The geological record of late Paleozoic rocks is ubiquitous along the north to central Chile (21°–33° S). The most accepted evolutionary model proposes that the SW-Gondwana margin in northern Chile (north of 28° S) evolved from a passive margin setting in the Devonian to late Carboniferous that switched to an active margin setting during the early to late Carboniferous and continued during the Permian. South of 28° S, the accretion of an allochtonous terrane (Chilenia) took place during the mid or late Devonian and during the Carboniferous subduction was renewed along the western margin of the accreted terrane. In light of a large amount of new data recently published for Paleozoic rocks between 21° and 33° S, we evaluate these models in order to understand the geodynamic processes that lead to the formation of the late Paleozoic active margin (Gondwanan Orogenic cycle) and attempt to decipher processes that controlled subduction initiation during those times.

Our data compilation and subsequent analysis allow us to establish that Gondwanan magmatism started ca. 331 Ma around 29°–31° S, and the onset of subduction probably took place around 340 to 345 Ma. These data also allow establishing that the Gondwanan active margin was segmented along the study area, with a northern part affected by extension, probably under the influence of a thermal anomaly that led to the emplacement of forearc migmatites during the late Carboniferous (Caleta Loa Metamorphic Complex). We propose that subduction renewal during the early Carboniferous started around 29°–31° S, in an area close to the northern limit of the previously accreted Chilenia terrane, and was induced by plate forces, but probably also influenced by mechanical heterogeneities along the continental and the oceanic plates at that point.

晚古生代岩石的地质记录遍及智利中北部（21°–33°S）。最普遍接受的演化模型认为，智利北部（南北28°）的西南向冈瓦纳边缘从泥盆纪的被动边缘环境发展到石炭纪晚期，在石炭纪的早期到晚期转变为活动边缘环境，并在此期间持续。二叠纪。在南纬28°以南，泥盆纪中期或晚期发生了异质地层（Chilenia）的积聚，石炭纪俯冲沿积水层的西缘重新发生了变化。鉴于最近发布了有关21°至33°S之间的古生代岩石的大量新数据，

我们的数据汇编和后续分析使我们能够确定冈瓦纳岩浆成因始于约。南纬29°–31°约331 Ma，俯冲作用可能发生在340 Ma至345 Ma附近。这些数据还可以确定冈瓦南活动边缘在研究区域内被分割，北部受到扩展的影响，这可能是受热异常的影响，该热异常导致了石炭纪晚期（卡莱塔罗亚变质复合体）的前铁辉辉岩的位置）。我们建议，在石炭纪早期，俯冲更新开始于南纬29°–31°处，该区域靠近先前增生的智利地层的北限，是板块作用力诱发的，但也可能受到大陆上机械异质性的影响和那时的洋洋板块。