Multiproxy provenance analysis of Lower to Upper Cretaceous synorogenic deposits in the Southern Andes (34–35°S): Evidence of coeval volcanism during the onset of the Andean orogeny
Introduction
A combination of multiple techniques has been a useful tool to perform provenance studies in the last decade. The analysis of detrital crystals with particular chemical and isotopic signatures reveals associations with source areas and tectonic events in many geological scenarios (Carrapa et al., 2009; Carrapa, 2010; Cawood et al., 2012; Chew and Donelick, 2012; Peyton and Carrapa, 2013; Gehrels, 2014; Owusu Agyemang et al., 2019). The changes of the allocyclic and autocyclic processes that influence the sedimentation over time can generate sediments of variable compositions derived from a similar source or, conversely, very similar sedimentary rock derived from different sources. The recognition of different compositional patterns in the detrital components of sedimentary sequences allows for the identification of diverse source signals (Cecil, 2003; Tyrrell et al., 2012; Franklin et al., 2019). Additionally, combined geochronometry and low-temperature thermochronometry enhance the recognition of syntectonic provenance information, by providing crystallization and thermotectonic histories of the same source rocks feeding the basin (Malusá and Fitzgerald, 2019a, b and references therein). Multiproxy analysis, including multidating methods, is a powerful tool for the reconstruction of the tectonic history of foreland basin systems (Bernet and Spiegel, 2004; Umazano et al., 2009; Ghiglione et al., 2015; Suriano et al., 2017; Thomson et al., 2017; Buelow et al., 2018; Bernet, 2019 and references therein).
The Neuquén Basin (Fig. 1) is a large depocenter developed during Late Triassic to Paleogene times in the southwestern margin of Gondwana (30–40°S) created by continental-scale rifting processes in response to the break-up of the Pangea supercontinent (Mpodozis and Ramos, 2008; Charrier et al., 2015; D'Elia et al., 2020; among others), with the potential influence of upper-plate movement and basement fabrics interaction (Fennell et al., 2020 and references therein). It records a thick Mesozoic sedimentary sequence of more than 7.000 m including marine and non-marine sedimentary rocks. Between the Early to Late Cretaceous, the Neuquén Basin changed from a backarc extensional basin to a retroarc foreland basin, in response to a westward acceleration of the South American plate during the Cretaceous (Mpodozis and Ramos, 1990; Howell et al., 2005; Ramos and Kay, 2006; Tunik et al., 2010). Congruent with this tectonic setting, several large-scale drainage systems have been interpreted for the Upper Cretaceous non-marine deposits of the Neuquén Basin, based on stratigraphy and sedimentology (e.g., Di Giulio et al., 2012, 2017; Gómez et al., 2019, 2020). Provenance analyses in the northern part of the basin (34–35°S) suggest that the foreland basin began to form at approximately 100–107 Ma with the deposition of the Diamante Formation, which is temporally equivalent to the youngest formation of the Neuquén Group described south of 35°S (Fig. 1; Gómez et al., 2019, 2020). A proposed source rock-model includes a westward sediment dispersion derived from the Sierra Pintada System and the San Rafael Block before the uplift of the Andes, which was then shifted eastwards with the onset of the Andean orogeny, associated to a new west-derived source (Tunik et al., 2010; Di Giulio et al., 2012, 2017; Balgord and Carrapa, 2016; Balgord, 2017; Fennell et al., 2017a, Borghi et al., 2019; Gómez et al., 2019, 2020). However, the lack of detailed sedimentological and provenance studies north of 35°S reflects the need for further studies to better understand the tectonic evolution during latest Early to Late Cretaceous times.
In the last few years, several discrepancies arose regarding the presence of a coeval volcanic arc during the Upper Cretaceous along the western margin of the Neuquén Basin (e.g., Muñoz et al., 2018; Gómez et al., 2019, 2020). Some authors speculated on a decreasing volcanic activity because of the absence of detrital zircons <100 Ma in the Neuquén Group. Moreover, an eastward arc migration is proposed in response to a shallowing of the subducted oceanic slab at ∼35°S (Fennell et al., 2017a; Muñoz et al., 2018). This flat-slab stage produced an increase in the contractional deformation and the generation of a first order unconformity known as the Patagonidic (Ramos, 1988; Leanza, 2009; Tunik et al., 2010; Fennell et al., 2017b; Asurmendi et al., 2017; among others). For this paleogeographic scenario, Muñoz et al. (2018) documented differences in provenance patterns between the western and eastern Lower Cretaceous synorogenic deposits of the Neuquén Basin (∼35°S). Based on this finding, Muñoz et al. (2018) suggested the presence of a topographic barrier separating the eastern and western domains, associated with the growth of the Andean fold-and-thrust belt during the Late Cretaceous. More recently, Tapia et al. (2020) correlated this compressive stage with maximum exhumation rates estimated for the western Paleozoic basement of the Coastal Cordillera, accompanied by the development of a topographic barrier that inhibited the sediment supply derived from the contemporaneous volcanic arc to the eastern foreland basin. However, Gómez et al. (2019) found evidence of the influence of a volcanic arc during the Lower to Upper Cretaceous (Albian-Campanian) non-marine sedimentation in the foreland basin, and pyroclastic components associated with fluvial deposits were recognized within the Neuquén Group deposits (Corbella et al., 2004; Garrido, 2010; Sánchez et al., 2008, 2013; Asurmendi et al., 2017). Furthermore, Gómez et al. (2020) observed reworked tuff levels with ca. 0.60 m of thickness at 34–35°S in the Diamante Formation, which is interpreted as a direct evidence of volcanic activity during the foreland basin deposition stage. Moreover, the U–Pb detrital zircon ages as well as a petrographic analyses of the Neuquén Group and the Diamante Formation, reveal indirect evidence of the presence of an active volcanic arc after the Aptian (Tunik et al., 2010; Borghi et al., 2019; Gómez et al., 2019; among others).
The goal of this paper is to constrain the sediment provenance of the Albian to Campanian synorogenic succession in the northern Neuquén Basin and to reconstruct its evolution. With this aim, a multiproxy approach was applied with the integration of new sedimentological, petrographic and low-temperature thermochronological data with previous geochronological results obtained by Gómez et al. (2019).
Section snippets
Tectonic setting
Three different kinematic regimes have been documented in the Andes: 1) a backarc extension as a result of a slab rollback rate exceeding the ‘absolute’ velocity (normal component) of the overriding plate; 2) dominant strike-slip kinematics with a local transtension to transpression during periods of oblique convergence; and 3) a contractional deformation caused by the ‘absolute’ velocity (normal component) of the overriding plate exceeding the rate of the slab rollback (e.g., Schellart, 2008;
Stratigraphic synthesis
The non-marine Upper Cretaceous deposits recorded south of 35°S of the Neuquén Basin are assigned to the Neuquén Group, where the sequence reaches a maximum thickness of 1600 m (Legarreta and Gulisano, 1989; Garrido, 2010; Orts et al., 2012). There, the synorogenic deposits of the Neuquén Group are subdivided into the Río Limay, Río Neuquén and Río Colorado subgroups (Cazau and Uliana, 1973; Ramos, 1981). Cazau and Uliana (1973) pointed out that each subgroup is characterized by upward fining
Multiproxy methodology
This paper contains results obtained through a combination of techniques to determine the provenance of the Albian-Campanian non-marine deposits in the northern part of the Neuquén Basin. Although several results from the application of this approach were published over the last decade, few papers include a detailed sedimentological analysis in addition to the provenance studies (e.g., Surpless and Augsburger, 2009; Di Giulio et al., 2017; Suriano et al., 2017; among others), and none of them
Sedimentological analysis
To perform the paleoenvironment interpretation from the Arroyo Oscuro and Arroyo Las Playas localities, two stratigraphic sections were measured (Fig. 3, Fig. 4). These localities had not been studied in detail before and included both the Bajada del Agrio Group and the Diamante Formation deposits. Considering that there is no evidence of the Patagonidic regional unconformity along the studied sections, a transitional boundary between both units was assumed (see Discussion section). Towards the
Paleoenvironmental interpretation
The facies associations previously defined for the Arroyo Oscuro and the Arroyo Las Playas areas indicate particular depositional environments.
In the case of the Huitrín and the Rayoso formations (Bajada del Agrio Group), the facies associations represent a restricted marginal marine system that evolved to an ephemeral lacustrine environment. The Huitrín Formation is linked to an inland hypersaline shallow sea with high temperatures resulting in high evaporation rates, as well as periodic
Conclusions
A multiproxy provenance analysis developed on the Arroyo Oscuro and the Arroyo Las Playas areas, and its combination with previous studies, evidence the presence of coeval volcanic activity during the onset of the Andean foreland basin at 34–35°S. The evidence that support our proposal are summarized below, integrated with paleoenvironment and regional tectonic scenarios:
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The stratigraphic sequence of the study area records the transition between the backarc and the foreland basin stages in the
Acknowledgments
This work is based on research within R. Gómez's Ph.D. project and supported by CONICET (PUE 0031CO), and subsidies from the Universidad Nacional de Río Negro and the Agencia de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (UNRN-40A-321, ANPCyT PICT 2018-00917, and PICT-2017-3259). The authors would like to acknowledge the Laboratorio de Termocronología La.Te. Andes S.A. (Salta, Argentina), and Sofía Bordese for their collaboration with the low-temperature thermochronology analyses. We are grateful for
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2022, Journal of South American Earth SciencesCitation Excerpt :The Andean tectonic cycle began with the subduction inception at around 215 Ma, driving the development of retroarc extensional basins on the western margin of the continent (Oliveros et al., 2020; Espinoza et al., 2021; Jara et al., 2021b). Due to a shift from extensional towards a compressional/transpressive tectonic regime at ∼105 Ma during the late Cretaceous, the late Triassic-Jurassic retroarc extensional basins were inverted, leading to the onset of the mountain building in the Southern Central Andes (Arancibia, 2004; Parada et al., 2005; Horton et al., 2016; Fennell et al., 2017; Mackaman-Lofland et al., 2019; Boyce et al., 2020; Gómez et al., 2021; Mardones et al., 2021). A regional-scale extensional tectonic regime succeeded this first Andean contractional event with intense volcanism between 80 and 65 Ma (Muñoz et al., 2018; Fennell et al., 2019; Mosolf et al., 2019), although a neutral tectonic regime during this period was also suggested (Horton, 2018b).
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