The coasts of southern Buenos Aires, Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego are dominated by cliff erosion. Mean rates of cliff retreat are estimated to be about 0.5-0.6 m/year by comparing old photographs with modern satellite images. Considering the height of the Patagonian and Fueguian cliffs (70 to 120 m), the volume of sediment eroded from these cliffs exceeded the volumes provided by the erosion of the cliffs of Buenos Aires (10 to 20 m height). These erosion rates support an estimated delivery of 217 million tons of sediment per year to the continental shelf, exceeding significantly the 22 millions of tons/year transported by the larger Patagonian rivers Negro and Colorado. However, the contribution of these rivers has decreased since the Late Pleistocene changes in the direction of transport of some watersheds. The Chubut and Chico de Santa Cruz rivers suffered reductions of 21-24% in their watershed areas, resulting in reductions of about 33-34% in the volume of water transported to the Atlantic Ocean per year. As the amount of sediment delivered to the Argentine continental shelf by cliff erosion is higher than the fluvial transport, it should be also considered in the balance of beaches fed by longshore transport.Keywords: cliff erosion, sediment supply, drainage reversal, Patagonia, Buenos Aires
RESUMO
Fornecimento sedimentar de origem fluvial e da erosão costeira à plataforma continental Argentina
O litoral de Buenos Aires, Patagónia e Terra del Fuego é dominado pela erosão de falésias marinhas. As taxas de medias de recuo foram estimados em 0,5-0,6 m/ano, com base na comparação de fotografias aéreas antigas com imagens satelitárias modernas. Considerando a altura das falésias patagónicas e fueguinas (70 a 120 m), o volume de sedimento erodido supera os volumes que provêm das falésias de Buenos Aires (10 a 20 m). Estas taxas de erosão permitiram estimar um aporte de