TEXTULARIA PANAMENSIS, Zonule

TERTIARY (probably middle Miocene)

State of Falcón, Venezuela

Author of name: H. H. Renz, 1948.

Original reference: H. H. Renz, 1948, p. 72-74.

See LUCIAN, Stage

LUCIAN, Stage

TERTIARY (lower to middle Miocene)

State of Falcón, Venezuela

Author of name: H. H. Renz, 1948.

Original reference: H. H. Renz, 1948, p. 62-76.

Original description: ibid.

The Lucian stage is defined and described as a time-stratigraphic unit (Renz, 1948, p. 62-76) and is named after Loma Luca, Pozón area, District of Acosta, Eastern Falcón, where the type locality is situated along the middle and upper parts of the Loma Luca watershed traverse, which runs between Cerro Ojo de Agua in the south and The Policarpio trigonometric station in the north. Here, the Lucian, covering the upper part of the Agua Salada group, is in conformable stratigraphic contact with the underlying Araguatian and with some unit in the overlying port on the Ojo de Agua formation. Although the lower boundary of the Lucian appears to be a time plane throughout the Agua Salada basin, the geographic continuity of the upper boundary as representing a time line is established only over 30 kilometers, east and west of the Pozón type section. Relation in other parts of the Agua Salada basin are obscured because of facies changes, nondeposition or erosion.

The stratigraphic thickness of the sediments which make up the Lucian stage of the type locality is 739 to 747 meters, covered by the top of the Husito marly clay member (243 to 251 meters) and by the Huso clay member (496 meters) of the Pozón formation. The thickness of the Lucian at El Mene de Acosta is more than 820 meters and at Taguaqui (north coast, west of Isidro probably close to 1000 meters.

The Lucian has been subdivided into five bioestratigraphic units, two zones and three zonules which are from button to top: Marginulopsis basispinosus zone, Robules senni zone, Vaginulopsis superbus-Trochammina cf. pacifica zonule, Textularia panamensis zonule and Elphidium poeyanum-Reusella spinulosa zonule. Fossil evidence indicates that the Lucian stage ranges from the lower Miocene (Burdigalian) to the midlle Miocene (probably Tortonian).

The Lucian can be recognized throughout the Agua Salada basin of Eastern Falcón and at a number of localities in the Caribbean region.

H. H. Renz