Pisco Formation
The Pisco Formation is a geologic formation located in Peru, on the southern coastal desert of Ica and Arequipa. The approximately 640 metres (2,100 ft) thick formation was deposited in the Pisco Basin, spanning an age from the Late Miocene up to the Early Pliocene, roughly from 9.6 to 4.5 Ma. The tuffaceous sandstones, diatomaceous siltstones, conglomerates and dolomites were deposited in a lagoonal to near-shore environment, in bays similar to other Pacific South American formations as the Bahía Inglesa and Coquimbo Formations of Chile.
Several specialists consider the Pisco Formation one of the most important Lagerstätten, based on the large amount of exceptionally preserved marine fossils, including sharks (most notably megalodon), penguins, whales, dolphins, birds, marine crocodiles and aquatic giant sloths.
Famous fossils found in these layers include the giant raptorial sperm whale Livyatan, the aquatic sloth Thalassocnus, the sperm whale Acrophyseter, and the walrus-like dolphin Odobenocetops.
Description
The Pisco Formation of the Pisco Basin consists of tuffaceous sandstones, diatomaceous yellow to gray siltstones and a basal conglomerate. The formation is deposited from Pisco in the north to Yauca in the south. The northern portion is known as the Ocucaje Area and the southern part as the Sacaco Area. The total thickness of the formation is estimated at 640 metres (2,100 ft). The formation unconformably overlies the Chilcatay and Caballas Formations.
Paleobiota of the Pisco Formation
The Pisco Formation has provided a rich resource of marine fauna, including marine mammals like cetaceans and seals, large fishes, reptiles, and penguins. It is also one of the richest sites in the world for fossil cetaceans, with close to 500 examples being found in the formation.
The oldest fossils of the aquatic sloth Thalassocnus (T. antiquus) come from the Aguada de Lomas horizon of the Pisco Formation and were dated at roughly 7 Ma. The youngest specimen (T. carolomartini) was found in the Sacaco horizon and dated to approximately 3 Ma. Thalassocnus was preyed upon by the probable apex predators of the environment, Livyatan and megalodon. The youngest strata belonging to the formation have been dated at 2 Ma, corresponding to the Early Pleistocene (Uquian). Fossils of the Humboldt penguin were found in these deposits at the Yauca locality.
Birds
| Taxa | Species | Description | Images | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spheniscus | S. humbodti | Humboldt penguin |  |
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| S. megarhampus | Banded penguin |
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| S. muizoni | The oldest banded penguin |  |
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| S. urbinai | A larger banded penguin than S. muizoni |
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| Ramphastosula | R. aguierrei | |||
| R. ramirezi | ||||
| Sula | S. brandi | |||
| S. magna | ||||
| S. sulita | ||||
| Morus | M. peruvianus | .png) |
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| Perugyps | P. diazi | |||
| Ciconiidae indet. | Gen. et sp. indet. | |||
| Fulmarus | Fulmarus sp. | |||
| Pelagornis | Pelagornis sp. |  |
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| Pelecanus | Pelecanus sp. | |||
| Phalacrocorax | P. aff. bougainvillii |  |
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| cf. Phalacrocorax sp. |
Fish
Bony fish
| Taxa | Species | Description | Images | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alosinae | A. indent | A type of herring | ||
| Centropomidae | C. aff. Psamoperca | A snook fish | ||
| Triglidae | T. indent | A type of sea robin | ||
| Xiphiidae | X. ident | A sword fish | ||
| Sardinops | S. sp. | A sardine |
Rays
| Taxa | Species | Description | Images | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Myliobatis | Indeterminate | A species of eagle ray |  |
Sharks
| Taxa | Species | Description | Images | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carcharias | C. taurus | The sand tiger shark | .png) |
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| Carcharhinus | C. sp. indent | A requiem shark | ||
| Carcharodon | C. carcharias | The great white shark |  |
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| C. hubbelli | ||||
| Cosmopolitodus | C. hastalis | The broad-toothed mako | ||
| Hexanchus | H. gigas | A cow shark | ||
| Isurus | I. oxyrhincus | The shortfin mako |  |
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| Otodus | O. chubutensis | |||
| O. megalodon | The largest of the megatoothed sharks (and of all fishes) |  |
Mammals
Cetaceans
| Taxa | Species | Description | Images | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acrophyseter | A. deinodon | A small raptorial physeteroid |  |
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| A. robustus | ||||
| Atocetus | A. iquensis | A small toothed whale |  |
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| Australithax | A. intermedia | A long-snouted porpoise | ||
| Balaenoptera | B. siberi | A baleen cetacean |  |
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| Belonodelphis | B. peruanus | An long delphinid | ||
| Brachydelphis | B. jahuayensis | An early delphinid |  |
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| B. mazeasi | ||||
| Brujadelphis | B. ankylorostris | A river delphinid | ||
| Hemisyntrachelus | H. oligodon | An early form of orca | ||
| Incakujira | I. anillodefuego | A small baleen cetacean |  |
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| I. fordycei | ||||
| Kogia | K. danomurai | A basal member of the Kogia genus. Small physeteroid | ||
| Koristocetus | K. pescei | A small sperm whale | ||
| Livyatan | L. melvillei | An 18-meter long raptorial physeteroid with 36 centimetres (1.18 ft) teeth |  |
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| Lomacetus | L. ginsburgi | A cetacean | ||
| Mamaziphius | M. reyesi | An early beaked whale. | ||
| Miocaperea | M. pulchra | A cetothere whale | ||
| Ninoziphius | N. platyrostris | A giant beaked whale |  |
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| Odobenocetops | O. leptodon | A cetacean with dual tusks |  |
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| O. peruvianus | ||||
| Piscobalaena | P. nana | A small baleen whale |  |
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| Piscocetus | P. sacaco | An extinct cetacean | ||
| Piscolithax | P. aenigmaticus | A porpoise |  |
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| Pliopontos | P. littoralis | An early delphinid | ||
| Scaphokogia | S. cochlearis | An extinct pygmy sperm whale |
Pinnipeds
- Seals
| Taxa | Species | Description | Images | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acrophoca | A. longirostirus | A large pinniped thought to be the ancestor of the leopard seal |  |
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| Australophoca | A. changorum | A phocidae seal. | ||
| Hadrokirus | H. martini | A species of true seal | ||
| Hydrarctos | H. lomasiensis | An Otariidae seal. | ||
| Magophoca | M. brevirostris | A monachinae seal. | ||
| Piscophoca | P. pacifica | A phocidae seal |
Xenarthrans
- Sloths
| Taxa | Species | Description | Images | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thalassocnus | T. antiquus | a semi-aquatic marine sloth |  |
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| T. carolomartini | ||||
| T. littoralis | ||||
| T. natans |
Mollusks
Bivalves
| Taxa | Species | Description | Images | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dosinia | Indeterminate |
Polychaetes
| Taxa | Species | Description | Images | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diplochaetetes | D. mexicanus |
Gastropods
| Taxa | Species | Description | Images | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acanthina | A. obesa | |||
| A. triangularis | ||||
| Concholepas | C. kieneri | |||
| Herminespina | Indeterminate |
Reptiles
| Taxa | Species | Description | Images | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacacosuchus | S. cordovai | A gavialid crocodylian | ||
| Piscogavialis | P. jugaliperforatus | A gryposuchine gavialid crocodylian | ||
| Pacifichelys | P. urbinai | A sea turtle | ||
| Chelonia | Indeterminate | |||
| Eusuchia | Indeterminate |
Correlations
Laventan
| Formation | Honda | Honda | Aisol | Cura-Mallín | Pisco | Ipururo | Pebas | Capadare | Urumaco | Inés | Paraná | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basin | VSM | Honda | San Rafael | Caldera | Pisco | Ucayali | Amazon | Falcón | Venezuela | Paraná |      Pisco Formation (South America) | |
| Country |  Colombia |
 Bolivia |
 Argentina |
 Chile |
 Peru |
 Venezuela |
Argentina
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| Boreostemma |  |
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| Hapalops | |
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| Miocochilius | |
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| Theosodon | |
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| Xenastrapotherium | |
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| Mylodontidae | |
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| Sparassodonta | |
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| Primates |  |
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| Rodents |  |
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| Birds |  |
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| Terror birds |  |
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| Reptiles |  |
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| megalodon |  |
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| Flora | 
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| Insects |  |
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| Environments | Fluvial | Fluvio-deltaic | Fluvio-lacustrine | Fluvio-deltaic | Fluvial |  Laventan volcanoclastics Laventan fauna Laventan flora | ||||||
| Volcanic | Yes | |||||||||||
See also
- Bahía Inglesa Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of Chile
- Castilletes Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the Cocinetas Basin, Colombia
- Cerro Ballena, contemporaneous fossil site of the Bahía Inglesa Formation of Chile
- Coquimbo Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of Chile
- Collón Curá Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of Patagonia, Argentina
- Honda Group, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of Colombia
- Navidad Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of Chile
- Pebas Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the Amazon Basin
- Urumaco, contemporaneous fossil site of the Falcón Basin, Venezuela
References
- ^ Ochoa, Diana; DeVries, Thomas J.; Quispe, Kelly; Barbosa-Espitia, Angel; Salas-Gismondi, Rodolfo; Foster, David A.; Gonzales, Renzo; Revillon, Sidoine; Berrospi, Raul; Pairazamán, Luis; Cardich, Jorge; Perez, Alexander; Romero, Pedro; Urbina, Mario; Carré, Matthieu (2022). "Age and provenance of the Mio-Pleistocene sediments from the Sacaco area, Peruvian continental margin". Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 116: 103799. doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2022.103799. ISSN 0895-9811.
- ^ Brand et al., 2004
- ^ Brand et al., 2011
- ^ Lambert et al., 2010
- ^ De Muizon et al., 2003
- ^ De Muizon & Domning, 2002
- ^ Báez Gómez, 2006, p.65
- ^ Stucchi, 2007, p.368
- ^ Altamirano Sierra, 2013, p.3
- ^ Báez Gómez, 2006, p.66
- ^ Poma Porras et al., 2009, p.86
- ^ De Muizon et al., 2004, p.287
- ^ Parham & Pyenson, 2010, p.231
- ^ Bianucci et al., 2015, p.543
- ^ Stucchi, 2007, p.370
- ^ Göhlich, 2007, p.287
- ^ Stucchi, 2007, p.369
- ^ Sud Sacaco West at Fossilworks.org
- ^ Stucchi et al., 2016, p.423
- ^ Sud Sacaco at Fossilworks.org
- ^ Stucchi et al., 2016, p.419
- ^ Urbina, M.; Stucchi, M. (2005). "Evidence of a fossil stork (Aves: Ciconiidae) from the Late Miocene of the Pisco Formation, Peru". Bol.Soc.Geol.Peru. 100 (2): 63–66.
- ^ Aguada de Loma at Fossilworks.org
- ^ Chávez et al., 2007
- ^ Altamirano Sierra, 2013, p.6
- ^ Yauca at Fossilworks.org
- ^ Hueso Blanco at Fossilworks.org
- ^ Sacaco at Fossilworks.org
- ^ Lambert et al., 2008
- ^ Cerro la Bruja at Fossilworks.org
- ^ De Muizon, 1988, p.131
- ^ De Muizon, 1988, p.88
- ^ Demeré et al., 2005, p.115
- ^ De Muizon, 1988, p.192
- ^ De Muizon, 1988, p.82
- ^ De Muizon, 1988, p.108
- ^ Lambert et al., 2017
- ^ Marx & Kohno, 2016, p.5
- ^ Benites-Palomino, Aldo; Vélez-Juarbe, Jorge; Collareta, Alberto; Ochoa, Diana; Altamirano, Ali; Carré, Matthieu; Laime, Manuel J.; Urbina, Mario; Salas-Gismondi, Rodolfo (August 2021). Lautenschlager, Stephan (ed.). "Nasal compartmentalization in Kogiidae (Cetacea, Physeteroidea): insights from a new late Miocene dwarf sperm whale from the Pisco Formation". Papers in Palaeontology. 7 (3): 1507–1524. Bibcode:2021PPal....7.1507B. doi:10.1002/spp2.1351. ISSN 2056-2799. S2CID 234058681.
- ^ Collareta et al., 2017, p.261
- ^ De Muizon, 1988, p.27
- ^ Bianucci, G.; Benites-Palomino, A. M.; Collareta, A.; Bosio, G.; de Muizon, C.; Merella, M.; Di Celma, C.; Malinverno, E.; Urbina, M.; Lambert, O. (2024). "A new Late Miocene beaked whale (Cetacea, Odontoceti) from the Pisco Formation, and a revised age for the fossil Ziphiidae of Peru" (PDF). Bollettino della Società Paleontologica Italiana. 63 (1): 21–43. doi:10.4435/BSPI.2024.10.
- ^ Miocaperea pulchra at Fossilworks.org
- ^ De Muizon, 1988, p.66
- ^ Amson & De Muizon, 2014, p.524
- ^ Dewaele, Leonard & de Muizon, Christian. (2024). A new monachine seal (Monachinae, Phocidae, Mammalia) from the Miocene of Cerro La Bruja (Ica department, Peru). GEODIVERSITAS. 46. 10.5252/geodiversitas2024v46a3.
- ^ Kočí T, Bosio G, Collareta A, Sanfilippo R, Ekrt B, Urbina M, Malinverno E (2021). "First report on the cirratulid (Annelida, Polychaeta) reefs from the Miocene Chilcatay and Pisco Formations (East Pisco Basin, Peru)". Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 107: 103042. Bibcode:2021JSAES.10703042K. doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2020.103042.
- ^ Salas-Gismondi, R.; Ochoa, D.; Jouve, S.; Romero, P.E.; Cardich, J.; Perez, A.; DeVries, T.; Baby, P.; Urbina, M.; Carré, M. (2022-05-11). "Miocene fossils from the southeastern Pacific shed light on the last radiation of marine crocodylians". Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 289 (1974). doi:10.1098/rspb.2022.0380. PMC 9091840. PMID 35538785.
- ^ Cerro Colorado Pisco at Fossilworks.org
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Further reading
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pisco Formation.
- A. Alván, J. Apolín, and C. Chacaltana. 2004. Los dientes de Seláceos (Condrichthyies) y su aplicación estratigráfica en Las Lomas de Ullujaya (Ica, Perú). XIII Congreso Peruano de Geología. Resúmenes Extendidos 595–598
- A. Collareta, O. Lambert, W. Landini, C. Di Celma, E. Malinverno, R. Varas-Malca, M. Urbina and G. Bianucci. 2017. Did the giant extinct shark Carcharocles megalodon target small prey? Bite marks on marine mammal remains from the late Miocene of Peru. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 469:84-91
- R. Esperante, L. Brand, K. E. Nick, O. Poma, and M. Urbina. 2008. Exceptional occurrence of fossil baleen in shallow marine sediments of the Neogene Pisco Formation, Southern Peru. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 257:344-360
- A. Gioncada, A. Collareta, K. Gariboldi, O. Lambert, C. Di Clema, E. Bonaccorsi, M. Urbina and G. Bianucci. 2016. Inside baleen: Exceptional microstructure preservation in a late Miocene whale skeleton from Peru. Geology
- C. S. Gutstein, M. A. Cozzuol, A. O. Vargas, M. E. Suarez, C. L. Schultz and D. Rubilar-Rogers. 2009. Patterns of skull variation of Brachydelphis (Cetacea, Odontoceti) from the Neogene of the Southeastern Pacific. Journal of Mammalogy 90(2):504-519
- O. Lambert, A. Collareta, W. Landini, K. Post, B. Ramanssamy, C. Di Celma, M. Urbina and G. Bianucci. 2015. No deep diving: evidence of predation on epipelagic fish for a stem beaked whale from the Late Miocene of Peru. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 282:20151530
- J. Machare, T. DeVries, and E. Fourtanier. 1988. Oligo-Miocene transgression along the Pacific margin of South America: new paleontological and geological evidence from the Pisco basin (Peru). Géodyynamique 3(1–2):25-37
- R. Marocco and C. de Muizon. 1988. Los vertebrados del Neogeno de La Costa Sur del Perú: Ambiente sedimentario y condiciones de fosilización. Bulletin de l'Institut Français d'Études Andines 17(2):105-117
- C. de Muizon and D. P. Domning. 1985. The first records of fossil sirenians in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. Bulletin du Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle. Section C: Sciences de la Terre: Paléontologie, Géologie, Minéralogie, Paris: Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle 7(3):189-213
- C. de Muizon. 1983. Pliopontos littoralis un nouveau Platanistidae Cetacea du Pliocene de la cote peruvienne. Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences Paris Série II (296)1101-1104
- C. de Muizon. 1978. Arctocephalus (Hydrarctos) lomasiensis, subgen. nov. et nov sp., un nouvel Otariidae du Mio-Pliocene de Sacaco. Bulletin de l'Institute Français d'Études Andines 7(3–4):169-189
- M. Urbina and M. Stucchi. 2005. Los cormoranes (Aves: Phalacrocoracidae) del Mio-Plioceno de la Formacion Pisco, Peru. Boletin de la Sociedad Geologica del Peru 99:41-49
- R. M. Varas Malca and A. Valenzuela Toro. 2011. A basal monachine seal from the middle Miocene of the Pisco Formation, Peru. Ameghiniana 48(4):R216-R217
- T. J. DeVries. 2008. Pliocene and Pleistocene Fissurella Bruguiére, 1789 (Gastropoda: Fissurellidae) from Southern Peru. The Veliger 50(2):129-148
- T. J. DeVries. 2007. Cenozoic Turritellidae (Gastropoda) from southern Peru. Journal of Paleontology 81(2):331-351
- T. J. DeVries, L. T. Groves, and M. Urbina. 2006. A new early Miocene Muracypraea Woodring, 1957 (Gastropoda: Cypraeidae) from the Pisco Basin of southern Peru. The Nautilus 120(3):101-105
- T. J. DeVries. 2003. Acanthina Fischer von Waldheim, 1807 (Gastropoda: Muricidae), an ocenebrine genus endemic to South America. The Veliger 46(4):332-350
- T. J. DeVries. 1997. Neogene Ficus (Mesogastropoda: Ficidae) from the Pisco Basin (Peru). Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica de Perú 86:11-18