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org on July 12, 2015

Geological Society of America

Memoir 162
1984

Basement and Paleozoic rocks of the Venezuelan Llanos basins*

Gustavo Feo-Codecido
Corpoven, S.A.
Apartado 61373
Caracas, Venezuela
Foster D. Smith, Jr.
Servicios Técnicos Mobil C.A.
Apartado 60167
Caracas, Venezuela
Nelson Aboud
Corpoven, S.A.
Apartado 61373
Caracas, Venezuela
Estela de Di Giacomo
Maraven, S.A.
Apartado 829
Caracas, Venezuela

ABSTRACT
The igneous and metamorphic rocks of Venezuela may be classified in three geo-
graphic units: a southern Precambrian Shield, an intermediate belt of Paleozoic age and
a northern border of Mesozoic to Tertiary age. The shield is exposed in the south; it
extends northward under a sedimentary cover to an inferred contact with the metamor-
phosed Paleozoic or Mesozoic-Tertiary rocks. South of this contact, in the eastern states
of Anzoategui and Monagas, the shield's oldest known sedimentary cover is of Cretace-
ous age; to the west, it is of Cambrian age.
A graben is identified in the State of Guarico, located approximately along the
contact of the Paleozoic basement with the Precambrian Shield. It contains a 2,390 m
(7,840 ft) column of sedimentary rocks of Carboniferous and Jurassic age, not pre-
viously identified in the Barinas-Apure and Eastern Venezuela basins. Preliminary inter-
pretation of recently acquired aeromagnetic data indicates that this feature forms part of
a much longer graben, hitherto not known, which may extend westward from near
Barcelona, Anzoategui, to the Colombian border at approximately 70° 00' West
Longitude, 7° 10' North Latitude, a distance of 600 km (375 mi).

*Published by permission of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA),

Corpoven, S.A., and Maraven, S.A. (Affiliates of PDVSA).

175
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176 G. Feo-Codecido and Others

Figure 1. Geomorphological provinces of northern Venezuela and location of States referred to in the
text: Z - Zulia, A - Apure, G - Guärico, T - Tächira, P - Portuguesa, AN - Anzoätegui, B - Barinas, C -
Cojedes, MO - Monagas, M - Island of Margarita, T - Trinidad, EB - El Baül Massif, *Paraguana
Peninsula.

INTRODUCTION Barinas eastward to central Guárico (Fig. 1). It may be present in

The term "basement" is used to denote a complex of igneous
and metamorphic rocks, undifferentiated in this report except as
to radiometric age. For many years the basement of the Venezue-
lan Llanos basins, individually known as the Barinas-Apure and
Eastern Venezuela basins (Fig. 1), was interpreted to be a rela-
tively uncomplicated extension of the Precambrian Guayana
Shield, with inliers of the pre-Cretaceous unmetamorphosed sed-
imentary rocks of the Carrizal and Hato Viejo formations (Renz
and others, 1958, p. 561, 567). This interpretation has undergone
changes, but with little formal published documentation.
The publications most pertinent to this paper are the Minis-
try of Mines and Hydrocarbons (now Ministerio de Energía y
Minas) geologic-structural l:500.000-scale map of Venezuela
(Bellizzia and others, 1976) and the treatise on the geology of
Venezuela by González de Juana and others (1980). Both show
basement depressions in excess of 2,745 m (9,000ft)subsea in the
western part of the Eastern Venezuela basin; González de Juana
and others (1980, p. 141) give a section showing some 1,220 m
(4,000 ft) of Paleozoic Carrizal and Hato Viejo fill. This paper
offers evidence for the following interpretations:
An igneous-metamorphic basement of Paleozoic age is pres-
ent between the southern Precambrian Shield and the northern
complex of allochthonous rocks of Mesozoic to Tertiary age
(Fig. 2). It is documented from the states of Zulia, Táchira, and
the subsurface from central Guárico eastward across northern
Venezuela at depths not yet drilled.
The Paleozoic basement from Barinas to central Guárico
includes granites, syenites, schists, and other metamorphics which
have yielded radiometric age determinations ranging from 433 to
277 m.y. in age. Beyond the southern border of this orogenic belt
of Late Ordovician to Permian age, the Paleozoic rocks are rep-
resented by the Cambrian sedimentary rocks of the Carrizal
Formation. The apparent sharp division between the two units
suggests a tectonic contact.
A graben is present in southern Guárico, with Precam-
brian(?) basement estimated to be at a depth of the order of
6,100 m (20,000 ft) subsea. Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. aero-
magnetic data, now being interpreted (March 1983), suggest that
this graben extends across Guárico, from Barcelona, Anzoátegui
to the Colombian border. In southern Guárico, this "Espino
Graben" contains 1,643 m (5, 390 ft) of red beds, provisionally
referred to as the La Quinta Formation, intercalated with a
113 m (370 ft) thick basaltic flow dated at 162 m.y. The deepest
well, Maraven's NZZ-88X (17, Figs. 4, 5), penetrated below the
red beds into an interval with Carboniferous flora at 3,435 m
(11,268 ft) subsea followed below by barren sediments (not
Carrizal Formation) to a total depth of 4,178 m (13,708 ft)
subsea.
In the southern part of the eastern Llanos basins, the Piarra
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Basement and Paleozoic rocks 177

Figure 2. Basement provinces in northern Venezuela. Basement of the Piarra block is overlain by
Cretaceous or Tertiary sediments.

block of eastern Anzoátegui and Monagas, Cretaceous and Ter- Peninsula, the islands off the Venezuelan coast and the Caribbean
tiary sediments lie on basement of Precambrian age. It is not Mountains in two groups: 130 to 114 m.y. and 84 to 30 m.y., plus
known whether this basement continues north to a contact with a 5-m.y. age for dacites on the coast south of the Island of
the Mesozoic-Tertiary basement of the coast, or to a contact with Margarita. González de Juana and others (1980) cite Mesozoic to
an interposed belt of Paleozoic basement. Tertiary ages for metamorphic units, plus the Paleozoic
Sebastopol-El Tinaco Complex of 425 m.y.
Previous Work The El Baúl massif exposure in Cojedes has been described
by Feo-Codecido (1954, 1961, 1963), Martin Bellizzia (1961,
The Guayana Shield, the crystalline rocks of the Andes and 1968), Bellizzia and others (1976), and González de Juana and
Perija ranges, the Mesozoic-Tertiary basement near the coast and others (1980). An alkaline granite of 287 ± 10 (Rb/Sr) to 270 ±
the El Baúl outcrop of the Llanos basins have been described in 10 m.y. (K/Ar) has produced a metamorphic aureole in sedi-
publications which are summarized by González de Juana and ments which include the trilobite-bearing Míreles Formation of
others (1980, p. 31-89, 117-118, 122-124, 142-152, 305-407). Tremadocian age (Cambro-Ordovician) (Rod, 1955; Frederick-
We abstract as follows: son, 1958; González de Juana and others, 1980, p. 118-119,
The Guayana Shield records four periods of orogenesis 152).
(Mendoza, 1977, p. 2237): A later thermal event also occurred in the same area of El
Gurian 3,600-2,700 m.y. Baúl, and is represented by the Triassic-Jurassic Guacamayas
Pre-transamazon 2,600-2,100 m.y. Group volcanics whose absolute age is reported as 192 ± 3.8 and
Transamazon 2,000-1,700 m.y. 195 ± 3.9 m.y. (K/Ar) (MacDonald and Opdyke, 1974, p. 208;
Orinocan 1,200-800 m.y. González de Juana and others, 1980, p. 174).
This paper adds new age data (Table 1), data on significant
The reported ages of the crystalline rocks of the Andes range wells (Table 2), and interpretations with regard to the basement
from 720 to 225 m.y. Precambrian and Paleozoic rocks are pres- and Paleozoic sedimentary rocks of the Llanos basins.
ent, as well as the Lower Mesozoic El Carmen granodiorite. The
Paleozoic rocks range from 500 to 390 m.y. in age. Two ages, DISCUSSION AND INTERPRETATION
310 and 370 m.y., are reported from Perija.
With regard to the allochthonous Mesozoic-Tertiary com- The radiometric ages given in Table 1 may represent the age
plex (Bellizzia, 1972) of the Caribbean Mountains, Santamaría of original crystallization, the age of the last deformation, or
and Schubert (1974) place the igneous rocks of the Paraguaná possibly a mixed age as a result of partial alteration of an older
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178 G. Feo-Codecido and Others

TABLE 1. NEW AGE DATA: IGNEOUS AND METAMORPHIC ROCKS

Location Well Lithology Method Age (ITt.y. ) Date

34 MCH-12-7X Leucogranite K feldspar (K/Ar) 1025 + 31 1982*

19 SDZ-78X Salmon colored Biotite (K/Ar) 1366 + 41 1982*

19 SDZ-78X Gneissoid granite K feldspar (K/Ar) 1110 + 33 1982*

19 SDZ-68X Gneissoid granite ? (K/Ar) 869 and. 708 1982*

38 SCZ-27X Gneissoid granite Biotite (K/Ar) 1772 ± 53 1982*

38 SCZ-75X Granite diorite Whole rock (K/Ar) 1397 ± 42 1982*

38 SCZ-82X Granite Biotite (K/Ar) 1264 + 38 1982*

38 SCZ-82X Granite Biotite (K/Ar) 1497 + 45 1982*

22 Hamaca-2 Quartz diorite gneiss Rb/Sr isochron 1785 + 15 1976*

24 CN wells Quartz monzonite Rb/Sr isochron 1900 + 10 1980 +

4 Agua Linda- 1 Granite pegmatite Feldspar (Rb/Sr) 865 + 60 1966*

4 Agua Linda- 1 Granite pegmatite Muscovite (Rb/Sr) 463 + 45 1966*

4 Agua Linda-•1 Schist Muscovite (K/Ar) 411 + 12 1966*

4 Agua Linda-•1 Schist Muscovite (K/Ar) 406 + 8 1966*

4 Agua Linda- 1 Rb/Sr isochron 433 + 50 1966*

7 SZW-3 Gneiss or schist Muscovite (K/Ar) 412 + 21 1981 +

13 GXB-2 Granite Muscovite (K/Ar) 330 1979*

13 GXB-8 Granite Muscovite (K/Ar) 321 1979*

14 MCH-2-3X Pelitic hornfels Biotite (K/Ar) 347 + 10 1982*

17 NZZ-88X Basalt flow Whole rock (K/Ar) 162 + 8 1982 +

2 QMC-1X Granite Whole rock (K/Ar) 138.4 ± 6.9 1979 +

Note: Numbers in location column refer to well locations on Figures 4 and 5.

•Analysis by a U. S. oil company laboratory.
+Analysis by a U. S. commercial laboratory.
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Basement and Paleozoic rocks 179

TABLE 2. WELL DATA

Location Well Lat (N) Long (W) Remarks

2 QMC-1 10° 58 1 35" 70° 59 '14" 4259 m (13974 ft), granite, 138 m.y.

3 SLC-1-2X 9° 30'39" 71° 31' 01" 5646 m (18524 ft), schist.

3 SLC-1-5X 9° 28'44" 71° 32''55" 5801 m (19031 ft), schist.

4 Agua Linda-1 7° 37'25" 70° 54' 31" 3537 m (11603 ft), pegmatite and schist, 433 m.y. isochron.

8 Apure-1 7° 39'36" 70° 01'34" N.P. at 2683 m (8804 ft), top Carrizal Fin. at 2504 m (8215 ft).
o
5 Apure-2 7 14' 09" 70° 29''11" N.P. at 2290 m (7514 ft), top Carrizal Fm. at 2271 m (7452 ft).

12 Aprue-3 7° 53'47" 69° 22' 14" N.P. at 1896 m (6221 ft), top Carrizal Fm. at 1851 m (6073 ft).

26 Nutrias-1 8° 04'55" 69° 19''01" N.P. at 2093 m (6868 ft), top Carrizal Fm. at 2050 m (6727 ft).

6 La Heliera- 1 6° 15'1 _ 70° 59'1 _ N.P. at 2597 m (8519 ft).

7 S2W-3 8° 08'48" 70° 09' 35" 2760 m (9055 ft), gneiss or schist, 412 m.y.

9 Ticoporo-1 7° 53'17" 69° 58''04" 2632 m (8635 ft), schist.

10 23-M-2X 11° 40' 17" 69° 31''20" 2399 m (7879 ft), gneiss, 114 m.y.

11 15'GU-501 9°08 ' 01- 69°16''56" 1035 m (3396 ft), granite.

13 GXB-2 9°18 1'07" 66°56''22" 1552 m (5093 ft), granite, 330 m.y.
1
13 GXB-8 9°22 '05" 66°56''22" 1719 m (5639 ft), granite, 321 m.y.

29 Gorrin-1 8 °40 '59"

' 66°53''52" 855 m (2805 ft), hornfels.

15 Machete-2X 8 °33 '40"

' 66°27''30" 806 m (2643 ft), hornfels.
1
14 MCH-2-3X 8°50 '05" 66°40''00" 1105 m (3624 ft), hornfels, 347 m.y.

30 MCH-2-4X 8°57 1'05" 66°41''00" 1434 m (4706 ft), syenite.

1
28 MCH-2-5X 8°5i''05" 66°52 '00" 1014 m (3325 ft), syenite.

31 MCH-8-5X 8 °45 '17"

' 65° 59''46" N.P. at 3750 m (12303 ft), top Carrizal Fm. at 2553 m (8375 ft)

34 MCH-12-7X '25"
8°09 ' 65°41''15" 251 m (824 ft), granite, 1025 m.y.
1
27 MCH-13-1X 7 °59 '15" 67°26''25" 912 m (2991 ft), hornfels.

38 SCZ-27X 8°21 '

'58" 64°36'' 41" 508 m (1666 ft), gneissoid granite, 1772 m.y.

38 SCZ-75X 8°27 '

'32" 64°38''36" 709 :m (2325 ft), granite diorite, 1397 m.y.
1
38 SCZ-82X 8°26 '
'10" 64°37 ' 00" 661 m (2170 ft), granite, 1497 m.y.

* SDZ-11X 8°26 '

'00" 64°48 1'40: N.P. at 669 m (2196 ft), top Carrizal Fm. at 638 m (2094 ft).

37 SDZ-16X 8 °32 '45"

' 64=49''10" N.P. at 979 m (3213 ft), top Carrizal Fm. at 917 m (3073 ft).

19 SDZ-43X 8°17 '

'04" 64° 54''02" N.P. at 640 m (2099 ft), top Carrizal. Fm. at 428 m (1405 ft).
1
19 SDZ-68X 8 ° 14•37" 64° 51 •46" 361 m (1185 ft), gneissoid granite, 869 m.y.
1
19 SDZ-78X 8°13''48" 64°58 '18" 351 m (1150 ft), gneissoid granite, 1366 m.y.

+ NZZ-12X 8° 39 '55"
' 65° 21 •00" N.P. at 2238 m (7341 ft), top Carrizal Fm at 1354 m (4441 ft).

33 NZZ-45X 8°25 •13" 65° 37 '15" N.P. at 631 m (2071 ft), top Carrizal Fm. at 589 m (1931 ft).

17 NZZ-88X 8°46 '

'59" 65° 23 ' 25" N.P. at 4178 m (13708 ft), basalt flow at 1838 m (6030 ft), 162

18 Carrizal-1 8° 33 •01" 65° 04 •09" N.P. at 1472 m (4830 ft), top Carrizal Fm. at 985 m (3232 ft).

18 Carrizal-2X 8° 35 •01" 65° 03 •19" N.P. at 2912 m (9553 ft), top Carrizal Fm. at 1084 m (3558 ft).

16 Santa Rita-•1 8°03 •40" • 66°14 •12" 455 m (1492 ft), granite.

36 Suata-1 8° 15 •22" 65° 12 •37" N.P. at 758 m (2487 ft), top Carrizal Fm. at 334 m (1096 ft).

36 Zuata Este-•IX 8° 16 "12" 65° 12 •40" 1155 m (3788 ft), "basalt."

35 Tres Matas-•1 8°27 •54" 65°23 •43" N.P. at 784 m (2571 ft), top Carrizal Fm. at 771 m (2529 ft).

32 Socorro-1 8°57 '19" 65°43 •00" N.P. at 1901 m (6236 ft), top Carrizal Fm. at 1738 m (5702 ft).

38 Hato Viejo-•1 8°24 •09" 64°42 •31" 710 m (2330 ft), chlorite schist and granite.
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180 G. Feo-Codecido and Others

TABLE 2. WELL DATA (continued)

Location Well Lat (H) Long (W) Remarks

38 Maco-1 8°25 1'50" 64°39''45" 799 m (2622 ft), "igneous-metamorphic."

1
38 Santa Clara-1 8°26 '01" 64°38'•34" 670 m (2197 ft), schist.

22 Hamaca-2X '52"
8°35 ' 69°19''19" 1201 m (3940 ft), quartz diorite gneiss, 1785 m.y. isochron.

39 SG-139-X 9°05 1>28" 64°20 1'48" N.P. at 3634 m (11921 ft), top Carrizal Fm. at 3420 m (11219 ft)

20 OG-338-S '41-
8°52 ' 64°24''13" N.P. at 2922 m (9587 ft), top Carrizal Fm. at 2217 m,(7273 ft).

21 WGDT-1 8°42 1'31" 63°15''03" 2654 m (8706 ft), gneissoid granite, 5 ft of greenstone.
1 1
23 Soledad-1(CVP) 9°17 '46" 62°54 '27" 4267 m (13998 ft), "granite."
1 1
25 Guarao-1 9°13 '15" 60°18 '45" N.P. at 5273 m (17300 ft).

1 Mara field 9°02 ' 73°43 1i _ Approx 3050 m (10000 ft), granite, 304 m.y.

24 CN wells 8°42"1 _ 63°15't _ Approx. 1060 m (3500 ft), quartz monzonite, 1900 m.y. isochron.

Note: Numbers in location column refer to well locations on Figures 4 and 5. Approximate locations are also
given in geographic coordinates. Remarks include depth to basement, lithology, absolute age, top Carrizal Formation.
N.P. - basement not penetrated. All depths in meters and feet subsea. Wells with location numbers 26 to 30 are shown
on Figure 5 only.
•Well SDZ-11X is approximately 13 km south of SDZ-16X, location 37.
+Well NZZ-12X is approximately 14 km south-southeast of NZZ-88X, location 17.

rock by a much younger deformation. The Paleozoic ages given
in Table 1 may be the result of later metamorphism of Precam-
brian rocks of the Guayana Shield and also metamorphism of
earlier Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, including the Cambrian Car-
rizal Formation. Our interpretation of these data is as follows:
Precambrian rocks
The northern limit of the Guayana Shield may be at the
boundary with the Paleozoic or Mesozoic-Tertiary basement
(Fig. 2), or it may be that those younger igneous and metamor-
phic rocks are thrust over the Precambrian Shield which itself
continues northward at depth. The Precambrian Iglesias Group of
the Andes (González de Juana and others, 1980, p. 93-94) and
the 865 m.y. pegmatite feldspar in well Agua Linda-1 (4, Figs. 4,
5) suggest that the shield formerly extended northward beyond its
presently ascertainable northern limit. If the feldspar was a Rb-
poor feldspar, the 865-m.y. age could be anomalously old. This
could be caused by resetting of the whole-rock system at about
400 m.y. or younger, such that Sr was accepted into the feldspar,
possibly from muscovite.
A large area of uplifted Precambrian basement, the Piarra
block (Fig. 2), occupies eastern Anzoátegui and Monagas. More
than 50 wells confirm that Cretaceous or younger sediments lie
directly on Precambrian basement as far north as well Soledad-1
(23, Figs. 4, 5) of the Corporación Venezolana del Petróleo.
The western boundary of the block is placed along the trend
of the Trico fault (Fig. 4). To the west of the boundary, in the
Cambrian basin (Fig. 3), some 100 wells have penetrated the
Tertiary and Cretaceous sedimentary sequence and entered the
unmetamorphosed Carrizal Formation of Cambrian age. Our
data confirm a Precambrian age of the basement at Hamaca-2X
(22, Figs. 4, 5) and the CN wells (24, Figs. 4, 5), but the northern
boundary is unknown. The greenstone in WGDT-1 (21, Figs. 4,
5) might indicate a Paleozoic thermal event. In our maps the
northern boundary is shown as being a contact with the
Mesozoic-Tertiary basement under the eastern Caribbean Moun-
tains, with no intervening Paleozoic basement. The eastern boun-
dary may be along the Bohordal fault.
Munro and Smith (1984) show the basement of the Piarra
block to be cut by the Urica fault of Late Tertiary age. Along that
fault, in the Soledad-1 area (23, Figs. 4, 5), the basement of the
northern block is depressed 2500 m (8200 ft) relative to the
southern block. The map (Fig. 4) suggests a possible 100 km
(60 mi) right-lateral offset along the Urica fault. Movement of
this magnitude is not considered to have occurred.
Paleozoic rocks
Basement of acid igneous and metamorphic rocks of Paleo-
zoic age is present in the area from the Perijá Range to western
Barinas-Apure basin and thence east to Las Mercedes in central
Guárico. A gravity high near Zaraza, Guárico, may mark its
easternmost limit (Bellizzia and others, 1976; Bonini and others,
1977). The boundary with the northern Mesozoic-Tertiary base-
ment is placed along the Oca fault zone (Fig. 4) where granites of
the Mara field wells (1, Fig. 4) have been dated at 304-200 m.y.
(González de Juana and others, 1980, p. 151), and to the south of
well QMC-1 (2, Fig. 4) where a slightly foliated granite has been
dated at 138 m.y. (Table 1), possibly a mixed age as a result of
partial alteration of a much older granite (Paleozoic?) by a much
younger deformation (Eocene?). This granite underlies in appar-
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Basement and Paleozoic rocks 181

(1524 m) subsea. Maximum altitude above sea level 5007 m (16426 ft) west of Barinas and 2765 m
(9071 ft) near Caracas. Barbs on downthrown side of normal faults. Triangles point in direction of fault
plane dip on thrust faults. Towns indicated by squares: MA = Maracaibo, BAR = Barinas, C = Caracas,
EB = El Baúl, SF = San Fernando, LM = Las Mercedes, Z = Zaraza, B = Barcelona, CB = Ciudad
Bolívar, M = Maturin, T = Tucupita. Approximate location: I = Iglesias Group, S = Sebastopol-El
Tinaco Complex, Y = Yaritagua complex, R = Xenoliths, (Muessig, 1978). Hachured outline = approx-
imate area of outcrop of igneous and metamorphic rocks. Small circles and large numbers indicate well
locations and location numbers; see Tables 1 and 2 for well data. Small numbers beside the well location
indicate radiometric age of basement in millions of years. "N.P." indicates that the well did not enter
basement.
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182 G. Feo-Codecido and Others

Figure 5. Generalized pre-Cretaceous geology of the Llanos basins. Squares = towns. ES = Espino, see
Figure 4 caption for other town names. Letters A through J = Geologic areas. A = Paleozoic igneous or
metamorphic rocks at well locations 4, 7, and 13 (Figs. 4,5); El Barbasco Group metasediments (m, Fig.
5) and El Baul granite (g, Fig. 5). B = Unfossiliferous Cambrian(?) Carrizal Formation, inferred to lie on
Precambrian basement, fossiliferous lowermost Ordovician sediments at location 6 (Figs. 4, 5). F =
Hornfels metasediments, of Devonian age at location 14 (Figs. 4, 5). G = Slightly metamorphosed,
unfossiliferous Manapire facies of the Cambrian Carrizal Formation, inferred to lie on Precambrian
basement. H = Espino Graben area. Carrizal Formation verified at locations 31 and 32 (Fig. 5), inferred
to lie on Precambrian basement. Sedimentary rocks of Carboniferous and Jurassic age at location 17
(Figs. 4, 5). I = Fossiliferous Cambrian Formation, underlain by or interfingered with the Hato Viejo
Formation along the eastern border and overlying inferred Precambrian basement. Carrizal Formation
on Precambrian basement verified at location 19 (Figs. 4,5). J = Precambrian basement, with absolute
ages determined at well locations 34,19,38,22, and 24 (Fig. 5). Small circles and numbers indicate well
locations; see Tables 1 and 2 for well data.

ent erosional unconformity limestones of Cretaceous (probably
Aptian) age. In the Falcon-Lara region this boundary must pass
to the south of well 23-M-2X (10, Fig. 4) where the age of the
gneiss has been reported as 114 m.y. (Cigego 1974, unpublished
report), and thence east to the Apartaderos fault. This fault (ap-
parently identified for the first time in this report) constitutes the
abrupt western limit of the exposed Mesozoic-Tertiary basement
of the Caribbean Mountains. The southernmost exposure of this
basement is at the Cantagallo thrust zone where Mesozoic crystal-
line rocks are in overthrust contact with the Paleocene-lower
Eocene flysch of the Piedmont Nappe which terminates at the
Guarico thrust zone (Bellizzia, 1972; Stephan, 1977).
South of the Cantagallo thrust zone (Fig. 4), the nearest
basement with an absolute age date determination is the El Baúl
granite of Permian age (Feo-Codecido, 1963), so the boundary
between the Paleozoic and the Mesozoic-Tertiary basement must
be to the north of the El Baúl massif and the GXB-2 and GXB-8
wells (Table 1; 13, Figs. 4, 5). We infer that the Cantagallo thrust
zone itself forms the southern limit of the crystalline rocks of
Mesozoic age.
The westernmost outcrop of the Mesozoic-Tertiary crystal-
line rocks of the Caribbean Mountains is along the Apartaderos
fault and its possible northern extension which exposes the met-
amorphics of the Yaritagua Complex (Y, Fig. 4) and related units
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Basement and Paleozoic rocks
(González de Juana and others, 1980, p. 323-330). Foliated calc-
silicate gneiss, granite, and schist xenoliths in trachybasalts (R,
Fig. 4), reported by Muessig (1978, p. 264), suggest that, in
northern Falcon, these rocks may extend westward in the subsur-
face to the longitude of the Paraguaná Peninsula.
The massive granite orthogneisses and schists of the Carib-
bean Mountains are not exposed west of the Apartaderos fault. In
their place, klippen of a pumpellyite-prehnite facies or nonmeta-
morphosed Cretaceous sedimentary rocks ride on the Piedmont
Nappe of Paleocene-lower Eocene flysch (Stephan, 1977). The
boundary between the Paleozoic and the Mesozoic-Tertiary
basement must be placed between the Andes and the Apartaderos
fault. We infer it to coincide with the Apartaderos fault for the
following reasons:
1. Along the Cantagallo thrust zone, the Villa de Cura
Group metavolcanics which are assigned to the Mesozoic-
Tertiary basement are thrust over Paleocene-lower Eocene flysch.
This may have been caused by long distance overthrusting or by
rapid uplift followed by southward sliding of the crystalline rocks
over the flysch. It suggests that the relationship of the Mesozoic-
Tertiary basement to theflyschalong the Cantagallo thrust zone
may continue to hold true along the Apartaderos fault. In other
words, the Mesozoic-Tertiary basement may not extend under
theflyschto the west of the Apartaderos fault.
2. Preliminary analysis of the 1981-82 Petróleos de Vene-
zuela, S.A., aeromagnetic survey data suggests that, immediately
west of the Apartaderos fault, the nature of the basement rocks
undergoes a marked change, or else the basement is deeper than
we believe it to be. We infer that the Mesozoic-Tertiary crystal-
line complex of the western Caribbean Mountains comes to an
abrupt end at the Apartaderos fault.
3. Bell (1972, Fig. 5) presents a diagrammatic map showing
an inferred north-south offset, during the Cretaceous, of the Beni-
off zone and its related area of metamorphism. This offset corre-
sponds approximately with the Apartaderos fault, now exposed.
The inferred offset area of metamorphism supports the interpreta-
tion of a western limit of the Mesozoic-Tertiary basement along
the Apartaderos fault.
The 265 m.y. (U/Pb) granite of the Paraguaná Peninsula
and the 425 m.y. (Rb/Sr) igneous rocks of the Sebastopol-El
Tinaco Complex (Feo-Codecido and others, 1974; González de
Juana and others, 1980, p. 309, 812) indicate a possible former
northern extension of the belt of Paleozoic basement in the region
now occupied by the Mesozoic-Tertiary basement. Little is
known about the basement in the Maracaibo basin. Wells SLC-1-
2X (3, Fig. 4) and nearby SLC-5-1X passed from Cretaceous
limestones into chlorite schists of unknown age.
In the Andes and Perijá regions, marine sedimentation con-
tinued throughout the Paleozoic (with some important local in-
terruptions) as evidenced by the fossiliferous formations of
Ordo vician, Silurian, Devonian, and Permo-Carboniferous age
(González de Juana and others, 1980, p. 120-121,124-126,136,
140; Pierce and others, 1961). The Paleozoic of the Andes is also
represented by igneous rocks emplaced throughout the era and by
183
Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, now metamorphosed (Cerro Azul,
Mucuchachí, and equivalent formations). While outside the
scope of this report, it may be mentioned that the relationship of
those Paleozoic sedimentary rocks to the Paleozoic metamorphic
and igneous rocks may be the result of displacement of microcra-
tonic plates in pre-Cretaceous tectonism and of displacement dur-
ing orogeny in the Tertiary.
The Paleozoic Orogenic Belt (Fig. 3) comprises granites,
schists, and other metamorphic rocks of Paleozoic age which are
overlain by Cretaceous or Tertiary sedimentary rocks in the states
of Barinas, Portuguesa, Cojedes, and Guárico, and which are
exposed in the El Baúl area. The nature of the Apure fault zone
(Fig. 4) suggests that the belt is allochthonous, at least along its
southern border. Its northern boundary is not clearly defined in
the Andes region; farther east, its northern border is obscured by
the Mesozoic-Tertiary allochthon of the western Caribbean
Mountains.
The unmetamorphosed Cambrian basin is represented by
sedimentary rocks of the Carrizal and Hato Viejo formations
which occupy the position of a foreland trough to the south of the
Paleozoic Orogenic Belt (Fig. 3), with only a part of its former
sedimentary prism still preserved.
The Apure fault zone
A tectonic contact is inferred along the Apure fault zone
(Fig. 4) between the Paleozoic Orogenic Belt and the older Pal-
eozoic sedimentary rocks or the Precambrian Guayana Shield.
In the west, the Cretaceous sedimentary sequence of wells
Apure 1, 2, 3 and Nutrias-1 (8, 5, 12, 26; Figs. 4, 5) lies on
sedimentary rocks which are identified as the Carrizal Formation
on the basis of lithology and electric-log characteristics and for
which a Cambrian age is inferred. Twenty to forty kilometers to
the north (12-25 mi) in the Barinas wells, Cretaceous sedimentary
rocks lie on granites and schists which, in Agua Linda-1 and
SZW-3 (4, 7, Figs. 4, 5) are of Paleozoic age. We infer that the
Carrizal Formation of the Apure and Nutrias wells lies on Pre-
cambrian basement, because the Carrizal Formation has not been
involved in the thermal event which produced the Paleozoic gran-
ites and schists; hence we show the Apure fault zone to be located
between Ticoporo-1, (9, Fig. 4, 5) and the Apure and Nutrias
wells, with the Paleozoic Orogenic Belt overthrusting the unmet-
amorphosed Carrizal Formation.
In southern Guárico we recognize five areas, each with its
characteristic sequence of basement and Paleozoic rocks:
1. Las Mercedes, with a Paleozoic basement of granite, sye-
nite, and diorite overlain by Cretaceous sedimentary rocks. The
southernmost wells, MCH-2-4X (30, Fig. 5) and MCH-2-5X (28,
Fig. 5) penetrated a quartzose alkaline syenite (Area A, Fig. 5, in
the Las Mercedes area).
2. Gorrín. Highly metamorphosed, fine-grained sedimentary
rocks, pelitic hornfels with abundant biotite in MCH-2-3X (347
m.y.; 14, Figs. 4,5) and with coarser grained hornfels in Gorrín-1
(29, Fig. 5), and also metamorphosed tuffaceous sandstones in
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184 G. Feo-Codecido and Others
Machete-2X (15, Figs. 4, 5), all overlain by Cretaceous sedimen-
tary rocks (Area F, Fig. 5).
3. Manapire. Unfossiliferous, slightly metamorphosed, red to
maroon arkosic lutite interpreted as Carrizal Formation in MCH-
8-5X (31, Fig. 5) and several other wells (Area G, Fig. 5).
4. Espino Graben. Contains Jurassic and, in NZZ-88X (17,
Figs. 4, 5), Carboniferous sediments not present elsewhere in the
area. One well, MCH-8-5X (31, Fig. 5), penetrated maroon
Manapire facies of the Carrizal Formation under the Jurassic "La
Quinta" Formation (Area H, Fig. 5).
5) Carrizal. The typical greenish-gray Carrizal Formation
described below, found in the subsurface as far east as well SG-
139-X (39, Fig. 5) (Area I, Fig. 5).
6. Shield overlain by Cretaceous or Tertiary sedimentary
rocks (Area J, Fig. 5).
We map the Apure fault zone along the southernmost-
known limit of the Gorrin metamorphics (Area F, Fig. 5), to the
contact with the Manapire Carrizal Formation along the Machete
fault. This interpretation assumes that the Gorrin metamorphics
do not underlie the older Manapire Carrizal Formation to the
east, and hence that the Apure fault zone is offset to the north
along the Machete fault. Its subsurface trace is inferred to extend
between the Las Mercedes Paleozoic basement and the inferred
Precambrian basement below the Manapire facies of the Carrizal
Formation. The subsurface trace of the Apure fault zone is in-
ferred between Nutrias-1 (26, Fig. 5) and the Gorrin metamor-
phics in well MCH-13-1X (27, Fig. 5) near San Fernando,
Apure.
The Espino Graben
Present data are somewhat conflicting with regard to this
structural element. Recent (1981-1982) aeromagnetic data indi-
cate a rather rectilinear depression from some 30 km (18 mi)
south of Barcelona, Anzoätegui, through Zaraza, Guärico, and
San Fernando, Apure, and thence to the Colombian border at
approximately 70° 00' West Longitude, 7° 10' North Latitude
(Fig. 4). Gravity interpretations (see Bellizzia and others, 1976)
show depressions in the Barcelona and Espino areas (Fig. 4), but
do not indicate the magnitude of the trend as shown by the
aeromagnetic data. Much of the reflection seismic data was not
recorded to sufficient depth to be of use. The one line interpreted
to date in the graben area of Apure is inconclusive. It is only in
the Espino Graben proper (Fig. 4) of southern Guärico that all
methods are in agreement. Basement drops from some 610 m
(2,000 ft) south of the Altamira fault to some 6,100 m (20,000 ft)
north of the fault, rising again to 1,525 m (5,000 ft) in the Las
Mercedes area to the north. The graben there contains Cambrian,
Carboniferous, and Jurassic sedimentary rocks, the latter docu-
mented by a 162-m.y. basalt, interpreted to be a subaerial flow on
the basis of petrographic study. Although further study is re-
quired, we can at least report the probability of major rifting in
the Early to Mid-Mesozoic.
SYNTHESIS OF PALEOZOIC STRATIGRAPHY
OF THE LLANOS BASINS
The Paleozoic sedimentary rocks of the Venezuelan Llanos
basins represent a fine-grained clastic sequence of Early Cam-
brian to possibly Early Ordovician age. There is no evidence of
Cambrian to Early Ordovician sediments anywhere in the rest of
Venezuela; the Caparo Formation of the southwestern Venezue-
lan Andes is of Late Ordovician age (González de Juana and
others, 1980, p. 97,120). The granite and schists of the Paleozoic
Orogenic Belt are probably in part the metamorphic equivalent of
the Cambrian to Ordovician sediments. In general, both the Pal-
eozoic sedimentary and the igneous and metamorphic rocks of
the Llanos basins are overlain by Cretaceous or (in updip areas)
Tertiary sedimentary rocks. In the Espino Graben an unfossilifer-
ous red bed section, with an intercalated basalt flow of Jurassic
age, is preserved above a fossiliferous section of Carboniferous
age.
We list the Paleozoic stratigraphic units and show their
geographic areas and stratigraphic relationships in Figures 5 and
6:
The Hato Viejo Formation (Hedberg, 150, p. 1184; see also
González de Juana and others, 1980, and this paper): Medium to
coarse-grained, variably arkosic and quartzitic sandstone which
grades upward into the Carrizal Formation. The lower part of the
unit carries a simple zircon-leucoxene suite of detrital heavy min-
erals which, however, changes upward into a garnet-biotite suite
like that of the overlying Carrizal Formation. Some streaks of
green argillite in the Hato Viejo Formation are similar to the
fine-grained clastic rocks of the Carrizal Formation. No fossils
have been found in this unit.
The Carrizal Formation (original published description in
Hedberg, 1950, p. 1183-1185; see also González de Juana and
others, 1980, and this paper): A very fine-grained sandstone and
siltstone sequence found in the subsurface in the states of Guárico
and Anzoátegui where we assign it an Early Cambrian age (see
below). Rocks of similar lithology are present in wells Apure 1,2,
3 and Nutrias -1 (8, 5, 12, 26; Figs. 4, 5) in the states of Apure
and Barinas.
El Barbasco Group (Martin Bellizzia, 1961, 1968; Feo-
Codecido, 1963; González de Juana and others, 1980,
p. 118-120): Very fine- to medium-grained metasedimentary
rocks at El Baúl, Cojedes, interpreted to be of Early Paleozoic age
by González de Juana and others (1980, p. 119). In an ascending
order, the group consists of the following three formations:
The Mireles Formation (Rod, 1955; Martin Bellizzia, 1961;
González de Juana and others, 1980): A phyllitic sequence which
contains trilobites assigned by Frederickson (1958) to the lower-
most Ordovician (Tremadocian).
The Cerrajón and Cañaote formations (Martin Bellizzia,
1961; González de Juana and others, 1980): Metamorphosed
fine-grained sandstones and micaceous quartzites.
The Güéjar(?) series of the Colombian well La Heliera-1 (6,
Figs. 4, 5): Medium to dark-gray, hard, micaceous shale, and
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Basement and Paleozoic rocks 185

600 -

1.785-
1.9 b. y.
BARINAS APURE EL BAUL ESPINO PIARRA
GRABEN BLOCK
Figure 6. Stratigraphic columns in the Llanos basins. S = Precambrian basement, P = Paleozoic
basement, C = Carrizal Formation, Y = El Baúl granite, B = El Barbasco Group metamorphics, G =
Guacamayas Group volcanics, GS = Carboniferous sandstones, E = "La Quinta" Formation with an
intraformational flow, K = Cretaceous sediments, T = Tertiary sediments. Approximate thickness where
known: C = more than 1,830 m (6,000 ft) maximum. B = more than 425 m (1,400 ft). G = approxi-
mately 350 m (1,150 ft). GS = possibly 744 m (2,440 ft). E = 1,645 m (5,400 ft). K + T = Barinas =
2,100 m (6,890 ft) to 3,700 m (12,140 ft). Las Mercedes area (Figs. 4 and 5) = 1,675 m (5,500 ft) to
1,920 m (6,300 ft). WGDT-1, location 21 (Figs. 4 and 5) = 2,804 m (9,200 ft). Soledad-1 (CVP),
location 23 (Figs 4 and 5) = 4,313 m (14,150 ft).

interbedded white to gray, very fine-grained quartzitic sandstone
with calcareous cement. The sandstone occurs in thinly laminated
zones within the shales. Some of the shales are slightly metamor-
phosed with highly contorted bedding. On the basis of macrofos-
sil photographs from La Heliera-1 core, S.A. Root (1980,
unpublished report) identified trilobite species Jujuyaspis keideli
and Parabolinella cf argentinensis, a dendroid graptolite Dictyo-
nema cf flabelliforme. He assigns an Early Ordovician (Tremo-
docian) age to the assemblage.
Granites, schists and phyllites and other metasedimentary
rocks of the subsurface of Barinas, Portuguesa, Cojedes, and Gua-
rico. The youngest radiometric age determination of these rocks is
412 m.y. in Barinas and 321 m.y. in Guarico (Table 1).
The El Baul granite (287-270 m.y.).
Unnamed sandstones in well NZZ-88X (17, Figs. 4,5) with
one interval at 3,435 m (11,268 ft) subsea which contained a
flora representative of the Carboniferous period, barren below to
a total depth of 4,178 m (13,708 ft) subsea.
Additional data on the CarrizalFormation
On the basis of areal distribution and thickness, the Carrizal
Formation is the most important Paleozoic unit of the Venezue-
lan Llanos basins. It was first described by Hedberg (1942,
p. 200; 1950, p. 1184) from wells Carrizal-1 (18, Figs. 4, 5) and
Suata-1 (36, Fig. 5). In 1975, Carrizal-2X (18, Figs. 4, 5), 5 km
(3 mi) from Carrizal-1, penetrated 1,827 m (5,995 ft) of the
Carrizal Formation between 1,085 m (3,558 ft) and 2,912 m
(9,533 ft) subsea and recovered four cores between 1, 247 m
(4,090ft)and 1,626 m (5,335ft)subsea. This section, the thickest
to be penetrated, did not reach the base of the formation.
These cores represent a monotonous sequence of greenish
 Downloaded from memoirs.gsapubs.org on July 12, 2015
186 G. Feo-Codecido and Others
gray, well-lithified, conspicuously burrowed and bioturbated, mi-
caceous, glauconitic siltstone and claystone with minor inter-
bedded fine-grained sandstone. Cuttings represent the same
lithologies, with common color changes to brick red below 2,164
m (7,100 ft) subsea. In the core of NZZ-12X (Table 2) this color
change is abrupt and unrelated to bedding. In Carrizal-2X, the
kerogen obtained from the cores was of medium yellow color
indicative of little thermal alteration, while that from drill cuttings
below 2,164 m was of medium brown color.
The following petrographic descriptions are typical:
Sandstone: Quartzose, clayey, glauconitic, very micaceous,
silty, bioturbated, very fine grained (average grain size is about
0.1 mm, although grains range from 0.02 to 0.13 mm, medium
silt to fine sand). Roundness varies from angular to subrounded,
with most grains being subangular.
Quartz grains consist of two types: 1) plutonic igneous and
2) metamorphosed with composite strained grains, both sub-
equant and elongated. Other detrital constituents are abundant
mica (muscovite, biotite, and chlorite), sparse plagioclase feld-
spar, and rare zircon. Authigenic minerals include glauconite and
pyrite.
Cement consists of silica, which not only fills pore spaces
producing a well-lithified rock, but has also replaced some of the
detrital grains. Minor calcite cement occurs in scattered
patches; such cement has replaced some of the detrital grains.
Siltstone: Quartzose, very micaceous, clayey, glauconitic,
pyritic, sandy (veryfinesand), bioturbated. Minerals are the same
as described for sandstone. Rock is well indurated and has been
cemented by silica.
Claystone: Very silty, pyritic, micaceous, glauconitic,
strongly burrowed and bioturbated. Contains few burrows that
are filled with silica-cemented, very fine to fine quartz sand.
The Carrizal Formation is usually overlain by Cretaceous
sandstones of the Temblador Group or, in the south, by sand-
stones of Tertiary age. In the Espino Graben (Fig. 4) it underlies
the Jurassic "La Quinta" Formation in MCH-8-5X (31, Fig. 5)
and other wells. It is present in Carrizal-2X (18, Figs. 4,5), Zuata
Este-lX (36, Fig. 5), and MCH-8-5X and Socorro-1 (32, Fig. 5).
It is therefore believed to be present under the Carboniferous
sediments in the geographically central well NZZ-88X
(17, Figs. 4, 5).
In the east, the formation rests on, or interfingers with the
Hato Viejo Formation which has been reported in wells Hato
Viejo-1 (38, Fig. 5), Santa Clara-1 and Maco-1 (38, Fig. 5),
OG-338-S (20, Fig. 4, 5), Suata-1 and Zuata Este-lX (36, Fig.
5), SDZ-43X (19, Figs. 4, 5), and NZZ-45X (33, Fig. 5). A
complete section of 238 m (782 ft) was penetrated in Zuata
Este-lX.
It is possible that remnants of the Precambrian Roraima
Group are also present below the Carrizal-Hato Viejo formations
as suggested by information from wells Santa Clara-1 (38, Fig. 5)
and OG-338-S (20, Figs. 4, 5). Santa Clara-1 cored through the
unconformity at the base of the Cretaceous Temblador Group
and 10 m (33 ft) into silicified, fine to coarse-grained, well-
rounded, well-sorted quartz sandstone followed by 3 m (9 ft) of
extremely hard, poorly sorted quartzite with well-rounded grains.
The quartzite became too hard to core (year 1939) and an addi-
tional 15 m (50 ft) were drilled. The descriptions of the Roraima
Group are summarized by González de Juana and others (1980,
p. 77-86).
On the other hand, after penetrating 637 m (2,090 ft) of
Carrizal Formation, well OG-338-S drilled 63 m (206 ft) of
uniformly well-cemented, fine-grained calcareous, glauconitic,
micaceous sandstone with conglomerate of quartzite and quartz.
This could represent the basal sandstone of the Carrizal Forma-
tion, that is, the Hato Viejo Formation.
The age of the Carrizal Formation: Our work on
acritarch assemblages from the Carrizal Formation in wells
Carrizal-2X (18, Figs. 4, 5), SDZ-11X (see Table 2), and SDZ-
16X (37, Fig. 5) supports an Early Cambrian age for that part of
the formation which has been studied to date. A more complete
investigation is being undertaken for later publication. Robertson
Research (1981) suggests a Middle Cambrian to Early Ordovi-
cian age for acritarchs from other wells in the Carrizal Formation.
Stover's (1967) designation of a Late Devonian-Early Mississip-
pian age for acritarchs from wells Carrizal-1 (18, Figs. 4,5), Tres
Matas-1 (35, Fig. 5), Socorro-1 (32, Fig. 5), Hato Viejo-1 (38,
Fig. 5), and Suata-1 (36, Fig. 5) is herein revised on the basis of
the new samples and in the light of investigations that have been
carried out during the years following his work.
Our samples contained undescribed species of small, thick-
walled acritarchs and the following identified species: Baltis-
phaeridium ciliosum Volkova 1969, Michystridium lanatum
Volkova, cfEstriata minima Volkova, Cymatiosphaera sp. (Plica-
tosphaera voluminosa/elementaría Potter 1974), and the rather
common presence of the distinctive Archaeodiscina umbonulata
Volkova 1968, a species restricted in literature to the Lower
Cambrian (Zone 5 of Downie, 1974; Zone O of Vanguestaine,
1974).
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
At the end of the Paleozoic, the western Llanos basin was
represented by a southern Precambrian Shield, in part covered by
unmetamorphosed Cambrian, Ordovician(?) and Carboniferous
sediments, and a possibly allochthonous northern belt of igneous
and metamorphic rocks of Ordovician to Permian age. In the
Andes marine sedimentation continued from the Late Ordovician
to the Permian, accompanied in places by Paleozoic granitization
at depth. In the eastern Llanos basin the Paleozoic sediments were
either never deposited or were removed prior to Cretaceous
sedimentation.
Rifting occurred in the Early Mesozoic, possibly from
northern Anzoátegui west-southwest to the Colombian border,
documented by a 2,390 m (7,840 ft) column of Carboniferous
and Jurassic sedimentary rocks in the Espino Graben of southern
Guárico. The Llanos basins were thereafter subjected to erosion
until the Cretaceous transgression.
 Downloaded from memoirs.gsapubs.org on July 12, 2015
Basement and Paleozoic rocks
Across the states of Barinas, Portuguesa, Cojedes, and Guá-
rico, a belt of Paleozoic igneous and metamorphic rocks occupies
a median area between the Precambrian Guayana Shield and the
Mesozoic to Lower Tertiary allochthonous basement near the
Venezuelan coast. This belt may have been a part of the shield,
covered by Lower Paleozoic sediments, both of which were later
involved in Paleozoic orogenies, or it may have been accreted to
the Precambrian Guayana Shield during the orogenies. To the
south of the orogenic belt, unmetamorphosed Cambrian sedimen-
tary rocks cover part of the shield in the subsurface of the states of
Apure, Guárico, and Anzoátegui. In the State of Guárico, there is
a graben with a depth to basement of 6,100 m (20,000 ft), in
which are preserved sedimentary rocks of Carboniferous and
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The writers express their gratitude to Corpoven, S.A., and
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MANUSCRIPT ACCEPTED BY THE SOCIETY SEPTEMBER 1, 1 9 8 3
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Geological Society of America Memoirs

Basement and Paleozoic rocks of the Venezuelan Llanos basins

Gustavo Feo-Codecido, Foster D. Smith, Jr., Nelson Aboud and Estela de Di Giacomo

Geological Society of America Memoirs 1984;162;175-188

doi: 10.1130/MEM162-p175

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© 1984 Geological Society of America