Sedimentology of Eocene-Miocene deposits of the Reventazón river in a transect from las Ánimas to Peralta, Cartago province, Costa Rica
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15517/0vdhc385Keywords:
South Limón Basin, Lithofacies, Carbonate platform, Terrigenous platform, Delta, Rhodoliths, Corals, Planktonic foraminifersAbstract
This study presents a facies and architecture analysis of sedimentary deposits exposed along the middle fluvial valley of the Reventazón River, located between Las Ánimas (Turrialba) and the provincial border of Cartago and Limón, Costa Rica. Thirteen metric-scale stratigraphic columns were surveyed and correlated across the study area. Eleven lithofacies and lithofacies associations were identified, including grainstone, rudstone, and packstone-type limestones, interbedded with shales, sandstones, and brecciated conglomerates. These records document a progradational transition from Eocene–Oligocene carbonate-dominated systems to Miocene siliciclastic deltaic environments. Facies association analysis, supported by petrographic studies and micropaleontological tests of foraminifera, led to the recognition of three paleoenvironmental models: a middle to outer carbonate platform in the Eocene; a coral patch reef system and a mixed carbonate-siliciclastic platform slope in the Oligocene; and proximal delta front to prodelta–offshore environments in the Miocene. This work provides a high-resolution stratigraphic framework that enhances the understanding of the depositional and tectonostratigraphic evolution of the South Limón Basin, integrating changes relative sea-level change and continental sediment supply.
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