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Preliminary K-Ar geochronology of

Neogene back arc volcanism in
Northern Patagonia, Argentina
Karoly Nemeth

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Sub-recent volcanism in Nort hern Pat agonia: A t ect onomagmat ic approach

Gabriela Isabel Massaferro
IAVCEI – CVS – IAS 3IMC Conference Malargüe, Argentina, 2009

Preliminary K-Ar geochronology of Neogene back arc volcanism

in Northern Patagonia, Argentina
1 2 3 4 1
Miguel J. Haller , Zoltán Pécskay , Károly Németh , Katalin Gméling , Gabriela I. Massaferro , Carlos M.
1 5
Meister and Francisco E. Nullo

Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco - CONICET, Puerto Madryn, Argentina – haller@cenpat.edu.ar
1
2
ATOMKI, Institute of Nuclear Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Debrecen, Hungary
3
Volcanic Risk Solutions, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
4
Department of Nuclear Research, Institute of Isotopes, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
5
CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Keywords: monogenetic, lava flow, scoria cone.

Back arc basaltic volcanic fields from Patagonia
comprise extended and large volume lava-dominated
plateaus as Somuncura and Canquel as well as small
volume basalt fields with isolated lava flows typical
for intraplate monogenetic volcanic fields (Fig. 1).
The timing of the mafic volcanism (both effusive
and explosive) in Northern Patagonia is not fully
understand yet due to the large number of hiatus in
dating of exposed volcanic rocks over a large area.
In this paper we give a short summary of newly
obtained K-Ar radiometric age determination
performed on volcanic rocks representing significant
stratigraphy positions. Age determinations have
been performed at ATOMKI, Hungary following the
procedures described in Pécskay and Molnár (2002).
The new data set highlights the future needs to
develop a more robust data base on the timing of
mafic volcanism in Northern Patagonia to be able to
identify major trends of the waxing and waning
phases of monogenetic and/or lava field-dominated
volcanism.
The southernmost outcrops of the Neogene back
arc volcanic fringe in Northern Patagonia are
represented by Rio Genoa and Sierra de San
Bernardo basalts. They are primitive in nature and
have alkaline affinities with enrichment in light rare
earth elements (Bruni 2004). Bruni et al. (2008)
showed Pliocene to Pleistocene ages of 3.8 - 1.46
Ma for these rocks. North of Lake Colhue Huapi
extends a relatively well-preserved relatively small
basaltic plateau, which forms the Pampa del
Guanaco. We obtained ages of 2.69±0.09 Ma and
2.89±0.11 Ma (Late Pliocene) for these outcrops.
Several outcrops located in the vicinity of Pampa
de Agnia were assigned previously to the Holocene
by Nullo (1983). These outcrops constitute an
eroded scoria cone field covering an area similar to
~300 km2. The scoria cones of this field produced
several small (few km length) lava flows that have
been sampled for K-Ar radiometric age
determination. Obtained ages are 2.49±0.1 Ma (Late
Pliocene).
Other two small emission centers, one located in
Bajo Hondo and the second is an unnamed 1608
meters high mountain located South of Chacay
Oeste were previously assigned to be Pliocene in
age. Newly obtained ages on lava flows gave values
of 19.37±0.63 Ma (Early Miocene) for Bajo Hondo
and 22.8±0.86 Ma (Early Miocene) for Chacay
Oeste.
Fig. 1 – Overview map of Northern Patagonian mafic
volcanic fields with the newly obtained K-Ar radiometric age
data (in Ma).
Crater Basalt Volcanic Field dominated by lava
spatter and small-volume scoria cone (Fig. 2), is
located on the border between the provinces of
Chubut and Rio Negro. The field is characterized by
tube fed pahoehoe lavas with surface morphologies
of whaleback, tumuli, and skylights (Németh et al.
2008). The age of measured rocks is in the span 1.04
and 0.23 Ma (Pécskay et al. 2007). Like the basalts
of Rio Genoa, the rocks belong to the alkaline series,
enriched in incompatible elements and light REE
(Massaferro et al. 2006).
To the East, in Moreniyeu, an isolated 7 km long
lava flow was previously attributed to the Holocene
(Volkheimer, 1965 and Proserpio, 1978). We
obtained an age of 1.55±0.08 Ma (Lower
Pleistocene) for these outcrops.
Further to the North, on the right bank of Rio
Chico, near the town of the same name, the outcrops
 Haller et al.
of a large scoria cone field with several lava
emission centers were allocated by Ravazzoli and
Sessana (1977) to Pliocene. Obtained age is
19.03±0.66 Ma (Early Miocene).
Fig. 2 – A typical Northern Patagonian mafic volcanic field,
such as the Crater Basalt Volcanic Field, is dominated by
lava spatter and scoria cone volcanoes of small to medium
volume (behind the saline lake). Extensive lava fields with
surface morphology features (whaleback humps, tumuli,
tube) and occasional long lava flows are the key volcanic
landforms can be recognized in these fields. Climatic
conditions are responsible for old volcanic landforms to be
seen as very young ones and vice versa.
Quebrada de Mamuel Choique holds a 21.7 km
long basalt flow. Ravazzoli and Sessana (1977)
inferred this lava flow to be Pleistocene. González et
al. (2003) however considered the same basalt lava
flow as Pliocene. We obtained ages of 5.65±0.21 Ma
(Latest Miocene) and 4.9±0.17 Ma (Early Pliocene).
The basalt flow of Quetrequile is 30 km long,
has a very well preserved morphology and on the
basis of its youthful flow surface texture it was
assigned by González et al. (2003) to the Pleistocene
– Holocene. Here we obtained K-Ar radiometric age
as 1.3±0.28 Ma (Late Pliocene).
Discussion
Obtained K-Ar radiometric ages on back arc
basalts in Northern Patagonia allow to distinguish at
least two magmatic events forming monogenetic
scoria cone- and lava flow field-dominated
volcanism. The oldest one (23 – 19 Ma) is related to
the post plateau effusive event of the large
Somuncura and Canquel plateaus (Mahlburg Kay et
al., 2006), while the youngest (5-1 Ma) is
characteristically originated small-volume basaltic
lava flow eruptions aligned in a 450 km long belt
parallel to the Andes cordillera about 350 km inland
from the present active subduction zone.
Compositions erupted are mostly alkali basalts,
basanites and trachybasalts. Preliminary trace,
isotope and rare elements data are consistent with an
asthenospheric mantle source that is chemically
similar to sources of OIB and for 20 Ma old olivine
basalts of the Somuncura plateu. Detectable
evidences neither of crustal contamination processes
nor of the occurrence of subduction-related
components have been found so far.
Acknowledgements
This project was supported by the, ARG 2/03
TET-SECYT Argentina – Hungarian Bilateral ST
Fund and part of the MURF research project (RM
13227).
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