Sacaco (SAO horizon): Tortonian - Messinian, Peru

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Chondrichthyes - Myliobatiformes - Myliobatidae
Myliobatis sp. Cuvier 1816
Muizon and DeVries 1985
Chondrichthyes - Squalomorphii - Hexanchidae
Hexanchus gigas (Sismonda 1857)
Muizon and DeVries 1985
Chondrichthyes - Carcharhiniformes - Carcharhinidae
Muizon and DeVries 1985
Muizon and DeVries 1985
Chondrichthyes - Lamniformes - Otodontidae
Muizon and DeVries 1985
Chondrichthyes - Lamniformes - Lamnidae
Marocco and Muizon 1988
Chondrichthyes - Chimaeriformes - Callorhynchidae
Muizon and DeVries 1985
Reptilia - Odontopterygiformes - Pelagornithidae
Pelagornis sp. Lartet 1857
Chavez et al. 2007 1 specimen
Reptilia - Procellariidae
Muizon and DeVries 1985
Fulmarus sp. Stephens 1826
Cheneval 1993
Reptilia - Spheniscidae
Spheniscidae indet. Bonaparte 1831
Marocco and Muizon 1988
form 2
Reptilia - Suliformes - Sulidae
cf. Sula sp. Brisson 1760
Muizon and DeVries 1985
Reptilia - Suliformes - Phalacrocoracidae
Muizon and DeVries 1985
Reptilia
Eusuchia indet. Huxley 1875
Muizon and DeVries 1985
Mammalia - Cetacea
Muizon and DeVries 1985
Mammalia - Cetacea - Balaenopteridae
Muizon and DeVries 1985
form3
Deméré et al. 2005 1 specimen
Mammalia - Cetacea
Pilleri and Pilleri 1989 1 specimen
Mammalia - Cetacea - Physeteridae
Muizon and DeVries 1985
form 2, 3
Mammalia - Cetacea - Kogiidae
Muizon and DeVries 1985
form 2
Benites-Palomino et al. 2021 1 specimen
Mammalia - Cetacea - Monodontidae
Muizon and DeVries 1985
Mammalia - Cetacea - Odobenocetopsidae
Muizon et al. 1999 2 specimens
Mammalia - Cetacea - Delphinidae
Muizon and DeVries 1985
Muizon and DeVries 1985
Mammalia - Cetacea - Phocoenidae
Marocco and Muizon 1988
Muizon and DeVries 1985
Mammalia - Carnivora - Phocidae
Muizon and DeVries 1985
form 2, 5
Muizon and DeVries 1985
Muizon and DeVries 1985
Mammalia - Carnivora - Otariidae
Marocco and Muizon 1988
1 specimen
Mammalia - Nothrotheriidae
McDonald and Muizon 2002 2 specimens
probably 1 individual
Mammalia - Megatheriidae
Marocco and Muizon 1988
unclassified
Muizon and DeVries 1985
Actinopteri - Clupeiformes - Clupeoidei
Alosinae indet. (Svetovidov 1952)
Muizon and DeVries 1985
Actinopteri - Istiophoriformes - Xiphiidae
Xiphiorhynchus sp. Van Beneden 1871
Muizon and DeVries 1985
see common names

Geography
Country:Peru
Coordinates: 15.6° South, 74.7° West (view map)
Paleocoordinates:15.1° South, 72.5° West (Wright 2013)
Basis of coordinate:estimated from map
Geographic resolution:local area
Time
Period: Neogene Epoch: Miocene
Stage: Tortonian - Messinian 10 m.y. bin: Cenozoic 6
Key time interval: Tortonian - Messinian
Age range of interval: 11.63 - 5.333 m.y. ago
Stratigraphy
Formation:Pisco
Local section:Pisco Local bed:SAO
Local order:no particular order
Stratigraphic resolution:group of beds
Stratigraphy comments: Muizon and Bellon (1986: 39394) suggest this is about 3.9 Ma: early late Pliocene according to Muizon et al 2004 (28320). Greater than 5.75 Ma (Ehret et al 2012)

Bosio et al. 2020: Strontium isotope stratigraphy suggests Langhian–Serravallian age (14.8–12.4 Ma) for the P0 sequence of the Pisco Formation (see Fig. 9). Overlying P1 and P2 layers (including SAO horizon) reflects cooling from the late Serravallian–Messinian onwards. Bosio et al. 2019 use Ar dating of tephra layers within the Pisco Fm. with results suggesting P1 age between 9.5 and 8.6 Ma, and that of P2 between 8.4 and 6.7 Ma.
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology:diatomaceous siltstone
Includes fossils?Y
Environment:paralic indet.
Geology comments: "a littoral paleoenviroment with protected beaches and reefs exposed to marine sediments" (Stucchi and Emslie 2005), high sedimentation rate, shallow-to-deep shelf, upwelling
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body,original phosphate
Size of fossils:macrofossils
Preservation of anatomical detail:excellent
Collection methods and comments
Collection methods:surface (in situ),field collection
Reason for describing collection:taxonomic analysis
Metadata
Database number:46083
Authorizer:M. Uhen Enterer:M. Uhen
Modifier:G. Varnham Research group:vertebrate
Created:2005-01-01 15:22:22 Last modified:2025-02-22 15:12:02
Access level:the public Released:2005-01-01 15:22:22
Creative Commons license:CC0
Reference information

Primary reference:
16948. C. Muizon. 1978. Arctocephalus (Hydrarctos) lomasiensis, subgen. nov. et nov sp., un nouvel Otariidae du Mio-Pliocene de Sacaco. Bulletin de l'Institute Francais d'Etudes Andines 7(3-4):169-189 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen/M. Uhen]

Secondary references:

72984 A. Benites-Palomino and M. Urbina. 2020. La hiperdiversificación de Physeteroidea (Cetacea: Mammalia) del Mioceno tardío en el Pacifico Sur, nuevos fósiles del área de Sacaco, Arequipa, Perú. Revista peruana de biología 27(2):261-266 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]
75450 A. Benites-Palomino, J. Vélez-Juarbe, A. Collareta, D. Ochoa, A. Altamirano, M. Carré, M. J. Laime, M. Urbina, and R. Salas-Gismondi. 2021. Nasal compartmentalization in Kogia (Cetacea, Physeteroidea): Insights from a new Late Miocene dwarf sperm whale from the Pisco Formation. Papers in Palaeontology [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]
34370 M. Chavez, M. Stucchi, and M. Urbina. 2007. El registro de Pelagornithidae (Aves: Pelecaniformes) y la avifauna neogena del Pacifico sudeste. Bulletin de l'Institut Francais d'Etudes Andines 36(2):175-197 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]
40374 J. Cheneval. 1993. L'avifaune Mio-Pliocene de la Formation Pisco (Perou) etude prliminaire. Document Labratorie Geologique Lyon 125:85-95 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]
39394 C. de Muizon and H. Bellon. 1986. Nouvelles donnees sur l'age de la Formation Pisco (Perou). Comptes Rendus de l'Academie des Sciences, Paris, Serie II 303(15):1401-1404 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]
60275% 23820C. 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: Paleontologie, Geologie, Mineralogie 7(3):189-213 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen/M. Uhen]
15521 T. A. Deméré, A. Berta, and M. R. McGowen. 2005. The taxonomic and evolutionary history of modern balaenopteroid mysticetes. Journal of Mammalian Evolution 12(1/2):99-143 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen/M. Uhen]
27454 D. P. Domning and O. A. Aguilera. 2008. Fossil Sirenia of the West Atlantic and Caribbeaan Region. VIII. Nanosiren garciae, gen. et sp. nov. and Nanosiren sanchezi, sp. nov. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 28(2):479-500 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]
12182 R. Marocco and C. d.e. Muizon. 1988. Los vertebrados del Neogeno de La Costa Sur del Perú: Ambiente sedimentario y condiciones de fosilización. Bulletin de l'Institut Frances d'Etudes Andines 17(2):105-117 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen/M. Uhen]
16792 H. G. McDonald and C. Muizon. 2002. The cranial anatomy of Thalassocnus (Xenarthra, Mammalia), a derived nothrothere from the Neogene of the Pisco Formation (Peru). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 22(2):349-365 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen/J. Alroy]
16797 C. Muizon and T. J. DeVries. 1985. Geology and paleontology of late Cenozoic marine deposits in the Sacaco area (Peru). Geologische Rundschau 74(3):547-563 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen/M. Uhen]
15397 C. Muizon, D. P. Domning, and M. Parrish. 1999. Dimorphic tusks and adaptive strategies in a new species of walrus-like dolphin (Odobenocetopsidae) from the Pliocene of Peru. C. R. Academie des Sciences, Paris, Sciences de la terre et des planets 329:449-455 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]
78038 D. Ochoa, R. Salas-Gismondi, T. J. DeVries, P. Baby, C. Muizon, A. Altamirano, A. Barbosa‐Espitia, D. A. Foster, K. Quispe, J. Cardich, D. Gutiérrez, A. Perez, J. Valqui, M. Urbina, and M. Carré. 2021. Late Neogene evolution of the Peruvian margin and its ecosystems: a synthesis from the Sacaco record. International Journal of Earth Sciences [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]
43585% 10880G. Pilleri and O. Pilleri. 1989. Bartenwale aus der Pisco-Formation Perus. Beitrage zur Palaontologie der cetaceen Perus 11-38 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen/J. Alroy]
29278 M. Stucchi and S. D. Emslie. 2005. A new condor (Ciconiiformes, Vulturidae) from the late Miocene/early Pliocene Pisco Formation, Peru. Condor 107(1):107-113 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy]