Earth:Onzole Formation

Onzole Formation Stratigraphic range: Early Pliocene (Montehermosan-Chapadmalalan) ~5.3–3.6 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	Daule Group
Sub-units	Súa & Esmeraldas Members
Overlies	Angostura Formation
Lithology
Primary	Shale
Other	Mudstone
Location
Coordinates
Paleocoordinates	[ ⚑ ] 0.8°N 78.8°W / 0.8; -78.8
Region	Esmeraldas Province
Country	Ecuador
Extent	Borbón Basin
Type section
Named for	Onzole River
Onzole Formation (Ecuador)

The Onzole Formation is an Early Pliocene (Montehermosan to Chapadmalalan in the SALMA classification) geologic formation in the Borbón Basin of northwestern Ecuador. The formation consists of a shallow marine sandstone member containing many fish fossils, among which megalodon, and a deep water member comprising tuffaceous shales and mudstones containing gastropods, bivalves and scaphopods.

Subdivision

The formation consists of the Esmeraldas Member, which is a unit comprising highly foraminiferal tuffaceous calcareous shale. They were deposited by shallow water gravity flows, which brought the Esmeraldas fauna into the deep water (1,000 metres (3,300 ft)) from shallow water, on the order of 75 metres (246 ft).

The Esmeraldas Member is covered by the Súa Member comprising burrowed, bioturbated, silty sandstones deposited in a coastal environment.

Fossil content

The formation has provided bivalve, gastropod, and scaphopod fossils and the following vertebrates:

• Carcharhinus egertoni, C. priscus
• Carcharocles megalodon
• Diaphus ecuadorensis
• Galeocerdo aduncus
• Hemipristis serra
• Isistius triangulus
• Negaprion eurybathrodon
• Odontaspis acutissima
• Rhizoprionodon taxandriae
• Brotula cf. ordwayi
• Chilara taylori
• Eucinostomus cf. currani
• Larimus cf. pacificus
• Lepophidium borbonensis, L. limulum
• Lepophidium microlepis
• Merluccius cf. angustimanus
• Orthopristis cf. cantharinus
• Otophidium indefatigabile
• Paraconger californiensis
• Porichthys analis, Porichthys margaritatus, Porichthys cf. notatus
• Stellifer onzole
• Anchoa sp.
• Apogon sp.
• Citharichthys sp.
• Diaphus sp.
• Haemulon sp.
• Lampadena sp.
• Apogonidae indet.
• Cynoglossidae indet.
• Gobiidae indet.
• Gerreidae indet.
• Opistognathidae indet.
• Pleuronectidae indet.
• ?Serranidae indet.

See also

• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Ecuador

References

Bibliography

• Aguilera, Órangel A.; Werner Schwarzhans, and Philippe Béarez. 2016. Otoliths of the Sciaenidae from the Neogene of tropical America. Palaeo Ichthyologica 14. 7–90. Accessed 2019-02-09.
• Schwarzhans, Werner, and Órangel Aguilera. 2016. Otoliths of the Ophidiiformes from the Neogene of tropical America. Palaeo Ichthyologica 14. 91–124. Accessed 2019-02-09.
• Schwarzhans, Werner, and Órangel Aguilera. 2013. Otoliths of the Myctophidae from the Neogene of tropical America. Palaeo Ichthyologica 13. 83–150. Accessed 2019-02-09.

Further reading

• G. Carnevale, W. Landini, L. Radgaini, C. Celma, G. and Cantalamessa. 2011. Taphonomic and paleoecological analyses (mollusks and fishes) of the Súa Member condensed shelled, upper Onzole Formation (Early Pliocene, Ecuador). Palaios 26(3):160-172
• A. E. Longbottom. 1979. Miocene Sharks' teeth from Ecuador. Bulletin of The British Museum (Natural History) Geology 32:57-70
• W. D. Pitt and L.J. Pitt. 1997. Nassarius (Mollusca: Neogastropoda) from the Neogene of northwestern Ecuador. Tulane Studies in Geology and Paleontology 29:135-150
• E. H. Vokes and H. E. Vokes. 2000. Catalogue of Tulane University fossil localities
• E. H. Vokes. 1988. Muricidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of the Esmeraldas Beds, northwestern Ecuador. Tulane Studies in Geology and Paleontology 21(1):1-50