| Cacho Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range:Mid-Late Paleocene ~60–55 Ma | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Underlies | Bogotá Formation |
| Overlies | Guaduas Formation |
| Thickness | 50–400 m (160–1,310 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sandstone |
| Other | Shale |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 4°35′11.4″N74°14′25.8″W / 4.586500°N 74.240500°W /4.586500; -74.240500 |
| Region | Bogotá savanna Altiplano Cundiboyacense Eastern Ranges Andes |
| Country |  Colombia |
| Type section | |
| Named by | Julivert |
| Location | Soacha |
| Year defined | 1963 |
| Coordinates | 4°35′11.4″N74°14′25.8″W / 4.586500°N 74.240500°W /4.586500; -74.240500 |
| Region | Cundinamarca |
| Country | Colombia |
TheCacho Formation (Spanish:Formación Cacho, E1C, Tpc, Tec) is ageological formation of theAltiplano Cundiboyacense,Eastern Ranges of theColombianAndes. The predominantlysandstone formation with thin intercalated beds ofshales dates to thePaleogene period;Middle to Late Paleocene epochs, and has a maximum thickness of 400 metres (1,300 ft).
The formation was first described byHubach in 1931 and 1957 and named by Campbell in 1962 and Julivert in 1963.[1][2]
The Cacho Formation consists of white, yellow and reddish fine to coarse cross-beddedsandstones in thick banks intercalated with reddish and greyshales.[1][3]
The 50 to 400 metres (160 to 1,310 ft) thick Cacho Formation overlies theGuaduas Formation and is overlain by theBogotá Formation.[3] The age has been estimated to beLate Paleocene, based on paleoflora studied byThomas van der Hammen in 1957. The formation is laterally equivalent to theLower Socha andBarco Formations.[4]
The Cacho Formation is apart from itstype locality inSoacha, found in theEastern Hills of Bogotá, and many other locations in the Eastern Ranges up until the south ofBoyacá.[2] The synclinals of theRío Frío,Checua-Lenguazaque,Sesquilé,Sisga,Subachoque,Teusacá,Siecha, and the anticlinal ofGuatavita are composed of the Cacho Formation.[1]
