Pisco Basin
| Pisco Basin | |
|---|---|
| Cuenca de Pisco | |
| Coordinates | 14°15′S 76°0′W / 14.250°S 76.000°W |
| Etymology | City of Pisco, Peru |
| Location | Western South America |
| Country | Peru |
| State(s) | Ica Region |
| Cities | Pisco |
| Characteristics | |
| On/Offshore | Both |
| Part of | Circum-Pacific forearc basins |
| Area | 300 km (190 mi) |
| Hydrology | |
| Sea(s) | Eastern Pacific Ocean |
| River(s) | Pisco River |
| Geology | |
| Basin type | Forearc basin |
| Orogeny | Andean |
| Age | Eocene–Pliocene |
| Stratigraphy | Stratigraphy |
Pisco Basin (Spanish: Cuenca de Pisco) is a sedimentary basin extending over 300 kilometres (190 mi) in southwestern Peru. The basin has a 2-kilometre (1.25-mile) thick sedimentary fill, which is about half the thickness of more northern foreland basins in Peru.
The oldest known sediments are the Eocene sandstones of the Caballas Formation, while the youngest deposits, the fossiliferous Pisco Formation, date to the Early Pleistocene. In relation to present-day, topography the fill of Pisco Basin makes the upper part of the Coastal Cordillera of southern Peru, the coastal plains, the Ica-Nazca Depression and the Andean foothills.
The basin is renowned for hosting various highly fossiliferous stratigraphic units; the Pisco Formation has provided a wealth of marine mammals (including sloths), birds, fish and other groups, as have the Chilcatay, Otuma and Paracas Formations.