Santiago Formation, California

The Santiago Formation is a geologic formation in Orange and northwestern San Diego County, California.

The siltstones, mudstones and sandstones of the formation preserve fossils of Walshina esmaraldensis and Diegoaelurus vanvalkenburghae, dating back to the Late Eocene to Late Oligocene periods (Uintan to Duchesnean in the NALMA classification).

[1] The only paleoenvironmental interpretation based exclusively on specimens from the Santiago Formation is a study of land snails from SDSNH locality 3276 (Member C, Oceanside, San Diego County), which found the distribution of shell sizes and shapes to be consistent with interpretations of subtropical to tropical conditions and paleotemperatures in excess of 25 °C (77 °F).

[2]