Paleosol-based paleoclimate reconstruction of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, northern Argentina

Using a Paleosurface to Constrain Low‐Temperature Thermochronological Data: Tectonic Evolution of the Cuevas Range, Central Andes

“…The combination of low relief, the documented humid climate (Andrews et al, ; Margarita Do Campo et al, ), and the absence of deformation and sedimentation may have allowed the low erosion rates documented in the Cuevas range during the Cretaceous and the Paleogene. These conditions were ideal for the development of etchplains between weathered and fresh rocks.…”

“…During the Mesozoic and the Paleocene, several episodes of humid climatic conditions were responsible for the development of paleosols described on the sedimentary cover and the basement of the Sierras Pampenas (Caminos, 1979;Rabassa & Ollier, 2014). Late Cretaceous to Paleocene paleosols resulting from warm and humid conditions have been documented and dated in the Salta basin (Andrews et al, 2017;M. Do Campo et al, 2007).…”

Evidence of cyclic climatic changes recorded in clay mineral assemblages from a continental Paleocene-Eocene sequence, northwestern Argentina

“…1) to study the changes of clay mineral associations in paleo fluvial environments. Each site was sampled taking into account sedimentary facies and paleosol types of the Maíz Gordo Fm as described in Andrews et al (2017), and a few meters of the underling Mealla and overlying Lumbrera formations. At Tin Tin and Tonco the whole Maíz Gordo Fm was sampled, whereas at…”

“…Despite the paleoclimatic reconstructions in Paleocene-Eocene continental materials, only a few have been carried out in the Southern Hemisphere. The recent study by Andrews et al (2017) focused on paleosols from the Santa Barbara Subgroup in the western part of the Salta Basin, northern Argentina, which include strata spanning the PETM. These authors deduced increased mean annual paleoprecipitation of ~1500 mm and paleotemperature of ~ 5 °C at the height of the PETM.…”

“…These authors deduced increased mean annual paleoprecipitation of ~1500 mm and paleotemperature of ~ 5 °C at the height of the PETM. Based on organic matter carbon isotope data, Andrews et al (2017) identified a ~-6‰ carbon isotope excursion (CIE) that they interpret as a record of the PETM at the top of the Maíz Gordo Formation (Fm), plus two other CIEs of lesser magnitude. However, they could not isotopically characterize the whole unit due to the lack of appropriate lithologies for analyses.…”