Descripción: Fil:Litvak, V.D. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.

Descripción: Isotopic age determinations (40Ar/39Ar) and associated magnetic polarity stratigraphy for Casamayoran age fauna at Gran Barranca (Chubut, Argentina) indicate that the Barrancan 'subage' of the Casamayoran South American Land Mammal 'Age' is late Eocene, 18 to 20 million years younger than hitherto supposed. Correlations of the radioisotopically dated magnetic polarity stratigraphy at Gran Barranca with the Cenozoic geomagnetic polarity time scale indicate that Barrancan faunal levels at the Gran Barranca date to within the magnetochronologic interval from 35.34 to 36.62 megannums (Ma) or 35.69 to 37.60 Ma. This age revision constrains the timing of an adaptive shift in mammalian herbivores toward hypsodonty. Specifically, the appearance of large numbers of hypsodont taxa in South America occurred sometime between 36 and 32 Ma (late Eocene-early Oligocene), at approximately the same time that other biotic and geologic evidence has suggested the Southern high latitudes experienced climatic cooling associated with Antarctic glaciation.

Descripción: The Little Ice Age (LIA) is a climate episode between the 16th and middle 19th centuries, characterized in Europe by colder temperatures and occasionally stormy weather. In certain areas of Europe, long instrumental observations record the Little Ice Age partially; however, in the pampean region meteorological data only started about one hundred years ago. The objective of this contribution is to provide new evidences about the Little Ice Age in the Pampean plain based on lake cores. Short cores of Chascomús and Monte lakes were analyzed and, according to AMS data, they span the last 500 years. The Chascomús core consists of three fining upward sequences. Sediment logical and biological proxies demonstrate a benign period from the end of the 15th century. Around 1700 AD lake level decreased and a dry period started and lasted for almost 150 years. After 1850 AD higher lake levels and increased moisture dominate the pampean scenario. The del Monte lake core is also composed of three fining upwards sequences, and AMS chronology assigned a basal age between 1441-1494 AD. Although the model age needs improvement, the events of Chascomús and del Monte lakes seem to be correlated and show coherent regional tendencies of humidity and droughts during the last 500 years.

Descripción: The Andes located in the central Neuquén (38°-39°S), which belong to the southern Central Andes (35°-39°S), have recorded a similar chronology of uplift than the neighbor northern Patagonian Andes (39°-46°S), Both areas have been formed trough successive phases of contraction in the Late Cretaceous, Middle Eocene and Late Miocene respectively. However, the Neuquén Andes have experienced two discrete phases of orogenic relaxation, during the Late Oligocene and Pliocene-Quaternary, which make then distinctive respect to the area located to the south. Field studies have shown new evidences of an episodic behavior of the fold and thrust belt in Neuquen, corresponding to compressive phases followed by stages of crustal collapse, at least since the Middle Cretaceous. The study of two main morphostructural units in the arc and retroarc area at 37°-39°S, the Alto de Copahue Pino Hachado, and its continuation to the north in the Chilean Andes (Laguna de la Laja), and the Loncopué trough respectively exemplify this particular behavior. A structural and a stratigraphie study in those areas have given a new evolutionary framework for the Neuquén Andes. © 2005 Asociación Geológica Argentina.

Descripción: An ancient alluvial fan and its subsequent evolution are described. Ancient alluvial fan accumulations have been interpreted as the northern continuation of the rodados patagónicos of the Montemayor Plateau, a proposal that is contested. The methodological recognition of the ancient alluvial fan and its genetic and temporary distinction, were made from geomorphologic analysis and altimetric evaluation. Time assignment is a problem not yet solved. The methodology led to three different geomorphic systems or levels related to successive episodes of aggradation and erosion, with increasing lower positions, which coincide with a complex paleodrainage ancient alluvial fan. its successive developments are linked to proposed proto-rivers Chubut 1, 2, 3 and to a Simpson paleo-valley. Despite the mentioned limitations, we propose that the evolutionary model of ancient alluvial fan responds to a structure of cut and fill which is supported by the poly-formational composition of an ancient alluvial fan, and a gradual southward migration of the paleo-drainage. Based on geomorphologic analysis and altimetric distinction an upper level, composed of the remains of three plains (Pa, Pm and Pb), a middle level with two terraces (T1 and T2) and a complex lower level and five terraces (T3, T4, T5 T6 and T7) were recognized. Relict evidences of paleo-drainages are proposed based on the Estancia Paz and Don Morgan-Saraza paleo-valleys in the upper level. The age of the ancient alluvial fan based on the geomorphic evolution of the study area is tentatively assigned to an uncertain period between the late Pleistocene and late Sangamon interglacial at the end of the last glaciation.

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.