Coastal alluvial environments on active margins recorded in the Zapotal Formation, Santa Elena, Ecuador
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Coastal Braided River Systems, Petrography, Geochemistry, Zapotal Formation, EcuadorAbstract
Coastal alluvial environments on active margins recorded in the Zapotal Formation, Santa Elena, Ecuador. I In the Santa Elena Peninsula, located in the southwest of Ecuador, the Zapotal Formation represents the sedimentary cycle of the Upper Oligocene to Lower Miocene. The stratigraphic definition of the Zapotal Formation varies among different authors, depending on the area of the basin where it was reported. This variation creates uncertainty in the regional geological evolution model. Therefore, this research studies the Zapotal Formation in the Ballenita, Farrallón de Dillon, Santa María, San Marcos, La Chacra, and Cerro La Tapa sections, considering detailed lithostratigraphic, petrographic, and geochemical analyses framed within the interpretation of the sedimentation environment and determination of the detrital provenance.
This study identified eight lithofacies: massive clast-supported conglomerate (Gcm), massive matrix-supported conglomerate (Gmm), litharenite with parallel cross-stratification (Sp), parallel lamination (Sl), current ripples (Sr), and massive litharenite (Sm), laminated siltstone with organic matter (Fl), and massive siltstone (Fm). Based on the stratigraphic architecture, this sequence was interpreted as braided fluvial and coastal meandering systems. Petrographic and geochemical data indicate that the Zapotal Formation was deposited in an active continental margin, linked to the erosion of transitional and dissected arcs and recycled orogenic provinces.
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