Socotá Formation

The Socotá Formation (Spanish: 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 dates to the Early Cretaceous period; Late Aptian epoch and in Quipile has a measured thickness of 255 metres (837 ft) with large regional variations. The formation hosts ammonite fossils.

Socotá Formation
Stratigraphic range: Late Aptian ~115–112 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	Villeta Group
Underlies	El Peñón Fm., Hiló Fm., Capotes Fm.
Overlies	Trincheras Formation
Thickness	more than 255 m (837 ft)
Lithology
Primary	Sandstone
Other	Shale
Location
Coordinates	4°31′19″N 74°33′06″W
Region	Altiplano Cundiboyacense Eastern Ranges, Andes
Country	Colombia
Type section
Named for	Socotá, Apulo
Named by	Cáceres & Etayo
Location	Apulo
Year defined	1969
Coordinates	4°31′19″N 74°33′06″W
Region	Cundinamarca
Country	Colombia
Paleogeography of Northern South America 120 Ma, by Ron Blakey

Etymology

The formation was defined as a thicker sequence and named in 1969 by Cáceres and Etayo after Socotá, a vereda of Apulo, Cundinamarca.^[1] The name Socotá in Muysccubun, the language of the native Muisca, means either "Land of the Sun and farmfields" or "Good harvest".^[2]

Description

Lithologies

The Socotá Formation has a maximum thickness of 600 metres (2,000 ft), and is characterised by a lower sequence of calcareous sandstones and an upper part of shales. Fossils of the ammonites Stoyanowiceras treffryanus, Dufrenoyia sanctorum, Parahoplites (?) hubachi, and Acanthoplites (?) leptoceratiforme have been found in the Socotá Formation.^[1]

Stratigraphy and depositional environment

The Socotá Formation overlies the Trincheras Formation and is partly overlain by and partly time equivalent with the El Peñón Formation.^[3] In other areas, the formation underlies the Capotes and Hiló Formations.^[4][5] The age has been estimated to be Late Aptian. Stratigraphically, the formation is time equivalent with the Tablazo, Caballos and Une Formations.^[4][6] The formation has been deposited in a marine platform environment.^[1] in terms of sequence stratigraphy, the Socotá Formation is part of a transgressive cycle.^[7]

Outcrops

Type locality of the Socotá Formation to the southwest of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense

The Socotá Formation is apart from its type locality, found from Viotá in the south to Útica in the north.^[1] The formation crops out on both sides of the Bogotá River in Anapoima and Apulo.^[8][9][10]

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

See also

• Colombia portal
• Geology portal

Geology of the Eastern Hills

Geology of the Ocetá Páramo

Geology of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense