“…Traditionally the 1,300 to 1,900 m thick, folded lower section (Oligocene to early Miocene in age) has been mapped as the Abanico Formation or the equivalent Coya-Machalí Formation south of 34°S (Klohn, 1960;Aguirre, 1960;Thiele, 1980;Charrier et al, 2002Charrier et al, , 2005, whereas the upper unconformable subhorizontal volcanic rocks (1,300 to 3,000 m thick) are considered to be part of the Farellones Formation (Charrier et al, 2002). In fact, a progressive unconformity (time-transgressive) separates these units and the K-Ar ages of the two volcanic units overlap between 22 and 16 Ma (Nyström et al, 2003;Charrier et al, 2002Charrier et al, , 2005Charrier et al, , 2007. The volcanism of the Principal Andean Cordillera of central Chile appears to have initially developed during the Eocene-Oligocene under an extensional tectonic regime (Charrier et al, 2002).…”