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Andean tectonics related to geometry of subducted Nazca plate: Discussion

and reply

Article  in  Geological Society of America Bulletin · January 1984

DOI: 10.1130/0016-7606(1984)95<880:ATRTGO>2.0.CO;2

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Andean tectonics related to geometry of subducted Nazca plate:
Discussion and reply
Discussion
OSCAR L. JENSEN 1681 So. Cook Street, Denver, Colorado 80210
A number of geological evidences seem to
support the coincidence of major ancient paleo-
geographic provinces with modern geometrical
boundaries of the subducted Nazca plate, as sug-
gested by the Jordan and others paper (1983).
During the Jurassic and the Neocomian, the
back-arc portion of the Andes between 26°30'S
and 32°15'S experienced a paleogeographical
evolution that unequivocally differs with respect
to the events that occurred in its adjacent coun-
terparts, the segments between 15°S to 26°30'S
and 32°15'S to 40°S (Jensen and Vicente,
1979). The Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous pe-
culiarities of this "Norte Chico" segment of the
Andes were essentially characterized by the
following.
Along Strike Drift of Transgressions
and Regressions
In the back-arc basin, the invasion and with-
drawal of the sea were not synchronous in all
latitudes. To the north, in the "Tarapaquena
Basin," the Jurassic marine ingression occurred
southward. It is dated as Hettangian at 25°S, but
only middle Pliensbachian at 29°15'S. Contrar-
ily, the sea withdrew from lat. 28°S during the
Callovian, and yet at 25°30'S marine conditions
persisted until the upper Oxfordian. To the
south, the Jurassic "Aconcagiiino-Neuquenica
Basin" underwent an inverted but symetrical
process; the segment between 30°S and 31°S
was lastly transgressed by the northward-drifting
sea during the Pliensbachian, and it withdrew
early during the upper Bajocian. Despite a less
precise chronostratigraphic control, the Neo-
comian marine cycle reveals the same pattern of
transgression. In the northern basin, a southward
sea invasion took place during the Tithonian at
The article discussed appeared in the Bulletin, v. 94,
p. 341-361.
Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 95, p. 877-880, 2 figs., July 1984.
26°30'S, but it was only Valanginian at 28°S.
Inversely, in the southern basin, a northward
transgression occurred at 31°S during the Berri-
asian, after reaching lat. 33°S earlier, in the
Tithonian. This paleogeographic delineation al-
ready confers an important function upon this
segment of the Andes, that is, its early role as a
topographic high. This permitted the existence
of two separated ephemeral back-arc basins dur-
ing the Hettangian-Sinnemurian and after the
upper Bajocian (Fig. 1 ).
Scarcity of Oxfordian Gypsum
As a consequence of the regression pattern
described above, the segment between 26°S and
32°S is characterized by a weak development of
Oxfordian evaporites, restrained to a few beds
associated with a supralittoral environment. To
the north, in the "Tarapaquena Basin," it is only
north of lat. 26°S that the Malm gypsum consti-
tutes important deposits of 100 m or more. In
the southern "Aconcagiiino-Neuquénica Basin,"
the thickening of the evaporites plays a funda-
mental tectonic role in generating a décollement
level between the Jurassic and the Neocomian
series. This tectonism contrasts sharply with the
structural style of the "Norte Chico" segment,
where the Jurassic, although thrust, is merely
draping deeper basement deformations (Fig. 1).
Presence of an "Infraneocomian"
Tectonic Phase
Another distinctive characteristic of the
"Norte Chico" segment of the Andes is the ex-
istence of a tectogenetic phase between the Ju-
rassic and the Cretaceous. At lat. 31°S, an
angular unconformity is clearly recognizable be-
tween the Upper Jurassic continental conglom-
erates and the Berriasian marine carbonates. The
877
effects of this "Infraneocomian" tectonic phase
have been extrapolated to lat. 28°S, the north-
ernmost part of this segment. Although no di-
rect stratigraphic relationship has been estab-
lished between the Jurassic and the Neocomian
in this area, pronounced differences in deforma-
tional intensity, displayed by these formations
underlying the Upper Cretaceous Cerrillos For-
mation, lead to the conclusion that a significant
tectogenesis may have occurred after the Upper
Jurassic, but before the Lower Cretaceous
(Berriasian). North of 27°S, and south of 32°S,
the Jurassic-Neocomian limit seems to be bared
of diastrophism, as no unconformity has been
reported, and the sequences, although separated
by a nonfossiliferous continental event, are be-
lieved to be continuous. Distinctively, then, the
Jurassic-Cretaceous limit in the "Norte Chico"
segment does not appear to be exclusively char-
acterized by a tectogenesis but also by a signifi-
cant hiatus, both erosional and depositional; as
mentioned above, the entire Tithonian is absent
at lat. 28°S.
Paleogeographic Independence of the Juras-
sic and the Neocomian Marine Basins
The Jurassic and the Neocomian, along the
entire Central Andes (15°S to 40°S), display
two well-defined marine episodes, separated by
a continental period during the Malm. The pa-
leogeographic organization of these episodes
presents a characteristic common element, an
andesitic volcanic arc to the west of a marginal
(back-arc) marine basin. To the north of lat.
27°30'S and to the south of lat. 32°S, the Juras-
sic and the Neocomian basins occupied essen-
tially the same position, apparently in a con-
formable relationship. However, between 27°S
and 32°S, this paleogeographic superposition
did not occur. In fact, during the Neocomian,
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878 O. L. JENSEN

¿5°
65°
I Figure 1. Jurassic-Neocomian paleo-
geographic elements of the Chile-Argen-
23°\ tina Andean segment (from Jensen and
a Vicente, 1979). I. Transition zone be-
tween Jurassic sedimentary back-arc basin
•
24o-j- a and volcanic "Arc of La Negra." 2. Tran-
sition zone between Neocomian buck-arc
basin and volcanic "Arc of Banclurria."
2S°{ •P -f- 25c 3. Coastline of the Jurassic back-arc basin
during the lower Callovian, separated by
TARAPAOUEÑA BASIN the "Norte Chico Promontory." 4. Coast-
26°\- line of the Neocomian back-arc basin.
5. Extension of Oxfordian evaporites.
O Present coastline, drainage divide, and
27 r
major cities are displayed for reference.

28°\
o
29° f
c ' MM
o
IR
30°V \ 30c

4
3/°-(-

tinctive paleotectonic province. This realm be-

33°\r O gins to reveal itself as an embryonic promon-
SL
tory during the Early Jurassic, coming to its
definitive consummation throughout the Neo-
34 comian time. Nonetheless, its role cannot be
solely confined to a simple orographic barrier
-{-35° that retarded the course of the marine transgres-
35°-1- sions. This promontory was also the scenario of
AC0NCA6ÜIN0-NE UQUÉNICA a major diastrophic episode at the close of the
BASIN Jurassic period that provoked the magmatic in-
36°-f terruption of the Jurassic "Arc of La Negra" and
the westward retrogression of the Neocomian
volcanic axis, with the consequent installation of
37°\
a new zone of subsidence, the Neocomian back-
arc basin (Fig. 1).
3 8°-- As recapitulated by Jordan and others
(1983), numerous modern geologic characteris-
tics of the Andes between 26°30'S and 33°S are
75° 65°
I also significantly different from those of adjacent
i counterparts (Jensen and Vicente, 1979). This
the transition zone between the marine Chañar- gressive translation to the west of the Neocom- orogenic segment displays a subtle re-entrant,
cilio Group and the volcanic "Arc of Bandurria" ian magmatic axis, with respect to the Jurassic whereas the distance between the ocean and the
was located 30 to 40 km east of the Jurassic volcanic arc. continental drainage-divide narrows to 100 km
transition zone, between the Lautaro Formation The geotectonic features of the Andean evolu- at lat. 31°30'S. In addition, the so-called Central
and the volcanic "Arc of La Negra" (Fig. 1). In tion summarized above induce to identify the or Longitudinal Valley is practically abssnt be-
this manner, everything seems to suggest a retro- segment between 26°30'S and 32° 15'S as a dis- tween 26°30'S and 32°30'S. Between 28°S and
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DISCUSSION A N D REPLY 879

Figure 2. Present geotectonic

configuration of the Chile-Ar-
gentina segment of the Andes,
showing the extension of the
Plio-Quaternary volcanism and
the presence of the Central or
Longitudinal Valley. Geometry
of the subducted Nazca plate,
150-km contour on top of Beni-
off zone, from Isacks and Bara-
zagni, 1977. Location of the
Chile Trench is approximated.

150 KI LOMETER C O N T O U R
ON TOP OF BENI OFF ZONE

link between existing shallow-dipping segments

of the Nazca plate and the lack of Plio-
Quaternary volcanism proves to be a genetic
relationship, then the Jurassic-Neocomian vol-
canism would strongly suggest that the then
subducting oceanic plate was dipping at a high
angle throughout the entire Chilean continental
margin (20°S to 40°S). If this is true, we should
neglect the angle of subduction as the main
cause of the distinctive Jurassic-Neocomian pa-
leographical and tectonic features of the
xtension of P l i o - Q u a t e r n a r y
Volcanism "Norte Chico" segment. Indeed, it would be
reasonable to argue that the early Mesozoic
"Norte Chico Promontory" is the element that
would have had the greatest role on the genesis
of the modern characteristics of this orogenic
segment and also the shallow-dipping of the
subducting plate.

65 '
Jensen 1983 I REFERENCES CITED

Jensen, O., and Vicente, J.-C., 1979, La fase infra-neocomiana a la latitud de

31°S, the Cordillera Frontal exhibits the highest
structural elevation of the orogene, where the
summits are crowned by Permian basement
granitoids. This arcuated segment of the Andes
(28°S to 33°30'S) is also featured by the absence
of Plio-Quaternary volcanism (Fig. 2).
Certainly, the present plate-convergence con-
figuration does not necessarily stereotype older
stages of the continental margin. During Jurassic
and Neocomian time, the Chilean margin was,
as it is now, an accretional plate-convergence
zone; nonetheless, the ensialic emplacement of
andesitic rocks reveals that the entire margin
was featured by an active volcanic arc. If the
Copiapo (Chile): Argumenlos indirectos: Comunicaciones, no. 27,
p. 19-40, Department of Geology, Univ. of Chile, Santiago.
Jordan, T. E., Isacks, B. L., AHmendinger, R. W., Brewer, J. A., Ramos, V. A.,
and Ando, C. S., 1983, Andean tectonics related to geometry of sub-
dueled Nazca plate: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 94,
p. 341-361.
Isacks, B. L., and Barazagni, M., 1977, Geometry of BeniofT zone: Lateral
segmentation and downward bending of the subducted lithosphere, in
Talwani, M., and Pitman, W. C., Ill, eds.. Island arcs, deep sea trench,
and back-arc basins: American Geophysical Union. Maurice Ewing
Series 1, p. 99-114.
MANUSCRIPT RECEIVED BY THE SOCIETY J U L Y 5 , 1983
MANUSCRIPT A C C E P T E D O C T O B E R 4 , 1983
 Downloaded from gsabulletin.gsapubs.org on May 5, 2012
Reply
TERESA E. JORDAN Department of Geological Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853
VICTOR A. RAMOS Servicio Geologico Nacional, 1548 Avenida Santa Fe, 1060 Buenos Aires, Republica Argentina
RICHARD W. ALLMENDINGER ) , . ,„ . „ „ T,
R R V A M I R C A F K C } Department of Geological Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853
It is intriguing that paleogeographic features in the Andes may coin-
cide with Neogene structural and volcanic provinces and with segment
boundaries of the subducted Nazca plate. This observation might imply
that the inherited characteristics of the upper plate lithosphere could suffi-
ciently modify plate interactions to cause the subducting plate to change
shape. Before we can judge whether or not the upper plate lithospheric
structure plays an active role in determining the geometry of the subduct-
ing plate, two important points must be resolved. First, the variations along
strike must be evident even after palinspastic restorations are made. Sec-
ond, the association of paleogeographic and modern segment boundaries
must be shown to be not merely coincidental.
Jensen's summary of Jurassic-Cretaceous paleogeography of central
Chile is an excellent example of the apparently anomalous history of one
modern tectonic segment. It illustrates our first comment, that the original
geometries of the paleogeographic features must be known. In the case of
the Norte Chico promontory, although a Mesozoic high can be recognized,
its shape and shoreline positions have certainly been distorted by thrusting
and erosion during the late Cenozoic, and the amount of shortening and
uplift are related directly to the modern plate configuration. The facts that
the Jurassic and Neocomian promontories have different shapes and that
the younger promontory lies west of the older promontory suggest that
even palinspastic maps would show the basic patterns that Jensen has
described. On the other hand, the systematic variation in the ages of
transgression and regression ought to be independent of the Neogene
deformation, unless transgressions were also diachronous in an east-west
sense, and the post-Jurassic tectonism has selectively preserved different
parts of the basin at different latitudes.
Jensen has also helped to clarify another point in our original paper
with his remarks about the overall convergent margin setting of the
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. ,, w „ ,
Jurassic-Neocomian volcanics. As he [joints out, there is no reiison to
believe that the geometry of the present Nazca plate segments existed in
the Mesozoic, or even before the Miocene. However, the Mesozoic sub-
ducting plate may have had its own pattern of geometrical irregularities, as
is suggested by lateral variations in the distribution of Jurassic and Cre-
taceous volcanic rocks south of 42°S, where the effects of superimposed
deformation have not been as extreme (Ramos, in press).
Other anomalies have also been described, such as the differences
that existed in the Argentine foreland during the late Precambrian, Pa-
leozoic, and Cretaceous between what is now a 30°-dipping slab segment
and a flat-slab segment (Allmendinger and others, 1983). To address our
second point, it is critical to systematically assess the distribution of all
paleogeographic boundaries over distances that greatly exceed the lengths
of the modern segments. Until that regional information is evaluated using
uniform criteria, it is possible that we may observe "boundaries" only
where we choose to look closely.
The relationship of paleogeographic features to subducted-phte be-
havior that Jensen has emphasized is fundamental to the broader issue of
the evolution of continental lithosphere. New geological and geophysical
data and models will be required to address the questions properly.
REFERENCES CITED
Allmendinger. R. W., Ramos, V. A.. Jordan, T. E., Palma, M-, and Isacks, B. L., 1983, Paleogeography ard Andean
structural geometry, northwest Argentina: Tectonics, v. 2, p. 1-16.
Ramos, V. A., in press, Evolucion tectónica y metalogenesis de la cordillera Patagónica: Segundo Congreso Nacional de
Geologia Economica, San Juan, Argentina, 9-15 octubre de 1983.
MANUSCRIPT RECEIVED BV THE SOCIETY A U G U S T 1 9 , 1 9 8 3
MANUSCRIPT A C C E P T E D O C T O B E R 4 , 1983
Printed in U.S.A.
880