INVERSIÓN Y REACTIVACIÓN TECTÓNICAS CRETÁCICOCENOZOICAS EN EL NOROESTE ARGENTINO: INFLUENCIA DE LAS HETEROGENEIDADES DEL BASAMENTO NEOPROTEROZOICO-PALEOZOICO INFERIOR

HONGN, F.; MON, R.; PETRINOVIC, I. A.; DEL PAPA, C.E; POWEL, J.

Revista de la Asociación Geológica Argentina

Asociación Geológica Argentina

Año: 2010 vol. 66 p. 38 - 53

0370-7288

The Neoproterozoic-Lower Paleozoic basement structural features have influenced in different ways the developmentof later both extensional Cretaceous and contractional Cenozoic structures. Tectonic inversion of normal faults relatedto the Cretaceous rift has been frequently addressed as the main mechanism for explaining double-vergent and retrovergentstructures in the hinterland of the Andean orogen in northwestern Argentina. This paper proposes that basement structuresplayed a primary role in the nucleation of both Cretaceous normal faults showing Cenozoic tectonic inversion andCenozoic reverse faults. A regional section between the Domeyko Cordillera (Chile) and the Santa Bárbara System (nearly at24º-25ºSL) shows portions with opposite Cenozoic vergence, each one related to different controls made by previous structures.The inversion of Mesozoic rift-related faults mainly influenced the geometry and vergence of the Cenozoic structureslinked to Andean shortening in the Domeyko Cordillera, in the Calchaquí Valleys region and in the Santa Bárbara System.Reactivation of structures and heterogeneities formed during the Neoproterozoic-lower Paleozoic tectonic evolution of thebasement controlled the Andean contractional structures in the Puna. Reactivation of Neoproterozoic-lower Paleozoic basementheterogeneities not only contributes to changes in attitude and vergence but also to the irregular time distribution showedby the Andean shortening since many of the reactivated or inverted (positive and negative inversion) structures recordsuperposed movements from the Cretaceous up to the Quaternary.