Full Title: Argentine Precordillera: Sedimentary and Plate Tectonic History of a Laurentian Crustal Fragment in South America
Author: Martin Keller
Controversy surrounds the Argentine Precordillera, a unique geologic province in South America that may represent a Laurentia-derived terrane. It contains a Cambrian-Ordovician carbonate platform that shares many characteristics with coeval sedimentary rocks of Laurentia; however, the timing and mode of transfer are still in question. The volume contributes to this controversial discussion, providing a systematic sedimentologic and stratigraphic interpretation of the Cambrian-Ordovician carbonate platform rocks; a similar interpretation of the Ordovician siliciclastic rocks of the platform, the continental margin, and the basin; a comparison of the carbonate platform evolution with coeval Laurentian platforms; and a model for the tectono-sedimentary evolution of the Precordillera during Cambrian through Devonian time. An interpretation of the plate-tectonic history of the Precordillera on its way from Laurentia to Gondwana and some implications for the global plate-tectonic reconstructions, especially for the Ordovician, are also presented. This Special Paper is sure to spark a lively discussion among geoscientists studying the area.
Published: 12/30/1999
ISBN Number: 0813723418
Pages: 131
Product Category: EBooks