Pg. 2974 (fig. 1), 2978 (fig. 3), 2986-2987, 2988 (fig. 7). Painted Rock sandstone member of Vaqueros formation. Rank reduced to member status in Vaqueros formation. At designated type locality, consists of a sequence of sandstones and siltstones with minor amounts of shale; thickness about 5,430 feet; in vicinity of Painted Rock, about 6,000 feet. Overlies Soda Lake shale member; underlies Monterey clay shale; both contacts gradational. Eaton and others (1941, AAPG Bull., v. 25, no. 2) included upper 900 feet of section as part of their Temblor and called the rest, from which they report occurrence of TURRITELLA INEZANA, "Vaqueros"; this separation was based on faunal content and not on lithology; because this predominantly sandstone section is lithologically inseparable throughout its areal extent, term Painted Rock sandstone member is applied. Top of sandstone at Caliente Mountain is stratigraphically about 800 feet lower than it is in northwestern Caliente Range. In southeastern Caliente Range, Painted rock thins, and upper part grades laterally eastward into basal beds of nonmarine Caliente formation. Contains mollusks of TURRITELLA OCOYANA and T. INEZANA zones. Age is early Miocene (Saucesian); in some places possibly Zemorrian [Oligocene]. Saucesian units above and below. Equivalent to Dibblee (sand zone 800 feet) of Russel Ranch and South Cuyama oil fields.
Type locality (with measured section): in vicinity of Caliente Mountain, 7 mi northwest of New Cuyama, southeastern Caliente Mountain and southwestern Wells Ranch quadrangles, southeast San Luis Obispo Co., CA.
Type locality (with measured section, fig. 7): Caliente Mountain and Midway Peak Southwest quadrangles. Named from Painted Rock, a sandstone knob on which Indian pictographs are preserved, in sec. 17, T. 32 S., R. 20 E., Caliente Range. Range is an anticlinal uplift developed in thick series of Tertiary sediments and is partially overturned and thrust-faulted southwestward toward Cuyama Valley.

Source: GNU records (USGS DDS-6; Menlo GNULEX).

Adopted as uppermost member of Vaqueros Formation. Nearly all sandstone in northwest Caliente Range; at Caliente Mountain and eastward as much as 50% interbedded siltstone and 5500 ft thick. Thins to southeast by lower part grading into Soda Lake Shale Member and upper part grading into Caliente Formation, and overall thinning; 600 ft thick in southeast Caliente Range. Contains TURRITELLA OCOYANA and LYROPECTEN MIGUELENSIS ("Temblor age"). Eaton and others (1941) assigned upper 900 ft to "Temblor" and rest to "Vaqueros". Repenning and Vedder (1961) assign to early Miocene "Vaqueros". In northwestern Caliente Range may be middle Miocene "Temblor age". Contains undiagnostic shallow water forams, but Saucesian forams in overlying Monterey Shale and underlying Soda Lake Shale Member. In La Panza Range, 200-1200 ft of sandstone unconformable over Upper Cretaceous or lower Tertiary rocks, or conformably over Simmler Formation or Soda Lake(?) Shale Member. In La Panza Range lower part T. INEZANA zone ("Vaqueros") or early Miocene and upper part T. OCOYANA zone ("Temblor") or early or middle Miocene.

Source: GNU records (USGS DDS-6; Menlo GNULEX).

Age of Painted Rock Sandstone Member of Vaqueros Formation in northwesternmost part of Caliente Range, San Luis Obispo Co, CA, ranges into Relizian (Stage) which is here considered middle Miocene age. [Therefore, overall unit age is early and middle Miocene.]

Source: GNU records (USGS DDS-6; Menlo GNULEX).