Macanal Formation

The Macanal Formation or Macanal Shale (Spanish: (Formación) Lutitas de Macanal, Kilm, K1m) is a fossiliferous geological formation of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense and Tenza Valley in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes. The predominantly organic shale formation dates to the Early Cretaceous period; Berriasian to Valanginian epochs and has a maximum thickness of 2,935 metres (9,629 ft). The Macanal Formation contains numerous levels of fossiliferous abundances. Bivalves, ammonites and fossil flora have been found in the formation.

Macanal Formation Stratigraphic range: Berriasian-Valanginian ~140–132 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Outcrop of the Macanal Formation along the road between Bogotá and Villavicencio
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	Cáqueza Group
Underlies	Las Juntas Formation
Overlies	Guavio Fm., Santa Rosa Fm., Ubalá Fm., Chivor Fm., Batá Fm.
Thickness	up to 2,935 m (9,629 ft)
Lithology
Primary	Organic shale
Other	Limestone, gypsum, emeralds
Location
Coordinates	4°58′19″N 73°19′10″W
Region	Altiplano Cundiboyacense & Tenza Valley  Eastern Ranges   Andes
Country	Colombia
Type section
Named for	Macanal
Named by	Rodríguez & Ulloa
Location	Macanal
Year defined	1979
Coordinates	4°58′19″N 73°19′10″W
Region	Boyacá
Country	Colombia

The formation is a source rock for oil and gas in the Eastern Cordillera Basin and adjacent Llanos Basin foothills and provides emeralds in the vicinity of Macanal, after which the formation is named.

Etymology

The formation was defined and named in 1979 by Rodríguez and Ulloa after Macanal, Cundinamarca.[1][2] The name Macanal is either derived from the Muysccubun word Macana, meaning garrote, or from the Macana palm tree.[3][4]

Description

Lithologies

Fractured sample of the Macanal Formation

The Macanal Formation has a maximum thickness of 2,935 metres (9,629 ft), and is characterised by a sequence of micaceous organic shales,[2] with calcite veins and gypsum occurrences intercalated in the formation. The Macanal Formation contains high values of TOC.[5] In the Eastern Cordillera Basin and the adjacent foothills of the Llanos Basin, the Macanal Formation is a source rock for oil and gas.[6] In the vicinity of Macanal, the formation provides emeralds.[7][8]

Stratigraphy and depositional environment

The Macanal Formation, a unit of the Cáqueza Group, concordantly overlies the Guavio, Santa Rosa, Ubalá, Chivor and Batá Formations,[9] and is concordantly overlain by the Las Juntas Formation. The age has been estimated to be Berriasian to Valanginian. Stratigraphically, the formation is time equivalent with the Mercedes, Tambor, Rosablanca, Murca and La Naveta Formations.[10] The formation has been deposited in a shallow marine environment in an enclosed basin,[5] with as provenance areas the Santander High and the Guiana Shield.[11] The Macanal Formation is part of the syn-rift sequence of eastern Colombia.[12]

Fossil content

The Macanal Formation contains numerous levels of fossiliferous abundances. Bivalves, ammonites and flora have been found in the formation.[13] Ammonites of Substeueroceras cf. mutabile, Sarasinella cf. hondana, Subalpinites sp., Berriasela sp., Neocomites cf. wichmanni, Olcostephanus sp., Olcostephanus cf. atherstoni, Favrella cf. colombiana, Acanthodiscus sp. have been registered in the formation, as well as bivalves of Corbis (Sphaera) cf. corrugata, Trigonia cf. hondana, Trigonia (Buchotrigonia) cf. abrupta, Trigonia (Notoscabrotrigonia) cf. tocaimaana, and Exogyra cf. boussingaulti.[14] Analysis of the deformation registered in ammonite fossils has helped in understanding the tectonic history of the Llanos foothills of the Eastern Ranges.[15]

Outcrops

The Macanal Formation is found bordering the Guavio Reservoir

Type locality of the Macanal Formation in the Tenza Valley to the east of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense

The Macanal Formation is apart from its type locality in the Batá River canyon,[16][17] found in the Cravo Sur anticline, east of the Ocetá Páramo,[18] in the Desespero Synclinal in the southern and northern parts of Labranzagrande,[19][20] around Páez and Campohermoso,[17] in the eastern part of Gama, bordering the Guavio Reservoir,[21] and in the Servitá Synclinal, west of Villavicencio.[22] The Macanal Formation crops out along the road between Bogotá and Villavicencio and is there heavily fractured and folded. The Macanal Formation is the most extensive formation around Cáqueza,[23] and Gachalá, Cundinamarca.[24]

The Pajarito Fault thrusts the Macanal Formation on top of the Fómeque Formation to the east of Lake Tota,[25] and the Chámeza Fault thrusts the Macanal Formation on top of the overlying Las Juntas Formation around Chámeza, Casanare.[26] The Ubaque Fault forms the contact between the Fómeque Formation and the Macanal Formation,[27] while the Las Mercedes Fault puts the Quetame Group in contact with the Macanal Formation near Quetame,[28] as does the San Juanito Fault.[29] The Servitá Fault forms the contact between the Guatiquía Redbeds and the Macanal Formation,[30] and the Upín Fault, part of the same system puts the Macanal Formation in contact with the Tertiary Palmichal Group.[31] At this contact, brines are extracted from the formation.[32]

Regional correlations

Cretaceous stratigraphy of the central Colombian Eastern Ranges

Age	Paleomap	VMM	Guaduas-Vélez		W Emerald Belt		Villeta anticlinal		Chiquinquirá- Arcabuco	Tunja- Duitama	Altiplano Cundiboyacense		El Cocuy
Maastrichtian		Umir	Córdoba		Seca		eroded		Guaduas				Colón-Mito Juan
					Umir				Guadalupe
Campanian					Córdoba
					Oliní
Santonian		La Luna	Cimarrona - La Tabla										La Luna
Coniacian			Oliní				Villeta	Conejo		Chipaque
			Güagüaquí	Loma Gorda	undefined			La Frontera
Turonian				Hondita	La Frontera	Otanche
Cenomanian		Simití	hiatus		La Corona			Simijaca					Capacho
					Pacho Fm.			Hiló - Pacho	Churuvita	Une			Aguardiente
Albian					Hiló				Chiquinquirá	Tibasosa	Une
		Tablazo			Tablazo			Capotes - La Palma - Simití	Simití				Tibú-Mercedes
Aptian					Capotes			Socotá - El Peñón	Paja		Fómeque
		Paja			Paja	El Peñón		Trincheras					Río Negro
							La Naveta
Barremian
Hauterivian						Muzo					Cáqueza	Las Juntas
		Rosablanca							Ritoque
Valanginian					Ritoque	Furatena	Útica - Murca		Rosablanca	hiatus		Macanal
					Rosablanca
Berriasian		Cumbre			Cumbre				Los Medios			Guavio
		Tambor			Arcabuco				Cumbre
Sources

Stratigraphy of the Llanos Basin and surrounding provinces

Ma	Age	Paleomap	Regional events	Catatumbo	Cordillera	proximal Llanos	distal Llanos	Putumayo	VSM	Environments	Maximum thickness	Petroleum geology	Notes
0.01	Holocene		Holocene volcanism Seismic activity	alluvium								Overburden
1	Pleistocene		Pleistocene volcanism Andean orogeny 3 Glaciations	Guayabo	Soatá Sabana	Necesidad	Guayabo	Gigante Neiva		Alluvial to fluvial (Guayabo)	550 m (1,800 ft) (Guayabo)		[33][34][35][36]
2.6	Pliocene		Pliocene volcanism Andean orogeny 3 GABI		Subachoque
5.3	Messinian		Andean orogeny 3 Foreland		Marichuela			Caimán	Honda				[35][37]
13.5	Langhian		Regional flooding	León	hiatus	Caja	León			Lacustrine (León)	400 m (1,300 ft) (León)	Seal	[36][38]
16.2	Burdigalian		Miocene inundations Andean orogeny 2	C1		Carbonera C1		Ospina		Proximal fluvio-deltaic (C1)	850 m (2,790 ft) (Carbonera)	Reservoir	[37][36]
17.3				C2		Carbonera C2				Distal lacustrine-deltaic (C2)		Seal
19				C3		Carbonera C3				Proximal fluvio-deltaic (C3)		Reservoir
21	Early Miocene		Pebas wetlands	C4		Carbonera C4			Barzalosa	Distal fluvio-deltaic (C4)		Seal
23	Late Oligocene		Andean orogeny 1 Foredeep	C5		Carbonera C5		Orito		Proximal fluvio-deltaic (C5)		Reservoir	[34][37]
25				C6		Carbonera C6				Distal fluvio-lacustrine (C6)		Seal
28	Early Oligocene			C7		C7		Pepino	Gualanday	Proximal deltaic-marine (C7)		Reservoir	[34][37][39]
32	Oligo-Eocene			C8	Usme	C8	onlap			Marine-deltaic (C8)		Seal Source	[39]
35	Late Eocene			Mirador		Mirador				Coastal (Mirador)	240 m (790 ft) (Mirador)	Reservoir	[36][40]
40	Middle Eocene				Regadera				hiatus
45
50	Early Eocene			Socha		Los Cuervos				Deltaic (Los Cuervos)	260 m (850 ft) (Los Cuervos)	Seal Source	[36][40]
55	Late Paleocene		PETM 2000 ppm CO2	Los Cuervos	Bogotá				Gualanday
60	Early Paleocene		SALMA	Barco	Guaduas	Barco		Rumiyaco		Fluvial (Barco)	225 m (738 ft) (Barco)	Reservoir	[33][34][37][36][41]
65	Maastrichtian		KT extinction	Catatumbo	Guadalupe				Monserrate	Deltaic-fluvial (Guadalupe)	750 m (2,460 ft) (Guadalupe)	Reservoir	[33][36]
72	Campanian		End of rifting	Colón-Mito Juan									[36][42]
83	Santonian							Villeta/Güagüaquí
86	Coniacian
89	Turonian		Cenomanian-Turonian anoxic event	La Luna	Chipaque	Gachetá	hiatus			Restricted marine (all)	500 m (1,600 ft) (Gachetá)	Source	[33][36][43]
93	Cenomanian		Rift 2
100	Albian				Une	Une		Caballos		Deltaic (Une)	500 m (1,600 ft) (Une)	Reservoir	[37][43]
113	Aptian			Capacho	Fómeque			Motema	Yaví	Open marine (Fómeque)	800 m (2,600 ft) (Fómeque)	Source (Fóm)	[34][36][44]
125	Barremian		High biodiversity	Aguardiente	Paja					Shallow to open marine (Paja)	940 m (3,080 ft) (Paja)	Reservoir	[33]
129	Hauterivian		Rift 1	Tibú- Mercedes	Las Juntas	hiatus				Deltaic (Las Juntas)	910 m (2,990 ft) (Las Juntas)	Reservoir (LJun)	[33]
133	Valanginian			Río Negro	Cáqueza Macanal Rosablanca					Restricted marine (Macanal)	2,935 m (9,629 ft) (Macanal)	Source (Mac)	[34][45]
140	Berriasian			Girón
145	Tithonian		Break-up of Pangea	Jordán	Arcabuco	Buenavista Batá		Saldaña		Alluvial, fluvial (Buenavista)	110 m (360 ft) (Buenavista)	"Jurassic"	[37][46]
150	Early-Mid Jurassic		Passive margin 2	La Quinta	Montebel Noreán	hiatus				Coastal tuff (La Quinta)	100 m (330 ft) (La Quinta)		[47]
201	Late Triassic			Mucuchachi				Payandé					[37]
235	Early Triassic		Pangea		hiatus							"Paleozoic"
250	Permian
300	Late Carboniferous		Famatinian orogeny						Cerro Neiva ()				[48]
340	Early Carboniferous		Fossil fish Romer's gap		Cuche (355-385)	Farallones ()				Deltaic, estuarine (Cuche)	900 m (3,000 ft) (Cuche)
360	Late Devonian		Passive margin 1	Río Cachirí (360-419)					Ambicá ()	Alluvial-fluvial-reef (Farallones)	2,400 m (7,900 ft) (Farallones)		[45][49][50][51][52]
390	Early Devonian		High biodiversity	Floresta (387-400) El Tíbet						Shallow marine (Floresta)	600 m (2,000 ft) (Floresta)
410	Late Silurian		Silurian mystery
425	Early Silurian			hiatus
440	Late Ordovician		Rich fauna in Bolivia	San Pedro (450-490)		Duda ()
470	Early Ordovician		First fossils		Busbanzá (>470±22) Chuscales Otengá	Guape ()		Río Nevado ()	Hígado () Agua Blanca Venado (470-475)				[53][54][55]
488	Late Cambrian		Regional intrusions	Chicamocha (490-515)	Quetame ()	Ariarí ()		SJ del Guaviare (490-590)	San Isidro ()				[56][57]
515	Early Cambrian		Cambrian explosion										[55][58]
542	Ediacaran		Break-up of Rodinia		pre-Quetame		post-Parguaza		El Barro ()	Yellow: allochthonous basement (Chibcha Terrane) Green: autochthonous basement (Río Negro-Juruena Province)		Basement	[59][60]
600	Neoproterozoic		Cariri Velhos orogeny	Bucaramanga (600-1400)				pre-Guaviare					[56]
800			Snowball Earth										[61]
1000	Mesoproterozoic		Sunsás orogeny			Ariarí (1000)			La Urraca (1030-1100)				[62][63][64][65]
1300			Rondônia-Juruá orogeny			pre-Ariarí	Parguaza (1300-1400)		Garzón (1180-1550)				[66]
1400				pre-Bucaramanga									[67]
1600	Paleoproterozoic						Maimachi (1500-1700)		pre-Garzón				[68]
1800			Tapajós orogeny				Mitú (1800)						[66][68]
1950			Transamazonic orogeny				pre-Mitú						[66]
2200			Columbia
2530	Archean		Carajas-Imataca orogeny										[66]
3100			Kenorland
Sources

Legend

• group
• important formation
• fossiliferous formation
• minor formation
• (age in Ma)
• proximal Llanos (Medina)[note 1]
• distal Llanos (Saltarin 1A well)[note 2]

See also

Geology of the Eastern Hills

Geology of the Ocetá Páramo

Geology of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense

Notes and references

Notes

1. based on Duarte et al. (2019)[69], García González et al. (2009),[70] and geological report of Villavicencio[71]
2. based on Duarte et al. (2019)[69] and the hydrocarbon potential evaluation performed by the UIS and ANH in 2009[72]

References

1. Acosta & Ulloa, 2002, p.51
2. Rodríguez & Solano, 2000, p.47
3. (in Spanish) Official website Macanal
4. (in Spanish) Etymology Municipalities Boyacá
5. Acosta & Ulloa, 2002, p.52
6. García González et al., 2009, p.49
7. Uribe, 1960, p.5
8. ANM, 2015, p.1
9. Terraza et al., 2013, p.110
10. Villamil, 2012, p.168
11. Villamil, 2012, p.165
12. Schütz, 2012, p.26
13. Patiño et al., 2011, p.45
14. Piraquive et al., 2011, p.204
15. Montaña Cárdenas, 2015, p.52
16. Rodríguez & Solano, 2000, p.46
17. Plancha 210, 2010
18. Plancha 172, 1998
19. Plancha 193, 1992
20. Pinto Valderrama et al., 2010, p.44
21. Plancha 228, 1998
22. Plancha 266, 1998
23. Patiño et al., 2011, p.44
24. Terraza et al., 2013, p.101
25. Plancha 192, 1998
26. Plancha 211, 2009
27. Patiño et al., 2011, p.102
28. Patiño et al., 2011, p.110
29. Patiño et al., 2011, p.114
30. Patiño et al., 2011, p.122
31. Patiño et al., 2011, p.123
32. Patiño et al., 2011, p.125
33. García González et al., 2009, p.27
34. García González et al., 2009, p.50
35. García González et al., 2009, p.85
36. Barrero et al., 2007, p.60
37. Barrero et al., 2007, p.58
38. Plancha 111, 2001, p.29
39. Plancha 177, 2015, p.39
40. Plancha 111, 2001, p.26
41. Plancha 111, 2001, p.24
42. Plancha 111, 2001, p.23
43. Pulido & Gómez, 2001, p.32
44. Pulido & Gómez, 2001, p.30
45. Pulido & Gómez, 2001, pp.21-26
46. Pulido & Gómez, 2001, p.28
47. Correa Martínez et al., 2019, p.49
48. Plancha 303, 2002, p.27
49. Terraza et al., 2008, p.22
50. Plancha 229, 2015, pp.46-55
51. Plancha 303, 2002, p.26
52. Moreno Sánchez et al., 2009, p.53
53. Mantilla Figueroa et al., 2015, p.43
54. Manosalva Sánchez et al., 2017, p.84
55. Plancha 303, 2002, p.24
56. Mantilla Figueroa et al., 2015, p.42
57. Arango Mejía et al., 2012, p.25
58. Plancha 350, 2011, p.49
59. Pulido & Gómez, 2001, pp.17-21
60. Plancha 111, 2001, p.13
61. Plancha 303, 2002, p.23
62. Plancha 348, 2015, p.38
63. Planchas 367-414, 2003, p.35
64. Toro Toro et al., 2014, p.22
65. Plancha 303, 2002, p.21
66. Bonilla et al., 2016, p.19
67. Gómez Tapias et al., 2015, p.209
68. Bonilla et al., 2016, p.22
69. Duarte et al., 2019
70. García González et al., 2009
71. Pulido & Gómez, 2001
72. García González et al., 2009, p.60

Bibliography

• Acosta Garay, Jorge E., and Carlos E. Ulloa Melo. 2002. Mapa Geológico del Departamento de Cundinamarca - 1:250,000 - Memoria explicativa, 1–108. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-04-26.
• ANM, .. 2015. Esmeralda, 1–2. ANM.
• García González, Mario; Ricardo Mier Umaña; Luis Enrique Cruz Guevara, and Mauricio Vásquez. 2009. Informe Ejecutivo - evaluación del potencial hidrocarburífero de las cuencas colombianas, 1–219. Universidad Industrial de Santander.
• Montaña Cárdenas, Jorge Hernando. 2015. Análisis de deformaciones y modelo estructural del frente de deformación del Piedemonte Llanero de la Cordillera Oriental de Colombia (MSc. thesis), 1–57. Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Accessed 2017-08-04.
• Patiño, Alejandro; Jaime Fuquen; Julián Ramos; Andrea Pedraza; Leonardo Ceballos; Lyda Pinzón; Yadira Jerónimo; Leidy Álvarez, and Andrea Torres. 2011. Cartografía geológica de la Plancha 247 - Cáqueza - 1:100,000, 1–131. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-08-04.
• Pinto Valderrama, Jorge Eduardo; José Pedro Mora Ortiz; Gloria Reátiga Tarazona; Jorge Alberto Rey Pilonieta; Silvia Johana Toloza Hormiga; Diego Andrés Torres Coronado; David Ricardo Vargas Mojica, and Cristian Julián Zafra Manrique. 2010. Geología del Piedemonte Llanero en la Cordillera Oriental, departamentos de Arauca y Casanare, 1–64. INGEOMINAS & Universidad Industrial de Santander. Accessed 2017-08-04.
• Piraquive, Alejandro; Juan Sebastián Díaz; Tomas Cuéllar; Germán Pardo, and Andreas Kammer. 2011. Reactivación Neógena de estructuras de rift del Cretácico Temprano asociadas con la Falla de Chámeza, Pajarito, Boyacá (Colombia): evidencias tectónicas y bioestratigráficas. Geología Colombiana 36. 197–216. Accessed 2017-08-04.
• Rodríguez Parra, Antonio José, and Orlando Solano Silva. 2000. Mapa Geológico del Departamento de Boyacá - 1:250,000 - Memoria explicativa, 1–120. INGEOMINAS.
• Schütz, Christian. 2012. Combined structural and Petroleum Systems Modeling in the Eastern Cordillera Basin, Colombia (MSc. thesis), 1–161. Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen & Instituto Colombiano del Petróleo.
• Terraza, Roberto; Diana Montoya; Germán Reyes; Giovanni Moreno, and Jaime Fúquen. 2008. Geología del cinturón esmeraldífero oriental - Planchas 210, 228 & 229 - Guateque, Bogotá Noreste & Gachalá - 1:100,000, 1–126. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2020-03-05.
• Terraza, Roberto; Diana Montoya; Germán Reyes; Giovanni Moreno; Jaime Fúquen; Eliana Torres Jaimes; Myriam López Cardona; Álvaro Nivia Guevara, and Fernando Etayo Serna. 2013. Geología de la Plancha 229 - Gachalá - 1:100,000, 1–296. Servicio Geológico Colombiano. Accessed 2017-08-04.
• Uribe, Sylvano E. 1960. Las esmeraldas de Colombia. Boletín de la Sociedad Geográfica de Colombia XVIII. 1–8. Accessed 2016-07-08.
• Villamil, Tomas. 2012. Chronology Relative Sea Level History and a New Sequence Stratigraphic Model for Basinal Cretaceous Facies of Colombia, 161–216. Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM).

Maps

• Ulloa, Carlos E.; Álvaro Guerra, and Ricardo Escovar. 1998. Plancha 172 - Paz de Río - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
• Ulloa, Carlos E.; Erasmo Rodríguez, and Ricardo Escovar. 1998. Plancha 192 - Laguna de Tota - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
• Renzoni, Giancarlo. 1992. Plancha 193 - Yopal - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
• Terraza, Roberto; Giovanni Moreno; José A. Buitrago; Adrián Pérez, and Diana María Montoya. 2010. Plancha 210 - Guateque - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
• Ulloa, Carlos, and Erasmo Rodríguez. 2009. Plancha 211 - Tauramena - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
• Buitrago, José Alberto; Roberto Terraza M., and Fernando Etayo. 1998. Plancha 228 - Santafé de Bogotá Noreste - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.
• Pulido, Orlando; Luz Stella Gómez, and Pedro Marín. 1998. Plancha 266 - Villavicencio - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.

External links

• Gómez, J.; N.E. Montes; Á. Nivia, and H. Diederix. 2015. Plancha 5-09 del Atlas Geológico de Colombia 2015 – escala 1:500,000, 1. Servicio Geológico Colombiano. Accessed 2017-03-16.