The stratigraphy of the lower-middle Miocene Kuma Group of Shikoku, southwestern Japan, was re-examined on the basis of geological field observations of the previously defined Shimosakabatoge Formation and the Tomishige Formation. The redefined Kuma Group consists of, in ascending stratigraphic order, the Furuiwaya Formation, composed mainly of clasts of Sambagawa metamorphic rocks, and the Myojin Formation, mainly sandstone and granite clasts. The lithofacies of the Shimosakabatoge Formation and its depositional age, as deduced from its clasts and the ages of igneous rocks that intrude the formation , suggest it is part of the Furuiwaya Formation. The previously proposed stratigraphy of the Kuma Group, in which the Tomishige Formation was placed at the top of the group, is questionable. The relationships between the Kuma Group and the lower Eocene Hiwadatoge Formation is revealed as an unconformity.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.