| Santa Juana Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Carnian ~  | |
| Type | Geological formation | 
| Sub-units | Talcamávida-Gomero, Unihue & Quilacoya Members | 
| Overlies | Coastal Batholith of central Chile | 
| Thickness | Unknown | 
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone | 
| Other | Arkosic sandstone, mudstone, volcanic rock, anthracite | 
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 37°12′S 73°00′W / 37.2°S 73.0°W | 
| Approximate paleocoordinates | 53°48′S 39°54′W / 53.8°S 39.9°W | 
| Region | Bío Bío Region | 
| Country | |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Santa Juana | 
| Named by | Ferraris | 
| Year defined | 1981 | 
![]() Santa Juana Formation (Chile)  | |
Santa Juana Formation a Late Triassic (Carnian stage) sedimentary rock formation near Santa Juana in the lower course of the Biobío River in south-central Chile.[1] Lithologies range from conglomerate sandstone, arkosic sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.[2]
Description
The sediments that consolidate into the rocks of the formation deposited in alluvial, fluvial, lacustrine and playa lake environment. Overall, the formation is rich in plant fossils.[2]
The formation was deposited over the rocks of the Coastal Batholith of central Chile in a sedimentary basin that formed along the Gastre Fault. It has been posited that the basin developed as a rift during the early break-up of Gondwana in the Triassic.[2]
Fossil content
The following fossils have been reported from the formation:[1]
Flora
- Asterotheca fuchsii[2]
 - A. rigbyana[3]
 - Baiera africana[3]
 - B. furcata[3]
 - Cladophlebis mendozaensis[3]
 - Dicroidium coriaceum[3]
 - D. crassinervis[2]
 - D. elongatum[2]
 - D. odontopteroides[2][3]
 - Dictyophyllum fuenzalidai[2]
 - D. tenuifolium[2][3]
 - Gleichenites quilacoyensis[3]
 - Gontriglossa reinerae[2]
 - Heidiphyllum elongatum[2][3]
 - Kurtziana cacheutensis[2]
 - Linguifolium lilleanum[3]
 - L. steinmannii[2]
 - Pterophyllum santajuanensis[2][3]
 - Rissikia media[2]
 - Saportaea dichotoma[2]
 - Sphenobaiera africana[2]
 - Sphenopteris cf. polymorpha[3]
 - Taeniopteris sp.[3]
 - Taeniopteris vittata[3]
 - Telemachus elongatus[2]
 - Thaumatopteris rothii[2]
 - Todites chilensis[3]
 - cf. Pseudoctenis fissa[2]
 - Cladophlebis sp.[2][3]
 - Dicroidium sp.[2]
 - Gleichenites sp.[2]
 - ?Antevsia sp.[2]
 
Insects
Branchiopoda
- Polygrapta troncosoi[4]
 - Menucoestheria terneraensis[4]
 
See also
- Chañares Formation, fossiliferous formation of the Ischigualasto-Villa Unión Basin, Argentina
 - Candelária Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the Paraná Basin, Brazil
 - Molteno Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of Lesotho and South Africa
 - Pebbly Arkose Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe
 - Denmark Hill Insect Bed, contemporaneous fossiliferous unit of Queensland, Australia
 - Madygen Formation, contemporaneous Lagerstätte of Kyrgyzstan
 
References
Bibliogahy
- Moisan, P.; E. Abad; B. Bomfleur, and H. Kerp. 2010. A Late Triassic flora from Gomero (Santa Juana Formation), Chile. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen 258. 89–106. .
 - Nielsen, Sven N. 2005. The Triassic Santa Juana Formation at the lower Biobío River, south central Chile. Journal of South American Earth Sciences 19. 547–562. . doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2005.06.002
 - Martins Neto, R. G.; O. F. Gallego, and R. N. Melchor. 2003. The Triassic insect fauna from South America (Argentina, Brazil and Chile): a checklist (except Blattoptera and Coleoptera) and descriptions of new taxa. Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia 46 (Suppl). 229–256. .
 
