Paleomagnetism of the Ediacaran Avellaneda Formation (Argentina), part I: Paleogeography of the Río de la Plata craton at the dawn of Gondwana

P.R. Franceschinis, J.W. Afonso, M.J. Arrouy, L.E. G´omez-Peral, D. Poiré, R.I. F. Trindade, A.E. Rapalini
2 022
Precambrian Research 383 (2022)
A paleomagnetic and rock magnetic study was carried out in the Ediacaran Avellaneda (~570 Ma) and Cerro
Negro (~555 Ma) Formations belonging to the La Providencia Group, in the upper part of the Neoproterozoic
sedimentary cover of the Tandilia region, in the Río de la Plata craton. The Avellaneda Formation was studied at
outcrop level and in three drill cores, yielding a mean characteristic remanence direction of Dec: 21.4◦, Inc:
67.1◦, α95: 4.2◦, k: 23.9, N: 51 and a paleomagnetic pole at 1.0◦ S, 313.4◦ E, A95: 5.9◦. The Cerro Negro Formation
yielded a mean characteristic direction of Dec: 22.0◦, Inc: 68.5◦, α95: 10.3◦, k: 20.8, N: 11 obtained from a single
drill core, from which a paleomagnetic pole at 3.6◦ S, 307.8◦E, A95: 16.6◦ was computed. Rock magnetic data
indicates that magnetic remanence is mainly associated with magnetite and hematite. The paleomagnetic information
presented here results in a change in the previously accepted Late Ediacaran apparent polar wander
path of the Río de la Plata Craton. The newly obtained poles indicate that Río de la Plata Craton experienced a
rapid drift from a low latitudes location (ca. 19◦ S) at ca. 600 Ma to moderately higher latitudes (between 50◦
and 42◦S) from around 580 to 550 Ma.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.precamres.2022.106909

Rock magnetic properties as proxy indicators of characteristic periodicities in Holocene aeolian sediments (Arturo Dune, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina)

M.J. Orgeira, R. Achaga, L. Cappellotto, C. Gogorza, A. Coronato, J.F. Ponce, V.M. Velasco Herrera
2 022
Journal of South American Earth Sciences 116 (2022)
The objective of this contribution is to distinguish characteristic wind speed periodicities from a roughly 19 mthick profile of Arturo Dune (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina), which contains eight interbedded paleosoils. The results include different magnetic properties and ratios measured in 29 aeolian sediment samples. These properties are coercive force (HC), saturation magnetization (MS), low-frequency (470 Hz) magnetic susceptibilities (kLF), anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM), among others.
The statistical analysis of the variations in the magnetic properties of detrital minerals over time could
indirectly indicate prevailing periodicities of the wind rate during the studied interval. The power spectral
analysis was done using wavelets and multiple cross wavelets. The analysis by wavelets made it possible to distinguish periodicities in the variations of climatic parameters.
A main periodicity of 2824 years was obtained in the different wavelet and multiple cross wavelet analyses of the magnetic parameters. By adding the δ18O series from the deep South Atlantic Ocean to the spectral power analysis, a periodicity of around 3000 years was also obtained.
These periodicities could be related to a fundamental solar mode, with a periodicity of 2300 years (Hallstattzeit cycle). Still, they are not conclusive as solid empirical evidence to support sun-climate relationships on a series of millennial suborbital time scales.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsames.2022.103807

Age constraints of the Guttulapollenites hannonicus–Cladaitina veteadensis Biozone in Argentina reveal the first record of Early Triassic (Olenekian) palynofloras in Western Gondwana

Silvia N. Césari, Carlos O. Limarino, Patricia L. Ciccioli & Corey Wall
2 022
Palynology Volume 47, 2023 - Issue 1
The upper Palaeozoic basins of central-western Argentina include continuous fossiliferous successions spanning the Carboniferous-Permian interval. The palynostratigraphic biozones comprise Late Mississippian, Pennsylvanian and Cisuralian assemblages. Recently, new palynofloras of the La Veteada Formation were referred to the Lopingian (late Permian). However, they are characterized by spores and tetrads of Lundbladispora spp. and Densoisporites spp., pollen grains of Lunatisporites pellucidus, L. noviaulensis and Protohaploxypinus samoilovichii, and the alga Syndesmorion stellatum, that distinguish the post-Permian recovery floras worldwide. A new uranium-lead chemical abrasion-isotope dilution-thermal ionization mass spectrometry (U-Pb CA-ID-TIMS) age confirms the Olenekian age of this stratigraphic unit and allows the identification of the first Early Triassic palynofloras in this region of western Gondwana. Comparison and correlation with similar assemblages from the southern and northern hemispheres supports the Early Triassic turnover with an increase of lycopsid cavate spores associated with some diagnostic species of taeniate and non-taeniate bisaccate pollen.

https://doi.org/10.1080/01916122.2022.2097329

Fracture frequency and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility: A case of study in the Claromec´o Basin (PANG 0003 well), southwestern Gondwana boundary

Giselle Choque, Natalia B. Fortunatti, María B. Febbo, Renata N. Tomezzoli
2 022
Journal of South American Earth Sciences Volume 120, December 2022
The PANG 0003 well records a siliciclastic sedimentary succession corresponding to the Tunas Formation (Permian) in the Claromecó Basin area (Buenos Aires province, Argentina). The aim of this paper is to establish a relationship between fracture frequency in the PANG 0003 exploration well and AMS parameters, as it is a novel research topic that would contribute to the knowledge of the Claromecó basin. Opening-mode I and mode II/III fractures were found in 729 m of unoriented core between 901 m and 170 m recovered. Fracture attributes: inclination, aperture, height, and cement presence are represented by four fracture sets according to the inclination angle; representative kinematic aperture data range from 0 to 5 mm and height constrain by core dimensions. Cement presence is represented by quartz, calcite, and minor pyrite. Fracture description were distributed in lower, middle and upper section of the well according to their fracture frequency (number of fractures per meter). Lower section is represented by a high fracture frequency (13 fractures/meter), which notably diminishes to the middle and upper section of the well (3 fractures/meter). The results indicate that the fracture frequency increases in depth and has a direct relationship with AMS parameters, such as degree of anisotropy (Pj) and magnetic foliation (F). According to previous studies in Sierras Australes outcrops and subsurface for Tunas Formation, tectonic imprint decreases its expression from base to top of the unit and has a positive correlation with fractures studies on cores. This relationship could be used as an alternative methodology to distinguish intervals of high number of fractures in subsurface, in this particular case, for the Claromecó Basin.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsames.2022.104094

3D thermal and rheological models of the southern Río de la Plata Craton (Argentina): implications for the initial stage of the Colorado rifting and the evolution of Sierras Australes

S.E. Vazquez Lucero, F. Ibarra, M.L. Gomez Dacal, C. Prezzi, J. Bott, M. Scheck‑Wenderoth, H. Vizán
2 022
International Journal of Earth Sciences · May 2022
We present 3D thermal and rheological models of a key intra-plate locality of South America: the southernmost limit of the Río de la Plata Craton area (which encompasses the Claromecó Basin, the Sierras Australes, and the Colorado Basin). Both models were calculated on the basis of a previously published 3D lithospheric scale density model, after the population of the different units with thermal and rheological properties. Firstly, the steady-state conductive thermal field was modelled using different thermal properties in accordance with the assumed lithological composition of the units. Moving forward, the strength distribution was calculated considering the resulting thermal field and published rheological properties for common rock types as input for the different layers that compose the 3D density configuration of the area. Our main results suggest that the thickness and composition of the crust exert a first-order control on the present-day thermal field of the area and, subsequently, on the lithospheric strength. Particularly, we identified a rheologically weak lithospheric zone that coincides with previously proposed inherited Paleozoic structures of Gondwana. This inherited lithospheric fabric could have controlled the opening of the Colorado Rift Basin during the early Late Jurassic. In that sense, the present day high strength of the Rio Negro and Colorado transfer zones associated with the mafic infill of Colorado rifting in the Mesozoic suggests that the weak zones should have necessarily been developed during (at least) Paleozoic to early Mesozoic times.
This supports the hypothesis that the reactivation and interaction of the latter with the Gondwanic weak lithospheric zone could have deformed and uplifted the Sierras Australes during the Gondwanides Orogeny.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-022-02197-y

Cueva Los Bancos, A New Archaeological Site with Early Occupations in the Southernmost Sector of the Eastern Sierras Pampeanas of Argentina

Rafael Curtonia, Guillermo Heider, Augusto Oliván, María Clara Álvarez, Ivana Ozán, Julián Tobal, Mariángeles Borgo, Alfonsina Tripaldi
2 023
PaleoAmerica, 14 Sep 2023
We present new chronological data for the southernmost sector of the Eastern Sierras Pampeanas system of central Argentina. Recent excavations at the Cueva Los Bancos site in Sierra del Morro hill provided a date of ca. 9400 calendar years ago. This is the earliest absolute chronology of this sector, considered an ecotone between mountains and plains. Data provided will allow us to include this site in the discussion of the initial peopling of the region.

https://doi.org/10.1080/20555563.2023.2254131

Tectono-stratigraphic evolution of the Jurassic-Cretaceous Laguna Merin Basin (Uruguay): New insights from magnetotelluric transects

Ethel Morales, Facundo Plenc, Josefina Marmisolle, Eduardo Rossello, Alejandro Oleaga, Rodrigo Umpiérrez
2 022
Tectonophysics - Volume 823, 20 January 2022
To understand the subsurface stratigraphy and structure of the Laguna Merín Basin (LMB), data from 42 magnetotelluric stations were interpreted by performing 1-D and 2-D inversions along three profiles perpendicular to the main basin borders. The Aiguá-India Muerta-Chuy Lineament (AICL) constitutes the southern boundary of the LMB and is characterised by a subvertical sinistral transtensional fault with a general orientation of N85°E. The basin's northern boundary, represented by the Cebollatí-Merín Lineament (CML), is characterised by a set of echelon dextral transpressional faults with a general orientation of N50°. Both faulting sets are associated with maximal horizontal stress oriented NE-SW. The infill of the LMB comprises thick Jurassic-Cretaceous igneous rocks (average of ~1500 m) overlying a crystalline Precambrian basement and overlain by ≤500 m-thick Cretaceous-Cenozoic sedimentary sequences. Likewise, a very deep (> 3500 m) conductive body was identified in the basement between the CML and AICL, coincident with the highest values of gravimetric Bouguer anomalies recorded in Uruguay. Shallow Cretaceous-Cenozoic sedimentary sequences show resistivities between 1 and 25 Ω.m, an average thickness of 250 m, and a maximum thickness of 500 m. The deeper Jurassic/Cretaceous igneous rocks show average resistivities between 40 and 252 Ω.m, and a maximum thickness of nearly 2000 m with intercalations of conductive layers (< 25 Ω.m) of unknown nature in the lower half of the basin infill. A tentative 3-D model is proposed to represent the early stage of magmatic emplacement during the opening of the South Atlantic Ocean.

Archean to early Neoproterozoic crustal growth of the southern South American Platform and its wide-reaching “African” origins

Mathias Hueck, Sebasti´an Oriolo, Miguel A.S. Basei, Pedro Oyhantçabal, Beatrix M. Heller, Klaus Wemmer, Siegfried Siegesmund
2 022
Precambrian Research 369 (2022)
The amalgamation of southwestern Gondwana during the late Neoproterozoic Brasiliano/Pan-African orogenic cycle involved the tectonic interaction of the Congo,
Kalahari and Rio de la Plata cratons, together with numerous smaller basement fragments scattered throughout South America. A comprehensive review of U-Pb and
Lu-Hf spot analyses in zircon provides new insights on the pre-Brasiliano crustal growth of the main tectonic domains of the southern South American Platform from
the Archean to the early Neoproterozoic. The results highlight similarities between five basement fragments, from south to north: the Nico P´erez Terrane, Tijucas
Terrane, Camboriú Complex, Luis Alves Terrane and Curitiba Terrane. Whereas these units have variable characteristics, especially concerning differing degrees of
tectonic reworking in the late Neoproterozoic, they share similarities in their geological evolution. They were all originally accreted in the Archean, as evidenced by
Hf TDM model ages and zircon inheritance, and later experienced intense orogenic reworking during the Rhyacian and Orosirian. The Paleoproterozoic record is
diverse and indicates a complex episodic evolution instead of a single orogenic event. Conspicuous diachronic magmatic events took place locally in the Late
Paleoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic, interrupting an otherwise relatively stable tectonic setting until the Neoproterozoic. The Archean origin and strong crustal
signatures of the main Paleoproterozoic units distinguish these terranes from the Rio de la Plata Craton, evidencing instead stronger affinities with African crustal
blocks such as the Congo and Kalahari cratons. This relationship has implications for the geodynamic reconstruction of southwest Gondwana that extend into the
early Neoproterozoic, as it contextualizes the genetic link between the main Tonian events in the region, namely the formation of the S˜ao Gabriel Terrane and the
emplacement of the magmatic protoliths of the basement of the Punta del Este Terrane. They can be understood as marginal and within-plate manifestations of an
accretionary orogen, respectively. The basement of the Punta del Este Terrane has signatures compatible with the recycling of ancient crust through the mixture of
mantellic magmatic input with the partial melting

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.precamres.2021.106532

The detrital zircon record of Variscan to post-Variscan tectonosedimentary and magmatic processes in the Tauern Window (Eastern Alps)

P. Veselá · S. Oriolo · M. A. S. Basei · B. Lammerer · S. Siegesmund
2 022
International Journal of Earth Sciences
Coupled U–Pb and Lu–Hf LA-ICP-MS detrital and igneous zircon data were obtained from metasedimentary sequences
(Kaserer Formation, Schmirntal Quartzite, Seidlwinkel Formation, Bündnerschiefer Basin, Riffler Basin) of the western
Tauern Window (Eastern Alps). Results show maximum deposition ages between the Late Permian and the Triassic, indicating
protracted sedimentation and magmatism between the Late Paleozoic and the Mesozoic. The Lu–Hf fingerprint shows a
change from subchondritic to variable subchondritic to suprachondritic compositions at ca. 290 Ma, possibly documenting
the transition from Late Paleozoic Variscan post-collisional processes to intracontinental extension. Lithospheric thinning
and magmatic underplating may explain the observed Hf isotopic evolution as the result of mixing of crustal and mantellic
sources. From a paleogeographical perspective, results confirm that the Tauern Window was situated between Alpine
basement units (South Alpine, Austroalpine and External Massifs) and the Bohemian Massif during the Permian–Triassic.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00531-022-02179-0

New Record of the Lueckisporites/Weylandites Biozone (Permian) in the Paganzo Basin, Argentina: Stratigraphic Significance

Silvia N. Césari, Carlos O. Limarino, Patricia L. Ciccioli, Sergio Marenssi, Luis Ferreira
2 022
Bio One Digital Library
Presentamos las primeras asociaciones palinológicas colectadas de los estratos abigarrados de grano fino que sobreyacen a la Formación De La Cuesta en Puerta de Las Angosturas, Sierra de Narváez, provincia de Catamarca, Argentina. Cinco muestras de dos niveles estratigráficos diferentes proporcionaron esporas y granos de polen no teniado, teniado y sulcado, referidos a la Biozona Lueckisporites/Weylandites (LW). Las palinofloras son equivalentes a las previamente reportadas para el área de Los Jumes y, por tanto, las secuencias abigarradas que sobreyacen a la Formación De La Cuesta en ambos flancos de la Sierra de Narváez son totalmente equivalentes, no sólo litológicamente sino también en contenido fosilífero y edad. Estas asociaciones son análogas a las datadas isotópicamente en 278,84±0,22 Ma (Kunguriano) descritas en el área de Valle Hermoso (provincia de La Rioja) las cuales constituyen un horizonte estratigráfico clave para vincular las fases iniciales del arco volcánico pérmico y la sedimentación en las cuencas de retroarco. El reconocimiento de taxones diagnósticos de la Biozona LW confirma correlaciones previas con las biozonas Striatites de la Cuenca Chacoparaná y Lv de Brasil. Las diferentes edades reportadas recientemente para la sucesión aquí analizada en Sierra de Narváez y la Formación La Veteada sugieren que estas unidades no deberían ser correlacionadas. Además, mientras que la sucesión que sobreyace a la Formación De La Cuesta registra la sedimentación postorogénica del Pérmico en la Cuenca de Paganzo, la Formación La Veteada representa la transición a condiciones extensionales que caracterizaron las cuencas Triásicas del noroeste argentino.
We present the first palynological assemblages collected from the fine-grained variegated beds that overlie the De La Cuesta Formation at Puerta de Las Angosturas, Sierra de Narváez, Catamarca Province, Argentina. Five samples from two different stratigraphic levels provided spores, non-taeniate, taeniate, and sulcate pollen grains referred to the Lueckisporites/Weylandites (LW) Biozone. The palynofloras are equivalent to those previously reported for the Los Jumes area and, therefore, the variegated sequences that overlie the De La Cuesta Formation at both flanks of the Sierra de Narváez are entirely equivalent, not only lithologically but also in fossiliferous content and age. These assemblages are analogous to those isotopically dated at 278.84±0.22 Ma (Kungurian) in the Valle Hermoso area (La Rioja Province), which constitute a key stratigraphic horizon to link the initial phases of the Permian volcanic arc and the sedimentation in the retroarc basins. The recognition of diagnostic taxa of the LW Biozone confirms earlier correlations with the Striatites Biozone of the Chacoparaná Basin and the Lv Biozone from Brazil. The different ages recently reported for the succession analyzed here in Sierra de Narváez and La Veteada Formation, suggest that these units should not be correlated. Moreover, while the strata overlying the De La Cuesta Formation records the Permian post-orogenic sedimentation in the Paganzo Basin, the La Veteada Formation accounts for the transition to the rifting conditions that characterized the triassic basins of northwestern Argentina.

https://doi.org/10.5710/AMGH.08.11.2022.3531