VILLA DE CURA, Series

See VILLA DE CURA, Group

VILLA DE CURA, Group

MESOZOIC-CENOZOIC (Paleocene)

State of Aragua, Venezuela

Authors of name: S. E. Aguerrevere and G. Zuloaga.

Original reference: S. E. Aguerrevere and G. Zuloaga, 1937, p. 17.

Original description: ibid.

The name "Villa de Cura series" was introduced by S. E. Aguerrevere

and G. Zuloaga (1937, p. 17) to designate a complex association of rocks which outcrops in the vicinity of Villa de Cura. According to the present nomenclature it belongs to the Las Mercedes, Paracotos and Guárico formations, to a post-Paracotos sequence of low metamorphism, and to the volcanic rocks of Tiara. Said authors considered that the Villa de Cura series started with the Charallave conglomerate and then with an interval of "white quartzites", calcareous schits and masses of gray marbled limestones that form locally morros, like those of San Juan and San Sebastián. They also mentioned the occurence of basic igneous intrusions in the latter part of the section.

Aguerrevere and Zuloaga (1938, p. 281) changed the original name to Villa de Cura group and subdivided it into: 1) a Charallave formation, below, (see) which includes the Charallave conglomerate, above mentioned, at the time considered a "basal conglomerate", as well as an overlying section white quartzites, 2) a Villa de Cura formations, upper (see) which includes calcareous and argillaceous schits as well as "intercalated" lenticular masses of the San Juan de los Morros and San Sebastián gray limestones, and basic intrusions.

Considering the high grade of metamorphism of the "Charallave conglomerate" as compared with that of the phyllite section of the "Villa de Cura formation", Smith (1952, p. 369) placed the former in the "Caracas series", to be moreexact, in the upper part of the Las Mercedes formation (fig. 5, p. 341) and identified it with a lithologically similar conglomerate that lies below the Los Colorados phase of the las Mercedes formation, at Los Colorados type-locality.

As for the phyllites of a low metamorphism, probably included originally in the "Villa de Cura formation", they were separated by Smith (p. 369) in order to integrate the Paracotos formation.

The Los Morros de San Juan limestone, the age which is Paleocene, has been referred to as a sui generis unit by Liddle (1946, p. 304)and subsequently included in the Guárico formation by Mencher et al. (1951, p. 14).

The thick, slightly lenticular limestone beds that outcrop inmediately to the west and south of Villa d Cura (site of the Alcabala) are considered by J. C. Mac Lachlan (private report, Ministerio de Minas e Hidrocarburos) as pertaining to a post-Paracotos unit, of a very low metamorphism. According to said author, samples containing microfaunas were collected by H. H. Hess in 1951, and identified by H. H. Renz as probably Upper Cretaceous in age, although certain floral elements (for instance the algae) appear to be identical to those of Paleocene age.

Due to the circumstances here presented, it seems convenient to abandon the name Villa de Cura group. Nevertheless, the name Villa de Cura formation,restricted, could very well be proposed for the post-Paracotos sequence containing limestones and shales of a low metamorphism, located in the near vicinity of Villa de Cura.

J. M. Sellier de Civrieux