The Quilcapunco Formation The Quilcapunco Formation is a new formation introduced by Acosta

(2001) as a fluvial-eolian unit overlying unconformable the Mitu Group or in places the Devonian
Cabanillas Group in angular unconformity and underlying the Sipin, Huambutio or the Muni
Formations in the Altiplano region. The unit was apparently included in a column in the
Quilcapunco town of Jaillard (1995, Fig 11; as mentioned by Sempere, 2004). Its main outcrops are
present in the Altiplano Fold Thrust Belt in the Putina area north and NW of the Titicaca Lake with
a thickness up to 400 m. Based on the regional presence of the Newell’s mapped Huancane
Formation or the Cotacucho the new unit definitely was included both within and/or as part of the
units mapped by Newell. The areas outside of Acosta’s work need to be studied with more detail
to determine the real distribution of the Quilcapunco Formation. Areas with the Quilcapunco
Formation erroneously mapped include the Newell’s “Cotacucho” unit, INGEMMET’s “Huancane”
in Nuñoa and between Azangaro and Arapa and as Ambo Group SE of Asillo (Sempere, 2004). The
Quilcapunco Formation consists of white quartzose fluvial-eolian sandstones at the type locality
east of the Quilcapunco village (Acosta, 2001). Two 40 meter-thick basal and top channel
sandstones with curved inclined laminae, ripples and locally some floodplain deposits of red bed
siltstones characterize the unit. The central portion of the unit is a thick 250 meter-thick quartzose
eolian sandstone unit (Acosta, 2001, text says 100 m thick, but Figure 19 indicates 250 m). There is
an angular unconformity with the underlying Mitu Group west of the Quilcapunco village. The NE
border of the Altiplano (named Putina by Acosta) Fold Thrust Belt shows a complete Quilcapunco
section with notable facies changes and thickness variations. Thickness of the fluvial-eolian
sandstone unit reaches 400 m in the area. The facies changes are not as noticeable as the
thickness variations (only 40 m thick) SW of the Moho-Huancane-Azangaro Thrust at the Bichoco
village where the Quilcapunco Formation rests on Cabanillas Group slates or Mitu Group
conglomerates. South of the Asillo town a thickness of 270 m is assigned to the Quilcapunco
Formation. Further NW of the Sicuani town near the Uchuyllucllo village and the Livincaya-Santa
Barbara stratigraphic column have a basal 100 meter-thick eolian sand that correlates with the
Quilcapunco Formation. These quartzose sandstones are medium grained, well rounded and
clean, with large-scale oblique laminae. The outcrop localities described by Acosta include areas
SW of the Moho-HuancaneAzangaro Thrust, NE of the Pucara village and south of Asillo, areas at
the Jallapise Lake SE from Asillo, west and SW from the Azangaro town, south of Salinas Lake,
along the Putina Anticline and west, east and north of the Quilcapunco town (NE flank of the Yana
Orcco Anticline). The Quilcapunco Formation is represented by a sequence of white fluvial-eolian
sandstones interbedded with red shales and conglomerate with Copacabana clasts in all areas
described above, especially in the Chupa Conglomerate of Klinck (1986) at Bichoco. Its outcrops
cover a wide and long range on the Altiplano Fold Thrust Belt from Asillo 20 km NW from Azangaro
town to Quilcapunco village 15 km east of the Putina village, a distance of over 70 km. This
formation constitutes a high quality potential reservoir in the Altiplano Fold Thrust Belt, especially
in the Putina area north and NW of the Titicaca Lake. A late Triassic-early Jurassic age is assigned
to the Quilcapunco Formation based on its stratigraphic relationship overlying the Mitu Group and
underlying the Sipin Formation. The Quilcapunco Formation The Quilcapunco Formation is a new
formation introduced by Acosta (2001) as a fluvial-eolian unit overlying unconformable the Mitu
Group or in places the Devonian Cabanillas Group in angular unconformity and underlying the
Sipin, Huambutio or the Muni Formations in the Altiplano region. The unit was apparently included
in a column in the Quilcapunco town of Jaillard (1995, Fig 11; as mentioned by Sempere, 2004). Its
main outcrops are present in the Altiplano Fold Thrust Belt in the Putina area north and NW of the
Titicaca Lake with a thickness up to 400 m. Based on the regional presence of the Newell’s
mapped Huancane Formation or the Cotacucho the new unit definitely was included both within
and/or as part of the units mapped by Newell. The areas outside of Acosta’s work need to be
studied with more detail to determine the real distribution of the Quilcapunco Formation. Areas
with the Quilcapunco Formation erroneously mapped include the Newell’s “Cotacucho” unit,
INGEMMET’s “Huancane” in Nuñoa and between Azangaro and Arapa and as Ambo Group SE of
Asillo (Sempere, 2004). The Quilcapunco Formation consists of white quartzose fluvial-eolian
sandstones at the type locality east of the Quilcapunco village (Acosta, 2001). Two 40 meter-thick
basal and top channel sandstones with curved inclined laminae, ripples and locally some floodplain
deposits of red bed siltstones characterize the unit. The central portion of the unit is a thick 250
meter-thick quartzose eolian sandstone unit (Acosta, 2001, text says 100 m thick, but Figure 19
indicates 250 m). There is an angular unconformity with the underlying Mitu Group west of the
Quilcapunco village. The NE border of the Altiplano (named Putina by Acosta) Fold Thrust Belt
shows a complete Quilcapunco section with notable facies changes and thickness variations.
Thickness of the fluvial-eolian sandstone unit reaches 400 m in the area. The facies changes are
not as noticeable as the thickness variations (only 40 m thick) SW of the Moho-Huancane-
Azangaro Thrust at the Bichoco village where the Quilcapunco Formation rests on Cabanillas
Group slates or Mitu Group conglomerates. South of the Asillo town a thickness of 270 m is
assigned to the Quilcapunco Formation. Further NW of the Sicuani town near the Uchuyllucllo
village and the Livincaya-Santa Barbara stratigraphic column have a basal 100 meter-thick eolian
sand that correlates with the Quilcapunco Formation. These quartzose sandstones are medium
grained, well rounded and clean, with large-scale oblique laminae. The outcrop localities described
by Acosta include areas SW of the Moho-HuancaneAzangaro Thrust, NE of the Pucara village and
south of Asillo, areas at the Jallapise Lake SE from Asillo, west and SW from the Azangaro town,
south of Salinas Lake, along the Putina Anticline and west, east and north of the Quilcapunco town
(NE flank of the Yana Orcco Anticline). The Quilcapunco Formation is represented by a sequence of
white fluvial-eolian sandstones interbedded with red shales and conglomerate with Copacabana
clasts in all areas described above, especially in the Chupa Conglomerate of Klinck (1986) at
Bichoco. Its outcrops cover a wide and long range on the Altiplano Fold Thrust Belt from Asillo 20
km NW from Azangaro town to Quilcapunco village 15 km east of the Putina village, a distance of
over 70 km. This formation constitutes a high quality potential reservoir in the Altiplano Fold
Thrust Belt, especially in the Putina area north and NW of the Titicaca Lake. A late Triassic-early
Jurassic age is assigned to the Quilcapunco Formation based on its stratigraphic relationship
overlying the Mitu Group and underlying the Sipin Formation. The Quilcapunco Formation The
Quilcapunco Formation is a new formation introduced by Acosta (2001) as a fluvial-eolian unit
overlying unconformable the Mitu Group or in places the Devonian Cabanillas Group in angular
unconformity and underlying the Sipin, Huambutio or the Muni Formations in the Altiplano region.
The unit was apparently included in a column in the Quilcapunco town of Jaillard (1995, Fig 11; as
mentioned by Sempere, 2004). Its main outcrops are present in the Altiplano Fold Thrust Belt in
the Putina area north and NW of the Titicaca Lake with a thickness up to 400 m. Based on the
regional presence of the Newell’s mapped Huancane Formation or the Cotacucho the new unit
definitely was included both within and/or as part of the units mapped by Newell. The areas
outside of Acosta’s work need to be studied with more detail to determine the real distribution of
the Quilcapunco Formation. Areas with the Quilcapunco Formation erroneously mapped include
the Newell’s “Cotacucho” unit, INGEMMET’s “Huancane” in Nuñoa and between Azangaro and
Arapa and as Ambo Group SE of Asillo (Sempere, 2004). The Quilcapunco Formation consists of
white quartzose fluvial-eolian sandstones at the type locality east of the Quilcapunco village
(Acosta, 2001). Two 40 meter-thick basal and top channel sandstones with curved inclined
laminae, ripples and locally some floodplain deposits of red bed siltstones characterize the unit.
The central portion of the unit is a thick 250 meter-thick quartzose eolian sandstone unit (Acosta,
2001, text says 100 m thick, but Figure 19 indicates 250 m). There is an angular unconformity with
the underlying Mitu Group west of the Quilcapunco village. The NE border of the Altiplano (named
Putina by Acosta) Fold Thrust Belt shows a complete Quilcapunco section with notable facies
changes and thickness variations. Thickness of the fluvial-eolian sandstone unit reaches 400 m in
the area. The facies changes are not as noticeable as the thickness variations (only 40 m thick) SW
of the Moho-Huancane-Azangaro Thrust at the Bichoco village where the Quilcapunco Formation
rests on Cabanillas Group slates or Mitu Group conglomerates. South of the Asillo town a
thickness of 270 m is assigned to the Quilcapunco Formation. Further NW of the Sicuani town near
the Uchuyllucllo village and the Livincaya-Santa Barbara stratigraphic column have a basal 100
meter-thick eolian sand that correlates with the Quilcapunco Formation. These quartzose
sandstones are medium grained, well rounded and clean, with large-scale oblique laminae. The
outcrop localities described by Acosta include areas SW of the Moho-HuancaneAzangaro Thrust,
NE of the Pucara village and south of Asillo, areas at the Jallapise Lake SE from Asillo, west and SW
from the Azangaro town, south of Salinas Lake, along the Putina Anticline and west, east and north
of the Quilcapunco town (NE flank of the Yana Orcco Anticline). The Quilcapunco Formation is
represented by a sequence of white fluvial-eolian sandstones interbedded with red shales and
conglomerate with Copacabana clasts in all areas described above, especially in the Chupa
Conglomerate of Klinck (1986) at Bichoco. Its outcrops cover a wide and long range on the
Altiplano Fold Thrust Belt from Asillo 20 km NW from Azangaro town to Quilcapunco village 15 km
east of the Putina village, a distance of over 70 km. This formation constitutes a high quality
potential reservoir in the Altiplano Fold Thrust Belt, especially in the Putina area north and NW of
the Titicaca Lake. A late Triassic-early Jurassic age is assigned to the Quilcapunco Formation based
on its stratigraphic relationship overlying the Mitu Group and underlying the Sipin Formation.