| El Molino Formation | |
| Type: | Geological formation |
| Period: | Maastrichtian |
| Age: | Maastrichtian ~ |
| Prilithology: | Sandstone |
| Otherlithology: | Limestone |
| Region: | Cochabamba, Chuquisaca & Potosí Departments |
| Coordinates: | -19.5°N -65.8°W |
| Paleocoordinates: | -22°N -51.8°W |
| Unitof: | Puca Group |
| Underlies: | Santa Lucía Formation |
| Overlies: | Chaunaca Formation |
| Extent: | Altiplano & Potosí Basins |
The El Molino Formation is a Maastrichtian geologic formation pertaining to the Puca Group of central Bolivia. The formation comprises fine-grained sandstones and sandy limestones with stromatolites deposited in a shallow marine to lacustrine environment. The formation has provided fossils of Dolichochampsa minima,[1] and ichnofossils of Ankylosauria indet., Ornithopoda indet., Theropoda indet. and Titanosauridae indet.[2] [3] [4] The tracksite of Cal Orcko is the best known example of the ichnofossil locations of the formation. The ichnofossil of Ligabueichnum bolivianum may be attributed to an ankylosaur.[5] The fossil fish species Dasyatis molinoensis is named after the formation.
Other fossils retrieved from the formation are:[6]