Tandilia.

DALLA SALDA, L.; SPALLETTI, L.; POIRÉ, D.; DE BARRIO, R.; ECHEVESTE, H.; BENIALGO, A.

Revista Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán

Año: 2006 vol. 21 p. 17 - 46

1514-4186

Abstract. Southern most proterozoic rocks of South America extend in the Tandilia region, suggesting a protracted geologic evolution, mainly within the Transamazonian cycle (2.200 to 1800 Ma). Tandilia crystalline rocks are mainly granitic to tonalitic gneisses, migmatites, amphibolites, and granitic plutons, with scarce schist, marbles and ultramafic rocks. Wide mylonitic belts are conspicuous, and in the central area metavolcanics are also present. Moreover, low grade metamorphic rocks (metacherts, metawaques and metabasitas) were interpreted as a slice of oceanic crust. Tandilia shows a swarm of diabasic dikes, pointing out to a stabilisation event ca.1700 Ma. Transamazonian orogeny was seen as a product of a continent-continent collisional event, as suggested by the leucogranites, thick mylonites belts, ocean floor rocks, and piling up of crust. Towards the southern edge, and under the eopaleozoic cover, a low grade highly deformed metapelitic Brazilian unit appeared. The Tandilia basement is partially covered, towards the west and south-east by three sedimentary units: the neoproterozic Sierras Bayas Group, and the eopaleozoic Cerro Negro and Balcarce Formations. The common feature of this cover is that the deposits have been formed in a shallow epeiric sea. The Sierras Bayas Group (167 ) is composed of four depositional sequences separated by regional unconformities. From base to top is constituted by quartz-arkosic arenites, dolostones and shales, followed by quartz arenites, claystones and dark micritic limestones. The Cerro Negro Formation is a more than 100 m succession of claystones and heterolithic sandstoneclaystone interbeds. The Balcarce Formation (100 m) is made up of quartz arenites with subordinated claystones and fine-grained conglomerates.