Journal of South American Earth Sciences 15 (2002) 251±265

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Nearly circular plutons emplaced by stoping at shallow crustal levels,

Cerro Aspero batholith, Sierras Pampeanas de CoÂrdoba, Argentina
L.P. Pinotti a,b,*, J.E. Coniglio b, A.M. Esparza b, F.J. D'Eramo a,b, E.J. LlambõÂas a,c
a
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientõ®cas y Tecnicas (CONICET), Rivadavia 1917, CP C1083AAJ, Buenos Aires, Argentina
b
Departamento de GeologõÂa, Universidad Nacional de RõÂo Cuarto, Agencia Postal No. 3, 5800 RõÂo Cuarto, CoÂrdoba, Argentina
c
Centro de Investigaciones GeoloÂgicas (CIG), Calle 1 No. 644, 1900 La Plata, Argentina
Received 1 September 2001; accepted 1 December 2001

Abstract
The Cerro Aspero batholith (CAB) (440 km 2) is one of many discordant granites emplaced during the Middle to Late Devonian, marking
the closure of igneous activity in the southern part of the Sierras Pampeanas de CoÂrdoba, Argentina. The main feature of the CAB is the
conspicuous circular shape of some of its plutons and internal structures, which were developed entirely under pressures lower than 2 kb. The
aim of this work is to study the processes responsible for the emplacement of these plutons. The CAB is composed of a succession of three
major plutons aligned in a NNW±SSE trend that intrude mainly into mylonites corresponding to an Early Paleozoic shear zone. The
emplacement of the plutons was controlled by a set of early master fractures, with magma ascent by means of fracture propagation. The
space for magma was created by a combination of tectonically created cavities, internal magma-related buoyancy, and heating and thermal
fracture of the host rocks. Field and structural evidence suggests that stoping mechanisms were the most effective for the ®nal emplacement
of magma. Thermal fracture and stoping were favored by the thermal contrast between granite and host rock and by the magma viscosity as
reduced by the presence of ¯uorite. The apparent circular shape of the plutons is polygonal in detail and was developed from several linear
and curviplanar segments as a result of brittle fracturing of the host rocks, as well as by changes in the stress ®eld, from vertical to horizontal,
related to magma arrival at shallow crustal levels. q 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Plutons; Cerro Aspero batholith; Magma

Resumen
El batolito Cerro Aspero (440 km 2) es uno de los principales cuerpos graniticos discordantes del magmatismo DevoÂnico de las Sierras
Pampeanas de CoÂrdoba, Argentina. La caracterõÂstica principal es la conspicua circularidad de sus plutones y estructuras internas, desarrol-
ladas completamente bajo condiciones de presioÂn menores a 2 kb. El objetivo de este trabajo fue estudiar los procesos responsables del
emplazamiento de estos plutones. El batolito esta constituido por una sucesioÂn de tres plutones principales, alineados en sentido NNW±SSE,
que intruyen principalmente milonitas en una faja de deformacioÂn de edad Paleozoica inferior. El emplazamiento de los plutones fue
controlado por un conjunto de fracturas maestras que posibilitaron el ascenso del magma mediante propagacioÂn de fracturas. El espacio
fue generado tectoÂnicamente, en combinacioÂn con la fuerza boyante del magma y el fracturamiento teÂrmico. Las evidencias de campo y
estructurales sugieren que los mecanismos de stoping predominaron durante el emplazamiento del magma. La fracturacioÂn teÂrmica y stoping
fueron favorecidos por el alto contraste teÂrmico entre granito/roca de caja y una viscosidad del magma disminuida por la presencia de ¯uÂor.
La forma circular de los plutones es poligonal en detalle y se desarrollo a partir de varios segmentos lineales y curviplanares como resultado
de la fracturation fraÂgil de las rocas encajantes y de cambios en el campo de esfuerzos, de vertical a horizontal, relacionados con el
emplazamiento del magma en la corteza superior. q 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Plutones; Cerro Aspero batolito; magma

1. Introduction

The most extensive granitic bodies of the Sierras de

CoÂrdoba and San Luis (eastern Sierras Pampeanas of Argen-
* Corresponding author. Address: Departamento de GeologõÂa, Universi-
tina) are large batholiths that were emplaced after meta-
dad Nacional de RõÂo Cuarto, Agencia Postal No. 3, 5800 RõÂo Cuarto,
CoÂrdoba, Argentina. Tel.: 154-358-467-6198; fax: 154-358-468-0280. morphic and deformational episodes that took place from
E-mail address: lpinotti@exa.unrc.edu.ar (L.P. Pinotti). Late Precambrian until Late Silurian times (Bonorino, 1950;
0895-9811/02/$ - see front matter q 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0895-981 1(02)00033-0
252 L.P. Pinotti et al. / Journal of South American Earth Sciences 15 (2002) 251±265

Fig. 1. Simpli®ed geologic map of Sierras de CoÂrdoba and San Luis, showing the location of the major postorogenic granitic intrusions (Modi®ed from Pinotti
et al., 1996). AB: Achala batholith; CAB: Cerro Aspero batholith; IHP: Inti-Huasi plutoÂn; LNP: Los Nogales plutoÂn; CBP: Cerro Blanco plutoÂn; LCH±PCB:
Las Chacras±Piedras Coloradas batholith; RB: Renca batholith; and EMP: El Morro pluton.

Gordillo and Lencinas, 1979; Ortiz SuaÂrez et al., 1992;
Rapela et al., 1998). This magmatism is considered signi®-
cant not only because of its large volume, but also because it
represents the closure of the Paleozoic magmatic activity in
the Sierras Pampeanas of Argentina.
Most batholiths have conspicuous discordant relation-
ships and are made up of several plutons characterized by
nearly circular geometry. In addition, they have associated
thermal contact aureoles that have not been deformed, with
the exception of rare shear belts. Excellent examples of
these batholiths are Achala (AB) and Cerro Aspero (CAB)
in Sierras de CoÂrdoba and Las Chacras±Piedras Coloradas
(LCH±PCB) and Renca (RB) in Sierras de San Luis (Fig. 1).
Because of these features, the plutons have been
described as postorogenic relative to the metamorphic
peaks in the Cambrian for the Sierras de CoÂrdoba (Pampean
cycle) and in the Ordovician for the Sierras de San Luis
(Famatinian cycle) (AcenÄolaza and Toselli, 1976; LlambõÂas
et al., 1984; GonzaÂlez Bonorino and LlambõÂas, 1996; Rapela
et al., 1999). For the Sierras de CoÂrdoba, the postorogenic
batholiths have been related to an igneous cycle called
Achaliano (Stuart-Smith et al., 1999), which would be unre-
lated to previous orogenies. Therefore, though these gran-
ites frequently are described as postorogenic, postcinematic,
or Famatinian, an unambiguous geological approach for
their denomination and regional correlation does not exist.
Despite the great size of these batholiths and their
importance in the structure of the Paleozoic basement,
 L.P. Pinotti et al. / Journal of South American Earth Sciences 15 (2002) 251±265 253

Fig. 2. Geological map of the Cerro Aspero batholith (CAB) and surrounding host rocks. ACP: Alpa Corral plutoÂn; ETP: El Talita plutoÂn; and LCP: Los Cerros
pluton.
254 L.P. Pinotti et al. / Journal of South American Earth Sciences 15 (2002) 251±265
their internal anatomy, relations with the regional structures,
and mechanisms of emplacement have received scant
attention.
This study describes nearly circular plutons emplaced at
shallow crustal levels on the basis of Landsat TM imagery,
standard aerial photographs, and ®eld and petrographic data.
The term emplacement is used here to refer to the processes
that occur after magma has ascended during the growth,
assembly, and crystallization of the pluton. The CAB was
selected as a case study because it provides an excellent
example of a granitic intrusive complex composed of
several nearly circular plutons. The epizonal character of
the CAB emplacement was detailed by Coniglio and
Esparza (1988) and Pinotti et al. (1996), and the geometry
of the plutons was described by Pinotti (1998).
In Sierras de San Luis, one of the best known batholith
examples is the LCH±PCB, for which Brogioni (1992)
concludes that a close relationship exists between the defor-
mation of the host rocks and the internal structures of the
circular plutons and suggests ballooning as a main mechan-
ism of emplacement.
Most studies related to circular pluton emplacement
generally invoke diapiric or ballooning mechanisms as
plausible explanations (Marsh, 1982; Weinberg and
Podladchikov, 1994; Bateman, 1985; Ramsay, 1989;
Hutton, 1997). However, in the CAB, though the
plutons have a nearly circular section, such mechanisms
do not seem viable. The circular shape of the plutons is
apparent, and it is more appropriate to describe it as a
polygonal shape that was generated under the brittle
conditions of the host rocks.
2. Geological setting
The Sierras de CoÂrdoba are mainly composed of Late
Precambrian and Paleozoic igneous±metamorphic rocks
that are locally covered by continental deposits and
ma®c volcanic rocks of Cretaceous age (Gordillo and
Lencinas, 1979; Schmidt et al., 1995). The Sierras
Pampeanas were uplifted as north±south-trending blocks
as a result of the Andean orogeny (Jordan and Allmen-
dinger, 1986). The CAB outcrops in the Sierra de Come-
chingones (Fig. 1) constitute much of the central and
southern Sierra de CoÂrdoba, which is a major morpholo-
gical unit of the Sierras Pampeanas (Dalla Salda, 1987).
The Sierra de Comechingones consists of medium- to
high-grade amphibolite to granulite facies metasedimen-
tary rocks, among which aluminous greywackes and
limestones are the most widespread protoliths (Otamendi
et al., 1999). An Early Cambrian age was suggested for
the metamorphic peak (Rapela et al., 1995; Stuart-Smith
et al., 1996).
In the Sierras de CoÂrdoba, the postorogenic granites
present several common geological characteristics, includ-
ing large-volume granite intrusions, development of
porphyritic texture with large K-feldspar crystals, litho-
logical homogeneity, a conspicuous circular shape of the
plutons, and crystallization of magma at high levels within
the upper crust. The postorogenic batholiths were inter-
preted, from the geochemical signature, as intraplate gran-
ites (Lira and Kirschbaum, 1990) formed in an inner-arc
magmatic setting (Rapela et al., 1992).
3. Metamorphic host rocks of the CAB
The host rocks of the CAB are composed of migmatites
and gneisses, intercalated with ma®c and ultrama®c bodies,
marbles, and amphibolites recrystallized to upper amphibo-
lite facies. These rocks have been locally affected by retro-
grade metamorphism within shear zones.
Four phases of deformation were recognized in the Sierra
de Comechingones (Martino et al., 1995). The D1 and D2
phases either predated or were coeval with the thermal peak,
and they reached medium- to high-grade in the host rock in
the CAB area. The D3 and D4 phases occurred after the
thermal peak and produced the dominant planar fabrics in
the metamorphic rocks.
Associated with D2 and D3, conspicuous S2 and S3 folia-
tions were progressively developed and affected the entire
region (Guereschi and Martino, 1998). The S2 foliation is a
composite planar fabric de®ned by compositional banding
in gneisses and migmatites. In the studied area, S3 foliation
is the more penetrative and produces a pervasive transposi-
tion foliation, which develops subparallel to S2 foliation.
Both S2 and S3 foliations de®ne a NNW-trending planar
fabric.
The late D4 deformation phase is characterized by an
important event of dynamic retrograde metamorphism that
produced a submeridional mylonitic foliation (S4) with a
strong reworking of the S2 ±S3 fabrics. D4 occurs mainly
along the Guacha Corral shear zone (GCSZ) (Fig. 1). In
the studied area, the GCSZ has a N±S to NNE±SSW
trend, dipping at high angle to the east (Pinotti et al.,
1997; Fagiano et al., 1997), and is located on the eastern
border of the CAB.
In some sectors, the GCSZ is composed of protomylo-
nites to utramylonites in which kinematic indicators suggest
a ductile reverse shear with westward tectonic transport
(Fagiano et al., 1997). At the eastern limit, the GCSZ is
characterized by a conspicuous narrow belt (,2 km) of
phyllonites, as de®ned by the presence of low-grade mineral
assemblages (Stuart-Smith and Skirrow, 1997). In the CAB
area, the GCSZ strongly affected the structural evolution of
the Sierra de Comechingones. Thus, east of this shear zone,
the NNW S2 ±S3 foliations predominate, whereas toward the
west, a penetrative N±S to NNE±SSW foliation predomi-
nates (Fig. 2).
The CAB truncates all these structures, including the
GCSZ, which indicates that it predates the intrusion,
which began in the Early Devonian.
 L.P. Pinotti et al. / Journal of South American Earth Sciences 15 (2002) 251±265
Fig. 3. Modal composition of the Cerro Aspero batholith in terms of quartz (Q), alkali feldspar (A), and plagioclase (P). Based on point counts in thin sections
combined with modal determinations in slab and outcrops. The same abbreviations for plutons are used as in Fig. 2.
4. The CAB
The CAB is a composite intrusion of 440 km 2 consti-
tuted by three major overlapping plutons, arranged in a
NNW±SSE trend, named Alpa Corral, El Talita, and Los
Cerros (ACP, ETP, and LCP, respectively) (Fig. 2). The
emplacement of the CAB is interpreted to have taken
place during the Middle to Late Devonian. A Rb/Sr
age of 369 ^ 9 Ma and a K/Ar age of 389 ^ 19 Ma
probably re¯ect cooling ages rather than the timing of
magma crystallization (Pinotti, 1998).
On the basis of Landsat TM imagery analysis and ®eld
and petrographic data, these granitic plutons can be subdi-
vided into internal units. The internal units possess a narrow
compositional variation that ranges from biotite monzogra-
nite to leucogranodiorite. The modal composition is given in
diagram QAP (Fig. 3), and the main geological and miner-
alogical characteristics of the plutons are summarized in
Tables 1 and 2.
The dominant rock type is a porphyritic to coarse-
grained equigranular biotite monzogranite characterized
by large crystals of microcline that are interpreted as
phenocrysts (Pinotti et al., 1992). The granites of the
CAB belong to a high K, calc alkaline series, with high
amounts of large-ion lithophile elements (LILE), as well
as P and Ti (Porta, 1992; Pinotti, 1998).
Several signi®cant quartz±wolframite (molybdenite),
quartz, and ¯uorite vein deposits occur in the CAB
area, spatially and/or temporally related to the granitic
rocks (FernaÂndez Lima et al., 1963; GonzaÂlez DõÂaz,
1972; Coniglio et al., 2000). As a result of this profuse
hydrothermal activity, pervasive hydrothermal altera-
tions frequently can be observed in the granites and
metamorphic rocks.
255
4.1. Alpa Corral pluton
Geological mapping and petrographic studies of the ACP
have been carried out by Coniglio and Esparza (1988) and
Pinotti et al. (1992, 1996). The ACP (50 km 2) is a nearly
circular, concentrically zoned pluton 8 km in diameter, and t
forms the southeastern part of the CAB. It comprises a
central and an external unit. The former represents
approximately 93% of the outcrops of the ACP, and
the contacts between both units are sharp and generally
well exposed (Fig. 4). Modal analysis shows that the
central unit is generally enriched in ma®c minerals as
compared with the external unit.
The central unit consists of a pink porphyritic to coarse-
grained biotite granite, with perthitic microcline pheno-
crysts up to 5 cm across and many biotite-schlieren and
small, ®ne-grained ma®c enclaves. The grain size in this
unit decreases and becomes texturally more heterogeneous
near the border of the pluton, in a zone of up to tens of
meters wide, thereby acquiring a minor porphyritic charac-
ter. Large rock pendants are rare, but ovoid enclaves of ®ne-
grained ma®c minerals are common. These enclaves are
small (10 cm) and widely disseminated and consist mainly
of biotite with variable amounts of plagioclase and acces-
sory minerals. The central unit typically has biotite as the
predominant ma®c phase in medium-grained clusters in the
matrix and within the feldspars. Accessory minerals include
apatite, zircon, and ¯uorite. The latter is present as inclu-
sions from 5 to 120 mm in size inside biotite or, less
frequently, as interstitial crystals.
The external unit appears either as roughly tabular,
subhorizontal bodies in the upper portions of the pluton
or as a prominent ring emplaced between the meta-
morphic rocks and the central unit. The subhorizontal
 256
L.P. Pinotti et al. / Journal of South American Earth Sciences 15 (2002) 251±265
Table 1
Syntheses of the granitic units of the Cerro Aspero batholith

Pluton Granitic units Description Enclaves Host-rock xenoliths Surface (km 2) Bigger axis, smaller axis Felsic Dikes Late-magmatic alteration

Alpa Corral Central Porphyritic to coarse grained Abundant Rare 50 8 km of diameter Annular dikes Rare
biotite monzogranite (scarce); radial dikes
(abundant)
External Inequigranular monzo- Rare Scarce Sericitization±
leucogranite greisenization
(pervasive)
El Talita Central Porphyritic biotite monzogranite Abundant Rare 385 25, 16 km Annular dikes Rare
(abundant); radial
dikes (scarce)
External Coarse grained to porphyritic Scarce Scarce Rare
biotite monzogranite
Top Inequigranular Rare ± Sericitization±
monzoleucogranite greisenization
(pervasive)

Los Cerros Top Coarse grained to porphyritic Rare Scarce 5 5, 1 km Thin dikes (abundant) Greisenization
biotite monzogranite inside the pluton and (pervasive); albitization
host rocks (scarce)
 L.P. Pinotti et al. / Journal of South American Earth Sciences 15 (2002) 251±265 257

Table 2
Mineralogical composition of the Cerro Aspero batholith. Mineral abbreviations are from Kretz (1983). X: abundant; x: scarce; (x): rare

Plutons Units Pl Kfs Qtz Bt Ms Ap Aln Ttn Zr Fl

Alpa Corral Central X X X X x x (x) (x) x (x)

External X X X X x x (x) (x) x x

El Talita Central X X X X x x X X x (x)

External X X X X x x x x x (x)
Top X X X x X x ± ± x x
Los Cerros Top X X X x X x ± ± x x

Fig. 4. Geological map of the Alpa Corral pluton showing the arrangement of the circular granitic units, the contact between ETP and ACP, radial and annular
structures, and the polygonal geometry of the contact with the host rocks. (A) Polygonal geometry of the contact with the metamorphic rocks showing the
sharp, stepped contact associated with radial fractures. (B) Polygonal geometry of the contact with the metamorphic rocks and associated thermal aureole.
258 L.P. Pinotti et al. / Journal of South American Earth Sciences 15 (2002) 251±265

Fig. 5. Landsat TM imagery (overlay bands 4 1 7) enchasing internal structures of the CAB.

structures of the external unit are ®lled by a set of
pegmatite and aplite dikes. The external unit is
composed of a inequigranular leucogranite, rich in late
magmatic volatile ¯uids, as evidenced by miarolitic
cavities and greisen bearing ¯uorite and molybdenite.
Chilled borders are common and appear as a change
in the texture, which acquires a dike-like aspect. The
best exposures of the external unit are Cerro La Mesada
and Cerro La Cocha, the latter of which forms a scarp
along the northern boundary of the external unit. Most
outcrops consist of intensely greisenized granitic rocks
ranging in color from pink to red. Grain size is medium
to coarse, with pink alkali feldspar phenocrysts in a
matrix of felsic minerals and biotite. Zircon and apatite
are the most frequent accessories. Alkali feldspars are
commonly replaced by muscovite and sericite. Primary
muscovite could not be identi®ed.
The more prominent internal structures of the ACP
are radial and annular fractures that affect the meta-
morphic host rocks, delimiting a well-de®ned aureole
of brittle fracturing that extends more than 5 km away
from the contact (Fig. 4a and b). Some radial fractures
reach 7 km in length, but the annular fractures vary
from meter to decameter scale with a discontinuous
 L.P. Pinotti et al. / Journal of South American Earth Sciences 15 (2002) 251±265
pattern. These structures have irregular walls and
display no evidence for shear.
4.2. El Talita pluton
2
The ETP, with a surface area of 385 km , is the largest of
the CAB. Three main units have been distinguished,
designated central, external, and top units according to
their relative position in the pluton. The central unit is the
most extensive and represents more than 50% of the
outcrops. It forms the core of the CAB and consists of
two coalescent circular intrusions (Figs. 2 and 7). Although
the contact between them is dif®cult to recognize in the
®eld, it is well de®ned on Landsat TM imagery. The central
unit consists of pink porphyritic biotite granite characterized
by K-feldspar phenocrysts up to 14 cm long that constitute
15±30% of the volume of the rocks. Accessory minerals
include titanite, allanite, apatite, zircon, and ¯uorite. Fine-
grained ma®c enclaves are commonly hosted by this granite.
The alignment of euhedral K-feldspar phenocrysts together
with the ®ne-grained ma®c enclaves de®nes a conspicuous
magmatic orientation in the granite, which is interpreted as
product of the magmatic ¯ow generated during the empla-
cement of the magma (Pinotti et al., 1992). In some cases,
enclaves and feldspars are cut by syn-magmatic dikes.
The external unit forms a roughly circular belt 6±8 km
wide between the central unit and the metamorphic host
rock. It is composed of pale pink coarse biotite granite in
which porphyritic texture is only rarely developed. The
contact between the external and central units is gradational
over a distance of 50±100 m, and the distinction between
the two units depends on the development of the typical
porphyritic texture. The granitic rocks in the external unit
of the ETP display the strongest foliations of the CAB. In
outcrops, these foliations are marked by a better de®ned
elongation of ®ne-grained ma®c enclaves and biotite schlie-
ren. Within the enclaves, feldspars, quartz, and biotite show
weak effects of deformation. Additional microscopic
evidence shows that the plagioclase of the granite has
locally suffered a weak elongation, according to the aligned
twins or loss of twin lamella but no fractures. Similar to the
plagioclase, microcline appears with deformed twins.
Rarely, quartz appears recrystallized, but generally it
displays undulatory extinction. As shown in Fig. 4, these
foliations are parallel to the internal pluton contact but
discordant with foliations of the metamorphic host rocks.
The top unit of the ETP occurs as discontinuous outcrops
formed by a shallow dipping cap overlying the central and
external units with sharp contacts. This unit consists of
inequigranular leucogranite and has structural and petro-
graphic characteristics similar to the external unit of the
ACP.
The circularity of the internal structures in the ETP is
notably de®ned by the nearly rounded pattern of contact
between the central and external units and the contact
between the ACP and ETP. Although this contact is dif®cult
259
to delimit in the ®eld, air photographs and Landsat TM
imagery indicate that the ETP crosscuts the northern sector
of the ACP (Fig. 5).
4.3. Los Cerros pluton
The LCP is the smallest intrusion of the CAB (5 km 2),
consisting mainly of a single top unit. It comprises a textu-
rally heterogeneous porphyritic biotite granite, which varies
from strongly porphyritic to locally coarse-grained. The
most abundant phenocryst is alkali feldspar with subordi-
nate plagioclase; both feldspars form crystals up to 2.5 cm
long. This pluton is pervasively affected by subsolid altera-
tions, mainly greisenization, K-feldspathization, and, to a
lesser degree, albitization. The greisenization is strongly
related to the areas that bear wolframite±quartz vein depos-
its. Swarms of quartz veinlets crosscut the altered zones in
the granite and the metamorphic host rocks.
4.4. Dikes
A conspicuous feature of the CAB is the occurrence of
dikes. On the basis of texture and geometric relationships,
syn-magmatic, later-magmatic, and postmagmatic types
were identi®ed. The postmagmatic dikes are more exten-
sive, broadly distributed inside the CAB and host rocks
(mostly near the contacts), and emplaced in annular and
radial fractures. Chilled borders are common at contact
sites with the granite or metamorphic host rocks. Each
pluton of the CAB is associated with a particular set of
dikes, and therefore, different relative ages for the dikes
have been identi®ed. Monzogranite compositions are domi-
nant, muscovite exceeds biotite, and scarce garnet occurs in
the leucocratic types. The groundmass is medium-grained to
aplitic with a phenocryst of microcline that ranges in size
from 2±10 mm. Locally, the dikes are strongly enriched
with volatiles that produce extreme variations in texture
with pegmatitic tendencies.
The radial dikes are best developed in the ACP; they
converge toward the center of the pluton. They occupy stee-
ply dipping fractures that extend up to 7 km, though with
discontinuous outcrops, and intrude into the metamorphic
rocks. These fractures are ®lled by ®ne-grained granite or,
locally, by quartz veins with abundant open-space-®lling
textures. The annular dikes in the ACP are scarce, discon-
tinuous, and generally less than 2 m thick. Both radial and
annular dikes de®ne a prominent aureole of brittle fracturing
that extends for more than 5 km from the contact.
The most notable internal structure of the CAB is a wide
swarm of annular dikes that are up to 4 km wide and 5 km
long. The thickness of these annular dikes varies from a few
centimeters to 5 m, and they are normally less than 100 m in
length. They are located along steeply dipping, well-devel-
oped annular fracture systems in a pattern that is strongly
conditioned by the structural anisotropy along the contact
between the ACP and ETP. In this sector, the dikes intrude
the metamorphic host rocks locally (Figs. 2 and 4). Radial
260 L.P. Pinotti et al. / Journal of South American Earth Sciences 15 (2002) 251±265

dikes are present in the ETP, but they are scarce. Field The peak of this thermal event produced black, nonfoliated,
evidence shows that both radial and annular dikes of the ®ne-grained, typical hornfels, particularly in the areas of
ETP crosscut those of the ACP. interference between the ETP and ACP (Fig. 4). However,
Pluton-derived dikes are locally abundant in the host the contact aureole was mainly produced as a result of ETP
rocks near the northern contact of the LCP and show both intrusion because of its size (8.5 times larger than the ACP).
unconformable and conformable relationships with the S3 Neither textural nor mineralogical changes in the meta-
foliation. In the eastern pluton contact, an aplitic dike morphic host rocks related to the ACP and LCP intrusions
reaches ,200 m into the metamorphic rocks. were observed.
The top units of the plutons generally consist of a profuse On the southern border of the ETP, the contact aureole is
intrusion of gently dipping leucocratic dikes associated with approximately 500 m wide and 9.5 km long and can be
pegmatitic lenses and pods bearing beryl and tourmaline. easily recognized on satellite images and standard aerial
Frequently, these dikes form a subhorizontally strati®ed photographs.
intrusion structure. Textural features and mineral assemblages of the thermal
aureole rocks vary gradually from the contact toward the
host rock. Rocks that occur next to granite have a hornfels-
5. Pluton/host rock contact relationships
looking, spotted, massive texture and are characterized by
the coexistence of Sil±Bt±Crd±And, which indicates that
The granite/host rock contact is well exposed throughout
these rocks reached the highest contact temperatures at the
the CAB, except at the western border of the ETP, where its
hornblende hornfels facies. Aureole rocks that outcrop
circular structures have been cut by the Cenozoic shear zone
between 70±200 m away from the granite bear a relict
responsible for the uplift of the Sierra de Comechingones.
gneissic fabric, due to regional metamorphism that is partly
The host rock has not been preserved on the pluton roofs.
recrystallized to a ®ne-grained semi-hornfels porphyroblas-
Some contact is sharp and always intrusive. The granite cuts
tic texture. The matrix of these semi-hornfels consists of
all the previous foliations and structures of the metamorphic
Bt 1 Chl coexisting in textural equilibrium. Therefore, the
rocks discordantly, particularly the mylonitic S4 foliation,
stable mineral assemblage in the external part of the aureole
which is the most affected because of its widespread devel-
is diagnostic of albite±epidote hornfels facies.
opment in this sector. The discordant relationship between
To the east of the interference zone between the ACP and
the granite and its host rocks is remarkable where the
ETP, the thermal aureole was developed entirely on the
contact surface is oriented nearly E±W. In this case, it trun-
GCSZ, where it is narrower than at the southern border
cates the host rock foliation at high angles, and polygonal
(50±70 m). The foliation of these rocks decreases away
geometries are developed. A good example of this is
from the contact, and the new minerals are cordierite and
provided by the ACP, though the northern contacts of
sillimanite. A spotted texture was generated by the growth
ETP and LCP also present polygonal shapes. In contrast,
of cordierite from biotite. The cordierite is poikiloblastic
where the contact is subparallel to the metamorphic folia-
with minute biotite inclusions and both prismatic and
tion, as in the eastern sector of the CAB, the contact acquires
®brolitic sillimanite. Small blasts (,1 mm) of subhedral
a rectilinear geometry controlled by the anisotropy of the
andalusite appear with little frequency. Evidence for ductile
GCSZ. In this case, the internal structures of the GCSZ (D4)
strains in the host rocks of the CAB are rare, restricted
are truncated at low angles by the granite.
exclusively to some sectors of the inner zone of the thermal
Detailed mapping indicates that the granite/host rock
aureole. They are marked by meter- to centimeter-scale
contact is not a continuous surface but is formed by a set
de¯ection of the penetrative S3 gneisic foliation and the S4
of fractures with irregular walls, as in the example of the
mylonitic foliation.
ACP. Fig. 4 shows that the circular shape of the contact is
The static growth of the mineral assemblage during the
more apparent than real because it consists of several linear
episode of thermal metamorphism does not indicate later
or curviplanar segments of 200±900 m in length that join at
ductile deformation. In this context, thermal metamorphism
sharp edges, thus conforming to a noticeable polygonal
is signi®cant because it highlights the last event in the meta-
design. Such polygonal geometry is not easily identi®ed at
morphic evolution of the crystalline basement of the Sierra
a regional scale of observation and is therefore easily
de Comechingones.
confused with a circular shape. The segments of the polygon
have offsets of a few meters along the radial fractures (Fig.
4a), and the granite/host rock relationship displays sharp,
5.2. Host rock xenoliths
stepped contacts with the S4 mylonitic foliation and/or the
fold axes of the host rocks, cutting them at great angles.
Few blocks of host rocks (in less than 1% of the granite
5.1. Thermal contact aureole outcrops) have been preserved. These are generally distrib-
uted throughout the border zone of the CAB, close to the
A discontinuous thermal aureole was locally developed contact. Gneisses and amphibolite are the dominant lithol-
and overprinted the retrograde metamorphism in the GCSZ. ogies. The size of the blocks ranges from 0.1±5 m, though
 L.P. Pinotti et al. / Journal of South American Earth Sciences 15 (2002) 251±265
Fig. 6. Sketch of stoped host rock blocks preserved at several stages of
partition. (a) Swarm of polygonal stoped blocks, fractured and rotated. (b)
Partition surface of a small block as a result of the thermal fracture and
subsequent magma intrusion.
size and abundance decrease toward the interior of the
plutons.
Most xenoliths have been preserved at the north-
western border of the ETP, in the external unit, and
are characterized by large blocks of host rock up to
30 m in length. It is important to note that, in this
part of the pluton, a chilled border of previously crys-
tallized granite was also observed as rock pendants.
The internal structures of the larger blocks have
been rotated in relation to those of the adjacent meta-
morphic host rocks. Furthermore, different blocks have
been preserved in several stages of partition, and
some of them display an almost complete separation
from the walls. The partitions of these blocks began
from planar surfaces and internal fractures at high
angles from one another, induced by a profuse injec-
tion of granitic and aplo-pegmatite dikes (Fig. 6a and
b). Similar examples are also common at the northern
contact of the LCP.
261
6. Discussion
To assess the processes involved in the emplacement of
large volume batholiths, as is the case of the CAB and
several other Devonian granitic bodies from Sierras de
CoÂrdoba and San Luis, conspicuous features such as discor-
dant relationships with the host rocks, the occurrence of a
contact aureole that does not display any deformation, and
the nearly circular geometry of the plutons must be taken
into account.
Field evidence shows that brittle behavior of the host
rocks was broadly dominant during the emplacement of
the plutons that compose the CAB. According to the mineral
assemblage observed in the thermal contact aureole (Crd±
Bt±And±Sil) and using the KFMSH petrogenetic grid for
pelitic metasediments, it is possible to estimate a tempera-
ture close to 800 8C and a pressure lower than 2 kb for
magma crystallization, which is equivalent to an estimated
depth of emplacement #7.5 km (Pinotti, 1998). Conse-
quently, the rheologic behavior of the host rock can be
considered equivalent to that of a material with elastic beha-
vior (Macosko, 1994; Atkinson, 1987; FernaÂndez and
Castro, 1999).
These considerations indicate that the polygonal shape of
the plutons and their circular internal structures were devel-
oped at shallow crustal levels, and in this context, the
mechanisms that involve ductile deformation, such as
diapirism (Marsh, 1982; Weinberg and Podladchikov,
1994), are not applicable. Although a circular shape is
generally typical of diapiric bodies, the lack of harmony
and ductile deformation of the host rocks does not support
a model of diapiric intrusion. However, the unmodi®ed
structures of the host rock and the absence of an aureole
with ductile deformation also rules out the possibility of a
ballooning style of emplacement (Bateman, 1985; Ramsay,
1989; Hutton, 1997). In the few areas where some ductile
behavior was observed in the host rock, it was related to the
contact aureole. However, these sectors are regionally
insigni®cant because they represent less than 0.5% of the
overall volume of the CAB.
Mechanisms that involve high strain rates, such as accre-
tion deformation (Castro and FernaÂndez, 1998) or transla-
tion and rotation (Tikoff et al., 1999), did not play a
dominant role in the emplacement process of the CAB.
The presence of discordant contacts, numerous roof
pendants, and annular and radial dykes can be explained
only by brittle behavior, that is, stoping (Daly, 1903,
1933). In addition, the conspicuous, nearly circular zoned
arrangement of the plutons indicates that magmatic stress
prevailed over the regional stresses. However, in the brittle
upper portions of the crust, the internal forces of the magma
alone are not enough to explain the intrusion, and additional
favorable structural conditions are required, as was
suggested by Vigneresse (1995).
The CAB is a notable example of multistage emplacement
of a granitic body that grew mainly from three major
262 L.P. Pinotti et al. / Journal of South American Earth Sciences 15 (2002) 251±265
Fig. 7. Schematic block diagrams showing the relationships of the main
intrusion episodes of the Cerro Aspero batholith during the Middle to Late
Devonian. (A) Later stage of the evolution of the GCSZ. Distension after
main compressive episode, granitic melt ascent. (B) Beginning of the Devo-
nian granitic emplacement in the Sierra de Comechingones: Intrusion of the
ACP (in dark grey) structurally controlled by the GCSZ. (C) Main stage of
magma intrusion. Emplacement of the ETP (in light gray), coeval intrusion
of coalescent batches of melt during the later stage of the ACP intrusion.
The arrows show the expansion of the ETP related to the intrusion of its
central unit. (D) Later stage of the CAB emplacement, intrusion of the LCP
(in black) showing the arrangement of the three plutons in relation to the
inferred NNW±SSE master fractures.
successive intrusions. The magmatic event began with the
emplacement of a small-volume intrusion (ACP 50 km 2),
followed by the larger (ETP 390 km2), and ending with
LCP. This interpretation is based on the relative disposition
of magmatic structures disrupted by the contacts between
granitic plutons.
The alignment of the pluton's cores, together with the distri-
bution of their internal structures, indicate a NNW±SSE trend.
This suggests that granite emplacement was probably
controlled by a set of early master fractures (Fig. 8), which
probably were a consequence of a Paleozoic system of local
extension that facilitated the granitic magma ascent by means
of fracture propagation. The orientation of such fractures
would have been induced by the host rock anisotropy and
therefore would be favored by the most penetrative structures
(S3 and S4 foliations) of the Sierra de Comechingones.
The formation of a thermal contact aureole without the
deformation overprinting the retrograde metamorphism of
the GCSZ indicates that, during the Middle Devonian period
during which the intrusion of the CAB began, the shear zone
was already extinct. However, the location of the plutons in
relation to the GCSZ suggests that it controlled the position
of the master fractures and magma intrusion. The ACP
clearly intruded after the main compression episode of the
GCSZ ceased and a relaxation stage had begun. Therefore, it
is possible to interpret these granites as associated with
postorogenic tectonic processes related to a rise and
progressive cooling of the crust (Pinotti et al., 1996).
The discordant relationship of the plutons and the meta-
morphic foliations, together with the polygonal geometry of
the contact, indicate that the emplacement occurred along
brittle fractures and the host material was not displaced
sideways. Two alternatives could explain how accommoda-
tion was created: (1) host rocks were moved toward the
lower part of the magmatic chamber or (2) the overlying
roof rocks were domed upward by the magmatic intrusion
making space for itself and then eroded away. However,
because of the depth inferred for the pluton emplacement
(#7 km), a host rock doming process appears unlikely.
Paterson et al. (1996) refer to the irregular contacts in the
Chita Pluton, Argentina, as `irregular steep-sided contacts'
and argue that they were produced by lateral stoping. As the
generator of polygonal granitic geometry in the CAB, stop-
ing is very important herein.
During the intrusion of the ACP, some of the space was
®rst created by the driving pressure of the magma, which
was responsible for the formation of the radial and annular
fractures of the host rocks. This mechanism produced a
profuse fracture set, which allowed the invasion of dikes
and favored the stoping process. The consequent downward
removal of small host rock blocks may have been broadly
facilitated by heating and thermal fracturing (Marsh, 1982;
Fowler et al., 1995). Evidence for such processes is
provided by the swarms of small host rock xenoliths (stoped
blocks), as shown in Fig. 6a and b. In the case of the CAB,
the processes of weakening and fracturing the small blocks
were facilitated by an important thermal contrast between
the granite and the host rocks.
The Devonian granites of the Sierras de CoÂrdoba are rich
in ¯uorite (Dorais et al., 1997; Coniglio et al., 2000). The
viscosity therefore may have been low because of the high
¯uorine content (Dingwell, 1987). The thermal fracture
mechanism requires a low viscosity of the magma, consis-
tent with the inferred magma properties.
At shallow crustal levels, when a decrease in the litho-
static pressure occurs, the buoyancy force is neutralized, and
the principal stress orientation changes from vertical to hori-
zontal. Thus, the magma no longer ascends and tends to
expand laterally with isotropic stress in the horizontal
plane. At this point, lateral stoping, together with propaga-
tion of fractures, reaches its maximum importance, which
results in plutons with internal radial and circular structura-
tion and external polygonal shape (Paterson et al., 1996;
Pinotti, 1998).
From the variations in the section size of the CAB
plutons, it is possible to infer that the energy and quantity
of available magma were widely variable during its empla-
cement and reached a maximum with the ETP intrusion.
 L.P. Pinotti et al. / Journal of South American Earth Sciences 15 (2002) 251±265
Fig. 8. Sketch of the aligned plutons showing their internal expansion and
possible root of the plutons.
This could be related to different rates of opening of the
channels that feed the intrusions, due to variable activity
of the master and transverse fractures.
The two contemporary circular intrusions that overlap in
the core of the central unit of the ETP re¯ect a multi-pulse
intrusion with root paths that coalesce at the exposed level
of the intrusion. In the central unit, the alignment of
euhedral minerals, enclaves, and schlieren indicate that
the foliations are magmatic (see Paterson et al., 1989).
However, the presence of foliation and mineral deformation
in the ETP external unit suggests that they were the result of
solid-state deformation at high temperatures, and no
evidence of a tectonic origin was found. These foliations
are interpreted as formed by the expansion of the pluton
during the intrusion of the central unit, which could have
occurred as solid-state ballooning or, more likely, as
magmatic ¯ow. This second possibility is more probable
because the occurrence of a generalized magmatic ¯ow is
well established, and it likely was responsible for the
generation of large internal convection cells, as well as for
the high compositional homogeneity shown by the granitic
rocks (Pinotti et al., 1992). In addition, the gradual contacts
between the central and external units of the ETP suggest
that the intrusion expansion took place by continuous
magma emplacement. Evidence of lateral expansion also
is provided by the internal zoning of the plutons and its
263
associated circular structures (Fig. 8), as was suggested
for other zoned granites (Vigneresse, 1995).
The small size of the LCP suggests a low volume and
decline in magma production, probably due to a decrease in
the ascent energy related to the generalized cooling of the
crust. In these conditions of low energy input, when the
magma arrives at levels at which the buoyancy capacity is
neutralized, it does not seem to be able to expand laterally.
The maximum axis of the LCP is nearly N±S, thereby indi-
cating the orientation of the feeder fracture. These consid-
erations regarding CAB emplacement are summarized in
Figs. 7 and 8, which provide simpli®ed schemes that indi-
cate the main stages of intrusion.
7. Conclusions
On the basis of ®eld observations and structural and
petrographic data, it is possible to state that the well-devel-
oped circular geometry of the Devonian plutons of the Sier-
ras de CoÂrdoba is apparent and that it would be more
appropriate to describe it as a polygonal geometry. This
shape consists of several linear and curviplanar segments
developed under the brittle behavior of the host rocks with-
out substantial ductile deformation. The polygonal shape
was formed as a result of changes in the stress ®eld, from
vertical to horizontal, related to magma arrival at shallow
crustal levels.
The CAB is composed of three major successive and
continuous intrusions. The magmatic event began with the
emplacement of the ACP, continued with the synchronic
emplacement of two coalescent circular intrusions of the
ETP, and ended with the LCP emplacement. Each pluton
of the CAB is associated with a particular set of dikes, and
different relative ages for each set of dikes have been iden-
ti®ed. Pervasive subsolid alterations are mainly related to
the crystallization of the top or external units of each pluton.
Despite the uncertainty that exists on the kinematic
history of the GCSZ and the relatively scarce volume of
rock pendants in the granite, the best explanation for the
emplacement of the CAB is to invoke fracture propagation
in conjunction with stoping mechanisms. Explanations
based on diapirism or ballooning are not suitable in this
case.
The emplacement process was controlled by the move-
ment of master fractures developed in a extensional tectonic
regime, as is inferred for the CAB. The stoping mechanisms
acquired importance in the later stages of CAB emplace-
ment and were widely favored by the development of the
master fractures, the thermal contrast between granite and
host rock, and a diminished viscosity of the magma due to
its ¯uorine content.
Acknowledgements
All ®eld and laboratory expenses were supported by
264 L.P. Pinotti et al. / Journal of South American Earth Sciences 15 (2002) 251±265
SECYT-Universidad Nacional de RõÂo Cuarto (Proj. 18/
C097) and CONICOR-Agencia CoÂrdoba Ciencia (Proj.
18/C058). This work represents a portion of the doctoral
research of L. Pinotti, who was supported by CONICET,
Argentina. We thank G. Villalba and D. Ducart for assis-
tance during the ®eld work and the ITGD for logistical
support. We also acknowledge F. CanÄas and M. Fagiano
for constructive comments and suggestions that helped
improve the text and I. Martinez for helpful language
assistance.
Observations and suggestions of the reviewers (C. Miller
and A. Toselli) contributed greatly to improving the inter-
pretations. We also appreciate very much the editorial
suggestions provided by V. Ramos.
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