Bajada del Diablo impact crater-strewn field: The largest crater field in the Southern Hemisphere

The Bajada del Diablo astrobleme-strewn field, central Patagonia Argentina: Extending the exploration to surrounding areas

“…Reduced relicts of these flows, much more extended in past times, may be observed toward NW of the Filu-Có Meseta, where the G, D, D′, #26, #29, and #30 craters have been found, among many other craters of smaller size as indicated in Fig. 3 of Acevedo et al (2009). The observations performed in the exposed sections of the Puesto Marraco site identified a stratified sequence with occasional cut-and-fill structures, in which several layers are essentially interbedded ( Fig.…”

“…The oldest rocks in the region are limestones and shales of the Santa Anita Formation (CallovianOxfordian). The Araucanian movements of the Andean Cordillera Cycle increased the relief through fault reactivation and overdeepening of the basins that controlled the sedimentation of continental epiclastic/ pyroclastic rocks (the Chubut Group, Albian-Turonian; Ardolino and Franchi, 1996;Acevedo et al, 2009).…”

“…The rest of the Pleistocene was characterized here by a general elevation of the area, with relative lowering of the base level. Consequently, erosive and sedimentary processes generated three pediment surfaces around the core of this ancient massif (Ardolino and Franchi, 1996;Acevedo et al, 2009).…”

“…In a recent paper, Acevedo et al (2009) described one of three critical areas of the impacted region, originally cited by Corbella (1987). This area forms the incomplete ellipse of the Bajada del Diablo impact crater-strewn field: the Filu-Có plateau, wherein 66 craters can be observed distributed over the basaltic tableland and the piedmont landforms.…”

“…1). This large number of almost circular landforms is part of a vast crater field already described by Acevedo et al (2009).…”