Neogene Basin Evolution in the Atuel Basin, Sosneado Region, Mendoza, Argentina

Abstract

The south-central Andes are characterized by latitudinal stratigraphic variations that reflect changes in the rate and pattern of orogenic exhumation. Detailed analyses, including conglomerate clast counts, detrital zircon studies, and zircon Hf isotopic analyses, constrain the timing and pattern of an eastward propagating fold and thrust system that has influenced Andean deformation since early Miocene time. The primary objective of this study was to assess the influence of variations in subduction geometry along the Andean margin on basin development and evolution.