"The objective of this volume is to examine the Cenozoic tectonic and magmatic evolution from the arc to the retroarc of a distinctive end-member of the Andean accretionary orogen between 35*S and 39*S. The evolution of the Andes in this region provides an outstanding case study of an orogen where periods of contraction and extension, crustal shortening and normal faulting, and differences in retroarc volcanism reflect a tectonic regime that alternates in space and time. Structural, magmatic, and paleogeographic patterns correlate strongly with the dynamics of the subduction zone. The region includes the Neuquen basin which is one of the most prolific of the Central Andes. The tectonic setting is important in understanding hydrocarbon systems of the sub-Andean basin and the potential for ore deposits in the cordillera. The book is fundamental for researchers working on tectonics and magmatism in Andean type systems as well as those involved in exploration."--Publisher's website.

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 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 presents recent findings on the structure and evolution of the Southern Andes. Through a detailed description of a series of orogenic segments reviewed by the different groups that have worked with structural and geophysical tools in each area over the last several years, it illustrates the diversity of mechanisms that have impacted strong orogenic gradients and consequently mountain morphology, from the southern Pampean flat subduction zone to the southern tip of the continent (33-56o S). The book also revises our conventional understanding of the source of the different Mesozoic to Cenozoic sections exhumed in the orogenic wedge, with the objective of discussing basin mechanisms through time. A final chapter discusses probable orogenic controls that have acted together in order to explain structure, the different deformational stages and intra-orogenic extensional collapses that affected the fold and thrust belt over time.

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.

The Australide orogen, the southern hemisphere Neoproterozoic to Mesozoic terrane accretionary orogen that forms the palaeo-Pacific margin of Gondwana, is one of the largest and longest-lived orogens on Earth. This book brings together a series of reviews and multidisciplinary research papers that comprehensively cover the Australides from the Tasman orogen of eastern Australia to the Neoproterozoic and Palaeozoic orogens of South America, taking in New Zealand and Antarctica along the way. It deals with the evolution of the southern Gondwana margin, as it grew during a series of terrane accretion episodes from the late Proterozoic through to final fragmentation in mid-Cretaceous times. Global perspectives are given by comparison with the Palaeozoic northern Gondwana margin and documentation of world-wide terrane accretion episodes in the Late Triassic-Early Jurassic and mid-Cretaceous. The Tasmanides of eastern Australia, and the terrane histories of New Zealand and southern South America are given comprehensive up-to-date reviews.

This text brings together multidisciplinary research and review papers on the Lower Palaeozoic geology of the Sierras Pampeanas and the Precordillera of central west Argentina. It deals with the final stages of assembly of the supercontinent of Gondwana and its tectonic interaction with Laurentia (the North American continent of today).

"The American Cordilleras form a continuous orogen that extends for 12,500 km along the eastern flank of the Pacific Ocean from Arctic to Antarctic latitudes as an integral part of the circum-Pacific orogenic belt. Following two summary chapters on the overall anatomy and evolution of North and South American segments of the orogenic system, this volume includes ten seminal chapters dealing with salient aspects of the key geodynamic processes that have accompanied Cordilleran geotectonic evolution: forearc terrane accretion, arc magmatism, shallow subduction, and backarc intracontinental deformation. The papers in this volume were selected from those presented at the 2006 Backbone of the Americas Meeting, which was sponsored jointly by multiple North and South American geological societies in Mendoza, Argentina."--pub. desc.

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