Descripción: Detailed study of Callovian carbonates of the Calabozo Formation (30 m) in western Argentina, reveals the abundance of benthic carbonates particles produced by organisms that are light dependent, and non-skeletal grains such as ooids and peloids. The biota consists of bivalves, dasyclads (Salpingoporella annulata Carozzi, Cylindroporella annulata Carozzi, and Heteroporella sp.), scleractinian corals, echinoderms, cyanobacteria (Cayeuxia (Rivularia) piae Rech-Frollo, and Cayeuxia (Rivularia) kurdistanensis Elliot), oncoids, gastropods, forams, and calcispheres as well as ostracods, and bryozoans in relatively minor quantities. Allochemical particles suggest for the shallow marine limestones of the Calabozo Formation a Photozoan Association under subtropical seawater conditions. The petrographic features allow to recognize seven microfacies, differentiated by particle types, fossils and depositional texture: 1) criptalgal bindstone; 2) bioclastic-peloidal wackestone; 3) bioclastic-intraclastic wackestone; 4) bioclastic-peloidal-terrigenous wackestone, 5) coral framestone, 6) peloidal-bioclastic-intraclastic packstone, and 7) oolitic-bioclastic-peloidal packstone-grainstone. The recognition of microfacies groups constitute two palaeoenvironmental associations: inner ramp and middle ramp settings. Diagenetic studies are based on examination of stained thin sections, through conventional petrography and under cathodoluminescence. Early diagenetic processes are micritization and precipitation of peloidal micrite and acicular calcite. These cements predate granular and syntaxial calcite cements. Cathodoluminescent petrography allows to identify three morphologic types of clear cements: (1) fine acicular crystals, (2) granular cements, and (3) syntaxial cement rims on echinoderm particles. Description of the CL signature has evolved to discrimination as either, non-luminescent, dully luminescent red/orange, or brightly luminescent yellow. The earlier acicular calcite cement is non-luminescent, on the other hand, the predominantly dully luminescent red/orange, or brightly luminescent yellow of interparticular and intraparticular granular calcite and syntaxial cements indicate a shallow burial meteoric-phreatic diagenetic environment.

Descripción: Drill samples from the Carrizal uranium ore deposit located in Western Precordillera, Province of San Juan, Argentina, were studied by petrography, ore microscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive electron microscope and microprobe methods. A mesothermal ore paragenesis composed of arsenic-nickel-cobalt-uranium-bismuth minerals was identified. The established paragenetic sequence is pyrite-bismuthinite; nickeline-gersdorffite-rammelsbergite-pechblende, in an assemblage hosted by lithic breccia. A second mineralization stage produced a porphyry copper deposit, spatially but not genetically associated with the above described assemblage. © 1997 Asociación Geológica Argentina.

Descripción: In the northern side of the extra andean Patagonia, in portions of Rio Negro and Chubut provinces, extensive basaltic lava flows plateaux type are exposed. On the southern side of the plateaux, in the Ranquil Huau stream valley, close to Telsen locality, a large succesion of volcanic and vocaniclastic rocks is exposed. The basaltic lava flows of Somuncura Formation and the Basalto La Mesada (Quin̄elaf Superunit) and the volcanisclastic deposits of the Sarmiento Group are exposed in the area. The different groups of basalts are identified by petrographyc and geochemical distinctive features. In the upper level of Somún Curá Formation a basic pyroclastic flow is interbedded. The basic rocks exposed in the medium level of the valley have distinctive characteristics and they are named as Basanitas Ranquil Huao. The analized units have geochemical parameters consistent with the evolution of melt showing that were produced by differents degree of partial melting.

Descripción: The goal of this paper is to present the petrographic study from outcrop samples of the Central II alteration zone. This area is located in the San Rafael Massif, province of Mendoza (34°54'56" S; 68°37'02" O) and is related to hypoabyssal rhyolitic bodies that intrude a volcanic-volcaniclastic sequence corresponding to the upper section of Choiyoi Group. The alteration zone is represented by pervasive sericitization overprinted by silicic breccias and veins with WNW trend (Az 290° - 300°) and vertical dip. Hydrothermal veins are mainly composed by quartz with primary growth, recrystalization and replacement textures with minor pyrite, chalcopyrite and scarce arsenopyrite. The combination of crustifiform - colloform silica banding, quartz pseudomorphs of bladed calcite and adularia with different morphologies (sub-rhombic, rhombic and pseudo-acicular) is a clear evidence of a low-sulfidation epithermal system with paleozones of upflow boiling.

Descripción: Cerro Falkner is composed of granitic rocks underlying volcanic rocks of the Ventana Formation of Paleogene age. Those intrusives are graniodioritic in composition, metaluminous to peraluminous, subalkaline, with characteristics of volcanic arc granites that are concordant with other granitoids of the Cordillera Patagónica Septentrional's northern segment. The age obtained by the K-Ar method on tschemakitic amphiboles (125 ± 20 Ma) points out a minimun age from the lower Cretaceous for the Cerro Falkner's granodiorite. Therefore the use of the term Los Machis Formation (Upper Cretaceous) would be incorrect for these rocks. This age, allows us to relate the granitic rocks on the study area to the lower Cretaceous, coeval with the volcanism of the Divisadero Group.

Descripción: Magmatism related to the growth and migration of the Andean arc was developed from the 36°40'S to the 38°20'S latitude, in the northwestern sector of the Neuquén Province, by the end of the Mesozoic. Hypabyssal and extrusive facies, which outcrop in the Pichaihue area, were described based on petrologic studies. The first ones are composed of andesites that are emplaced as lacoliths, dikes or sills intruding the Mesozoic sedimentary sequences. In addition, basalts outcrops were recognized. The extrusive facies consist of breccia or massive lavas and little domes. The geochemistry reveals an arc-like calc-alkaline signature with a normal crust and trace-element patterns which suggest a similar source. Based on regional knowledge, three groups are proposed: Cerro Mocho dikes with Ti anomalies and higher Sm/Yb; extrusive facies of the Upper Cretaceous- Paleocene (Rivera Andesite); and the hypabyssal facies of thr Eocene (Colipilli Dikes). Finally, the occurrences of these rocks in this segment of the Andes indicate an important shift to the East of the Upper Cretaceous-Eocene volcanic arc that reveals its easternmost position.

Descripción: In this paper new basaltic outcrops from Ramírez de Velasco ranger (Santiago del Estero province) are described. They are basaltic dikes that vary from few meters to two kilometers long across the igneous basement. All these rocks show dark colors with aphyric (S9 sample) to porphyritic (S17 and S20 samples) textures. When these basalts present phenocrysts, they are composed of lagioclase within a groundmass of subophitic texture. The low alteration of the groundmass allows to recognise microliths of labradorite, augite and opaque minerals of about 0.2 and 0.5 mm. These sizes suggest a hypabisal emplacement of the biggest dikes. Sericite, chlorite, epidote, sphene and opaque minerals compose the alteration assemblage on these rocks. Quartz and carbonates mainly fill small cavities. The geochemical compositions of all analyzed samples support the petrographic classification. They have negative slopes of their trace elements and evidence affiliation with calc-alkaline basalts from magmatic arcs. Their similar textures, mineralogy and chemical compositions suggest that all these basalts where crystallized from the same source and due to the same magmatic process. On the basis of all these data and the features of the basalts that crops out in the surrounding of the study area, this volcanism is attributed to the post-orogenic stage of the Pampean orogeny and therefore it is correlated with the Balbuena Formation (Sierra Norte of Córdoba).

Descripción: The palaeomagnetic sudy was carried out in five sections cropping out in the Neuquén Basin, which are made up of hundreds metres-thick of ammonite-bearing sedimentary and subordinately, volcanic rocks of Early Jurassic age. These sections are located in the northern part of the basin along the Atuel river (Hettangian to Toarcian), and the central part (Pliensbachian to Toarcian) of the basin. From paleomagnetic and petrographical studies two magnetic components carried by titanomagnetites were recognised, one soft bearing a direction that coincides with the local present-day field, and another harder interpreted as the original jurassic according to the palaeomagnetic field tests. Based on the polarities succession isolated in the five sections, a composite magnetostratigraphic scale was elaborated, which is the first of this age in the Southern Hemisphere. Eleven dominantly reversed (JR1 to JR11) and 12 dominantly normal (JN1 to JN12) polarity zones were identified, in relation with 19 ammonite zones from the Andean Region, which were in turn correlated with the international standard geomagnetic time scale. The good fit between the two scales allowed to date some stratigraphic levels with no diagnotic fossils, such as the Sinemurian-Pliensbachian boundary at Puesto Araya, and the Pliensbachian-Toarcian limit at Rapajalo. On the other hand, two palaeomagnetic poles were calculated, one for the Hettangian-Sinemurian (223°E, 51°S, A95= 6°, N = 25) and another for the Pliensbachian-Toarcian (67°E, 74°S, A95= 5°, N = 52). These poles, combined with others selected from the literature, led to the construction of a new apparent polar wander (APW) path of South America for the Late Triassic-Jurassic time interval, which turned out to be dissimilar from previous curves placing the continent in a stationary latitudinal position during most of the Mesozoic. The resultant APW path suggests that South America would have rotated clockwise while it was moving northward. The same shape and chronology is observed in the jurassic path of Eurasia. The latitudinal shifts derived from the palaeomagnetic data are supported by diverse marine faunas from both the southern and northern hemispheres.