Cancañiri Formation
| Cancañiri Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Katian-Hirnantian ~ | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Underlies | Uncía Formation |
| Overlies | Amutara & San Benito Formations |
| Thickness | Up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sandstone, shale |
| Other | Siltstone |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 17°42′S 66°18′W / 17.7°S 66.3°W |
| Approximate paleocoordinates | 44°12′S 127°24′W / 44.2°S 127.4°W |
| Region | Cochabamba & Potosí Departments |
| Country | Bolivia |
| Extent | Cordillera Oriental |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Cancañiri |
The Cancañiri Formation, also named as Cancañiri Tillite, is a Katian to Hirnantian geologic formation of central Bolivia. The pebbly, argillaceous sandstones, shales and siltstones of the up to 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) thick formation, were deposited in a glacial foreshore to deep water turbiditic environment. The formation is named after Cancañiri, a mining town close to Llallagua, where a local legend of a possessed woman is believed. The formation overlies the San Benito Formation in Cochabamba and the Amutara Formation in other parts. The Cancañiri Formation is overlain by the Uncía Formation.