TECTONICS, VOL. 20, NO.

2, PAGES 210-234 APRIL 2001

Style and history of Andean deformation, Puna plateau,

northwestern Argentina
IsabelleCoutand,1,2PeterR. Cobbold,1 Marc de Urreiztieta,3 PierreGautier,1
AnnickChauvin,
• DenisGapais,
! Eduardo
A. Rossello,
4
andOscarL6pez-Gamundi
•

Abstract. Topographically, the Puna plateau of shorteningwas probably guidedby preexisting Paleozoic and
northwesternArgentina is the southerncontinuation of the Mesozoic structures,so that Andean deformation propagated
Bolivian Altiplano. Its thickening and consecutive uplift unevenly eastward.
result from the Andean orogeny. To better constrain the
structural style and its progressive development, we have 1. Introduction
studiedfield data, topographic and satellite imagery, balanced
cross sections, seismic reflection data, kinematic analysis of The central Andesare a productof crustal thickening and
fault slip data, anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS), magmatism,in responseto subductionof the oceanicNazca
paleomagnetic data, and apatite fission track (AFF) data. platebeneathcontinentalSouthAmerica(Figure 1). Currently,
Acrossthe Puna plateau, Precambrianand Paleozoic basement the Nazcaplatesubducts northeastward at a rate of -70 mm/yr.
ranges, boundedby high-angle reverse faults (dips >_ 60ø), The pole andrate of relative rotation have been steadyfor the
alternate with Cenozoic intermontane basins. Major thrusts last 25 Myr or so, and the maximal rate of convergenceoccurs
next to the central Andes [Pardo-Casas and Molnar, 1987].
trend NNE-SSW and do not show a preferred vergence.
Intermontane basins have various degrees of symmetry, This probably explains why the central Andeshave a strong
element of mirror symmetry about the convergence vector
dependingon the geometriesand attitudesof associatedthrusts
as well as on the magnitudesof their offsets. There is a close [Gephart, 1994].
correlation between the surfaceexpression of a basin and the The main topographicfeatureof the centralAndesis a high
amount of internal deformation. A line-balanced cross section plateau,which includesthe Altiplano of Bolivia andstretches
-1800 km, from southernPeru to northernArgentina.It has an
of the Puna at 25øS has yielded a Cenozoic shortening of 10-
15%, in a direction subperpendicularto the orogen. By averageelevation of-4 km above sea level [Isacks,1988],
and it reaches a maximum width of 400 km in the Bolivian
kinematic analysis of Cenozoic fault slip data we have
obtained principal directions of strain rate acrossthe Puna.
Andes(Figure1). The underlyingcontinentalcrustis up to 70
km thick [GOtzeet al., 1994; Wigget et al., 1994; Zandt et al.,
Shorteningaxes are subhorizontaland trend on averageWNW-
1994, 1996; Beck et al., 1996; G•tze and Kirchner, 1997],
ESE (--N110ø), stretching axes are subvertical, and
intermediateaxes are subhorizontaland trend on average NNE- mainlyas a consequence of Andeanshortening[Roeder,1988;
lsacks, 1988; Schmitz, 1994; Kley et al., 1996; Baby et al.,
SSW. Strain ellipsoids are dominantly of plane strain type,
1997; Lamb and Hoke, 1997].
and they representdip-slip thrusting.From paleomagneticand
The Puna is the southern part of the high plateau of the
AMS data, shortening axes form a radial pattern aroundthe
central Andes. Many authors consider that the Puna was
easternedge of the central Andes. The pattern is attributedto
an inhomogeneous stressfield, reflecting the eastwardconvex uplifted in Neogene times [Vandervoort et al., 1995;
shapeof the central Andeanthrust front. From the history of Allmendingeret al., 1997; Jordan et al., 1997]. However,
burial and uplift, Andean shortening reachedthe northeastern many questionsremain concerningits tectonic development.
part of the Puna in the late Eocene and the adjacentEastern For example,what is the internalstructureof the Punaplateau?
When did the crust start to shorten, as a result of Andean
Cordillera in the late Eocene or early Oligocene. This
shortening was presumablydue to the Incaic phase of the compression? How and whendid deformationpropagateinto
Andeanorogeny.In the easternpart of the orogenthe onset of the foreland?In an attempt to answer these questions, we
undertooka multidisciplinary project, which involved field
mapping, analysis of topographic and satellite images,
IG•osciences-Rennes
(UPR-CNRS
4661), Universit•de RennesI, construction of balanced cross sections, interpretation of
Rennes, France. seismic reflection profiles, kinematic analysis of fault slip
2Now at Institutftir Geowissenschaften,
Universit•tPotsdam, data,paleomagneticmeasurement of rotationsaboutvertical
Potsdam,Germany. axes, measurementof anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility
3ElfExploration
Production,
CSTJFA,Pau,France.
(AMS), anddatingby apatitefissiontracks(AFT).
4CONICET
y Departamento
deCiencias
Geo16gicas,
Universidad
de
BuenosAires, BuenosAires, Argentina.
5International
Exploration
Division,
Texaco
Inc.,Bellaire,
Texas. 2. Geological Framework
Copyright2001 by the AmericanGeophysicalUnion. 2.1. Andes of Northwestern Argentina
Paper number 2000TC900031. Topographically, the Puna plateau of northwestern
0278-7407/01/2000TC900031 $12.00 Argentina (22ø00'-26ø30'S and 65ø30'-68ø00'W) is the

210
 COUTAND ET AL.' TECTONICS OF PUNA PLATEAU, NW ARGENTINA 21 1

80øW 75øW 70øW 65øW 60øW

i 10øS
a)

15øS

b)

20øS

f:½..

'"%'...
.... ß
':":'-

25øS
68 mm/year

NUVEL-1A
........ 77-rnm•year
-

30øS

Figure 1. (a) Digital relief map of central Andes. Altiplano-Puna plateau stretchessome 1800 km, from
southern Peru to northern Argentina, at an average elevation of 3.65 km. Data are from U.S. Geological
Survey. Each pixel is 30" wide. (b) Structural units of central Andes. TIZ is the TucumfinTransfer Zone.
Present day convergence vector (arrow) is from plate reconstructions (NUVEL-1A model of DeMets et al.
[1994]) or from geodetic(GPS) data [Norabuena et al., 1998].

southerncontinuationof the Bolivian Altiplano (Figure 1),
even thoughat an averageelevationof 4400 m it is some 800
m higher than the Altiplano. From north to south the
underlyingsubductedslab of the Nazcaplate shallows[Cahill
and Isacks, 1992], the continental lithosphere thins
[Whitman,1994; Whitmanet al., 1992, 1996; Kay and Kay,
1993; Kay et al., 1994], and the amount of horizontal
shorteningdecreases [Isacks,1988]. All these factorsappear
to have influenced the style, distribution and timing of
deformation(for a review, see Allmendinger et al. [1997]).
Although it is referredto as a plateau, the Puna is not flat
(Plate 1). The lowest elevations (3500-3600 m) are to be
found in intermontane basins, which have been infilled with
continentalCenozoic sedimentsand whereinternal drainage
and high rates of evaporationhave resultedin salars. Between
themare smallmountainrangesup to 1500 m higher madeof
Precambrianand Paleozoic rocks. Basins are separatedfrom
rangesby high-anglereverse faults and thrusts, which mostly
trendN-S to NNE-SSW (Figure 2). Trending WNW-ESE across
the Puna are secondary volcanic ranges where calderas are
common (Plate 1). These appear to follow preexisting faults,
which were reactivatedduringthe Andeanorogeny.
The Puna is flanked by the Western and Eastern Cordilleras,
which reach6500 m (Figure I and Plate 1), giving the plateau
its internal drainage. Crowning the Western Cordillera are
dacitic and andesitic stratovolcanoes of the active volcanic
arc. The EasternCordillera (Figures 1 and 2 and Plate 1) is a
basement-involvedthrust system, which verges mainly
westward[Kley, 1996; Kley et al., 1996, 1997] and within
which incised valleys, such as the Quebradade Humahuaca,
Quebrada
del Toro, and Calchaqufes
valleys, are parallel to
major faults (Figure 2 and Plate 1). Toward the foreland the
tectonic style is strongly influenced by pre-Andean
paleogeographicfeatures[Allmendinger
et al., 1983a;Babyet
212 COUTAND ET AL.' TECTONICS OF PIJNA PLATEAU, NW ARGENTINA

Bolivia
22øS
22øS

68øW 65øW

Tres Cruces
'• Salars
[-'-]Quaternary
alluvium
• Quaternary andTertiary
volcanics
':'":'""•
Tertiary
sedimentary
rocks
/ Cretaceoussedimentary
rocks
[-7]Cretaceous
granitoides
:• Precambrian
& Paleozoic
• Thrusts Purmamarca

'• Anticlines
• Synclines 24øS

San Salvador
de los Cobres
de Jujuy
/t - .. i_'- - O
%".
,.

Pastos Grandes,'

Salta
:Arizaro:'." O
D'

25øS

! \ 25 km
t/'l , I,
/
-.. ! /\

Figure 2. Geological map of Puna plateau [modified after Amengualet al., 1979]. Short lines indicate
locationsof seismic profiles 1, 2, and 3 (Figures6 and 7). Long lines indicate regional crosssections AA',
BB', CC', and DD' (Figure 5).

al., 1989; Allmendinger and Gubbels, 1996]. In Bolivia and
northern Argentina the Subandeanranges (Figure 1) are the
surfaceexpression of an eastwardverging thin-skinned fold-
and-thrustbelt, which has developedwithin a thick sequence
of Cambrian to Carboniferoussediments [Mingramm et al.,
1979; Roeder, 1988; Baby et al., 1995; Kley and Reinhardt,
1994; Schmitz and Kley, 1997]. Southward, the Paleozoic
sequencespinch out and shortening has been accommodated
by the thrust system of the Santa Bfirbara ranges (Figure 1),
which involves Proterozoic crystalline basement and its
Mesozoic sedimentarycover [Allmendingeret al., 1983a; Grief
et al., 1991; Allmendingerand Gubbels, 1996; Allmendingeret
al., 1997]. Finally, in the souththe Puna plateauis boundedby
the right-lateral transpressional Tucfiman Transfer Zone,
 COUTANDET AL.:TECTONICSOF PUNAPLATEAU,NW ARGENTINA

Early
[
Eocene /
? ,'..
-.........• -_- •-_ • :-- - -
?
[ = --------- LaLumbrera--

Paleocene[
[ •'= ___• ...... • Ma,z
Gordo
. .} =
Maastncht•an o = , --------------
-----Mealla
[•• ß
..-....
..•
'.•-'...
'Lecbo
[ Wuronia.
[
• . I ['"•'"'"""-•'""••• R•••aqmllas, Abra

I I I

',
,
' ,

Permian FmAriza•
•]
(2OOm)
::[
Fm('e[•oOscuro]
Carboniferous
(20•..•••
• Cha•ic Orogeny

Devonian • FmRmc6n
• Fala
Eruptwa
dela
• (120
m)• Puna
Oriental
Silurian
OcloyicOrogeny •
•T T P,nattt
r_•.b_i
co,... •plex(-3500m) T 'V•.tk+
Ordovician
• • .'.•:..•.'•-''•'•
Volcanosedimenta
' '• y • _Fm'-Acoite
• • • (30•
_ m)-- Santa-
V•cto•aG•oup
sequence
(4000 n• ( •)• v >•U m)

Fins LasVicufiasand (o000m)

Aguadade la Perdiz
Cambrian SantaRosadeTastiland
Santa Victoria batholiths

Pampean
Orogeny

Figure 3. Chronostratigraphic
sectionof Punaand westernpart of EasternCordillera,includingProterozoic
to Paleozoicbasement[modifiedafter Bahlburg and Breitkreuz, 1991; Bahlburg and Furlong, 1996] and
Cretaceousto Paleocenesediments
of SaltaGroup[modifiedafter Salfityand Marquillas, 1994].

which trends SW-NE and includes the northern part of the plateau.Cenozoicsedimentsandvolcanicrocksarerestricted
thick-skinned Sierras Pampeanas[Mon, 1979; de Urre&tieta, mostlyto intermontanebasins(Figures2 and 3).
1996; de Urreiztieta et al., 1996]. 2.2.1. Proterozoic and Paleozoic basement. The
Puncoviscana formation, Upper Precambrian to Early
2.2. Stratigraphy Cambrianin age [Turner, 1960a, 1960b],is composedof low-
Across the Puna and also in the Eastern Cordillera, grade metamorphosedmarine pelites up to 2000 m thick
Proterozoicand Paleozoic basementrocks crop out as a series (Figure 3). They are intruded by several generations of
of small mountain ranges (Figures 2 and 3). Mesozoic granitoids, Upper Proterozoic to lower Paleozoic in age
sedimentscrop out mainly along the eastern margin of the [Halpern and Latorre, 1973; Lork and Bahlburg, 1993].
214 COUTAND ET AL.: TECTONICS OF PUNA PLATEAU, NW ARGENTINA
DuringtheLateCambrian,pinkquartzites
of the Mes6nGroup
weredepositedunconformablyon olderunits[Hausen,1925;
Kumpaand Sanchez,1988]. On the Punathe most common
basement rocks are Ordovician metasediments. In the eastern
part of the plateau, only the upper memberof the Santa
VictoriaGroup,the Acoiteformation,is exposed[Harrington
and Leanza, 1957]. To the west the oldest Ordovicianunit is a
sequence
of sedimentsand volcanic rocks 4000 m thick
[Garciaet al., 1962;Breitkreutz
et al., 1989; Bahlburg,1990]. intermontane basins of the southern Puna, Miocene sequences
It is overlainby the "Punaturbiditiccomplex,"-3500 m thick are also thick, but they consist of pelites and evaporites,
[Bahlburg,1990, 1991].The Ordovicianstrataweredeformed which were depositedin salt lakes [Alonso et al., 1991;
and slighlty metamorphosed during the Late Ordovician Vandervoort et al., 1995]. Subsidence continued until the
Ocloyicorogeny [Turner and M•ndez, 1979; Coira et al., Pliocene, when 500 m of conglomeratesand volcanoclastic
1982;Mon and Hongn,1987, 1991].They alsoareintrudedby
a suiteof igneousrocks,knownastheFajaEruptivade la Puna
Oriental (FEPO) [M•ndez et al., 1973], whose origin remains
controversial.
2.2.2. Mesozoic rocks. Mesozoic strata crop out
mainlyalongthe northeastern edgeof the Puna(Figures2 and
3), within the TresCrucesbranchof the Salta rift. Sediments
of the SaltaGroupweredepositedin a back arc rift setting,
from the Neocomian to the late Cretaceous,and in a postrift
setting,fromthelateCampanian
to thePaleocene[Bianucciet
al., 1981; Grief et al., 1991; Salfity and Marquillas, 1994].
ThePirguaSubgroup
[Vilela,1951]is an earlyrift sequence
of
continentalred beds,including alluvial fan and braidedstream
deposits,whichreaches a thickness
of 900 m in the studied
area[Coira, 1979; Boll and Herncindez,1986; Salfity and
Marquillas, 1994]. The postrift Balbuena Subgroup
[Moreno, 1970], a lacustrine to shallow marine sequence,
startswith white calcareouscoarse-grained
sandstonesof the
Lecho formation [Turner, 1959; Salfity, 1980]. It is
conformably overlain by the Yacoraite formation, a
Maastrichtian sequence of fossiliferous oolitic and
stromatoliticlimestonesand green to purple marls [Turner,
1959;Marquillas,1984,1985],whichis no thickerthan400
m in the Punadepocenters [Salfity and Marquillas,1994].
Alongthe westernflankof the TresCruces basin,Ordovician
strataare intrudedby granitic stocks (Rangel, Tusaquillas,
Abra Laite, and Aguilar plutons), Early Cretaceousin age
[HalpernandLatorre,1973;TurnerandMdndez, 1979].
2.2.3. Tertiary deposits. In the Paleocene,the Santa
BfirbaraSubgroup[Moreno, 1970] was depositedin a
lacustrineenvironment(Figure3). It consistsof purplemarls
of the Mealla formation[Marquillas and Salfity, 1989], gray-
blue marls of the Maiz Gordo formation [del Papa and
Marquillas,1990], andredpelitesof the Lumbrera
formation
[Pascual, 1984].
Continentaldepositsof Eoceneageandyoungerare found
within intermontanebasinsand along their edges(Figure 4).
LateEoceneto Oligoceneredbeds,conglomeratic to the west
andsandyto the east,appearto havebeendeposited
withina
wide basin, which coveredthe Altiplano-Punaat that time
[Jordanand Alonso, 1987]. In the late Oligoceneandearly
Miocene,red bedsandassociated basaltsanddacitictuffs were
deposited in (1) the TamboTambilloandCorquedepocenters
of Bolivia [Kennanet al., 1995; Lambet al., 1997; Lamband
Hoke, 1997] and (2) the Arizaro basin of the Puna
[Vandervoort et al. 1995]. Because these deposits are sedimentation. Under these conditions, restoration of the 230
discontinuousand diachronous, Allmendinger et al. [1997]
have inferred that intermontane basins were spatially
independentat that time.
Depocentersof the northernPunaare very similar to those
of southern Bolivia. In the Tres Cruces basin [Boll and
Herncindez, 1986], continental detrital sequences,early to
middle Miocene in age, are up to 2000 m thick, whereaslate
Miocene to Plio-Pleistocene sequencesare thin to nonexistent
[Gubbels et al., 1993; Kennan et al., 1995]. In the
sedimentswere deposited.They are sealedby the Late Pliocene
to Quaternaryignimbritic and pyroclastic units as well as by
paleosalars.
3. Regional Structures and Shortening
Estimates
Using field data, Landsat images, and seismic reflection
profiles (to be describedin section4), we have constructedtwo
regional cross sections, which illustrate the structureof the
upper crust (Figure 5). Metasedimentary and igneous rocks of
the basement have been strongly involved in Andean
deformation. Thrusts and reverse faults are widespread.
Basement blocks are bounded either by reverse faults of
opposite vergences or by a single thrust on one side and
onlappingsedimentson the other side. Intervening basins are
symmetric or asymmetric, depending on the geometries and
magnitudesof bounding faults.
Reactivated faults, which trend diagonally (WNW-ESE)
across the plateau, appear to have acted as transfer zones
(Figure 2). Acrossthem there are changesin the vergenceand
spacing of reverse faults. This accounts for differences
between one regional cross section and another.
To estimate the amount of Andean shortening throughout
the Puna plateau and adjacentEastern Cordillera, the regional
sectionCC'-DD' (Figures 2 and 5b) has been restoredby line
balancing (Figure 5b). This method relies on three
assumptions[DaMstrom, 1969; Hossack, 1979]: (1) lengths
of competent layers are conserved, (2) before deformation,
referencelayers are horizontal and of even thickness, and (3)
at one of its endsthe sectioncarries a vertical pin line, which
remainsfixed during deformation.
As a reference surface we chose the top of the basement.
However, there is little information on the geometry of this
surfaceprior to Andean compression,and its current geometry
is unknown where basement ranges have been eroded.
Althoughwe believe that we have identified most of the major
faults that have contributed to basement shortening, others
may have escapedour attention, especially in areasof sparse
data. Thus our estimate of shortening along this section is an
absoluteminimum. A pin line was chosenat the easternend of
the section (Figure 5b). We neglected(1) possible motion2)f
material into or out of the cross section, (2) displacements
associated with internal deformation or sedimentary
compaction, and (3) thickness variations due to syntectonic
km long section(CC'-DD') yielded a minimal displacementof
 COUTAND ET AL.: TECTONICS OF PUNA PLATEAU, NW ARGENTINA 21.5

Arizaro basin Pastos Grandes basin Tres Cruces basin Northern Puna
(Donato, 1987) (Alonso, 1992) (Boll & Hernfindez,1986 ) (North of Abra Pampa)
(Coira, 1979 )
,; '••
'•'•*"' Olajaca
Fm.
Quat
erHolocene
-nary Pleistocene

' [:?'""'•-'•-"'"-'•"•'
Batf•i•"'
I Late
LilaBlancaFm.
P,ion ,. .
(0-600'-- (6.)
m)' •n•n=.=•--=
Rumibola
Fms.
Pucara
&
.... (5) FS-

• •
Late
•=•=-11.21•
...................
anco
.................
- ......
(4) •'•'•'
oogOoOo.- SinguelFm.
- (200
m).... de Azucar
(0-200 m)
.....
•-'.-'•
.• Middle• ,....-•'a.7-Sijes
Fm. SijesFm.
(0-1500m) (0-200 m)

Early 23,7
', ::•r...::
.....
(2) ....- ....................
!al •
(3),....--,,,,•-.
..................
PisungoFm.
(0-2000 m)

= Late

•o • 30M•
San Juan del Oro

•
" 36.6l•
,,
.............
• UpperPozue,os
m)Fm.
(0-2520
..... <•.
U•u_:2•ff•0F•;er
surface
Pan de Azficar dacite
Doncellas Fm. and Cara-
Cara strata(80-350 rn)

Late I
Rio Grande Fm.
(0-2000 m)
', -:.'7:;2'
- ,'
Moreta Fm.
o Middle
'"'"'• /! (1320 m)
9• Lower
Pozuelo's
Fm.
----' 52 M•
(•8/l,0m)
(10)
Early
•,•'"-xz,'"'f_'x•
Geste
•o?y• (0-435
•7
Fm.
m)
(11) Casa Grande Fm.
(0-800 m) Candado Fm
(250-550 m)

Legend Radiometric dating:

Volcanic
rocks(tuffs,andesites,(1) 23.8_+0.4
Ma; 4øAr/39Aronhornblend
(Vandervoort,1993)
dacites
andignimbrites) (2) 10.8+_2.0
Ma; Fission
tracks
onzircon(Alonso
etal., 1991)
I Pelites (3) 7.6+1.1 Ma;Fission tracksonzircon (Alonsoetal.,1991)
(4) 4.0+1.2 Ma; Fissiontrackson zircon (Alonsoet al., 1991)
(5) 2.89_+0.04
Ma; 4øAr/39Ar
onbiotite(Vandervoort,
1993)
Evaporites (6)0.33_+0.04
Ma;4øAr/39Ar
onbiotite
(Vandervoort,
1993)
(7) 12+2 Ma; K/At on whole rock (Coira, 1979)
Cross-bedded
sandstones (8) 14.26_+0.19
Ma; 4øAr/39Ar
onbiotite(Cladouhos
et al., 1994)
(9) 8.78_+0.17
Ma; 4øAr/39Ar
onbiotite(Gubbels
etal., 1993)
Conglomeratic
sandstones Paleontological
dating:
(10) Eocene;Marsupials(Pascual,1983)
Conglomerates (11) Middle to Late Eocene;Vertebrates
(Ferndndez
etal., 1973)

Figure 4. Stratigraphic
columns
frommainCenozoicdepocenters
of Puna[modifiedafterDonato, 1987'
Alonso, 1992' Boll and Herndndez, 1986; Coira, 1979]. For locations,see Figure 2.

-40 km (some 10-15% shortening) in a direction in horizontal shortening between the thin-skinned Subandean
subperpendicular to the orogen(Figure 5b). ranges to the north and the thick-skinned Sierra de Santa
Farthersouth, acrossthe Sierras Pampeanas,a horizontal Bfirbara to the south could be balanced by more shortening in
shorteningof--10% has been estimatedby de Urreiztieta the hinterland and particularly throughout the Puna plateau
[1996]. Farther north, accordingto balancedcrosssectionsof [Allmendingerand Gubbels, 1996; Kley, 1996]. However, in
the Bolivian Andes, which take into account seismic order to achievea steady southwarddecreasein shortening the
refractiondata,the estimateddisplacementis as muchas 250- Punashouldbe shortened
by --150-170km [Kley and Monalc7i,
320 km [Roeder,1988; Shelfels, 1990; Isacks, 1988; Schmitz, 1998]. The available estimates of shortening of 50 km
1994;Ba• et al., 1995;Kley, 1996;Schmitzand Kley, 1997; [Cladouhos et al., 1994] and of 40kin (this study) are
Kleyet al., 1997].The amountof shortening
decreases
from the substantially smaller than the requiredvalues. There are three
apex of the central Andestowardthe south [Isacks, 1988]. In possible reasons for the discrepancy: (1) the shortening
northwestern Argentinait hasbeensuggested that the decrease estimates for the Puna are too small, (2) the regional
216 COUTANDET AL.:TECTONICSOF PUNAPLATEAU,NW ARGEN•NA

.•O O ,'-"

O
 COUTAND ET AL.: TECTONICS OF PUNA PLATEAU, NW ARGENTINA
argumentsare incorrect,or (3) tectonic shortening alone does
not account for the crustal thickness of the Puna (60-70 km).
Other processes that may thicken the crust are magmatic
addition [Roeder, 1988; Sheffels,1990; Lamb and Hoke, 1997],
underplating of material removed from the forearc by
subductionerosion [Schmitz, 1994; Baby et al., 1997], or flow
of ductile lower crust [Kley and Monaldi, 1998]. We cannot
assessthe contributionsof these additional processesbecause
data are insufficient.
4. Intermontane Basins
From the Bolivian frontier to the Salinas Grandes (Figure
2), seismic reflection profiles provide major constraints on
the tectonic and stratigraphic styles of intermontane basins.
Of greatest interest are three seismic profiles, which trend
approximatelyWNW-ESE, the first two across the Tres Cruces
basin (Figures 2 and 6)and the third one across the Salinas
Grandes(Figures 2 and 7).
4.1. Tres Cruces Basin
The Tres Cruces basin contains both Mesozoic
Cenozoic sediments (Figure 6a). Overlying the Santa Barb•ra
Subgroup(Paleocene)is the Casa Grandeformation, of middle
to late Eocene age (Figure 4) [Fernc•ndezet al., 1973]. Red
sandstones and mudstonesalternate, forming a sequenceup to
800 m thick [Boll and Hernc•ndez, 1986]. The Rio Grande
formation [Pascual et al., 1978] is an Oligocene sequenceof
conglomerates and coarse-grainedsandstonesup to 2000 m
thick [Boll and HerncSndez,1986]. The Pisungo formation
[Pascual et al., 1978] is an early to middle Miocene sequence
of alluvial fan deposits 2000 m thick [Boll and Hernandez,
1986]. The Sijes formation [Turner, 1960a], a pyroclastic
unit, is covered by the Pan de Azficar dacites, which have been
dated at 12 + 2 Ma by K-At on whole rock [Coira, 1979].
For the two sections across the Tres Cruces basin, seismic
reflectors have been correlated with the stratigraphy at
outcrop. Massive calcareous layers of the Maastrichtian
Yacoraite Formation (Balbuena Subgroup) yield
characteristically bold reflections. Less continuous reflections
mark the underlying red sandstonesof the Pirgua Subgroup.
Folded Ordovician metasedimentsare seismicallytransparent.
The Tres Cruces basin has developed in the footwall of a
major eastwardverging thrust, which runs along the eastern
edge of the Sierra de Aguilar (Figure 6a). However, the
structuresand the amountof horizontal shortening vary along
strike, as illustrated by the two seismic profiles. Along the
northernprofile (line 1, Figure 6b), continuous low-amplitude
reflections from the Santa Barbrita Subroup and the Casa
Grande formation are subparallel to Yacoraite reflections.
Within the Uchara synclinea 50% westward thickening of Rfo
Grande strata is visible on the seismic section. When
vertical scale is converted from two-way travel time • to
true depth (see Coutand, [1999]), the thickening becomes
more apparent(for a similar example, seeAllmendingeret al.
[1983b]). We attribute the thickening to synsedimentary
displacement on a major thrust. Similarly, overlying deposits
of the Pisungo formation thicken eastwardbeneath another
reverse fault. The superposedsequencesindicate a shift in
activity, from one reversefault to the other. At the top of the
217
section the Sijes formation, representedby continuousbold
reflections, onlaps the Pisungo formation (Figure 6b), as
observed by Gangui [1998]. At the eastern end of the line a
minorthrustvergeswestward.Along line 2 (Figure6c), strata
are mainly of early Tertiary age. The main structures are
eastwardverging thrusts and fault bend folds. At the eastern
end of the line is a pop-up or flower structure, whose
significanceis not clear. The Casa Grandeformation (Eocene)
thickens slightly westward, toward the major thrusts. In
addition, the thrustsincreasein dip upward.All these features
provideevidencefor synsedimentarythrusting duringthe late
Eocene and early Oligocene.
4.2. Salinas Grandes
Line 3 trendsWNW-ESE betweenthe Lagunade Guayatayoc
and the Salinas Grandes(Figure 7 and Plate 1). Acevedoand
Bianucci [1987], Monaldi et al. [1993], and Gangui [1998] all
have interpretedthis sectiondifferently. Accordingto Acevedo
and Bianucci [1987], the underlying basin is a symmetric
Quaternary graben, bounded by high-angle normal faults.
Monaldi et al. [1993] favoredan Oligocene piggyback basin
and behind the Aguilar thrust sheet. The section provides crucial
information on the structureat depth in an area which is
topographically flat and where outcrops of Mesozoic and
Cenozoic sediments are sparse. In addition, no wells have
been drilled in this area.
Along line 3, reflections fall into three main units (Figure
7). The uppermost,unit 1, reachesa depth of-6000 m (2.5 s
TWT). It is a series of well-defined, continuous, and
subhorizontal reflections. Unit 2 appears to be a folded,
faulted, and truncatedsedimentarysequence.Finally, for unit 3
the seismic response is highly attenuated, and no clear
reflections are observed.
Unit 3 is accounted for by Paleozoic basement and the
Tusaquillasintrusion, early Cretaceousin age [Halpern and
Latorre, 1973], which crop out at the eastern end of line 3.
Unit 2 appearsto be separatedfrom unit 1 by a major erosional
and angularunconformity(namedU1 by Gangui [1998]). Unit
2 has beenattributedto either (1) the CretaceousSalta Group,
which was folded and faulted during the late Eocene Incaic
phase of the Andean orogeny [Monaldi et al., 1993], or (2)
Cambrian to Early Ordovician quartzites, which were deformed
prior to the Andean orogeny [Gangui, 1998]. The first
hypothesisimplies an angular unconformity at regional scale
between strata of the Salta Group and overlying Tertiary
deposits. However, where Cretaceousrocks crop out, on the
eastern edge of the basin, no such unconformity has been
observed [Boll and Hernc•ndez,1986]. On the other hand, there
is indeed a regional unconformity across the entire Puna
between Paleozoic basement and its Mesozoic or Cenozoic
cover. Thus the secondhypothesisseemsmore tenable. Unit 1
the has been attributed to Cenozoic strata alone [Monaldi et al.,
1993] or to both Mesozoic and Cenozoic strata [Gangui,
1998]. The depocenter lies between two major convergent
thrusts,which wereactive duringsedimentation(Figure7). If
the basal strata are indeedCretaceousin age, as suggestedby
Gangui [1998], this would imply that compressional
tectonics were ongoing at that time.
Our interpretationof line 3 is as follows (Figure7). Toward
the top of unit 2 a thin seriesof wedge-shaped reflectors(S4),
218 COUTANDET AL.'TECTONICS
OFPUNAPLATEAU,
NW ARGENTINA

[-• m.
0
o
,----,
m.
,--
o
c-,i
COUTAND ET AL.: TECTONICS OF PUNA PLATEAU, NW ARGENTINA 219
 220 COUTAND ET AL.: TECTONICS OF PUNA PLATEAU, NW ARGENTINA

just beneath the erosional unconformity, onlap tilted strata a) LocalityJy26

and are conformal with overlying deposits.They are attributed
to the Salta Group, which in this area may be condensedor
eroded. Above the erosional unconformity a package of
reflectors (S3) thickenstowardthe east, in the footwall of the
westwardverging boundary thrust. By analogy with the Tres
Crucesbasin this packageis attributed to the Casa Grandeand
Rfo Grande formations (late Eocene and Oligocene). The
overlying set of reflectors (S2) onlaps S_•to the east and is
only slightly folded by the eastern thrusts. It is attributed to
the Pisungo formation (early to middle Miocene). Finally, S• b) LocalityJy8
onlapsolder units and sealscompressionalfeatures to east and
west. It may representthe Sijes formation(upperMiocene).
N=21
4.3. Summary Nmax=2C
R=().51
The Tres Cruces and Salinas Grandes (or Laguna de
Guayatayoc) basins developed in a compressional
intermontane setting during the Andean orogeny. Seismic
reflection profiles do not reveal marked angular
unconformities within the Tertiary sequence, but there are c) LocalityJv•
thickness increases toward the footwalls of thrusts. Growth
strata of this kind are of syntectonic origin. In both basins the
oldestappearto be late Eoceneto early Oligocenein age (Casa
Grande and Rfo Grande formations [Fernc•ndez et al., 1973;
Pascual et al., 1978; Boll and HermSndez, 1986]). We follow
Boll and Hernc•ndez [1986] in inferring that distributed
shorteningmay have been ongoing during the Incaic phase of
the Andean orogeny.
There is a close correlation between the surfaceexpression d) Locality Sa.7
of the basins and the degree of internal deformation. In the
Tres Cruces basin, thrusts occur at the edges and also within
the sedimentarycover. The sedimentscrop out widely and have
been dissected. In contrast, the Salinas Grandes (Laguna de N=12
Guayatayoc)basin is flat at the surfaceand outcrops are rare. Nmax= 12
R=0.07
The sedimentary fill is almost undeformed, horizontal
shortening having been taken up by the two major reverse
faults at the edgesof the basin.

Principalshortening
axis
Principalstretching
axis(),l)
Figure 8. (a-d) Kinematic fault analysis for four localities I'ntermediateaxis ('2,2)
from northern Puna (Jy localities, Jujuy province, Figure 10)
and southern Puna (Sa localities, Salta province). For each
locality, stereogram at left (equal-area projection, lower
hemisphere)representsfault planes and associatedslip lines e)
(arrowspointing in direction of hanging wall slip), whereas
stereogramat right representskinematic results, as obtained
by method of right dihedra [Angelier and Mechler, 1977;
Pfiffi•er and Burkhard, 1987]. Contoursare for ration MAX/N,
where N is total number of faults and MAX is number of faults
taken into account for calculating principal direction of
shortening. Results have been contoured automatically and
intervals chosen by default [Kamb, 1959]. All plots were
obtained with a program developed by Allmendinger et al.
[1993]. Circles,stars,and squaresindicatekinematic axes (X•,
:k2, and :k3; see also Table 1), deducedfor whole fault
population.Ratio R, where R = (82-83)/(8•-83)and 8•, 82, and 8,
are eigenvaluesof Bingham moment tensor, has been usedto
estimate shape of strain ellipsoid. (e) Histogram showing
values of R for 45' localities.
0 0. I 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
Ratio R
 COUTAND ET AL.: TECTONICS OF PUNA PLATEAU, NW ARGENTINA 221

Tablel. Resultsof Fault Slip Analysis•

Locality Location N MAX k• X• X3 Eigenvalues R

Latitude, Longitude, Strike Plunge Strike Plunge Strike Plunge ϥt ϥ2 ϥ3
oS ow

Sa01 24042 ' 65ø45 ' 16 14 339.1 46.0 195.4 37.9 089.9 18.9 0.1655 0.0499 -0.2154 0.69
Sa02 24016 ' 66008 ' 15 13 304.2 38.3 155.8 47.2 047.5 16.2 0.1568 0.0349 -0.1916 0.65
Sa03 24042 ' 66020 ' 9 9 220.8 70.3 054.1 19.2 322.6 04.2 0.2585 -0.0248 -0.2337 0.42
Sa 04 24027 ' 66013 ' 12 11 077.9 65.0 189.1 09.5 283.1 22.8 0.3292 -0.0151 -0.3140 0.46
Sa05 25015 ' 66005 ' 22 19 133.2 82.2 350.6 06.2 260.1 04.7 0.158 -0.0041 -0.1540 0.48
Sa06 25007 ' 65054 ' 20 17 330.8 64.2 194.5 19.2 098.6 16.5 0.2284 -0.0200 -0.2084 0.43
Sa07 25010 ' 65044 ' 12 12 048.0 67.6 231.3 22.4 140.8 01.2 0.3289 -0.1451 -0.1839 0.07
Sa08 25010 ' 65045 ' 6 6 100.3 78.5 344.3 05.1 253.4 10.2 0.3563 0.0217 -0.3780 0.54
Sa09 24016 ' 66008 ' 14 12 038.3 73.6 210.0 16.2 300.7 02.2 0.1388 0.0515 -0.1903 0.73
Sa10 24035 ' 67011 ' 8 8 195.4 80.8 021.4 09.1 291.3 00.9 0.2912 -0.0141 -0.2771 0.46
Sall 24041 ' 67019 ' 11 11 318.7 23.5 088.4 55.8 217.8 23.4 0.2880 0.0105 -0.2986 0.52
Sa12 25006 ' 66000 ' 25 19 008.3 16.4 155.5 45.1 263.8 40.3 0.1164 0.0057 -0.1222 0.53
Sa13 25012 ' 66002 ' 22 22 020.1 70.1 252.7 12.4 159.2 15.3 0.2855 -0.0232-0.2623 0.43
Sa14 24028 ' 65054 ' 13 12 189.5 79.9 065.9 05.6 335.1 08.4 0.1070 0.0344 -0.1414 0.7
Jy01 23027' 65033' 15 11 026.4 69.3 240.1 17.5 146.6 10.8 0.0521 0.0092-0.0613 0.62
Jy02 23042' 65040' 11 10 295.8 37.3 126.6 52.2 029.8 05.3 0.1591 0.0369 -0.1961 0.65
Jy03 23015' 65036' 15 14 270.6 33.0 012.6 17.8 126.3 51.4 0.2473 -0.0185 -0.2288 0.44
Jy04 23045' 65030' 9 9 267.9 70.5 033.0 11.5 126.2 15.5 0.2105 -0.0253 -0.1852 0.4
Jy05 23045' 65030' 13 12 101.0 69.4 353.3 06.5 261.0 19.5 0.3373 -0.0711 -0.2662 0.32
Jy06 23034' 65025' 10 10 214.5 04.0 113.3 70.1 305.9 19.5 0.2718 0.0210 -0.2927 0.55
Jy07 23031' 65026' 7 7 245.1 69.9 000.9 09.1 093.9 17.8 0.2655 -0.1104-0.1551 0.1
Jy08 23004' 65038' 21 20 006.7 04.9 269.1 57.3 099.7 32.2 0.2068 0.0038 -0.2106 0.51
Jy09 22059' 65030' 20 19 161.5 40.8 310.5 44.8 057.1 16.1 0.2863 0.0358 -0.3221 0.59
Jy 10 23024' 66048' 6 6 298.1 62.2 138.4 26.3 044.2 08.3 0.3587 -0.0072 -0.3515 0.48
Jyll 23020' 66036' 13 12 221.1 56.1 067.1 31.1 329.7 12.1 0.3494-0.0469-0.3024 0.39
Jy 12 23042' 65040' 17 17 338.3 72.0 213.0 10.6 120.3 14.3 0.2079 0.0221 -0.2300 0.57
Jy 13 23025' 66032' 23 20 287.0 68.5 022.6 02.2 113.5 21.3 0.1696 0.0334 -0.2031 0.63
Jy14 23025' 66032' 17 13 348.5 60.5 210.6 22.8 112.9 17.7 0.1813 -0.0377 -0.1435 0.32
Jy 15 23000' 66022' 14 12 125.0 04.4 027.9 58.0 217.7 31.6 0.2701 -0.1173 -0.1528 0.08
Jy 16 23010' 65029' 13 10 026.9 17.5 271.9 53.2 127.8 31.2 0.1499 -0.0503 -0.0996 0.19
Jy 17 23012' 65036' 28 26 246.4 71.6 341.4 01.7 071.9 18.4 0.2475 -0.0508 -0.1967 0.33
Jy 18 23013' 65035' 13 13 236.7 47.0 018.4 36.2 123.8 19.9 0.3218 -0.1302 -0.1916 0.12
Jy 19 23009' 65039' 13 12 117.1 02.6 208.7 31.7 022.9 58.2 0.2729 -0.0321 -0.2408 0.4
Jy 20 22055' 65036' 18 16 172.3 68.9 047.9 12.3 314.1 16.9 0.2901 -0.0661 -0.2240 0.3
Jy21 22054' 65033' 19 19 308.1 71.6 210.3 02.6 119.5 18.2 0.2136 0.0490 -0.2626 0.65
Jy22 22055' 65032' 25 21 117.3 32.9 280.2 55.9 022.1 08.0 0.1480 0.0834 -0.2314 0.83
Jy23 22055' 65032' 16 15 094.5 79.1 211.7 05.0 302.5 09.7 0.1755 0.0640 -0.2395 0.73
Jy24 22059' 65028' 39 27 237.7 80.8 002.0 05.6 092.7 07.3 0.1113 -0.0250 -0.0863 0.31
Jy25 23010' 65005' 15 14 116.0 18.4 019.9 17.8 248.9 64.0 0.2274 0.0296 -0.2570 0.59
Jy26 23042' 65032' 45 36 001.9 71.1 188.2 18.8 097.6 01.9 0.2109 -0.0208 -0.1900 0.42
Jy27 22030' 65052' 14 11 232.3 29.5 009.3 52.3 129.6 21.3 0.1298 -0.0075 -0.1223 0.45
Jy28 22044' 65036' 15 15 082.2 80.4 263.2 09.6 173.1 00.2 0.2497 -0.0431 -0.2065 0.36
Jy29 22056' 65031' 29 25 097.2 74.1 334.5 08.8 242.4 13.2 0.1860 -0.0371 -0.1489 0.33
Jy30 23015' 65030' 21 16 262.5 01.3 358.8 78.1 172.2 11.9 0.1600 -0.0183 -0.1417 0.4
Jy 31 23000' 65037' 12 12 133.0 71.2 013.1 09.6 280.3 16.0 0.2420 0.0779 -0.3199 0.7

aN is numberof measuredfaults,MAX •s numberof faultstakeninto accountto determineprincipalkinematicdirections,•,•

is attitudeof calculatedstretchingaxis, X2 is intermediateaxis, and X• is shorteningaxis, œ•t,œ•2,and g•3are eigenvaluesof
Bingham momenttensor,and ratio R = (œ•2-œ•3)/(œx1-œ•3).

5. Analysis
ofMinorFaults geologicalformation.
More specifically,
localities
are inLate
Cretaceousto Cenozoic sedimentaryrocks, mainly along the
5.1. Data Collection and Processing edgesof intermontane
basins.Thusthe measured
faultswere
necessarily formed during the Andean orogeny. At each
We have measured over 750 striatedfault planesat 45 locality we measured as many fault planes as possible,
localities
throughout
thePunaandadjacent EasternCordillera. coveringa maximalrangeof strike.For eachfault planewe
Eachlocality is an outcrop,10-100 m wide, of a single recorded the dip andstrike,the directionandplunge(or the
222 COUTAND ET AL.: TECTONICS OF PUNA PLATEAU, NW ARGENTINA

superimposing the right dihedra calculated for each fault,

•3 which is equivalent to superimposingN infinitesimal simple
shears, where N is the number of faults. The principal
kinematic directions are obtained using a Bingham moment
tensor [Allmendinger eta!., 1993]. Per locality, we distinguish
a quality parameter, MAX, which is the number of mutually
compatiblefaults contributingto the bulk strain. The closer is
MAX to N, the better the result is.

5.2. Shape of Strain Ellipsoid and Its Spatial

Variation

On a stereogram the distribution of shortening and

extension fields reflects the shape of the strain ellipsoid
[Pfiffner and Burkhard, 1987]. For the Punawe foundthat this
•2 shapevaries widely. For example, for localities Jy26 and Jy8
(Figures 8a and 8b) the two fields define right dihedra,
indicatingan ellipsoid of plane strain type. For locality Jy22
•'•-•:•:;•:'-•i•:. (Figure 8c) the shortening field defines a cone, which is
centered on the principal shortening axis, indicating an
ellipsoid of flattening type. Finally, for locality Sa7 (Figure
8d) the stretching field defines a cone, centered about the
principal streching direction, indicating an ellipsoid of
.... constrictional type.
A quantitativemeasureof the shapeof the strain ellipsoid is
N=45 the ratio R = (•2-•_•)/ (•-•), where•, •2, and • are the
L2m= 200,9ø; eigenvalues of the Bingham moment tensor (Table 1).
Theoretically, values of 1.00, 0.50, and 0.00 for the ratio R
indicate flattening, plane strain, and constrictionalellipsoids,
respectively. For our study we will consider that values
between 1.00 and 0.65 indicate a flattening ellipsoid, values
between 0.65 and 0.35 indicate a plane strain ellipsoid, and
values between 0.35 and 0.00 indicate a contrictional
ellipsoid. Five of our localities have R values which are
between 0.05 and 0.2, approaching ideal constriction
(localities Sa7, Jy7, Jy15, Jy16, Jy18; see Table 1 and Figure
8e), whereasonly one locality has an R value between0.8 and
0.85, indicating almost ideal flattening (locality Jy22; see
Table 1 and Figure 8e). Most of the R values indicate plane
N=45 strain, 28 of them ranging from 0.35 to 0.65 (Table I and
)•lm- 305•8ø; 83.5 ø Figure 8e).
Resultsfor the 45 localities (Table 1) have been plotted as
Figure 9. Angular
density
of principal
strainaxes(3•, density diagramsin orderto obtain regional averages(Figure
and3•)andcalculated
meanorientations
(3•m,•'2•,and3•m)for 9). Shorteningaxes (3•.0are statistically subhorizontaland
all '45 localities(equal-area
projections,
lowerhenrisphere). trendWNW-ESE (-N110ø), stretchingaxes(X•) are subvertical,
Densityhas been contoured automatically
and intervals andintermediateaxes (3•:) are subhorizontaland trend NNE-
chosenby default[Kamb, 1959].
SSW. Thus the shortening axes are perpendicular to major
thrusts.This distribution of principal directions together with
the plane strain shapesof strain ellipsoids confirm our field
pitch,wheremoreconvenient) of thestriation,andthesense observations: throughout the Puna, Cenozoic compressional
of slip.Thesense of slipwasdetermined usingvarious criteria deformation has been accommodated mainly by dip-slip
[Petit, 1987]. We gave greatestcredence to stratigraphic thrusting.However, shortening axes vary in strike, from one
offsets, imbrication of crystal fibres, and patternsof Riedel
locality to another,even at the scale of a single basin (Figure
fractures.For eachlocality, we calculatedprincipal directions
10). These variations may result from (1) structural
of bulk strain usingthe geometricalmethodof right dihedra
inheritance, (2)scissor-like motions on thrusts, or (3)rigid
[Angelierand Mechler,1977; Pfiffnerand Burkhard,1987] rotations about vertical axes after faulting [Coutand et al.,
and the computerprogramFaultKin [Allmendingeret al., 1999].
1993]. Each fault plane and its associatedauxiliary plane
definefour quadrantson a stereogram,two for shortening(P
5.3. Significance of Results
dihedra)and two for stretching (T dihedra), accordingto the
senseof slip givenby striations.For a given locality, overall The results that we have obtained from kinematic analysis
fields of shortening and stretching are obtained by of fault slip data are consistentwith those previously obtained
 COUTANDET AL.' TECTONICSOFPUNAPLATEAU,NW ARGENTINA 223

Bolivia

.AbraPampa

.
- - -
.... -.- ..

tf'] Salars
r-] Quaternaryalluvium
r'-] Quaternary
andTertiary
volcanics
[-'i Tertiary
sedimentary
rocks
I Cretaceous sedimentary
rocks
I';'] Cretaceous
granitoides
':"'•Precambrian
& Paleozoic
basement
Purmamarca
• Shortening
axes
Sin0 Number of a locality 24øS
San Antonio San Salvador
de Jujuy
¸

Pastos Grandes

Salta
o

25øS

25 km

Figure 10. Azimuths of shorteningaxes throughoutthe Puna (black bars), obtainedby analysis of fault slip
data t¾om 45 numbered localities (see also table 1).

by Cladouhoset al. [1994] in the northernPuna and Marrett et
al. [1994], Allmendinger [1986], and Allmendinger et al.
[1989] throughout the central and southern Puna. However,
theseauthorsidentifiedtwo distincttectonic stagesduringthe
late Cenozoic.For the first stage,Mio-Pliocene in age, it was
reported that principal shortening axes trend NW-SE to E-W
and stretching axes are subvertical [Allmendinger, 1986;
Allmendingeret al., 1989; Cladouhos et al., 1994; Marrett et
al., 1994]. We have obtained similar orientations for the
principal strains, and our resultsare probably representative
for this first stage of deformation. However, there is evidence
that some strain accumulatedas early as the late Eocene. We
therefore consider that our fault slip data reflect deformation
that accumulatedduringa wider Cenozoic interval. The second
stage, describedby the above authors, is Plio-Quaternary in
age The principal shortening is either subhorizontal and
trending SW-NE or steeply dipping. The principal stretching
is steeply dipping or subhorizontal and trending NNW-SSE.
For this last stage of deformation the authorsspecify that the
strains are very small.
224 COUTAND ET AL.: TECTONICS OF PUNA PLATEAU, NW ARGENTINA

Table 2. Anisotropyof MagneticSusceptibility

(AMS) for 28 sitesin CentralAndesa

Kmax Kmax-90
ø
Location Tilt-corrected

Site Latitude, Longitude, Age N D, deg I, deg Sh,deg N' R, deg AR,deg Sh-R,deg References
•
oS oW

Sierras Pampeanas
SP02 25ø38.1' 65o37.3' early Cretaceous 7 3.2 2.4 273.2 5 -0.3 9.4 273.5 1
SP04 25o52.0' 65ø41.8' early Cretaceous 11 22 4.4 292 13 9.1 8.4 282.9 1
SP06 26046.6 ' 66001.2 ' late Miocene 15 215 2.6 125 11 28.7 14.2 96.3 1
SP07 26ø46.3' 66ø01.8' late Miocene 21 41.1 11.8 311.1 11 15.0 3.9 296.1 1
SP08 26ø49.1' 66ø03.3' late Miocene 18 31.4 -6.4 301.4 12 26.1 10.1 275.3 1
SP16 27008.9 ' 66049.3 ' Miocene 22 55.7 -3.7 325.7 15 29.0 8.6 296.7 1
SP17 27054.4 ' 67023.4 ' Miocene 15 85.4 -2.9 355.4 15 15.5 6.7 339.9 1
SP20 28043.0 ' 68000.7 ' middle Miocene 13 29.6 -5.1 299.6 8 25.7 8.0 273.9 1
SP21 28044.0 ' 68000.6 ' middle M•ocene 11 37.9 -2.4 307.9 8 20.4 10.2 287.5 1
SP22 30 ø15.0' 68ø25.0' middle Miocene 21 26.6 -3.2 296.6 16 4.1 7.3 292.5 1
SP23 30045.0 ' 68025.0 ' middle Miocene 8 0.6 -0.7 270.6 12 10.2 6.9 260.4 1
SP24 30045.0 ' 68025.0 ' middle Miocene 10 11.3 1.6 281.3 8 12.6 8.9 268.7 1
SP25 30045.0 ' 68025.0 ' middle Miocene 15 24.2 -1.8 294.2 11 25.2 6.6 269.0 1
Argentine Puna
PU 06ac 24037.0' 67ø16.0' Oligocene 60 2.9 1.7 272.9 46 0.0 8.1 272.9 2
PU 06bc 24035.0' 67010.0' early-middle 21 16.1 0.4 286.1 31 14.9 3.9 271.2 2
Miocene
PU 04 c 25013.0 ' 66003.0 ' Miocene 33 40.2 -1.7 310.2 30 37.2 5.0 273.0 2
North Bolivia

B30 16o46.9' 68o26.4' Eocene-Oligocene12 149.3 1.3 59.3 8 -23.8 7.4 83.1 4
B35 16o52.3' 68ø25.5' Eocene-Oligocene 8 341.7 4.4 251.7 6 -10.5 13.7 262.2 4
C07 17033.4 ' 68 ø18.4' middle Miocene 10 331.9 4.5 241.9 14 -2.0 7.2 243.9 3
C08 17036.6 ' 68 ø17.9' middle Miocene 5 331.6 0.3 241.6 7 -12.0 11.0 253.6 3
C09 17035.7 ' 68017.8 ' middle Miocene 8 327.6 -0.2 237.6 10 0.2 10.5 237.4 3
MGA c 17030.0 ' 68'15.0' middle Miocene 49 322.7 -1.9 52.7 249 -9.0 3.2 61.7 3
D01 17ø51.9' 67ø58.1' Eocene-Oligocene 8 127.1 6.8 37.1 15 -35.5 6.8 72.6 4
D02 17052.0' 67058.3' Eocene-Oligocene 5 116.8 -5.6 26.8 13 -54.1 12.3 80.9 4
D03 17053.5' 67058.8' Eocene-Oligocene 14 128.6 -1.7 38.6 14 -27.0 7.3 65.6 4
D04 17052.9' 67058.7' Eocene-Oligocene 6 310.7 -7 220.7 12 -33.3 12.4 254.0 4
D05 17052.7' 67058.6' Eocene-Oligocene 4 330.2 5.6 240.2 5 -17.2 7.6 257.4 4
D09 17047.7' 68ø01.5' Eocene-Oligocene 6 141.3 7.4 51.3 9 -29.3 11.3 80.6 4

•Ageisstratigraphic ageofrocks,
N isnumber ofsamples used to determinemeannormalized susceptibility
tensor,Kmaxisattitude
of
majoraxis,expressed asdeclination
D andinclination
I inin situandtilt-corrected
coordinates, Shis declination
of shortening
direction
(Sh= K....- 90ø),N' isnumberof datausedforcalculation
ofrotation atsitelevel,R is calculated
rotation,
ARis associatederror,and
Sh - R is restoredshorteningdirection.
bReferences:
1,Aubryetal. [1996];2, Coutand
etal. [1999];3, Roperch
etal. [1999];4, Roperch
etal. [2000].
CDataare averaged(localities).

The convergencevector betweenthe oceanicNazcaplate
and continental South America has trended N75ø_+5ø since -49
Ma [Pardo-Casasand Molnar, 1987]. In the southernpart of
the central Andes the plate boundarytrends N-S to N10ø
(Figure 1). This meansthat convergencehas been slightly
oblique. It has been suggestedthat this convergence, as
recordedwithin the continental crust, has been partitioned
into (1) right-lateralstrike-slipmotionsparallelto the margin
and(2) dip-slip thrustingperpendicular to the margin [Fitch,
1972; Beck,1987, 1988; Deweyand Lamb, 1992; Lamb et al.,
1997]. Recently,Lamb et al. [1997] suggestedthat the strike-
slip componentwas distributedthroughoutthe thickenedback
arc region. However, we have observed that thrusting is
dominant in the Puna. Perhapsthe strike-slip componentof
convergence is absorbed along the thermally weakened
volcanic belt of the Western Cordillera [Dewey and Lamb,
1992].
The principal shorteningin the Puna is strongly oblique to
the convergence vector between Nazca and South America.
Marrett et al. [1994] suggestedthat this obliquity resultsfrom
a strong Paleozoic structuralinheritance. For partitioning of
deformation in the back arc region, we would expect
shortening axes to trend E-W, obliquely to the convergence
vector [Dewey and Lamb, 1992; Lamb et al., 1997]. For the
Puna plateau,we think that the principal shorteningaxes have
been rotated (1) at a continental scale, as a result of
progressive bending of the orogen during the Cenozoic
[Coutand, 1999], and (2) at a local scale, accountingfor the
 COUTANDET AL.:TECTONICSOFPUNAPLATEAU,NW ARGENTINA 225

a) b)
15øS 15øS

Bolivia
Bolivia

GPS GPS
20øS 68 mm/year 20øS 68 mm/year

NUVEL-1A NUVEL-1A
77 mm/year 77 mm/year ii
\\\

25øS
25øS

Nazca
Nazca

Sierras
Sierras Pampeanas
Pampeanas 30øS
30øS

I I

75øW 70øW 65øW 75øW 70øW 65øW

Unrestored AMS Maximally restoredAMS

c) d)

-18

-20-

-22

-24

-26 -2t

-3•
-74 -72 -70 -68 -66 -•4 -62 -•0 -58 -56 -74 -72 -70 ~68 '66 -64 -62 '60 -58 -56

Horizontal stress Averagedstress

Figure 1 1.
226 COUTAND
ETAL.'TECTONICS
OFPUNAPLATEAU,
NWARGENTINA

a) Sample97PU03 b)
Age = 38 _+3 Ma
.• 20
o ML=14.34i•
15 SD=
1.80.J...:•] ..................
--•66.o30,W]
'*'•••'•••••••••--•r"-
/ • ....
:•'-
"•'""
' '.'.._':'Ag
uas". ",:'-t
z 5

•'•\". :..,,•.•
• ..... ....../.,,,,;
d.
• .y•
v, •.a......:"
'
5 l0 •5 20/
Tracklength(•m)
ß

...-. i.g?::.....-:f'•'":'-
............
:t,.•:a_.X•i ..'"
i•5..:..'.,.'.--'-•::'"'":'"'": •i
':•:i
.'.-......-:
'..•..-
]
27øS Sample97PU04
Age
=29+3Ma •
•ff'"'""'"'•"•"•'""'"'l•:''''"
iff.:':':':½:'"::'"'"•:'
.'.-.'
moo-cl•
""-•-'""-'/'•'"•':'•••••?]t"'-A.
'• '::'•,••':
•'":::'"': co ""' • 20
:...../,•:•...':::':
• •s• .. - 15
ML=
SD= 2.01
N= 64
13.22

.. . .:•'"•---':'•...'•::!•-
j/.-' "'"=•••••5".--
"'"
''"'''r•'[
• I0 •l.,.-&j•
..... ! 'El B ' '
'?-- ..... / .............
'••'••:•••']1•1
Tertiary-Quaternary[
5
//J ••••{.
....................
/t t_• volcanfc
rocks /

.........
:,:.
........ .....
....
625'.
..,,
5 I (1 15 20
./
...
_. i.I.:.
ßI Y .........
..................
............
• ,- ,••.•.••'• -. Cambrian
'---'"'-'""•'"'"'•'-•'"•'-"••-."••'-'••'•.'.
•] 1 metavolcanic |/
rocks
Track
length
(•m)
/
Sample97PU05 Sample97PU06

ß
'??'"":""':"
iii! ':-':'"'
..::"
...'
:. .":"'"":'""'
.....:...:<:
^dalgal,4'
....
'.
IO
Age = 31 _+3 Ma

•
3(I
Age = 30 + 2 Ma

ML=
13.97
• ML=
13.93
'i.•
.:::

:.
..
ß ..
"' 20 - •.27
Salarde Pipanaco ......
'• lO
[]Quaternary f.11....
[]
[]
Neogene
:.7'
'
Cenozoicvolcanics 25 km :..
'
ß
z

! Precambrian
basement /::::•.:...
...... 28øS
,

5 10 15 20 5 IO 15 20
67øW 66ow Tracklength([am) Tracklength(l•m)

Figure 12. Fissiontrackages,ChangoReal pluton. (a) Geologicalmap of northernSierrasPampeanas

[modifiedafterde Urreiztieta,1996].Hachured
box is ChangoRealarea.(b) Geologicalmapof s•authern
tip,
Sierrade ChangoReal. For four sampleshistogramsare for tracklength(in mm). Also indicatedaremean track
length(ML), standarddeviation(SD), numberof tracksN, andcentralage(in Ma). SeealsoTable 3.

scatterof shorteningaxes(Figure101, in responseto block geometries

of the minerals[Rochetteet al., 1992]. Magnetic
rotations[Coutandet al., 1999' Gapaiset al., 2000]. susceptibilityis a tensorquantity,represented
by an ellipsoid.
The threepropernumbers,Km,•,K,,t, andKm....are the lengthsof
6. Anisotropyof MagneticSusceptibility the major, intermediate,and minor semiaxesof the ellipsoid.
In terms of fabrics, Km• = is associated with a magnetic
For a sedimentaryrock,whichhasundergonesmallamounts lineation, and Kmmis associatedwith the pole to magnetic
of ductilestrain,it maybe possibleto infer the principal foliation. In sedimentary rocks, magnetic foliation arises
directionsof strainsin current
coordinates
by measuring the through depositional processes and may be enhanced by
AMS.Thetechnique
is a usefulcomplement
to paleomagnetic compaction. A magnetic lineation may be due to (11 an
studies. alignment of particles during deposition under the action of
The magnetic fabric of a rock dependson the relative currents [Hamilton and Ries, 1970], (2) the attitude of the
contributionof variousferromagneticand paramagnetic Earth's magneticfield during deposition,or (3) a reorientation
minerals. Magnetic anisotropy is controlled by the of magnetic particules by tectonic strain [Aubry et al., 1996].
orientation of the crystallographicaxes and/or by the AMS can be an indicator of tectonic strain, if the principal

Figure11. Strainandstress
around
thecentral
Andes.
(a) Current
(unrestored)
azimuths
of shortening
(black
bars),inferredfromintermediate
axesof anisotropy
of magneticsusceptibility
(AMS)tensors,measured
at 28
localities.Present-day
convergence
vector(arrow)is fromplatereconstructions(NUVEL-1Amodelof DeMets
etal. [1994])orfromgeodetic
(GPS)data[Norabuena
etal., 1998].(b) Restored
azimuths
of shortening
after
removal of vertical axes rotations (see also 'Fable 2). (c) Maximum horizontal stress directions around
Altiplano-Puna
plateau fromfocalmechanisms
of earthquakes
[afterAssump9do andAraujo,1993].Averaged
stress
directions
[afterAssumpfdoandAraujo,1993].Largearrows indicate
velocityof Nazcaplaterelativeto
SouthAmerican plate.Smallarrowsindicate
absolutevelocityof SouthAmerica platein hot spotreference
frame.Figures11candlid arereprinted
fromTectonophysics,
vol. 221, Assumpg•o andAraujo,Effectof the
Altiplano-Puna
plateau, SouthAmerica,
ontheregionalintraplate
stresses,
p. 475-496,Copyright1993,with
permission fi'om Elsevier Science.
 COUTANDET AL.:TECTONICSOF PUNA PLATEAU,NW ARGENTINA 227

Bolivia
L 22os

23øS

24øS

25øS

26øS

27øS

28øS

64ø45'W

69ø48'W 67ø30,W
200 m 7000 m

Plate 1. Digital topographic mapof northwestern Argentina(Puna,northernSierrasPampeanas, Eastern

Cordillera,
andadjacent foreland).
Datafor theSierrasPampeanasweretakenfromde Urreizttetaet al. [1996].
Elsewhere,we digitizedaltitudesat 764,959 points on topographicmaps, publishedby the Instituto
GeogrfificoMilitar Argentinoat scalesof 1/200,000and11250,000.The averagedensityof samplingwas
3.34pointspersquare kilometer.
Newdatawereinterpolated every250 m, on a regulargrid CG, CerroGalfin;
NQ, Nevado de Queva.
228 COUTAND ET AL.: TECTONICS OF PUNA PLATEAU, NW ARGENTINA
shortening is subhorizontal [Kissel et al., 1986]. The axes of
the susceptibility ellipsoid are then parallel to those of the
strain ellipsoid.
We have compiled AMS data for 28 sites throughout the
central Andes (Table 2). Sites are within Cenozoic red beds in
the Altiplano of northern Bolivia [Roperch et al., 1999,
2000], the Puna [Coutand et al., 1999], and the Sierras
Pampeanas[Aubry et al., 1996]. We took into account only
those sites for which the degreeof linear anisotropy is > 1%.
In all three regions, well-developed magnetic lineations have
been attributed to subhorizontalshortening of tectonic origin
[Aubryet al., 1996; Coutand, 1999; Roperch et al., 1999,
2000]. This is partly deducedfrom the fact that the Kma x Ma [e.g., Allmendinger et al., 1983a; lsacks, 1988'
declination does not change upon tilt correction. The
magneticlineation is nearly parallel to fold axes (see Table 2),
as previously described for other compressional settings
[Kissel et al., 1986]. The magneticlineation is the intersection
between the plane of tectonic flattening and the sedimentary
fabric, and it can be attributed to combined processes of
vertical compaction and horizontal shortening. The
intermediateaxis of the susceptibility ellipsoid is subparallel
to the direction of regional horizontal shortening.
Shorteningdirections,as deducedfrom AMS data (Table 2),
have been plotted on a map of the central Andes (Figure 11a).
To a first approximation they form a radiating pattern (fan).
On removing the total rotations about vertical axes, as deduced
from paleomagnetic studies [Aubryet al., 1996; Coutand,
1999; Roperch et al., 1999, 2000], the shortening directions
become less divergent (Figure l lb). Thus the restoration
appearsto remove the complicating effects of finite rotation.
However, strictly speaking, it is valid to remove the rotation
in this way only at points where all the rotation happens to
follow all the strain or where deformation incrementshappen
to accumulatecoaxially [Cobbold and Barbotin, 1988]. At
other points, where strain increments happen to accumulate
noncoaxially, as during a progressivesimple shear, to remove
the total rotation in one step is to remove too much rotation
[Truesdell and Toupin, 1960, p. 294]. Thus our restored
directions(Figure 1lb) are, in fact, maximally restored.Notice
also that we have not displacedthe sampling points to their
restored positions.
If we assume that tensors of stress and of incremental strain
are coaxial and stationary,then stresstrajectoriesare likely to
lie between upper bounds, representedby unrestored(current)
late Eocene.
strain trajectories(Figure 1la), and lower bounds,represented
by maximally restoredstrain trajectories(Figure 1lb). For the
7.2.
central Andes, principal directions of stress have been
obtained from focal mechanisms of earthquakes[Assumpfao
and Araujo, 1993], and they form a radiating pattern (Figure the thermal history of a rock at low temperatures(< 110ø +
11c). Allowing for errorsand for differingsamplinglocalities,
the stressdirectionsindeedappearto lie betweenthe boundsof
the unrestored and restored strain directions.
In the central Andes, radiating stresstrajectorieshave been
attributed to gravitational effects of high topography
[Assumpfaoand Araujo, 1993]. Another possible causeis
wrenching in an E-W direction to north and south of an
indenting block. Radiating stress tajectories also occur in
central Asia, where it is indented by India, and both
gravitational forces and wrenching have been invoked to
accountfor them [Molnar et al., 1973; Englandand Houseman,
!986; Davy and Cobbold, 1988]. In the central Andes, where
there is no evidence for continental collision since Paleozoic
times,it is not clear why thereshouldbe an indentingblock.
Whatever their causes,radiating stressesand strains in the
centralAndesare far from parallel to plate velocities (Figure
1l d), as discussedpreviouslyfor the Puna alone.
7. Timing of Deformation
Accordingto previousstructuralstudiesof the Punaplateau
and adjacentforeland, shortening accumulatedmainly during
theQuechuaphaseof the Andeanorogeny between15 and 10
Allmendingeret al., 1997; Babyetal., 1997; Jordan et al.,
1997]. However, in the Altiplano and Eastern Cordillera of
Bolivia, Andeanshortening may have startedas early as the
Paleogene, according to several recent studies [Kennan et al.,
1995; Lamb et al., 1997; Lamb and Hoke, 1997; Horton and
DeCelles, 1997; Horton, 1998; Kley, 1998]. This leads us to
reconsiderthe timing of deformationon the Puna.
7.1. Burial History
According to Sempdrdet al. [1997], an early effect of
Andeancompressionin the back arc region was a changein
sedimentary environment, from marine during the
Maastrichtian (Balbuena Subgroup)to lacustrine during the
Paleocene (Santa Bfirbara Subgroup). In the late Eocene the
detrital Geste formation [Turner, 1960b] was depositedin the
Arizaro basin, where it is 435 m thick [Donato, 1987], and in
the Pastos Grandes basin, where it reaches a thickness of 1550
m [Alonso, 1992]. Farther south, in the Salar de Antofalla, the
coarse-graineddetrital Quifioas formation, > 750 m thick and
late Eoceneto late Oligocenein age, may have been deposited
contemporaneouslywith deformation, uplift, and erosion of
the presentChilean Precordillera,during the late Eocene Incaic
phaseof the Andean orogeny [Kraemer et al., 1999].
Seismicreflectiondatafrom the northeasternPunaprovide
crucial informationon the synchronicityof sedimentationand
deformation. In the Tres Cruces basin, synsedimentary
thrusting is observed in the Rfo Grande formation of
Oligoceneage, less so in the Casa Grandeformation of middle
to late Eocene age. Thus we agree with Boll and Herncindez
[1986] that shorteningmay have been ongoingas early as the
Exhumation History
Apatite fission track analysisis a techniquefor determining
10øC).The spontaneous
fissionof 238U
within apatitecrystals
causeslinear damage trails known as fission tracks [Fleischer
et al., 1975]. Tracks start to form when a mineral cools
through 110øC (the closure temperature) and they have an
initial length of-16 + 1 gin. Over geological timescales,
fission tracks progressively shorten (anneal). The rate Bf
thermal annealing increases significantly in the range
between-60øC and the closingtemperature,at which all tracks
are completly annealed. This temperature range has been
termedthe partial annealing zone [Gleadowand Fitzgerald,
1987]. The final distribution of track lengths and the measured
COUTANDET AL.:TECTONICS
OFPUNAPLATEAU,NW ARGENTINA 229

fission track age of a sample are an integrated record of its

thermal history over the temperature range within which
fission tracks are preserved[Brown et al., 1994].
We have analyzed apatite fission tracks in four samples of a
Silurian granodioritic batholith from the southernpart of the
Sierra de Chango Real between the Eastern Cordillera and the
northern Sierras Pampeanas, which was previously dated at
423 + 20 Ma by the methodof K-Ar on biotite [Gonzrilezet al.,
1985]. The batholith crops out at altitudes of 3000-3300 m
(Figure 12). Sample 97PU03, from the top of the Sierra
(elevation of 3240 m) yielded an apatite fission track age of
38 + 3 Ma. The other three samples,from lower down (between
3090 and 2880 m), yielded ages between 31 +3 and 29 +3 Ma
+1 +1 +l +1 (Table 3 and Figure 12).The tracks are all near their initial
lengths. The mean track lengths range from 13.22 to 14.34
gm (Table 3), f•llowing a unimodal distribution (Figure 12),
and the standarddeviation is mostly smaller than 2 gm (Table
3 and Figure 12). The fission tracks thus provide clear
evidencefor rapid cooling of the batholith in the late Eocene
+l +l +1 +l
or early Oligocene.
Our resultsare comparablewith previous studiesin adjacent
areas. In the Eastern Cordillera of Bolivia, significant
unroofing began at •-45 Ma in the Cordillera Real and the
Quimsa Cruz range, according to age profiles from K-Ar on
biotite and from fission tracks in zircons and apatites
[McBride et al., 1987; Farrat et al., 1988; Benjamin et al.,
1987] (see also S.H. Lamb and A. Hurford, unpublisheddata
discussedby Lamb and Hoke [1997]). In the SierrasPampeanas,
significant cooling occuredin the late Paleocene to middle
Eocene, according to AFF studies of Proterozoic basement
ranges[Coughlinet al., 1998]. As Eocenesedimentshave not
been recordedin the Sierras Pampeanas,we suspectthat the
entire region may have undergoneuplift and exhumation at
that time and that the resulting material was deposited
elsewhere.A possible candidatefor Eocene sedimentation is
ß the Chaco-Pampean plain, where the Tertiary succession is
severalhundredmetersthick over a very wide area [Russoet al.,
1979], but the various formations have not been dated
precisely.
On a regional scale, Paleogene exhumation is probably a
manifestation of the Incaic orogenic phase, which was first
recognized in Peru by Steinmann [1929]. This event occurred
during a period of unusually rapid convergencebetween the
SouthAmerica andFarallon plates [Pardo-Casas and Molnar,
1987]. It marks the onset of Andean deformation in the
southern part of the Eastern Cordillera of northwestern
Argentina.

7.3. Synthesis
o o o o

The Andes of northwestern Argentina underwent

progressive thickening and shortening during the Cenozoic
(Figure 13). Shortening started along the Chilean margin
o o o o
duringthe late Cretaceous[Sempdrdet al., 1997]. It reachedthe
Atacama basin in Chile between the late Cretaceous and t-he
Paleocene [Mut•oz et al., 1997], the western part of the
Bolivian Altiplano in the Eocene [Kennan et al., 1995; Lamb
et al., 1997; Lamb and Hoke, 1997], and the Eastern Cordillera
of Bolivia in the late Oligocene [Horton and DeCelles, 1997;
Horton, 1998; Kley, 1998].
 W E
Trench Volcanic arc Early Cretaceousrifting
a) Pin-line

Atacama basin
Trench Volcanic
arc inversion
b)

75-55
Ma -•
....
Trench Volcanic arc Proto-Eastern
Cordillera
c)

55-35 Ma

Trench Volcanic arc Proto-Eastern

d) Atacama Cordi11era
Basin •-'x•,• ß

35-15 Ma

Trench Volcanic arc

Eastern Sierras de
e) Atacama
Basin
...•,• Puna
Cordillera
Santa
Bfirbara

15-0 Ma

Figure 13. Schematicsectionsillustrating tectonic developmentof central Andesat 25øSsince 75 Ma. In

early Cretaceous,South American lithosphere underwentrifting behind active volcanic arc [Riccardi, 1988;
Salfity and Marquillas, 1994] (Figure 13a). In late Cretaceous,Andeancompressioninverted Chilean margin
[Sempdrdet al., 1997] and Atacamabasin [Muhozet al., 1997] (Figure 13b). In late Paleogene, sedimentswere
depositedwithin single wide basin [Jordan and Alonso, 1987] (Figure 13c). At about 38 Ma, Eastern
Cordillera started to uplift. Between Oligocene and middle Miocene, significant horizontal shortening
accumulatedin proto-Punaduring depositionof thick seriesof red bedsand conglomerates(Figure 13d). During
middle to late Miocene, intermontanebasinsbecamestructurallyisolated,and crustof present-dayPuna plateau
was stronglyshortenedand thickened, while thick-skinned Sierrasde Santa Bfirbarabecameuplifted [Grief et
al., 1991] (Figure 13e).
 COUTAND
ETAL.:TECI•NICSOFPUNAPLATEAU,
In northwesternArgentinathe first indicationsof Andean
shorteningarefrom the late Eocenein the northeastern Puna
(TresCrucesbasin) and from the Eocene-Oligocene transition
in the adjacentEasternCordillera(Figures13c and 13d). The
Andean deformation front may not have advancedevenly.
Heterogeneities
within the continentallithosphere,suchas
inherited Paleozoic and Mesozoic structures,may have guided
the onset of shortening. Deformationaccruedthrough time,
andthePunawas strongly thickenedandshortenedduringthe
NeogeneQuechua
phaseof the Andeanorogeny(Figure13e),
when intermontane basins became structurally isolated
[Jordan and Alonso, 1987; Allmendingeret al., 1997].
Shorteningceasedat 9-10 Ma in the southernAltiplano and
northernPuna[Gubbelset al., 1993; Cladouhoset al., 1994]
and at 2-4 Ma in the southern Puna [Marrett et al., 1994].
Deformation then shifted eastward,forming the thin-skinned
Subandean fold-and-thrustbelt [Babyet al., 1995; Gubbelset
al., 1993; Moretti et al., 1996; Hermindezet al., 1996]. Farther
souththe lack of a thick preexistingsedimentarywedgein the
forelandarea[Allmendingeret al., 1997] may havehinderedthe
eastwardpropagation of shortening.
The thick-skinned
Sierras
de SantaBfirbaraformedduringthe late Miocene[Grief et al.,
1991] (Figure 13e).
8. Conclusions
Ourstudyhasprovidednewdata,whichbearon the internal
structure of the Puna plateau and on its progressive
developmentduring Cenozoictimes.
1. The Punaplateauis a compositefeature.Precambrian and
Paleozoic basementranges, boundedby high-angle reverse
faults (dips > 60ø), alternatewith Cenozoic intermontane
basins.Major thrusts,trendingNNE-SSW, aredistributedover
the plateauanddo not showa preferredvergence.Intermontane
basinshave variousdegreesof symmetry,dependingon the
geometries andattitudesof associated
thrustsas well as on the
magnitudesof their offsets. There is a close correlation
betweenthe surfaceexpressionof a basin and the amountof
internal deformation. The more the sediments are faulted and
folded, the more they crop out.
References
Acevedo, O.M., and H.A. Blanucci, Origen
extensional de la Depres•6n Guayatayoc-
Salinas Grandes(Salta y Jujuy, Argentina), X
Congr. Geol. Argent., Actas I, 10, 161-163,
1987.
Allmendinger, R.W., Tectonic development,
southeastern border of the Puna Plateau,
northwest Argentine Andes, Geol. Soc. A m
Bull., 97, 1070-1082, 1986.
Allmendinger, R.W., and T. Gubbels, Pure and
simple shear plateau uplift, Altiplano-Puna,
Argentina and Bolivia, Tectonophvsics,259,
1-14, 1996.
Allmendinger, R.W., V.A. Ramos, T.E. Jordan,
M Palma, and B.L. Isacks, Paleogeography
and Andean structural geometry, northwest
Argentina, Tectonics,2, 1-16, 1983a.
Allmendinger, R.W., L.D. Brown, J.E. Oliver,
and S. Kaufman, COCORP deep seismic
profiles across the Wind River Mountains,
Wyoming, in Seismic Expresston o.f
Structural Style, a Picture and Work Atlas,
Stu. in Geol. Set., vol. 15, edited by A.W.
NWARGENTINA 231
2. A line-balancedsectionof the Puna at 25øS has yielded a
Cenozoic shortening of at least 10-15% in a direction
subperpendicularto the orogen.
3. By kinematic analysis of Cenozoic fault slip data we
have obtained principal directions of strain rate across the
Puna. Shorteningaxes are subhorizontal and trend on average
WNW-ESE (-NIl0ø), stretching axes are subvertical, and
intermediate axes are subhorizontaland trend on average NNE•
SSW. In detail, principal directionsvary; perhapsthey rotated
during or after faulting. Strain ellipsoids are dominantly of
plane strain type, and they representdip-slip thrusting.
4. From paleomagnetic and AMS data, shorteningaxesform
a radial pattern aroundthe easternedgeof the central Andes.
The pattern is attributedto an inhomogeneousstress field,
reflecting the eastwardconvex shape of the central Andean
thrust front.
5. From the history of burial and exhumation, Andean
shorteningreachedthe northeastern part of the Punain the late
Eoceneand the adjacentEasternCordillera in the late Eocene
or early Oligocene.This shorteningwaspresumablydue to the
Incaic phaseof the Andean orogeny.
6. In the easternpart of the orogen the onset of shortening
wasprobably guidedby preexisting Paleozoic and Mesozoic
structures,so that Andean deformation propagatedunevenly
eastward.
Acknowledgments, Thisworkwas fundedmainlyby the European
Commission (Contract CI1'-CT93-0091, "Andean tectonics of
Argentina"). Additionalfunding for fieldwork was provided by
CompafiiaGeneralde Combustibles(CGC).Specialthanksgoto Texaco
andthe Ministeriode Minerfa y Energia de la RepfiblicaArgentinafor
providingthe seismicreflectiondata. For usefuldiscussionswe thank
Alfredo di Salvo (CGC), Rick Allmendinger (Cornell University),
Pierrick Roperch (IRD), and Andrew Carter and Antony Hurford
(UniversityCollegeof London).Rick AllmendingerprovidedLandsat
imagesof the Puna.PierrickRoperchmademeasurements of anisotropy
of magneticsusceptibility
onthePunasamples. AndrewCarteranalyzed
samplesfor apatite fissiontrack dating. Yves Quilt6 (G6osciences
Rennes)helpeddraftthe Plate1. Specialthanksgoto thepeopleof Salta
andJujuyprovinces for their hospitalityand assistance
in the field. We
alsothankRick Allmendingerand an anonymous reviewerfor providing
constructivereviews of the manuscript.
Bally, pp. 3.2.1-29 to 3.2.1-33, Am. Assoc. Neogene central Andes, Geology, 19, 401-
of Petrol. Geol., Tulsa, Okla., 1983b. 404, 1991.
Allmendinger, R W., M. Strecker, J.E AmengualR, V. M6ndez, A. Navarim,O. Viera,
Eremchuk, and P. Francis, Neotectonic and J.C. Zanemni, Geologia de la regi6n
deformation of the southern Puna plateau, noroeste,Repfiblica Argentina, Provinciasde
northwesternArgentina, J. S. Am. Earth Sci., Salta y Jujuy, D•r. Gen. de Fabricaciones
2, 111-130, 1989. Militares, Buenos Aires, 1979.
Allmendinger, R.W., R.A. Marrett, and T. Angelier,J., and P Mechler, Sur une m•thode
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