TIPOS DE ENERGÍA EMPLEADOS EN LA EXPLOTACIÓN MINERA DEL CANTÓN TENA

Nombres de los participantes Juan Vargas,

Abstract Study Area

Figure 1. Geodynamic
and morphological
In this study we discuss the first ESR dating of river terraces settings of the study
area. a) Simplified main
located in the middle and lower reaches of the Santo Domingo present-day active
tectonics of Northern
River (Southeastern flank of the Mérida Andes, Western Venezuela). South America (from
Audemard and
ESR ages were compared and combined with previously performed Audemard, 2002). b)
Shaded relief map of the
10
Be ages and integrated with sedimentologic and geomorphic MA based on SRTM.
Location of the study
observations allowed the restoration of the temporal evolution of area is shown by a red
square. Sampled
incision rate, which was analyzed in terms of tectonic, climatic and locations are indicated
with a yellow circle.
geomorphic processes. Our results show that in materials deposited
under stable conditions involving long-term sediment transport
processes, the ESR and 10 Be ages tend to be similar. While in
rapidly deposited materials, the ESR ages tend to be overestimated,
highlighting the importance of selecting the appropriate material The Mérida Andes (MA) mountain system is situated in the
for each type of dating. On the other hand, the ages that converge Western part of Venezuela. This range is around 400 km long
with an SW-NE direction from the Colombian-Venezuelan
allow us to estimate that the long-term incision rate in the area has
border in the Southwest to Barquisimeto city in the Northeast.
been constantly around 1 mm/a over the last 70 ka. Taking into
account the geological and geomorphologic setting, this value can This work is geographically focused on the middle and lower
reaches of Santo Domingo river (Fig. 1 and 2). In this sector,
be converted into the Late Pleistocene uplift rate of the alluvial terraces have been identified. We dated sediments from
Southeastern flank of the Mérida Andes. the alluvial fill of three of these terraces using the ESR dating Figure 2. Panoramic view of the terraces a) At the Central part of the MA. D) At the Southeastern
flank of the MA (lower reaches of the Santo Domingo river). The ESR ages calculated in the
technique. The results obtained will be compared with the present study are assigned to the terraces. The 10Be ages estimated by Guzmán (2013) and Guzmán
chronostratigraphic framework proposed by Guzmán (2013) et al. (2013) are also shown. The studied sites are shown by a white line.

Results and Guzmán et al. (2013).

a)

Figure 4. Pit-soil and results obtained in location 2 - El Charal (Fig. 1 and 2). a) Detail of the alluvial deposit smcouadgx fugk t9
terrace (according to Guzman, ´ 2013). Three main sedimentary units are observed. The lower unit is represented by a congloromeratic
material supported by well-rounded to rounded granules and pebbles, moderately sorted. The intermediate unit consists of well-selected
coarse-to medium-grain sand. The upper unit consists of a silt-clay material. The site where the SDO-RPE-1 sample was taken is marked
with a yellow circle. b) Experimental results and dose-response curve obtained for the SDO-RPE-1 sample. Errors in measured ESR
intensity are shown with a vertical bar. The total dose (TD) and the annual dose (da) are shown in the figure. c) Depth profile of the
10Be (adapted from Guzman, ´ 2013). Samples are shown with white diamonds. Distribution of 10Be at depth suggests the overlapping
of two main depositional sequences. This is consistent with the stratigraphy observed in the pit, which shows at least 150 cm of
conglomeratic material (lower sedimentary unit), 10 cm of coarse to medium grain sand (intermediate sedimentary unit) and 40 cm of
silt-clay material (upper sedimentary unit). Depth production best fit using chi-squared inversion is in solid line. The dashed black line
shows the inherited 10Be concentration for the lower sedimentary unit.
Figure 3. Pit-Soil and results obtained in location 1 - Las Piedras (Fig. 1 and 2). a) Detail of the alluvial deposit of Qt12 terrace. The alluvial
material consists of a deposit without sedimentary structure, very poorly sorted, and composed of very angular to rounded boulders, cobbles
and pebbles, which are floating within a coarse sand matrix. The site where the PLL-RPE-1 sample was taken is marked with a yellow circle.
b) Experimental results and dose-response curve obtained for the PLL-RPE-1 sample. Errors in measured ESR intensity are shown with a
vertical bar. The total dose (TD) and the annual dose (da) are shown in the figure. c) Depth profile of the 10Be (adapted from Guzmán, 2013).
Samples are shown with white diamonds. The depth production best fit using a chi-squared inversion is in solid line. The dashed black line
shows the inherited 10Be concentration.

Qt11

Qt9 Figura 6. Incision rate of lower Santo Domingo reaches calculated from the
Qt8 ratio between the height of terraces Qt9, Qt7 and Qt6 and the exposure ages
estimated in this work. Extrapolated ages for Qt11, Qt8 and Qt5 were
Qt7
estimated assuming a constant incision rate over the last 120 ka. Maximum and
Qt6 minimum ages performed are plotted with their uncertainty associated and a
dashed line toward younger and older times (maximum and minimum ages,
Qt5 respectively)
Figura 5. Pit-soil and results obtained in location 3 - Barinitas lower (Fig. 1 and 2). a) Detail of the alluvial deposit of Qt7
terrace (according to Guzmán,BFG8YQEUja’sk ÓJIUS PIUOIUCG 9I

Acknowledgements: OG thanks the Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam for the support provided for this research. This work was developed in
the Ikiam research project CTC-006-2020. OG thanks to INQUA for ECR grant to particípate in PATA DAYS 2022. Special acknowledge to Mr.
Paolo Traversa (Manager of the PEGAMMA Unit) and his staff for the irradiation of the samples.
References
- Audemard, F.E., Audemard, F.A., 2002. Structure of the Mérida Andes, Venezuela: relations with the South America-Caribbean geodynamic interaction. Tectonophysics 345, 299–327.
- Guzman, O., 2013. Timing and Dynamics of River Terraces Formation in Moderate Uplifted Ranges: the Example of Venezuela and Albania. Ph.D. Thesis. Université de Grenoble, France, p. 269.
- Guzmán, O., Vassallo, R., Audemard, F., Mugnier, J.-L., Oropeza, J., Yepez, S., Carcaillet, J., Alvarado, M., Carrillo, E., 2013. 10Be dating of river terraces of Santo Domingo River, on
Southeastern flank of the M´erida Andes, Venezuela: tectonic and climatic Implications. J. S. Am. Earth Sci. 48, 85–96.
- Prescott, J.R., Hutton, J.T., 1994. Cosmic ray contributions to dose rates for luminescence and ESR dating: large depths and long-term time variations. Radia. Meas. 23, 497–500.