Quebrada Platanos [Esmeraldas Fm] (Pliocene of Ecuador)

Where: Manabi, Ecuador (0.8° S, 77.5° W: paleocoordinates 1.0° S, 76.7° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Esmeraldas Formation, Early/Lower Pliocene (5.3 - 3.6 Ma)

• AGE: Stated to be Late Miocene in text; Early Pliocene following Beu (2010). COMMENTS: thought to be equivalent to the Borbon formation of the Rio Santiago section, resting unconformably on top of conglomerate beds containing Turritella altilira and other Miocene fossils probably not greater than 300 meters in thickness.

• formation-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: marine; lithified, tuffaceous mudstone and lithified sandstone

• deep water fauna with a few shallow water forms that were badly worn, indicating transportation, while deep-water fauna were in perfect condition, suggesting turbidity currents.
• thin bedded to massive tuffaceous mudstones sometimes with interbeds of soft sandstones. small or medium-sized rounded pebbles are scattered throughout the formation, or more rarely concentrated into minor beds or seams of conglomerate. Large calcareous concretions, some rounded or with an irregular rootlike shape, generally with hollow centers are common at many places. The beds are highly foraminiferal, with pelagic types, often pure enough to form a foraminiferal oozelike sediment. On the fresh surface of the rock platform, the formation is hard, and of a gray-black or dark olive-green color.

Size class: macrofossils

Primary reference: A. A. Olsson. 1964. Neogene Mollusks From Northwestern Ecuador [A. Miller/K. Bulinski]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 60770: authorized by Arnold Miller, entered by Kate Bulinski on 22.05.2006

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• only some of the species are listed
Show authors, comments, and common names
Anthozoa
 Scleractinia - Flabellidae
Flabellum sp.
Flabellum sp. Lesson 1831 stony coral
Bivalvia
 Arcida - Arcidae
Anadara sp.
Anadara sp. Gray 1847 ark
 Cardiida - Cardiidae
Microcardium sp.
Microcardium sp. Thiele 1934 cockle
 Nuculanida - Nuculanidae
Nuculana sp.
Nuculana sp. Link 1807 pointed nut clam
Scaphopoda
 Dentaliida - Dentaliidae
Dentalium sp.
Dentalium sp. Linnaeus 1758 tusk shell
Gastropoda
 Neogastropoda - Pseudomelatomidae
Buridrillia cf. panarica
Buridrillia cf. panarica Olsson 1942 snail
 Neogastropoda - Conidae
Conus sp.
Conus sp. Linnaeus 1758 cone shell
 Neogastropoda - Olividae
Oliva sp.
Oliva sp. Bruguière 1789 olive snail
 Sorbeoconcha - Cassidae
Echinophoria woodringi
Echinophoria woodringi Olsson 1964 snail
new species