The Jimol Formation ( es, Formación Jimol, N1j) is a

fossiliferous A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

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

Cocinetas Basin The Cocinetas Basin ( es, Cuenca Cocinetas) is a small sedimentary basin of approximately in northeasternmost Colombia. The onshore pull-apart basin is located in the department of La Guajira at the border with Zulia, Venezuela. The basin is bou ...

in the northernmost department of

La Guajira La Guajira () is a department of Colombia. It occupies most of the Guajira Peninsula in the northeast region of the country, on the Caribbean Sea and bordering Venezuela, at the northernmost tip of South America. The capital city of the departm ...

. The formation consists of

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an ad ...

lithic and

sandstones, siltstones and mudstones. The Jimol Formation dates to the Neogene period;

Burdigalian The Burdigalian is, in the geologic timescale, an age or stage in the early Miocene. It spans the time between 20.43 ± 0.05 Ma and 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma (million years ago). Preceded by the Aquitanian, the Burdigalian was the first and longest w ...

stage, Santacrucian in the

SALMA The South American land mammal ages (SALMA) establish a geologic timescale for prehistoric South American fauna beginning 64.5 Ma during the Paleocene and continuing through to the Late Pleistocene (0.011 Ma). These periods are referred to as a ...

classification, and has a maximum thickness of .

Etymology

The formation was defined by Renz in 1960 and named after Cerro Jimol.Moreno et al., 2015, p.7

Description

Lithologies

The Jimol Formation consists of

lithic and

sandstones, siltstones and mudstones.Moreno et al., 2015, pp.18-27

Stratigraphy and depositional environment

The Jimol Formation overlies the Uitpa Formation and is overlain by the

Castilletes Formation The Castilletes Formation ( es, Formación Castilletes, N1c) is a fossiliferous geological formation of the Cocinetas Basin in the northernmost department of La Guajira, Colombia. The formation consists of fossiliferous mudstones, siltstones an ...

. The age has been estimated to be

Early Miocene The Early Miocene (also known as Lower Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages: the Aquitanian age, Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages. The sub-epoch lasted from 23.03 ± 0.05 annum, Ma to ...

(17.9 to 16.7 Ma), corresponding to the Santacrucian in the

classification. The invertebrate fauna of the Jimol Formation is similar to the fauna found in the latest Early Miocene Cantaure Formation of Venezuela and the

Culebra Formation The Culebra Formation (Tcb)Geologic Map, 1980 is a geologic formation in Panama. It preserves fossils dating back to the Miocene period; Early Miocene epoch, Aquitanian to Burdigalian stages ( Late Arikareean to Hemingfordian in the NALMA classi ...

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

.Moreno et al., 2015, p.23 The Jimol Formation was deposited in a beach to

shallow marine Shallow water marine environment refers to the area between the shore and deeper water, such as a reef wall or a shelf break. This environment is characterized by oceanic, geological and biological conditions, as described below. The water in this ...

environment,Rodríguez & Londoño, 2002, p.137 inner shelf depth (less than 50 metres' 60 ftwater depth). This unit is correlated with the upper Agua Clara and lower Cerro Pelao Formations of the Venezuelan Falcón Basin.Moreno et al., 2015, p.27

Petroleum geology

The Jimol Formation is a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

and

seal rock A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations. Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the presence ...

formation in the Guajira Basin.ANH, 2010

Fossil content

References

Bibliography

Local geology

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Paleontology

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Maps

* * * * {{Paleontology in Colombia, state=collapsed Geologic formations of Colombia Neogene Colombia Miocene Series of South America Burdigalian Santacrucian Sandstone formations Siltstone formations Mudstone formations Beach deposits Shallow marine deposits Reservoir rock formations Seal rock formations Fossiliferous stratigraphic units of South America Paleontology in Colombia Geography of La Guajira Department