The Mazantic Shale is a
geologic formation
A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exp ...
in
Chiapas
Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises Municipalities of Chiapas, 124 municipalities and its capital and large ...
,
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. It was deposited during the Early
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
(
Aquitanian Aquitanian may refer to:
*Aquitanian (stage), a geological age, the first stage of the Miocene Epoch
*Aquitanian language, an ancient language spoken in the region later known as Gascony
*Aquitani (or Aquitanians), were a people living in what is n ...
). The formation comprises dark gray shales that were deposited in a marine environment. It preserves
fossils
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
, such as the
turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...
''
Allaeochelys liliae''.
Amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin. Examples of it have been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since the Neolithic times, and worked as a gemstone since antiquity."Amber" (2004). In Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen (eds.) ''Encyclopedia ...
has been recovered from it.
See also
*
List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Mexico
This is a list of stratigraphic units (groups, formations and members), containing fossils and pertaining to the North American country of Mexico.
List
See also
* Lists of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in North America
References
...
References
Neogene Mexico
Shale formations
Geologic formations of Mexico
{{Neogene-stub