Deformation history of the Puna plateau, Central Andes of northwestern Argentina

Henriquez, Susana; DeCelles, Peter G.; Carrapa, Bárbara; Hughes, Amanda N.; Davis, George H.; Alvarado, Patricia

doi:10.1016/j.jsg.2020.104133

Cited by 12 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…The Southern Puna was involved in multiple orogenic episodes during the Paleozoic, most likely leading to substantial crustal shortening and thickening (Ducea et al, 2015a;Escayola et al, 2011;Lucassen et al, 2000Lucassen et al, , 2001. As also noted for the Northern Puna Plateau, this pre-Cenozoic crustal shortening is displayed in Ordovician metamorphic rocks (e.g., the Cortaderas Chicas Volcano-Sedimentary Complex), which exhibit ∼25-50% shortening (Henriquez et al, 2020). The Southern Puna, having escaped major crustal extension during the Mesozoic, may have retained a larger portion of its Paleozoic crustal thickness than surrounding regions, such as the Cordillera de Domeyko in Chile (Amibilia et al, 2008) and the broken foreland region of Argentina (Marquillas et al, 2005), which experienced Mesozoic rifting.…”

Section: Crustal Thickness and Lithospheric Founderingmentioning

confidence: 73%

“…Throughout the Calalaste Range, the CCVSC is highly deformed by upright, nearly isoclinal folds with wavelengths of ∼200–400 m. We observed poorly exposed planar surfaces coated with slickenfibres within the CCVSC (Figure S2 in Supporting Information S1). These may represent flexural slip planes and/or cleavage planes formed by pressure dissolution during a pre‐Cenozoic episode of shortening, as reported for equivalent rocks in the Northern Puna (Henriquez et al., 2020).…”

Section: Geologic Mapping and U‐pb Chronostratigraphymentioning

confidence: 78%

“…Similar Ordovician metasedimentary and metavolcanic strata crop out along a 400‐km long NNE‐trending belt that transects the entire Puna Plateau and represents deformed volcanic, volcaniclastic, and marine strata deposited in the forearc (Niemeyer et al., 2018) of the Famatinian magmatic arc and Puncoviscana orogenic belt (Ducea et al., 2015b; Niemeyer et al., 2018; Suzaño et al., 2017; Zimmermann & Bahlburg, 2003). Throughout the Puna, Ordovician‐age units display ∼25–50% shortening that predates the Cenozoic Andean orogeny (Henriquez et al., 2020). Pre‐Andean deformation was accomplished by one or more episodes of orogenesis on the Paleozoic western margin of Gondwana (Lucassen et al., 2000), which imparted a steeply east‐dipping fabric to the basement in the Antofalla region (Mon & Hongn, 1991).…”

Section: Geologic Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Eocene to Quaternary Deformation of the Southern Puna Plateau: Thermochronology, Geochronology, and Structural Geology of an Andean Hinterland Basin (NW Argentina)

et al. 2022

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Cordilleran orogens are complex tectonic systems, strongly influenced by lithospheric deformation and exhumation. However, in the type region of the Central Andes, the timing and mechanisms of deformation and mountain building remain poorly constrained, especially for the high‐elevation Puna Plateau of NW Argentina. We use geologic mapping, structural cross‐sections, low‐temperature thermochronology, and U‐Pb dating of ash and detrital zircons to elucidate the history and style of orogenic deformation in the Antofalla region of the Puna Plateau. Cooling ages of major reverse fault hanging walls and dated growth strata indicate that crustal shortening activated major reverse faults during the Eocene and continued out‐of‐sequence through the Early Miocene. This protracted period of shortening, which resulted in the filling of the Antofalla Basin, was followed by a transient episode of upper‐crustal E‐W extension on a major normal fault system during the Late Miocene. Pliocene to Quaternary time saw E‐W shortening return to the region. Our structural cross‐section permits only a low magnitude of shortening (∼15–25%), which stands in contrast to the 60‐km thick crust. Triassic to Cretaceous cooling ages from footwall rocks and minor structures indicate that the entire region experienced little exhumation or sedimentation during the Mesozoic, perhaps retaining a crust thickened during multiple episodes of Paleozoic orogenesis. The crust may also reflect lower‐crustal thickening due to the growth of a lithospheric drip during the Late Miocene.

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Section: Crustal Thickness and Lithospheric Founderingmentioning

confidence: 73%

Section: Geologic Mapping and U‐pb Chronostratigraphymentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Geologic Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Eocene to Quaternary Deformation of the Southern Puna Plateau: Thermochronology, Geochronology, and Structural Geology of an Andean Hinterland Basin (NW Argentina)

et al. 2022

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“…This implies that range uplift west of the Humahuaca valley continued during Pliocene‐Pleistocene times. Deformation in general propagated eastward (Anderson et al., 2017, 2018; DeCelles et al., 2007, 2011; Deeken et al., 2006; Henríquez et al., 2019, 2020), with proposed periods of out‐of‐sequence deformation (e.g., Henríquez et al., 2022), and reached the Tilcara Range at ∼ 10‐4 Ma (Henríquez et al., 2022; Pingel et al., 2013, 2014; Siks & Horton, 2011). Early uplift of the Tilcara Range and its northern continuation is well documented in the Cianzo basin, ∼20 km east of Humahuaca, where the Orán Group records a changing geological setting from a widespread foreland basin to a restricted intermontane basin in the late Miocene (Siks & Horton, 2011).…”

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Constraining Andean Propagation of Exhumation at the Limit of the Eastern Cordillera, NW Argentina, Using Low‐Temperature Thermochronology in a Structural Context

et al. 2022

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Within the Central Andes of NW Argentina, the spatiotemporal distribution and style of deformation is strongly influenced by pre‐Cenozoic heterogeneities, mostly related to the Salta rift extension in the Cretaceous. At the enigmatic junction of the thin‐skinned Subandean belt and the thick‐skinned Santa Barbara System, the Tilcara Range and adjacent San Lucas block, located within the Eastern Cordillera, show thermochronological and field evidence of multiple exhumation events. Mesozoic (140‐115 Ma), pre‐Andean exhumation of basement highs is constrained by unconformities between basement and syn‐rift strata, as well as zircon (U‐Th‐Sm)/He cooling ages. Cenozoic Andean exhumation is quantified by apatite (U‐Th‐Sm)/He and fission track cooling ages, which were reset between the Late Cretaceous and Miocene. These data show that the westernmost Tilcara Range began exhuming in the late Oligocene‐early Miocene (26‐16 Ma), after which exhumation propagated to the border of the Eastern Cordillera in the middle Miocene (22‐10 Ma). The onset of rapid exhumation in the San Lucas block, which is located east of the Tilcara Range, occurred in the late Miocene (10‐8 Ma) in its western part, and in the late Miocene‐early Pliocene (6‐4 Ma) in its eastern part. Internal deformation of the San Lucas block, disturbing zircon (U‐Th‐Sm)/He and apatite fission track age patterns, predates propagation of rapid exhumation. The here presented low‐temperature thermochronology data set thus quantifies the multi‐phase exhumation history of the Eastern Cordillera of NW Argentina and constrains the timing of Andean propagation of exhumation within the Eastern Cordillera and the adjacent structural transition zone.

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“…B Digital elevation model for southern portion of South America. Color filled stars denote locations of U-Pb zircon samples for comparison with Tafí del Valle samples: southern Puna Plateau 37 , 38 ; central Puna Plateau 56 – 60 ; Chaco 36 , 61 ; Sierras Pampeanas 62 – 67 ; Precordillera 67 – 69 ; Neuquén basin 70 ; northern Patagonia 71 ; southern Patagonia 72 ; Ríos Neuquén, Salado, Limay, Colorado, Negro Chubut, Gallegos, Santa Cruz, Chico, and Deseado 36 . Area of wind erosion study of Puna Plateau reported here highlighted by dashed red line; linear wind erosion data shown in inset rose plot.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A westerly wind dominated Puna Plateau during deposition of upper Pleistocene loessic sediments in the subtropical Andes, South America

et al. 2022

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The Tafí del Valle depression (~27° S) in the eastern Andes of Argentina provides a record of late Pleistocene dust deposition in the subtropics of South America. We present large-n U-Pb geochronology data for detrital zircons from upper Pleistocene loess-paleosol deposits. When compared to regional data, the age spectra from the Tafí del Valle samples are most like the southern Puna Plateau, supporting derivation largely from the west and northwest. This runs counter to hypotheses suggesting these loessic sediments were derived from the low elevation plains to the east or extra-Andean Patagonia. Mapping of linear wind erosion features on the Puna Plateau yield a mean orientation of 125.7° (1 s.d. = 12.4°). These new data and existing records are consistent with a westerly-northwesterly dominated (upper- and lower-level) wind system over the southern Puna Plateau (to at least ~27° S) during periods of high dust accumulation in Tafí del Valle.

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Deformation history of the Puna plateau, Central Andes of northwestern Argentina

Cited by 12 publications

References 70 publications

Eocene to Quaternary Deformation of the Southern Puna Plateau: Thermochronology, Geochronology, and Structural Geology of an Andean Hinterland Basin (NW Argentina)

Eocene to Quaternary Deformation of the Southern Puna Plateau: Thermochronology, Geochronology, and Structural Geology of an Andean Hinterland Basin (NW Argentina)

Constraining Andean Propagation of Exhumation at the Limit of the Eastern Cordillera, NW Argentina, Using Low‐Temperature Thermochronology in a Structural Context

A westerly wind dominated Puna Plateau during deposition of upper Pleistocene loessic sediments in the subtropical Andes, South America

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