba, 449 Orito y 465 Churuyaco, 1–298. INGEOMINAS.
Velandia P., Francisco; Alberto Núñez T., and Germán Marquínez. 2001. Mapa Geológico del Departamento del Huila - 1:300,000 - Memoria explicativa, 1–152. INGEOMINAS.
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

Marquínez, Germán, and Francisco Velandia. 2001. Mapa Geológico del Huila 1:300,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-09-21.
Fuquen, Jaime A., and Alberto Nuñez. 2003. Mapa Geológico del Putumayo 1:400,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-09-21.
Acosta, Jorge E.; Rafael Guatame; Oscar Torres, and Frank Solano. 1999. Plancha 245 - Girardot - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
Nuñez, Alberto; Dario Mosquera, and Carlos J. Vesga. 2009. Plancha 263 - Ortega - 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.
Acosta, Jorge; Juan Carlos Calcedo, and Carlos Ulloa. 1999. Plancha 265 - Icononzo - 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.
Gómez, Jorge; Carlos Morales; Germán Marquínez, and Francisco Velandia. 1999. Plancha 322 - Santa María - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
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 389 - Timaná - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
Núñez, Alberto, and Jorge Gómez. 2002. Plancha 411 - La Cruz - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
Núñez, Alberto, and Jorge Gómez. 2002. Plancha 412 - San Juan de Villalobos - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
Núñez, Alberto, and Jorge Gómez. 2002. Plancha 430 - Mocoa - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
Núñez, Alberto, and Jorge Gómez. 2002. Plancha 431 - Piamonte - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
Núñez, Alberto, and Jorge Gómez. 2002. Plancha 448 - Monopamba - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
Núñez, Alberto, and Jorge Gómez. 2002. Plancha 449 - Orito - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
Núñez, Alberto, and Jorge Gómez. 2002. Plancha 465 - Churiyaco - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.