Sepetiba Formation

The Sepetiba Formation is a geological formation of the Santos Basin offshore of the Brazilian states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná and Santa Catarina. The predominantly coquina formation dates to the Pleistocene period to recent and has a variable but maximum thickness of. The formation is the uppermost unit of the Santos Basin.

Etymology

The formation is named after Sepetiba, a neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro.

Description

The Sepetiba Formation is the uppermost formation of the Santos Basin stratigraphy. It has a variable thickness, with a maximum of, due to the proximal erosion of the uppermost part. The formation consists of whitish grey fine to coarse grained carbonitic sands. They are feldspar-rich, glauconitic coquinas consisting of bivalve fragments and foraminifera. The depositional environment is thought to be coastal.