Paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the Payenia and Laguna Llancanelo Natural Reserves, Mendoza, Argentina: paleovolcanism and Paleolimnology

ROVERE, E. I., VIOLANTE, R. A., CARCIONE, J. M., MENDÍA, J. E., PAPARO, G., MARENGO H.G., LAGORIO, S. L., OSTERRIETH, M. L., LAPRIDA, C., SEPÚLVEDA, SEPÚLVEDA, E. Y REGAIRAZ, C.

Mendoza, Argentina

Simposio; Reconstructing Past regional Climate Variations in South America over the Late Holocene: a new PAGES intiative.; 2006

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The region of Payunia and Llancanello Natural Reserves evolved during the Holocene mainly in response to volcanic and climatic forcings. These two aspects have interacted conditioning biodiversity, human settlement and land use. Climatic characteristics are complex due to the interaction among the climates of southwestern Pampas, northwestern Patagonia and the Andes. Following the Last Glacial Maximum, climatic fluctuations were significant, particularly during the Late Holocene when alternating  cold (Neoglacial) and warm periods occurred acompained by rains and wind as well as fluvial and glacifluvial dynamics. Volcanism was an important factor since pre-Holocene times, participating in the modelling of the landscape by producing extensive lava flows, hundreds of monogenic cones, fields of pyroclastic ejecta,  and other pyroclastic features. Some field evidences reflect the wind dynamics during volcanic eruptions and are important for understanding  climate-volcanism interactions.A research project aimed at reconstructing the regional  paleoenvironmental evolution  is presently being planed. The objective is to understand  the geologic and climatic processes  that intervened in the Late Holocene history. Volcanic, climatic, environmental, limnological and pedological studies are some aspects to be studied in surface and subsurace volcanic and sedimentary sequences. Geophysical surveys will be performed in order to obatin subsurface structural characteristics and rock -sediments properties as well as to determine the thickest of sedimentary sequences suitable for drilling and recovery of continuous sedimentary columns. Once the sedimentary cores were obtained, proxies such as sedimentology, petrology, bioestratigraphy, geochemistry and geochronology will be used for reconstructing paleoenvironmental, volcanic and climatic aspects.