 Foraminifera are mostly oceanic, and since Lake Tecopa was never connected to the ocean, they were most likely transported there by birds.Lake Tecopa existed during the Miocene and Pleistocene.The basin of Lake Tecopa formed between 7 and 11 million years ago, but was then tectonically stable during the Quaternary, although tectonic or magmatic activity may be occurring north of Shoshone.