Estratigrafía Y Evolución Tectónica De La Cuenca Paleógena De Arizaro-Pocitos, Puna Occidental (24°-25°S)

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Estratigrafía Y Evolución Tectónica De La Cuenca Paleógena De Arizaro-Pocitos, Puna Occidental (24°-25°S) TOMO 1 - Análisis de Cuencas ESTRATIGRAFÍA Y EVOLUCIÓN TECTÓNICA DE LA CUENCA PALEÓGENA DE ARIZARO-POCITOS, PUNA OCCIDENTAL (24°-25°S) T.E. Jordan, Dept Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY 14853 USA, [email protected], C. Mpodozis, ENAP-SIPETROL, Vitacura 2736, Santiago, [email protected] INTRODUCCIÓN El importante evento de deformación que afectó los Andes Centrales durante el Eoceno medio-Oligoceno inferior dio origen a una región, relativamente deprimida, comprendida entre las zonas de activo alzamiento y deformación de la Precordillera chilena, y la Cordillera Oriental de Bolivia y el Noroeste argentino (Kennan, 1999). Esta cuenca recibió el aporte de sedimentos provenientes tanto de la erosión de sus bordes como de bloques de basamento elevados al interior del dominio (Kraemer et al. 1997; Coutand et al, 2001; Voss, 2002; Mpodozis y Clavero, 2003; Carrapa et al, 2005). Con posteridad, los depocentros del sector chileno (cuencas del Salar de Atacama, Punta Negra) quedaron finalmente desconectados de aquellos de la Puna debido el avance hacia el este del frente volcánico andino durante el Mioceno. En esta contribución presentamos nuevos antecedentes acerca del relleno paléogeno de una de las mayores y aún poco conocidas de las cuencas de la Puna Argentina, la cuenca de Arizaro-Pocitos (Fig 1). 57 XI CONGRESO GEOLOGICO CHILENO ESTRATIGRAFÍA Mientras que estratos del Mioceno medio a superior son importantes en el borde del Salar de Arizaro (Alonso et al., 1991; Vandervoort et al., 1995) extensos afloramientos de secuencias continentales paléogenas ocurren más al este (Blasco y Zappettini, 1996; Vandervoort et al., 1995). Fm. Geste: Corresponde a una serie de conglomerados gruesos a muy gruesos, que afloran al SW del Salar de Arizaro y en el flanco occidental de la sierra de Macón (Fig. 1), donde se apoyan en discordancia de erosión sobre granitos ordovícicos (Page et al, 2002). En Sierra de Macón los conglomerados son clasto-soportados, de 600 m de espesor, y con clastos redondeados a subangulares de granitos, riolitas, y metamorfitas. Presentan estructuras de corte y relleno, e intercalaciones de areniscas gruesas con estratificación cruzada. Corresponde a facies de un sistema aluvial con flujos canalizados, asociadas localmente con dunas eólicas. La imbricación de clastos indica transporte desde el oeste. Esta secuencia se asemeja al miembro inferior de la Fm. Geste, descrita por Alonso (1992) en la zona de Pastos Grandes, y a los conglomerados basales del miembro Campo Negro de la formación Quiñoas, expuesta en la zona de Antofalla (Voss, 2002). En Pastos Grandes, el miembro inferior de la Fm. Geste predata a niveles datados del Eoceno medio-superior (Alonso, 1992), lo cual permite, de ser válidas las correlaciones, asignar las facies similares de Arizaro-Pocitos, al Eoceno. Fm. Vizcachera: Zappettini y Blasco (1998) propusieron el nombre Fm. Vizcachera para un conjunto dominado por areniscas y limolitas en el oeste de la zona de estudio. Si bien diferencian dos miembros, el miembro “superior” por ellos descrito, incluye probablemente estratos del Mioceno medio-superior de facies distinta (Vandervoort et al., 1995). Mantenemos, en forma preliminar, el nombre formal Fm. Vizcachera solo para el miembro inferior de Zappettini y Blasco (1998) y la dividimos en dos miembros. Miembro inferior arenoso: Expuesto al oeste de Siete Curvas (Fig.1) está formado por hasta 2000 m de areniscas medias a finas con estratificación planar y ondulitas. Incluye niveles de areniscas, medias a gruesas, con estratificación cruzada. Representan la asociación de facies de un enorme ambiente de sandflat interrumpido por campos de dunas eólicas, depósitos de intraduna y, escasos 58 TOMO 1 - Análisis de Cuencas canales fluviales. Estas facies se asemejan, en parte, a las de miembro Campo Negro de la Fm. Quiñoas (zona de Antofalla) que presenta, en sus niveles medios a superiores, tobas datadas en 37.6±0.3 Ma y 34.0±0.9 Ma (Kraemer et al., 1999; Voss 2002). Miembro superior arcilloso-arenoso. Concordante sobre el miembro inferior en la zona de Siete Curvas (Fig.1) afloran al menos 1000 m de arcillolitas, limolitas y areniscas muy finas con intercalaciones menores de yeso. Presenta, en su parte media, un nivel de tobas datado en 23.8 ± 0.4 Ma (Vandervoort et al., 1995). Corresponden a depósitos distales de un sistema aluvial dominado por flujos en lámina, acumulados, por decantación, en una zona donde las aguas de sucesivas inundaciones se estancaron formado lagos efímeros muy somero. Está cubierto, en suave discordancia, por una unidad con mayor participación evaporítica en cual se intercala una toba de 10.8 ± 2.0 Ma (Alonso et al. 1991) (Fig. 1, 2). Este miembro es, probablemente, equivalente temporal de los miembro Cadillo y Aguada de la Fm Quiñoas el cual presenta intercalaciones de tobas datadas en 28.2 ± 2.4, 28.9±0.8, y 22.5 ± 0.6 Ma (Kraemer et al, 1997; Voss, 2002). Las relaciones verticales y/o laterales entre los dos miembros de la Fm Vizcachera son complejas. Entre Abra Navarro y Siete Curvas el miembro inferior subyace al superior. Sin embargo, hacía el oeste (flanco occidental del Cerro Caricito, Fig.1) la Fm sólo tiene facies como las que caracterizan al miembro inferior, y la edad de 19.8±3.0 Ma (trazas de fisión en circones, datos inéditos de S. Kelley, 2005) de una toba intercalada sugiere que incluye niveles tan jóvenes como los del miembro superior de Siete Curvas (Fig. 2). Este cambio de facies coincide con el eje estructural del anticlinal Cerro Caricito y puede ser consecuencia del crecimiento de dicha estructura durante el Oligoceno superior-Mioceno inferior, aunque el proceso no alcanzó, aparentemente, a exponer a erosión el basamento indicando que la velocidad de acumulación habría excedido la velocidad de alzamiento. 59 XI CONGRESO GEOLOGICO CHILENO CONSIDERACIONES TECTÓNICAS La amplitud de la cuenca de Arizaro-Pocitos (>130 km E-W, >250 km N-S) y la falta de variaciones laterales significativas en el espesor de los estratos paléogenos es característica de cuencas de antepaís desarrolladas sobre una placa horizontal. Durante el Eoceno las Cumbres de Macón habrían constituidos un cerro isla, remanente de una topografía heredada del Mesozóico. Durante el Oligoceno (29-24 Ma) se reactivaron fallas antiguas y se alzaron las Cumbres de Macón, al norte, y Calalaste, al sur (Carrapa et al., 2005), aunque dejando una zona deprimida intermedia en cual siguió la acumulación de sedimentos. La distribución de las secuencias del Eoceno-Mioceno indica que la morfología actual de salares y serranías entre los salares de Arizaro y Pocitos es el producto de procesos de deformación más jóvenes que el Mioceno inferior. Agradecemos a Ricardo Alonso, Shari Kelly, Alvaro Chávez, NSF y SERNAGEOMIN. REFERENCIAS Alonso, R.N.; Jodan, T.E.; Tabbutt, K.T.; Vandervoort, D.S. 1991. Giant evaporite belts of the Neogene central Andes. Geology, Vol. 19, p. 401-404. Alonso, R.N. 1992. Estratigrafía del Cenozoic de la cuenca de Pastos Grandes (Puna Salteña) con énfasis en la Formación Sijes y sus boratos. Revista Asociación Geológica Argentina, Vol. 47, No. 2, p. 189-199. Blasco, G.; Zappettini, E.O. 1996. Hoja Geológica 2566-I, San Antonio de los Cobres. Programa Nacional de Catas Geológicas de la República Argentina (1:250,000), Bol. 217, Dirección Nacional del Servicio Geológico, Buenos Aires, 126 p. Carrapa, B.; Adelmann, D.; Hilley, G. E.; Mortimer, E.; Sobel, E.R.; Strecker, M.R. 2005. Oligocene range uplift and development of plateau morphology in the southern Central Andes. Tectonics, Vol. 24, DOI 10.1029/ 2004TC00176, 19 p. Coutand, I., Cobbold, P., de Urreiztieta, M., Gautier, P., Chauvin, A., Gapis, D., Rosello, E., Lopez, Gamundí, O., 2001, Style and history of Andean deformation, Puna plateau, northwestern Argentina. Tectonics, Vol, 20, p. 210-234 Kennan, l, 1999. Large scale geomorphology in the Andes: interrelationships of tectonics magmatism and climate. In M. A Summerfield (ed) Geomorphology and Global tectonics, p.167-199. , J Wiley, NY Kraemer, B; Adelmann, D.; Alten, M.; Schnurr, W.; Erpenstein, K.; Kiefer, E.; van den Boagaard, P.; Görler, K. 1999. Incorporation of the Paleogene foreland into the Neogene Puna plateau: the Salar de Antofalla area, NW Argentina. Journal of South American Earth Sciences, Vol. 12, p. 157-182. Mpodozis, C.; Clavero, J. 2002. Tertiary Tectonic evolution of the southwestern edge of the Puna Plateau: Cordillera Claudio Gay (26°-27°S). Proceedings, 5th International Symposium on Andean Geodynamics, Tolouse, Francia, p.445-448. Page, S.; Koukharsky, M.; Litvak., V.; Maisonnave, S.; Quenardelle, S. 2002; Edades isotópicas ordovícicas y devónicas en rocas ígneas de la Sierra de Macón, Provincia de Salta, Argentina, Congr Geol Argentino N°15, Actas (Cd Rom), El Calafate. Vandervoort, D.S.; Jordan, T.E.; Zeitler, P.K.; Alonso, R.N. 1995. Chronology of internal draiage development and uplift, southern Puna plataeu, Argentine central Andes. Geology, Vol. 23, p. 145-148. Voss, R. 2002. Cenozoic stratigraphy of the southern Salar de Antofalla region, northwestern Argentina. Revista Geológica de Chile, v. 29, p. 151-165. Zappettini, E.; Blasco, G. 1998. Hoja Geológica 2569-II, Socompa, Provincia de Salta. Programa Nacional de Catas Geológicas de la República Argentina (1:250,000), Bol. 160, Instituto de Geología y Recursos Minerales, Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino, Buenos Aires, 83 p. 60 .
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