The Paraná River: from Pleistocene to the Present

ORFEO, O.; PARSONS, D.; BEST, J.; LUTZ, A. I; ZURITA, A. E

IESGLO, Basin Analysis Series

Argentinean Fluvial Basins

Lugar: Tucumán, Argentina; Año: 2009 p. 155 - 186

1852 4796

The Paraná is the most important river of Argentina, one of the three largest in South America and is the sixth largest by discharge in the world. This four-day excursion offers a general overview of this huge fluvial system, including its geological evolution, past and present sedimentary deposits, an exploration of current morphodynamics, and insight on humaninduced changes on system function, which includes a visit to the large hydroelectric dam at Yacyretá. The field trip will showcase several strategic sites spaced over ~300 km following the main channel of the Paraná, beginning in Corrientes and ending in Posadas City. The trip will incorporate a full day on the Paraná at Paso de la Patria, and will include a visit to the Paraná Paraguay confluence, where the river changes drastically in terms of sedimentary discharge. This field guide was organized into three parts. The first will describe the Geology and Paleontology of the ancient deposits of the Paraná River. The second part deal with the modern morphodynamic processes and sedimentology of the contemporary fluvial environments. The third part describes the general geomorphologic characteristics of the Paraná River in the study area.