It is represented by the Brejo Santo Formation, that comprises red shales and claystones, and the Missão Velha Formation, constituted by medium to coarse-grained quartz-feldspathic sandstones, locally conglomeratic, that contains entire trunks and fragments of silicified wood (Dadoxilon benderi) conifer 3) Rift phase - Berriasian to Hauterivian - characterized by increasing mechanical subsidence that created a system of grabens and half grabens.

It is represented by the Abaiara Formation, that includes shales, siltstones, sandstones and conglomerates 4) Post-Rift I phase - Aptian to Albian - characterized by thermal subsidence.

The Santana Group was formed during this stage and comprises three stratigraphic units: 5) Post-rift II phase - Albian to Cenomanian - characterized by a major sag phase, and is formed by two stratigraphic units: Palynomorph associations showed that the lacustrine system evolved in an arid–semiarid tropical area where the most characteristic flora consisted of conifers, Gnetales, Bennettitales and early angiosperms.

The pattern of organic matter accumulation and preservation corresponds well with cyclical paleoenvironmental changes (from anoxic to oxic bottom conditions and from a fresh to saline upper water layer), which affected the shallow lacustrine system.

These basal deposits formed due to the transgressive event that expanded the relative lake level beyond the previous extension of the Crato Formation over the adjacent basement areas.