Sedimentation and controls in a retroarc foreland basin: an example at the foot of the Andes

LUIS A. SPALLETTI; DANIEL G. POIRÉ; GONZALO D. VEIGA; JUAN FRANZESE; LEANDRO D´ELIA; ANDRÉS BILMES; AUGUSTO N. VARELA; SEBASTIÁN M. RICHIANO

Field Excursion Guidebook, 18th International Sedimentological Congress, Mendoza, Argentina

IAS

Lugar: Buenos Aires; Año: 2010; p. 5 - 46

During the 18th International Sedimentological Congress in the city of Mendoza in Argentina, the first Pre-Congress Course exclusively for IAS student members was offered. The aim of the Pre-Congress Course was to study part of the sedimentary record of the Andean Foreland Basin at Potrerillos, a small town located 40 km to the west of the city of Mendoza. The location was chosen due to the excellent quality of the outcrops in the area, which were ideal to learn about sedimentation and controls in a retroarc foreland basin, in this case at the foot of the Andes.The main facies and facies associations and the geometry of the sedimentary bodies were specially analysed by means of detailed sedimentological logging and the observation of architectural elements to define the main processes of deposition and the sedimentary environments of accumulation. Based on collected data and sedimentological interpretations, the participants were able to establish relationships between sedimentation and allocyclic controls, such as tectonic activity across the Andean fold and thrust belt and climate.