Loreto Formation ( es, Formación Loreto) is a

sedimentary 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 expo ...

Late Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', "daw ...

age in the southernmost

Magallanes Basin The Magallanes Basin or Austral Basin is a major sedimentary basin in southern Patagonia. The basin covers a surface of about and has a NNW-SSE oriented shape. The basin is bounded to the west by the Andes mountains and is separated from the Malv ...

. It overlies the Leña Dura Formation and the contact with an overlying formation is not observed.Torres et al., 2009, p.2

Description

The formation contains fossil wood, leaf imprints and

palynomorph Palynology is the "study of dust" (from grc-gre, παλύνω, palynō, "strew, sprinkle" and '' -logy'') or of "particles that are strewn". A classic palynologist analyses particulate samples collected from the air, from water, or from deposit ...

s.Otero et al., 2012 Also fossil fish of '' Striatolamia macrota'' and '' Ischyodus dolloi'' and indeterminate

Spheniscidae Penguins ( order Sphenisciformes , family Spheniscidae ) are a group of aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is found north of the Equator. Highly adapt ...

fossils have been found in the formation.Salaberry et al., 2010, p.1062Rio de las Minos
at

Fossilworks Fossilworks is a portal which provides query, download, and analysis tools to facilitate access to the Paleobiology Database The Paleobiology Database is an online resource for information on the distribution and classification of fossil animals ...

.org The formation crops out in

Brunswick Peninsula Brunswick Peninsula () is a large peninsula in Magallanes y la Antártica Region, Patagonia, Chile, at . Geography The Brunswick Peninsula is triangular in shape, joined to the mainland in the north by a wide isthmus. It widens to almost in t ...

and Sierra Baguales among other places.Bostelmann et al., 2012

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{Geology of Chile Geologic formations of Chile Eocene Series of South America Paleogene Chile Priabonian Stage Divisaderan Sandstone formations Conglomerate formations Coal formations Coal in Chile Paleontology in Chile Shallow marine deposits Formations Geology of Magallanes Region Geology of Tierra del Fuego