The Capotes Formation ( es, Formación Capotes, Kic) is a

geological formation A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exp ...

of the

Altiplano Cundiboyacense The Altiplano Cundiboyacense () is a high plateau located in the Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes covering parts of the departments of Cundinamarca and Boyacá. The altiplano corresponds to the ancient territory of the Muisca. The Alti ...

Eastern Ranges The Eastern Ranges is an Australian rules football team in the NAB League, the Victorian statewide under-18s competition. The club is a founding member of the competition (1992) and has produced several players for the Australian Football Leagu ...

of the

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

. The formation consists of calcareous

black shale Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especiall ...

s containing

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywall. ...

and

ammonite Ammonoids are a group of extinct marine mollusc animals in the subclass Ammonoidea of the class Cephalopoda. These molluscs, commonly referred to as ammonites, are more closely related to living coleoids (i.e., octopuses, squid and cuttlefish) ...

s and dates to the

Early Cretaceous The Early Cretaceous ( geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphic name), is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 145 Ma to 100.5 Ma. Geology Pro ...

period; Early Albian epoch and has an approximate thickness at its type section of .

Etymology

The formation was defined in 1969 by Cáceres and Etayo as a member of the

Socotá Formation The Socotá Formation ( es, Formación Socotá, Kis) is a geological formation of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes. The formation consisting of a lower unit of calcareous sandstones and an upper sequence of shales ...

.Acosta & Ulloa, 2002, p.41 The name is derived from Hacienda Capotes, southeast of Viotá.Vargas & Barrantas, 2013, p.8

Description

Lithologies

The Capotes Formation has a thickness at its type section of approximately , and is characterised by a sequence of organic rich calcareous

shale Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especial ...

s with

. Fossils of '' Douvilleiceras solitae'', '' Neodeshayesites columbianus'' and '' Paracrioceras sp.'' have been found in the Capotes Formation.Acosta & Ulloa, 2002, p.42Moreno Bedmar et al., 2015

Stratigraphy and depositional environment

The Capotes Formation, part of the

Villeta Group The Villeta Group ( es, Grupo Villeta) is a geological group of the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes, to the west of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense. The group, a sequence of shales, limestones and sandstones, is subdivided into various formati ...

, overlies the

Socotá Socotá is a town and municipality in the Valderrama Province, part of the Colombian department of Boyacá. The municipality is situated in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes. The urban centre is at an altitude of at a distance of from t ...

and

El Peñón Formation The El Peñón Formation ( es, 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 Cretaceo ...

s, and is overlain by the

Hiló Formation The Hiló Formation ( es, Formación Hiló, Kih) is a geological formation of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes. The predominantly shale formation dates to the Middle Cretaceous period; Late Albian to Early Cenom ...

. The age has been estimated to be Early Albian. Stratigraphically, the formation is time equivalent with the Simití Formation.Acosta & Ulloa, 2001, p.91 The formation has been deposited in a quiet enclosed shallow marine

environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

. In terms of

sequence stratigraphy Sequence stratigraphy is a branch of geology, specifically a branch of stratigraphy, that attempts to discern and understand historic geology through time by subdividing and linking sedimentary deposits into unconformity bounded units on a variety ...

, the Albian of current central Colombia experienced a

transgressive Transgressive may mean: *Transgressive art, a name given to art forms that violate perceived boundaries *Transgressive fiction, a modern style in literature *Transgressive Records, a United Kingdom-based independent record label *Transgressive (l ...

highstand A raised shoreline is an ancient shoreline exposed above current water level. These landforms are formed by a relative change in sea level due to global sea level rise, isostatic rebound, and/or tectonic uplift. These surfaces are usually expos ...

sequence.Villamil, 2012, p.169

Outcrops

The Capotes Formation is apart from its type locality along the road between

Bituima Bituima is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative divi ...

and Guayabal, also found north and southeast of Viotá,Plancha 246, 1998 and north and east of La Mesa.Plancha 227, 1998

Regional correlations

References

Bibliography

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Maps

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External links

* {{cite LSA , last=Gómez , first=J. , last2=Montes , first2=N.E. , last3=Nivia , first3=Á. , last4=Diederix , first4=H. , year=2015 , title=Plancha 5-09 del Atlas Geológico de Colombia 2015 – escala 1:500,000 , url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309533589_Plancha_5-09_del_Atlas_Geologico_de_Colombia_2015 , publisher=

Servicio Geológico Colombiano The Colombian Geological Survey (CGS) ( es, Servicio Geológico Colombiano; formerly known as INGEOMINAS) is a scientific agency of the Colombian government in charge of contributing to the socioeconomic development of the nation through research ...

, pages=1 , accessdate=2017-06-05 Geologic formations of Colombia Cretaceous Colombia Lower Cretaceous Series of South America Albian Stage Shale formations Shallow marine deposits Formations Formations