The Central Andes of South America: a review of its tectono-magmatic evolution

BERTIN, DANIEL; BUSTOS, EMILCE; GROSSE, PABLO; BÁEZ, WALTER

JOURNAL OF SOUTH AMERICAN EARTH SCIENCES

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Año: 2025

0895-9811

The Central Andes is a long-lived orogenic belt along the western margin of South America that includes the Central Volcanic Zone and two long-lived flat-slab segments, encompassing more than 3500 km between ∼5 and 33°S. The Central Andes has been the place of several outstanding geological processes since at least the latest Triassic (∼200 Ma), with the main development of the orogen taking place during the Eocene-Oligocene (45-25 Ma). In this contribution, we review and discuss the processes that have shaped and defined the crustal architecture of the Central Andes. We particularly highlight the role played by shallowing-steepening subduction cycles in controlling the tectono-magmatic evolution of the orogen, track the location of the current deformation front and the distribution of the stress field, and identify the regions where future high-flux magmatic episodes are most likely.