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Pre-carboniferous Evolution of the San Rafael Block, Argentina pp 137–159Cite as

Low-Grade Metamorphic Conditions and Isotopic Age Constraints of the La Horqueta Pre-Carboniferous Sequence, Argentinian San Rafael Block

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Abstract

The San Rafael block is a pre-Andean geological entity situated in central-western Mendoza Province, Argentina. It is part of the Cuyania composite terrane. In this terrane it is important to consider the units exposed at the ‘pre-Carboniferous’ outcrops because they record geological events before the accretion to Gondwana. One of which is the siliciclastic La Horqueta Formation of an uncertain Lower-Middle Paleozoic sedimentary age. It is characterized by asymmetric, open to similar folds, with southeast vergence. KI values obtained from the La Horqueta Formation in its type area vary from 0.24 to 0.33 Δ°2θ, indicating very low-grade (high anchizonal) to low-grade (epizonal) metamorphic conditions, that increase slightly from south to north. The white mica b-parameter measured (9.016 ± 0.007 Å) suggest an intermediate pressure regime. Whole rock Rb-Sr isochronic ages were obtained on metapelites from the key outcrops in the La Horqueta area (379 ± 15 Ma, MSWD: 1.4) and in the Los Gateados area (371 ± 62 Ma, MSWD: 3.7), indicating that metamorphism and deformation occurred during the Devonian Chanic Orogenic phase, probably related to Chilenia terrane collision. U-Pb LA-MC-ICPMS detrital zircon ages patterns suggest that the La Horqueta Formation received a dominant sedimentary input from Mesoproterozoic sources, minor contributions from cratonic environments of Paleoproterozoic and Neoarchean ages, and finally a younger input from Pampean and Famatinian orogenic belts. U-Pb detrital zircon ages indicate a maximum sedimentation age close to the Silurian-Devonian limit for the La Horqueta Formation.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Patricia Zalba (CETMIC), Daniel Poiré and Jorge Maggi (CIG) for access to XRD facilities. To Paulina Abre for helpful assistance in improving the early version of the paper. Funding for fieldwork and laboratory research was provided by the Argentine CONICET-PIPs 0647-0199 and ANPCYT (PICT 07829) grants. Important laboratory work facilities were also obtained at the Universities of La Pampa and La Plata, Argentina. We are grateful to Norberto Uriz (University of La Plata) for help us in the presentation of some figures and tables. Many thanks to Margarita Do Campo for careful and thoughtful review of this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de La Pampa, Av. Uruguay 151, L6300CLB, Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina

    Hugo Tickyj

  2. CONICET-UNLP, Centro de Investigaciones Geológicas, Diag. 113 Nº 275, CP1904, La Plata, Argentina

    Carlos A. Cingolani & Ricardo Varela

  3. Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Geologia, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, 93.022-000, São Leopoldo-RS, Brazil

    Farid Chemale Jr.

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  1. Hugo Tickyj
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  2. Carlos A. Cingolani
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Correspondence to Hugo Tickyj .

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  1. Centro de Investigaciones Geológicas (UNLP-CONICET), National University of La Plata, La Plata, Argentina

    Carlos Alberto Cingolani

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Tickyj, H., Cingolani, C.A., Varela, R., Chemale, F. (2017). Low-Grade Metamorphic Conditions and Isotopic Age Constraints of the La Horqueta Pre-Carboniferous Sequence, Argentinian San Rafael Block. In: Cingolani, C. (eds) Pre-carboniferous Evolution of the San Rafael Block, Argentina. Springer Earth System Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50153-6_8

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