It was formed during the
Neogene period of the
Cenozoic Era, and overlies the
Repetto Formation. Outcrops of the formation in
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area have produced fossil shark teeth from the
Pliocene. In addition to fossils,
armored mud balls were found by Cartwright (1928) in possible fluvial or coastal deposits of the Pico Formation, though they were referred to as "pudding balls" in the article.
Classification The underlying
Repetto Formation is equivalent in age to the
Fernando Formation, and some researchers consider it as well as the overlying Pico Formation to be a junior synonym based on benthic
foraminifera stages. Other researchers maintain that the Repetto and Pico Formations are distinct stratigraphic units, and that the use of the name "
Fernando Formation" should be stopped due to several issues with stratigraphic correlation and access to the type section. ==See also==