EL ALASANO, Sandstone

TERTIARY (Miocene)

State of Falcón, Venezuela

Authors of name: F. Hodson, G. A. Weaver and G. D. Harris, 1925 (private report).

Original reference: R. A. Liddle, 1928, p. 272, 276, 278.

Original description: none.

The name "El Alasano sandstone" is mentioned by Liddle without definition or description: "a part of the Cerro Pelado formation is sometimes referred to as the El Alasano sandstone" (p. 272). On p. 276, sandstones and sandy shales in the region of El Mene de Mauroa (western Buchivacoa District) are correlated with the Hombre Pintado sandstone "and possibly with the El Alasano sandstone farther to the east". The correlation of Hombre Pintado-El Alasano is again mentioned on p. 278. No further information is given.

Williston and Nichols (1928), show the El Alasano sandstone, in a generalized geologic section of the Buchivacoa district, as underlying the La Puerta and overlying the "Cauderalito". They show it as correlating with the lower part of the "Middle Urumaco (Damsite)" plus the "Lower Urumaco" and "type Upper Socorro" of the Distrito Democracia. This correlation is also given in the text on p. 450, where, however, the authors add:

"There is a possibility that the El Alasano formation may be more or less local and be represented by the unconformity between the upper Socorro series and the lower Urumaco series."

In 1946, Liddle (p. 443, 450, 451) repeats textually his remarks of 1928.

Since no published description of the El Alasano exists, and the name does not seem to have been used by other writers, it may be considered obsolete.

Frances de Rivero