Geochemistry and Genesis of the Pampean and Post-Pampean Formations (Late Pleistocene-Holocene), Central and Northern Argentina Pampas and Its Adjacent Region-An Approaching Case Study

Littoral siliciclastic shallow marine horizontal conformable beds (a heterolithic succession), Middle to Late Miocene, outcropping in northeastern Argentina (Ituzaingó Formation) and overlying transitional conformable horizontal regolithic mantle-rock bed derived from them (the Pampean and Post-Pampean Formations), were geochemically analyzed. The focus of this study is placed on the application of geochemical parameter and signature analyses related with the aforementioned geological units, which are of subcontinental extension into South America. The encountered results show an outstandingly similar geochemical behaviour between them. The main conclusion is that regolithic mantle-rock beds were derived from the littoral shallow marine mudstone (silty-argillaceous) beds. This is in oposition to previous aeolian processes proposed early in the 50's and later. These mudstone beds constitute important sections of the littoral shallow marine sequence beds (outcropping HST parasequence). Such regolitization proposed for the Pampean and Post-Pampean Formations predominantly developed in-situ during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. The main erosional and mobilized agents were the surface free water (pluvial, fluvial and laminar water sheets) and vadose water. So, the wind flows and/or the immense air flow hurricanes are of insignificant sedimentological influence. Otherwise, there is not a proved appropiate sandy-silty reservoir for a reasonable support of the "aeolian hypothesis", as well as clear aeolian structures settled in the regolithic mantle-rock bed. In spite of these lines of equality textural-structural evidence, the geochemical values for both major elements and trace elements, demonstrate that the Miocene heterolithic marine succession was the mother rock of the overlying regolithic mantle-rock bed, which was formed as an in-situ mantle-rock bed.     

Taxonomy, facies relationships and palaeobiology of bakevelliid bivalves from the Lower Cretaceous of west-central Argentina

Cretaceous bakevelliids in Argentina are restricted to the Lower Cretaceous. They are recorded in shallow marine deposits in two Mesozoic basins located in the Andes foothills in Patagonia. In the Austral Basin (44°–55°S) there is only one genus, Gervillella, represented by a single specimen from the Barremian. In the Neuquén Basin (30°–40°S) two genera, Gervillaria and Gervillella, occur, ranging from the Berriasian to the Lower Barremian. In the Pilmatué Member of the Agrio Formation two species are identified: Gervillaria alatior (Imlay) and Gervillella aviculoides (J. Sowerby). The former is also recorded in Mexico while the latter is more widespread, occurring in Europe, Asia, and Africa. In the Bajada del Agrio section they come from eight tabular shell beds located near and on top of shallowing-upwards cycles. They were abundant only in four of these levels. These shell beds are interpreted as having been deposited in the mid-ramp (middle of cycles), and upper mid-ramp (top of cycles). A functional analysis of shells revealed two life habits: epibyssate and endobyssate.     

Use of three widely spread plant species from American arid regions for exploration of tin mineralizations

The ability to accumulate trace element contents of three plant species of widespread occurrence in the semi-arid regions of middle and southern South America (Larrea cuneifolia Cav., Cercidium praecox (Ruiz & Pav.) Harms, and Bulnesia retama (Gillies ex Hook. & Arn.) Griseb.) has been considered in order to determine their application to the exploration of tin mineralizations. Two of the three studied species can be considered as suitable for biogeochemical exploration (L. cuneifolia and C. praecox). Concentrations of As, Cd, and Mo reflect the known tin mineralization. L. cuneifolia and B. retama showed the highest and lowest trace element accumulation rates. Only zinc is preferentially accumulated in C. praecox. In addition, L. cuneifolia and C. praecox could be of environmental interest in As-bearing areas due to the accumulation capability for such element.     

Forecasting annual precipitation to improve the operation of dams in the Comahue region,Argentina

ABSTRACT

This paper attempts to design statistical models to forecast annual precipitation in the Neuquen and Limay river basins in the Comahue region of Argentina. These forecasts are especially useful as they are used to better organize the operation of hydro-electric dams, the agriculture in irrigated valleys and the safety of the population. In this work, multiple linear regression statistical models are built to forecast mean annual rainfall over the two river basins. Since the maximum precipitation occurs in the winter (June–August), forecasting models have been developed for the beginning of March and for the beginning of June, just before the rainy season starts. The results show that the sea-surface temperatures of the Indian and Pacific oceans are good predictors for March models and explain 42.8% of the precipitation index variance. The efficiency of the models increases in June, adding more predictors related to the autumn circulation.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water,mussels (Brachidontes sp., Tagelus sp.) and fish (Odontesthes sp.) from Bahía Blanca Estuary,Argentina

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), one of the major groups of anthropogenic environmental pollutants, were firstly identified and measured in coastal waters, native mussels and fish of an industrialized South American estuary.     

Mineral Weathering in a Semiarid Mountain River: Its assessment through PHREEQC inverse modeling

By means of PHREEQC inverse modeling, we have simulated the weathering reactions in Los Reartes River, a mountainous (2400–670 m a.s.l.) drainage basin from the Sierras Pampeanas of Córdoba, Argentina, analyzing the effect of lithology, relief, and climate. The steep upper half of the basin (slopes > 20) is occupied by exposed granite; the remaining area is mostly metamorphic, with cropping out gneisses and progressively decreasing slopes (< 6). Climate is semihumid to semiarid; rainfall mainly occurs in summer and decreases with decreasing height. PHREEQC inverse models developed using water chemical data showed that (a) oligoclase was the major supplier of solutes, while the main precipitated phase was kaolinite in the granite domain; (b) muscovite is the chief supplier of solutes and illite is the main precipitated phase in the gneissic realm; (c) the steeper portions of the metamorphic reach are less crucial in supplying solutes than the lower ones, thus highlighting the importance of the water residence time in the kinetics of dissolution; (d) in the driest time of the year (winter, 20 mm/month) we registered the highest production of dissolved and precipitated phases; fluxes (mmol/month), however, are higher at the end of the rainy season; (e) CO₂ consumption is important all along the Los Reartes drainage basin and, in terms of mmol/kg H₂O, the lowermost portion of the basin is the most significant supplier; (f) CO₂ accounts for over 50 of all the species involved in the weathering reactions occurring at the Los Reartes drainage basin.     

Late Quaternary paleoenvironments and paleoclimatic conditions in the distal Andean piedmont, southern Mendoza, Argentina

The Andean piedmont of Mendoza is a semiarid region covered by extensive and partially vegetated dune fields consisting of mostly inactive aeolian landforms of diverse size and morphology. This paper is focused on the San Rafael plain (SRP) environment, situated in the distal Andean piedmont of Mendoza (34° 30′S), and reports the sedimentology and OSL chronology of two representative exposures of late Quaternary deposits, including their paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic significance. Eleven facies, including channel, floodplain, fluvio–aeolian interaction, and reworked pyroclastic and aeolian deposits, were described and grouped into two facies associations (FA1 and FA2). FA1 was formed by unconfined sheet flows, minor channelized streams and fluvial–aeolian interaction processes. FA2 was interpreted as aeolian dune and sand-sheet deposits. OSL chronology from the SRP sedimentary record indicates that between ca. 58–39 ka and ca. 36–24 ka (MIS 3), aggradation was governed by ephemeral fluvial processes (FA1) under generally semiarid conditions. During MIS 2, the last glacial maximum (ca. 24–12 ka), a major climatic shift to more arid conditions is documented by significant aeolian activity (FA2) that became the dominant sedimentation process north of the Diamante–Atuel fluvial system. The inferred paleoenvironmental conditions from the SRP sections are in broad agreement with regional evidence.     

Chemometric analysis of functional groups in fossil remains of the Dicroidium flora (Cacheuta, Mendoza, Argentina): Implications for kerogen formation

Studied samples include eight Gondwanan species of the Dicroidium flora: seed ferns (3), conifer (1), cycad-related (1), unknown affinity gymnosperms (2), and one undetermined axis from two Middle to Upper Triassic localities (Cacheuta, Mendoza, central western Argentina). Based on differing preservation states and sample treatments, four sample forms are established: (1) compressions, (2) cuticles, (3) cuticle-free coalified layers, and (4) associated coal samples. The purpose of the study is firstly to analyze the sample forms using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry, contributing to filling an existing gap of chemical information for Gondwanan pant fossil remains. Secondly, semi-quantitative chemical parameters, calculated by area integration of infrared spectra, are treated using principal component analysis to infer statistical groupings as a function of chemical structures (functional groups). From the initial two-component solution, based on the 8 × 41 data matrix, a subset matrix (4 × 29) could be isolated which also yielded a two-component solution (in each case, cumulative explained variance is at least 89%). Results include the distinction between the coaly forms (1) compressions and (3) cuticle-free coalified layers mainly based on the carbonyl contents and branching and length of the hydrocarbon side chains. The highly aliphatic nature of cuticles, which is indicative of biomacromolecules (cutin), is noted. Similarities in functional groups are recorded with types of kerogen and coal macerals. The result enables us to postulate that the functional groups characterizing the different modes of preservation of our fossil remains are likely related to the propensity to generate oil and gas/condensate from the kerogen. Our data have the potential for future studies with implications for chemotaxonomy, molecular taphonomy, and paleoclimatology.     

Porphyry to epithermal transition in the Agua Rica polymetallic deposit, Catamarca, Argentina: An integrated petrologic analysis of ore and alteration parageneses

Agua Rica (27°26′S–66°16′O) is a world class Cu–Au–Mo deposit located in Catamarca, Argentina. In the E–W 6969400 section examined, the Seca Norte and the Trampeadero porphyries that have intruded the metasedimentary rock are cut by interfingered igneous and hydrothermal heterolithic and monolithic breccias, and sandy dikes. Relic biotite and K-feldspar of the early potassic alteration (370° to > 550 °C) with Cu (Mo–Au) mineralization are locally preserved and encapsulated in a widespread, white mica + quartz + rutile or anatase halo (phyllic alteration) with pyrite + covellite that suggests fluids with temperatures ≤ 360 °C and high f(S₂). The Trampeadero porphyry and the surrounding metasedimentary rock with phyllic alteration have molybdenite in stringers and B-type quartz veinlets and the highest Mo grades (> 1000 ppm).Multistage advanced argillic alteration overprinted the earlier stages. Early andalusite ± pyrite ± quartz is preserved in the roots of the argillic halo rimmed by an alumina–silica material and white micas. This alteration assemblage is considered to have been formed at temperatures ≥ 375 °C from condensed magmatic vapor. At higher levels, pyrophyllite replaces muscovite and illite in clasts of hydrothermal breccias in the center and east sector of the study section, suggesting temperatures of 280 to 360 °C. Clasts of vuggy silica in the uppermost levels of the central breccia, indicates that at lower temperatures (< 250 °C), fluids reached very low pH (pH < 2). In this early stage of the advanced argillic alteration, hydrothermal fluids seem to have not precipitated sulfides or sulfosalts.Hydrothermal brecciation was concurrent with fluid exsolution (↑? V), which precipitated intermediate-temperature advanced argillic alunite (svanbergite + woodhouseite) ± diaspore ± zunyite as breccia cement along with abundant covellite + pyrite + enargite ± native sulfur ± kuramite at intermediate depths and in lateral transitional zones to unbrecciated rocks. This mineral assemblage indicates temperatures near 300 °C, oxidized and silica-undersaturated hydrothermal fluids with high sulfur fugacity to prevent gold precipitation. Multiple generations of pyrite, emplectite, colusite, Pb- and Bi-bearing sulfosalts, and native sulfur with Au and Ag, accompanied by alunite introduction in the upper level breccias, probably occurred at lower temperatures, but still high sulfur and oxygen activity. An independent Zn and Pb (as galena) mineralization stage locally coincides with Au–Ag and sulfosalts, and advanced at depth, controlled by fractures and overprinting much of the previous mineralization. A later paragenesis of veinlets of alunite + woodhouseite + svanvergite + pyrite ± enargite that cut the phyllic halo suggests temperatures ~ 250 °C and without woodhouseite + svanvergite, temperatures ~ 200 °C. Kaolinite occurs in the phyllic halo as a late mineral in clots and in veinlets thus, in this zone, the fluid had cooled enough for its formation.