Culebra Formation

The Culebra Formation (Tcb)[1] is a geologic formation in Panama. It preserves fossils dating back to the Miocene period; Early Miocene epoch, Aquitanian to Burdigalian stages (Late Arikareean to Hemingfordian in the NALMA classification).[2] Fossils of Culebrasuchus have been found in and named after the formation.[3] The thickness of the formation is at least 250 metres (820 ft) thick,[4] and the age has been estimated as from 23 to 19 Ma.[5]

Culebra Formation Stratigraphic range: Aquitanian-Burdigalian (Late Arikareean-Hemingfordian) 23–19 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Type	Formation
Sub-units	Emperador Limestone
Underlies	Cucaracha Formation
Overlies	Las Cascadas Formation
Thickness	> 250 m (820 ft)
Lithology
Primary	Sandstone, limestone, mudstone, shale
Other	Siltstone, conglomerate, lignite
Location
Coordinates	9.1°N 79.7°W / 9.1; -79.7
Approximate paleocoordinates	8.4°N 77.5°W / 8.4; -77.5
Region	Colón Province
Country	Panama
Extent	Panama Basin
Type section
Named for	Culebra Cut
Culebra Formation (Panama)

Fossil content

• Culebrasuchus mesoamericanus[3][6]
• Culebratherium alemani[7]
• Dentimides[8]
• Panamacebus transitus[9][10]
• Paratoceras orarius[11]
• Purussaurus
• Podocnemididae indet.[12]

See also

• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Panama
• Cucaracha Formation
• Gatún Formation

References

1. Geologic Map, 1980
2. Culebra Formation at Fossilworks.org
3. Culebrasuchus at Fossilworks.org
4. Kirby et al., 2008, p.7
5. Kirby et al., 2008, p.11
6. Hastings et al., 2013
7. Vélez Juarbe & Wood, 2019
8. Landau et al., 2016
9. Silvestro, 2017, p.14
10. Panamacebus at Fossilworks.org
11. Rincón et al., 2015
12. Cadena et al., 2012, p.549

Bibliography

• Cadena, E.; J.R. Bourque; A.F. Rincón; J.I. Bloch; C.A. Jaramillo, and B.J. MacFadden. 2012. New turtles (Chelonia) from the late Eocene through Late Miocene of the Panama Canal Basin. Journal of Paleontology 86. 539–557. Accessed 2019-02-09.
• Alexander K. Hastings; Jonathan I. Bloch; Carlos A. Jaramillo; Aldo F. Rincon; Bruce J. Macfadden (2013). "Systematics and biogeography of crocodylians from the Miocene of Panama". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 33 (2): 239–263. doi:10.1080/02724634.2012.713814.
• Kirby, Michael Xavier; Douglas S. Jones, and Bruce J. MacFadden. 2008. Lower Miocene Stratigraphy along the Panama Canal and Its Bearing on the Central American Peninsula. PLoS ONE 3. 1–14. Accessed 2019-02-09.
• Bernard Manuel Landau; Carlos Marques da Silva; Antoine Heitz (2016). "Systematics of the gastropods of the lower-middle Miocene Cantaure Formation, Paraguaná Peninsula, Venezuela" (PDF). Bulletins of American Paleontology. 389–390: 1–581. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-06-19. Retrieved 2019-02-05.
• Aldo F. Rincon; Jonathan I. Bloch; Bruce J. Macfadden & Carlos A. Jaramillo (2015). "New early Miocene protoceratids (Mammalia, Artiodactyla) from Panama". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 35 (5): e970688. doi:10.1080/02724634.2015.970688.
• Silvestro, Daniele; Marcelo F. Tejedor; Martha L. Serrano Serrano; Oriane Loiseau; Victor Rossier; Jonathan Rolland; Alexander Zizka; Alexandre Antonelli, and Nicolas Salamin. 2017. Evolutionary history of New World monkeys revealed by molecular and fossil data. BioRxiv _. 1–32. Accessed 2017-09-24.
• Stewart, R.H.; J.L. Stewart, and W.P. Woodring. 1980. Geologic Map of the Panama Canal and Vicinity, 1. USGS. Accessed 2019-02-09.
• Vélez Juarbe, Jorge, and Aaron R. Wood. 2019. An early Miocene dugongine (Sirenia: Dugongidae) from Panama. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology e1511799. Online edition. Accessed 2019-02-22.
• Woodring, W.P. 1957. Geology and Paleontology of Canal Zone and Adjoining Parts of Panama - 306A Geology and description of Tertiary mollusks (Gastropods: Trochidae to Turritellidae), 1–186. USGS. Accessed 2019-02-09.

Further reading

• B. J. MacFadden, M. X. Kirby, A. Rincon, C. Montes, S. Moron, N. Strong, and C. Jaramillo. 2010. Extinct peccary "Cynorca" occidentale (Tayassuidae, Tayassuinae) from the Miocene of Panama and correlations to North America. Journal of Paleontology 84(2):288-298
• C. Pimiento, G. González Barba, A.J.W. Hendy, C. Jaramillo, B. J. MacFadden, C. Montes, S. C. Suarez and M. Shippritt. 2013. Early Miocene chondrichthyans from the Culebra Formation Panama A window into marine vertebrate faunas before closure the Central American Seaway. Journal of South American Earth Sciences 42:159-170