Pisco Basin (Spanish: Cuenca de Pisco) is a sedimentary basin extending over 300 kilometres (190 mi) in southwestern Peru.[1] The basin has a 2 kilometres (6,600 ft) thick sedimentary fill, which is about half the thickness of more northern foreland basins in Peru.[2]
Pisco Basin | |
---|---|
Cuenca de Pisco | |
Coordinates | 14°15′S 76°0′W / 14.250°S 76.000°W |
Etymology | City of Pisco, Peru |
Location | Western South America |
Country | Peru |
State(s) | Ica Region |
Cities | Pisco |
Characteristics | |
On/Offshore | Both |
Part of | Circum-Pacific forearc basins |
Area | 300 km (190 mi) |
Hydrology | |
Sea(s) | Eastern Pacific Ocean |
River(s) | Pisco River |
Geology | |
Basin type | Forearc basin |
Orogeny | Andean |
Age | Eocene–Pliocene |
Stratigraphy | Stratigraphy |
The oldest known sediments are the Eocene sandstones of the Caballas Formation, while the youngest deposits, the fossiliferous Pisco Formation, date to the Early Pleistocene.[2][note 1] In relation to present-day, topography the fill of Pisco Basin makes the upper part of the Coastal Cordillera of southern Peru, the coastal plains, the Ica-Nazca Depression and the Andean foothills.[3]
The basin is renowned for hosting various highly fossiliferous stratigraphic units; the Pisco Formation has provided a wealth of marine mammals (including sloths), birds, fish and other groups, as have the Chilcatay, Otuma and Paracas Formations.
Age[2][5] | SALMA[note 3] | Units[2][5] | Environment[2][5] | Lithology[2][5][6] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pleistocene | Uquian | Pisco | Lagoonal to near-shore | Bioclastic conglomerate, sandstone | |
Middle Miocene | Colloncuran | ||||
Early Miocene | Colhuehuapian | Chilcatay | Marine | Siltstone, sandstone | |
Late Oligocene | Deseadan | ||||
Early Oligocene Late Eocene |
Tinguirirican Divisaderan |
Otuma | Marine embayment | Bioclastic sandstone, sandstone, silty sandstone, mudstone, dolomitic sediment | |
Late Eocene | Divisaderan | Paracas | Yumaque | Mudrock, phosphatic shale, diatomite, porcellanite, chert | |
Late Eocene | Mustersan | Los Choros | Inner shelf, shoreface, intertidal | Bioclastic conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone, mudrock | |
Eocene | Casamayoran | Caballas | Fluvial | Sandstone, tuff, coal |
The basin developed in a setting of extensional tectonics from Eocene to the Late Miocene with short-lived episode of basin inversion in the Middle Miocene.[7] Late Pliocene and Pleistocene uplift of the basin may be consequence of the subduction of Nazca Ridge.[2][8]
Sedimentary strata of the basin shows evidence for a series of marine transgressions during the last 50 million years.[9] These marine transgressions occurred in a sequence 41-34 Ma, 31-28 Ma, 25-16 Ma, 15-11 Ma, 10-5 Ma, and 4-2 Ma.[9] The end of most of the marine transgressions is thought to be associated either with global sea level falls or compressional events in the Andes.[9]
The marine Oligo-Miocene (25–16 Ma[9]) marine transgression is evidenced by a series of sedimentary strata containing fossils of marine diatoms, Peruchilus snails and Pitar and Cucullaea clams.[10] Oligo-Miocene marine environments in the Pisco Basin range from littoral to shelf.[10] Moquegua Basin southeast of Pisco Basin appear to have been unaffected by the transgression.[10]
Within the Andean margin contemporary marine transgressions are also known from southern Chile, Patagonia and Colombia.[10] As such the marine transgression is thought to represent a regional phenomenon with the steadily rising central Andes being an exception.[10]
Group | Fossils | Notes |
---|---|---|
Mammals | Chilcacetus cavirhinus, Huaridelphis raimondii, Incacetus broggii, Inticetus vertizi, Macrosqualodelphis ukupachai, Notocetus vanbenedeni, cf. Kentriodon sp., Cetotheriidae indet., Eurhinodelphinidae indet., Mysticeti indet., Odontoceti indet., Pinnipedia indet., Physeteroidea indet., Squalodelphinidae indet. | |
Birds | Palaeospheniscus sp. | |
Reptiles | Testudines indet. | |
Fish | Carcharhinus cf. brachurus, Carcharodon hastalis, Carcharodon subauriculatus, Hemipristis cf. serra, Isurus desori |
Group | Fossils | Notes |
---|---|---|
Mammals | Cynthiacetus peruvianus, Basilosauridae indet. | |
Birds | Icadyptes salasi, Inkayacu paracasensis, Spheniscidae indet. | |
Fish | Engraulis sp., Sardinops sp. |
Group | Fossils | Notes |
---|---|---|
Mammals | Ocucajea picklingi, Supayacetus muizoni, Basilosauridae indet., Mystacodon selenensis, Peregocetus pacificus, Perucetus colossus | |
Birds | Perudyptes devriesi | |
Fish | Pristis sp., Myliobatis sp., Clupeiformes sp. |