Middle-late Eocene to Early Miocene micropaleontology of the ANH–TIERRALTA–2–X–P well: Biostratigraphic implications for southwestern deposits of the Sinú-San Jacinto belt (Colombian Caribbean)

Abstract

The Eocene and Oligocene deposits of the southwestern region of the Sinú-San Jacinto Belt (SSJB) in NW South America were formed in marine environments influenced by fluvial discharges from the northern Andes of Colombia. However, these deposits are not well-exposed on the surface, which has limited the study of micropaleontological assemblages that could improve our understanding of the chronostratigraphic and paleoenvironmental characteristics of these rocks. In this study, we analyzed two cores of one of the thickest Cenozoic stratigraphic sections in the Caribbean region, from the ANH-TIERRALTA-2-X-P stratigraphic well, using palynomorphs and calcareous nannofossils. Our analysis allowed us to determine the age of deposition and understand the biostratigraphic patterns of marine and terrestrial microfossils in these nearshore deposits. We found that the first cored interval, from 2122 m to 2026.9 m, corresponds to marine rocks accumulated between the middle and late Eocene. The second interval, from 1130 m to 731.6 m, showed patterns of terrestrial and marine microfossils, which indicate the middle-late Eocene to the Early Miocene age. Palynological and calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy were consistent in the middle to upper Eocene and Lower Miocene deposits, but discrepancies were observed in the Oligocene deposits. We attributed this to reworking or broader biostratigraphic ranges of certain palynological markers used in the biozones. Determining the age of the middle to upper Eocene and upper Eocene to lower Oligocene deposits was challenging due to the limited number of well-calibrated biostratigraphic markers. As a result, accurate correlation with the late Eocene – early Oligocene stratigraphic record from other parts of the SSJB is hindered, demonstrating that regional stratigraphic correlations based on biostratigraphy alone are problematic.