Balneario Utracán

ZÁRATE, M.A.; TRIPALDI, A.; MEHL, A.

Field Trip VII International Conference of Aeolian Research

INTA

Lugar: Santa Rosa, La Pampa; Año: 2010; p. 2 - 11

<!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:595.3pt 841.9pt; margin:70.85pt 3.0cm 70.85pt 3.0cm; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:595.3pt 841.9pt; margin:70.85pt 3.0cm 70.85pt 3.0cm; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> The field trip will take place on July 7, 2010. It will start at Santa Rosa city in the early morning. Moving in south direction, we will move along 100 km in order to see several aeolian features, like sand dunes, soil profiles developed on loess, and agriculture fields eroded by wind. The climate of the region is semiarid, with mean annual rains decreasing from 550 mm in the north-east to 450 mm in the south west. Rains peaks occur in autumn and spring, and July is the coldest and dryer month of the year. Winds blow all over the year but spring and summer show the highest speeds. The region to visit has climatic and geological characteristics similar to Patagonia. Four stops will be done during the field trip (see attached maps): Point 1, Soil profile at Laguna de Utracán (Utracán Lake) This point is placed within a Holocene dunes system, which extends from south-west to north-east along a 10 x 150 km narrow strip formed by the Utracán valley. A soil profile with several sand sedimentation layers will be shown at this point, in order to see the extent and number of sedimentation events occurred during the last 5000 years. Point 2, Sand Dunes This point is placed just in the middle of the dunes system. We will have the chance to visit the dunes and to observe the nice landscape of the region. Point 3. Paleosols profile at the valley edge A 4 meter deep loess soil profile will be shown at the valley edge. This soil has at less three Bt paleosoils horizons, developed during the late Pleistocene. A nice view of the whole valley can be observed here.