Cercado Formation Explained

Cercado Formation
Type:	Group
Age:	Late Miocene-Early Pliocene
Period:	Messinian
Prilithology:	Siltstone, limestone, claystone
Otherlithology:	Sandstone, conglomerate
Coordinates:	19.5°N -71.3°W
Paleocoordinates:	19.3°N -70.7°W
Overlies:	Baitoa Formation

The Cercado Formation is a geologic group in Dominican Republic. The formation comprises siltstones, limestones, claystones, sandstones and conglomerates deposited in a shallow marine to reef environment. The Cercado Formation, unconformably overlying the Baitoa Formation, preserves bivalve, gastropod, decapod and coral fossils dating back to the Late Miocene to Early Pliocene period.^[1]

See also

• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in the Dominican Republic

Further reading

• A. F. Budd and K. G. Johnson. 1999. Origination preceding extinction during late Cenozoic turnover of Caribbean reefs. Paleobiology 25(2):188-200
• M. J. Rathbun. 1920. Additions to West Indian Tertiary Decapod Crustaceans. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 58:381-384
• J. B. Saunders, P. Jung, and B. Biju-Duval. 1986. Neogene Paleontology in the Northern Dominican Republic: 1. Field Surveys, Lithology, Environment, and Age. Bulletins of American Paleontology 89(323):1-79

Notes and References

1. http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?action=displayStrata&geological_group=&formation=Cercado&group_formation_member=Cercado Cercado Formation