212 
SOUTH AMERICAN GEOLOGY 
as far as Curanilahue, Chile. There appears to have been suffi¬ 
cient elevation still farther south, accompanied by vulcanism, to 
modify the climates on the Chilean and Patagonian sides, but noth¬ 
ing approaching the contrast of present-day conditions. 
Marine Pliocene beds are represented in Venezuela, probably 
in Colombia and Ecuador, in coastal Peru (Payta formation), 
in Chile (Coquimbo-Caldera beds), in Argentina (Cape Fair- 
weather beds at the south, Parana beds farther north), and in 
eastern Brazil (Bahia). Branner considers the last named forma¬ 
tions as lake beds. They contain no marine fossils, but occupy a 
late Cretacic-Eocene embayment; and although they contain no 
known marine fossils, their fossil plants are distinctly coastal types. 
Continental Pliocene deposits are widespread in South America. 
It was during Pliocene times that the great elevation of the Andes 
commenced, accompanied by maximum vulcanism in the Western 
Andes, and the invasion of granitic batholiths in the Eastern An¬ 
des. Mineralization, as for example the Bolivian silver-tin dis¬ 
trict, the Corocoro copper district, etc., were important phases of 
the last mentioned event. 
Elevation was accompanied by enormous valley-filling and 
waste-slope deposition. The Pliocene deposits on both sides of the 
Cordillera, and in the Intermontane valleys are of great thickness. 
These are plant-bearing on the Bolivian plateau at Jancocata, Cor¬ 
ocoro, and Chacarilla; in the Eastern Andes at Pisllypampa and 
Potosi; and east of the mountains in Bolivia and northwestern 
Argentina; and doubtless at many yet undiscovered localities 
throughout Peru. These beds also contain the Plio-Pleistocene 
terrestial fauna (Mastodon, Megatherium, Scelidotherium, !Ma- 
crauchenia, Hippidium, Parahipparion, etc.) for which the An¬ 
dean region is famous and which is really very prolific. 
Some of these plant-bearing beds, notably those around Coro¬ 
coro, Bolivia, have recently been discussed in great detail.^^. One 
striking line of evidence of the recency of uplift of the Andes rests 
on the changes of level shown by these fossil plants, for example, 
the presence of palms at Potosi and Pisllypampa, at elevations re¬ 
spectively of 13,500 and 11,000 feet. All of these Pliocene floras, 
comprising in all 150 species of plants, very close to still existing 
species of the Yungas and the Amazon basin, demonstrate great 
13 Hopkins Studies in Geologry, Nos. 1 and 4, 1922. 
