Caturrita Formation

Caturrita Formation Stratigraphic range: Carnian - Norian
Caturrita Formation. Source: UFSM
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	Santa Maria Supersequence
Underlies	Mata Sandstone
Overlies	Alemoa Member, Santa Maria Formation
Thickness	30 - 60 m
Lithology
Primary	sandstones, siltstones
Location
Coordinates	-29.695042, -53.795403
Region	Paleorrota  Rio Grande do Sul
Country	Brazil
Extent	250 km
Type section
Named for	Caturrita, barrio of Santa Maria
Geopark of Paleorrota

The Caturrita Formation is a rock formation found in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Its sediments were deposited in the Paraná Basin. The formation most likely has a late Carnian to early Norian age (Upper Triassic) and forms part of the Santa Maria Supersequence in the upper section of the Rosário do Sul Group.

The formation received this name, because Caturrita is a neighbourhood (barrio) of Santa Maria. In Portuguese caturrita also refers to the monk parakeet.

The sediments of the Caturrita Formation belong to the second unit of the Santa Maria Supersequence and overlie the Alemoa Member of the Santa Maria Formation. The clayey sediments of the Alemoa Member gradually give way to the more sandy, rarely conglomeratic, Caturrita Formation, which finishes with an unconformity. After this erosional event follow the Rhaetian sediments of the Mata Sandstone, the third unit of the Santa Maria Supersequence.

The Caturrita Formation was once regarded as a member of the stratigraphically higher Botucatu Formation or was expanded to include the Mata Sandstone.

The Caturrita Formation reaches a maximum thickness of 60 meters, but generally oscillates around values of 30 meters.

Geological formations in Rio Grande do Sul:
1) Serra Geral Formation, Cretaceous. 2) Botucatu Formation, Cretaceous. 3) Guará Formation, Jurassic. 4) Santa Maria Formation e Caturrita Formation, Triassic. 5) Sanga do Cabral Formation, Triassic. 6) Piramboia Formation, Permian. 7) Itararé Group, Permian.