This book describes the Mesozoic to Cenozoic evolution of the Chilean and Argentinean Andes. The book is structured from a historical perspective concentrating on specific processes explained in each chapter. The chapters cover dynamic subsidence; neotectonics; magmatism; long and short term deformation; spatial development of ancient orogenic processes that control Andean reactivations; relation between ocean bathymetry and deformation. Sources of detritus through Andean construction are discussed by specialists from both sides of the Southern Andes. This book provides up-to-date reviews, maps, evolutionary schemes and extensive reference lists useful for geoscientists and students in Earth Science fields.

This book provides an overview of newly gathered material focusing on the opening and closure of The Neuquén Basin. The Neuquén Basin contains the most important hydrocarbon reservoirs in Argentina and therefore is characterized by a profound knowledge of the sedimentation mechanisms and closure times. During the last 10 years a considerable amount of new information has been produced that illustrates a complex evolution that involves more than one synrift stage during its evolution, an aborted sag phase associated with the inception of a first foreland basin in late Early Cretaceous times, two extensional destabilizations in the Late Cretaceous-Paleocene and late Oligocene times and a Neogene magmatic expansion coetaneous to a last mountain building. These processes have produced a polyphasic complex structure that exhumed the rich sedimentary record that characterizes the basin.

Andean Tectonics addresses the geologic evolution of the Andes Mountains, the prime global example of subduction-related mountain building. The Andes Mountains form one of the most extensive orogenic belts on Earth, spanning approximately an 8,000-km distance along the western edge of South America, from ~10°N to ~55°S. The tectonic history of the Andes involves a rich record of diverse geological processes, including crustal deformation, magmatism, sedimentary basin evolution, and climatic interactions. This book addresses the range of Andean tectonic processes and their temporal and spatial variations. An improved understanding of these processes is fundamental not only to the Andes but also to other major orogenic systems associated with subduction of the oceanic lithosphere. Andean Tectonics is a critical resource for researchers interested in the causes and consequences of Andean-type orogenesis and the long-term evolution of fold-thrust belts, magmatic arcs, and forearc and foreland basins. - Evaluates the history of Andean mountain building over the past 300 million years - Integrates recent studies and new perspectives on the complementary records of deformation, magmatism, and sedimentary basin evolution and their interactions in time and space - Provides insight into the development of the northern, central, and southern Andes, which have typically been considered in isolation

Andean Structural Styles: A Seismic Atlas is a comprehensive reference illustrating the variability in structural styles and hydrocarbon traps that exist in the Andean chain. The Andean chain, stretching over more than 5,000 km (3,000 mi) from Venezuela to Argentina, contains a large number of sedimentary basins which have developed in a wide range of tectonic settings. Some of these basins are highly mature, with hydrocarbon production from Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic sedimentary sequences, while others are still underexplored. Andean Structural Styles: A Seismic Atlas covers topics including fold types, thrust faults, triangle zones, inversion structures, synorogenic deposits, and growth stratal geometries. These topics are illustrated by thirty-two seismic examples interpreted and uninterpreted, covering most of the Andean basins, and five chapters reviewing the structural styles of the Andes, the complexity of processing seismic in these settings, how analogue models help in the interpretation, and several outcrop analogues. This reference is invaluable to both hydrocarbon exploration of the Andes and researchers and students in the fields of exploration geology and structural geology. Also, those teaching structural geology and seismic interpretation will find a valuable resource with lots of uninterpreted seismic examples that can be used in their lectures. - Includes a vast collection of high-quality, color images - Features case studies covering the entirety of the Andes Mountain chain - Presents high-quality seismic data that was previously only available to oil companies

This book studies the Fuegian Andes in Argentina, showing both simple and complex aspects. The first ones refer to the general stratigraphy of the area and the latter result from their tectonic characteristics. Concerning the stratigraphy, an appraisal of the denomination and valorization of formations of Jurassic and early Cretaceous age is performed here to reach the simple scheme of the Fuegian-Patagonian continuity under the name of “Fuegian Andes Deformed Complex”. As an essay the formational nomenclature is simplified and the local concept of basement is evaluated. In relation to their structural aspects it is assumed that the formation of the orogenic Fuegian arc and the folding of the Mesozoic and early Tertiary layers are connected phenomena. Tectonic forces from the West, the Northeast and the South have had participation in the formation of the tectonic arc. The lithostatic column pressure was added once the layers were folded and thrusted upwards during the birth of the Fuegian Andes. Even the speculation of a great main fold overturned to North, as an abstraction, is considered. Instead, the Magallanes-Fagnano fault is appreciated only as a product of the transcurrent Quaternary movements, lacking associated eruptive processes that contribute to define plate borders.

This Special Publication arises from the UNESCO-sponsored IGCP 586-Y project `The tectonics and geomorphology of the Andes (32°–34°S): interplay between short-term and long-term processes’. It includes state-of-the-art reviews and original articles from a multidisciplinary perspective that investigate the complex interactions of tectonics and surface processes in the subduction-related orogen of the Andes of central Chile and Argentina (c. 27° –39°S). It aims to improve our understanding of tectonic and landscape evolution of the Andean range at different time scales, as well as the mutual relationship between internal and external mechanisms in Cenozoic deformation, mountain building, topographic evolution, basin development and mega-landslides occurrence across the flat slab to normal subduction segments. The geodynamic processes of the Andes of central Chile and Argentina are analysed from a number of subdisciplines of the Earth sciences, including tectonics, petrology, geophysics, geochemistry, structural geology, geomorphology, engineering geology, stratigraphy and sedimentology.

This book presents selected research highlights from the Seventh Argentine Geomorphology and Quaternary Studies Congress, hosted at Puerto Madryn, Northern Patagonia, Argentina by the Argentine Association of Geomorphology and Quaternary Studies (AACYG). The congress included special sessions, symposia, invited lectures and posters on the following topics: Quaternary stratigraphy and geochronology, paleontology (diatoms, mollusks, foraminifera, palynology, phytoliths, paleobotany, vertebrates), dendrochronology, climate change, paleoclimate, Pampean Quaternary paleolimnology, paleomagnetism, environmental magnetism, hydrogeochemical processes, geoarchaeology, geomorphology, structural geology and neotectonics, paleosurfaces, volcanism, geological hazards, assets, geomorphosites, and digital mapping. The Scientific Committee of the Congress has selected the papers published in this volume from more than 150 contributions in many different disciplines.