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Neogene dextral transpression at the Southern edge of the Altiplano-Puna

(N-W Argentina)

Article · January 1993

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Marc de Urreiztieta Eduardo Rossello

Petroliam Nasional Berhad Universidad de Buenos Aires
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 Second ISAG, Oxford (UK),21-231911993 267

NEOGENE DEXTRAL TRANSPRESSION AT THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF

THE ALTIPLANO-PUNA (N-W ARGENTINA).

Marc de URREIZTIETA(~),Eduardo A. ROSSELLO(2), Denis GAPAIS(l), Claude Le C O F d l ) , and

Peter R. COBBOLD(~).

1,35042 Rennes Cedex, France.

(1) Géosciences Rennes, CNRS, UniversitC de Rennes
(2) CONICET and Departamento de Ciencias Geol6gicas, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria,
1428, Buenos Aires, Repliblica Argentina.

RESUME: Le haut-plateau andin (Altiplano-Puna) constitue la manifestation topographique majeure dela

chaîne des Andes centrales associk B la convergence Est-Ouest entre la plaque pacifique Nazca et l'Am6rique
du Sud. Dans le NW de l'Argentine (27OS), la limite Sud-Est de la Puna est une zone de transfert majeure
entre deux domaines crustaux, l'un au nord fortement raccourci et Cpaissi, l'autre au sud plus moddrement
défomC. L'Ctude d'un Mod5le Numérique de Terrain, d'images satellitaires (SPOT), nos observations de
terrain, et l'analyse cinkmatique des populations
de failles,permettent d'interprêter cette zone comme une zone
transpressiveet dextre, accommodant une augmentation du taux de raccourcissement Est-Ouest, depuis Sudle
vers le Nord.

KEYWORDS: Andes, Altiplano-Puna, Transpression, Digital Mapping,Fault kinematics.

INTRODUCTION AND GEOLOGICALSETTING

The main topographicfeature of the Central Andesis the Altiplano-Puna (grcyxea, Fig.1). In northwestem
Argentina (27OS), the Andean cordillera narrows abruptly andthe foreland Pampean province contains
alternating basinsand nnges (black, Fig.1). The Iransilion (slippcd area, Fig. 1) coincides with two features
(Stelzner, 1923): (1)a change in the dipof the subducling Nazca plale, [rom about30" easterly dip below the
Puna, to subhorizontal beiowthe Pimpean
province (Cahill & Isacks,1992), and (2) a
disappearance of the Neogene andesitic
volcanism (Jordan et a1.,1983).
The Palnpean Ranges strike subparallel to
the chain:The ranges consistof Precambrian
to Paleozoic plutonic and metarnorphic rocks.
Basins are filled with Tertiary to Quaternxy
continental sediments, deposited on a Pre-
Miocene erosion surface often well exposed
on the ranges. Basins and ranges are
generally hunded by high-angle reversefault
zones of dominantly eastward vergence.
Sediments showan ovc~allupward coxsening
and increase in thickncss fronlthe Miocene 10
the Pliocene (Mdizzia,1988), reflecting an
increasc in tectonic aclivily.
Thispaper
presents a structural
interpretation of the area using digital
mapping, satellite images (SPOT), and a
kinemalic analysisof fault populations.

REGIONALSTRUCTURES

We have produced numerical topognphic Figure 1.

images of an area coveringthenorlhem
268 Second ISAG, Oxford (UK),21-23/9/1993

Pampean Ranges (Fig.2).

From SE to NW, the
altitude increases in steps,
from the Chaco-Pampean
level (230 m) (Fig.2b. SE
corner) to the Puna (average
altitude >3700 rn) (Fig.2b.
NW corner). As basins
becomehigher,
the
sedimentary infill becornes
thicker and their surface area
decreases. This,we interpret
as illustrating an increase of
the
degreebasin
of
evolution, i.e. an increase
in theamount of bulk
crustal shortening towards
the Altiplano.
Basirls and ranges are
generally asymmetric, with I
a spacing of several tens of 64'45W
Figure 2.
kilometers.
Unraullcd marginsof individual basins are gently dipping and controlled by the pre-Miocene erosion surface;
whereas thrusted margins show sharp relief (Fig. 2). More symrnetrical depressions, bounded byfault zones
of opposite vergence, alsooccur (Fig. 3).
The overall strike of basins and ranges changes sharply, frorn a regional NS attitude, to NE-SW
orientations within the transition zone between the southern Sierras Pampeanas and the Puna. This zone,
previously knownas the Tucum6n lineament (Mon, 1976), is also rnarked by (1) en &helon ranges (Figs. 2
and 3). and (2) strong changes in the mount of thrusting along individual basin margins. These features
suggest that significant wrenehing and block rotations have securred within this zone.

FAULT MINEMATICS

Striated fault planes were measured at several localitiesdong basin boundaries, within both bmernent and
tertixy sedirnents (Fig. 4). A statistical analysisof fault populations indicates that(1) the principal direction
of bulk shortening is subhorizontal and strikes dominantly EWtoEME-WSW at regional scale, (2) it
changes 10 domi~~anlly W - S E along the Puna boundary, (3) the principal extension direction is variable,
dong strike has locallymcurred,
frorn steeply dipping to subhorizontal, indicating that sulsstantial stretching
and (4) strains are of plane-strain to flattening type. Thus the local kirnematics assoeiated with basin
development differ significantly from pure thrusting. The principal shortening direction is frequently oblique
to basin boundaries (Fig. 4). Hence we infer substantial componentsof dextral strle-slip along NIVE-SSW
to NE-SW directions. Conjugate sinistral strike-slip occurred to a lesser extent alongW - S S E directions.
1

For the northern Sierras Pmpeanas, we infer substantial dextralwrenching along the southern borderof the
Puna Plateau duringthe Neogene. This transpressive basin and range province Tucumh(the Transfer Zone),
is interpreted as accolnmodating a change in the amount of horizontal shortening. between the strongly
thickened domainof the Puna to the North and lhe less defonned Sierras Pampeanas to the South.

REFERENCES
R.W. Allmendinger, 1986, Tectonic development, southeastern border of the Puna Plateau,
northwestern Argenlina Andes, Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull., 97, 1070-1082.
R.W. Allmendinger, 1989, Neotectonic deformation of the southern Puna Plateau, northwestern
Argentina. J. South Amer. Earth Sci., 2, 111-130.
T. Cahill and B.L. Isacks, 1992, Seismicity and shape of the subducted Nazca Plate, Journal of
Geophysical Resexch, 97,17503-17529.
 Second ISAG, Oxford (UK),21-23/9/1993 269

T.E. Jordan, B.L. Isacks, V. Ramos and R.W. Allmendinger, 1983, Mountain building inthe
Central Andes, Episodes, 1983,20-26.
D.C. Malizzia, 1988, Indicadores litol6gicos de paleoclima en el Ne6geno de Sierras Pampeanas, II
reuni6n Argenlinn de sedimentologia., Actas1, 160-164.
R. Mon, 1976, La tect6nica del borde oriental de Los Andes en las provincia de Salta, TucurnBn y
Catamarca, Repliblica Argentina, Rev. Assoc. Geol. Argentina, XXXI, 65-72.
A. Stelzner, 1923, Contribuciones a la geologia de la Repliblica Argentina, con la parte lirnitrofe de los
Andes Chilcnos entrelos 32 y 33" S,VI11 Actas Acad. Nac. Cienc. (Cbrdoba).

67"W 66"W

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29% 29"s

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67'W 66"W 67"W 66"W
Figure 3. Figure 4.

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