Cuyo Basin

Cuyo Basin (Spanish: Cuenca Cuyana) is a sedimentary basin in Mendoza Province, western Argentina. The Cuyo Basin has a NNW-SSE elongated shape and is limited to the west by the Sierra Pintada System and to the east by the Pampean pericraton. To the north the basin reaches the area around the city of Mendoza.[1]

Not to be confused with Cuyania.
Cuyo Basin
Cuenca Cuyana
Map showing the location of Cuyo Basin
Map showing the location of Cuyo Basin
Location of the basin in Argentina
Coordinates34°15′S 68°34′W
EtymologyCuyo River
Country Argentina
State(s)Mendoza, San Juan
CitiesMendoza
Characteristics
On/OffshoreOnshore
BoundariesAndes
Part ofAndean foreland basins
Area~30,000 km2 (12,000 sq mi)
Hydrology
River(s)Cuyo River
Geology
Basin typeForeland basin
PlateSouth American
OrogenyAndean
AgeTriassic-Pliocene
StratigraphyStratigraphy
Field(s)Tupungato

Description

The Cuyo Basin has an approximate area of 30,000 square kilometres (12,000 sq mi).[2] It has two major sub-basins: Cacheuta (Spanish: Subcuenca Cacheuta) in the north and Alvear (Spanish: Subcuenca Alvear) in the south. The northern fringes of Cacheuta sub-basin reaches into San Juan Province. The basin existed already during the Triassic but its current shape is derivative of the Andean orogeny.[1]

The basin originated as a rift basin in the context of extensional tectonics and crustal thinning that followed the Paleozoic Gondwanide orogeny.[note 1]

Stratigraphy

The stratigraphy of the Cuyo Basin comprises the following formations:

Age
bold is SALMA type		GroupFormationLithologiesDepositional environmentNotes
PleistoceneTunuyán[4]
Mio-Pliocene
Huayquerian		HuayqueríasMudstones, sandstones, tuffFluvial[5]
MioceneMogotesAlluvial[6]
MioceneLa PilonaShales and sandstonesAlluvial[6]
Middle Miocene
Laventan		MariñoSandstonesAlluvial and eolian[6]
Late Oligocene
Deseadan
Early OligoceneHiatus[6]
Priabonian
Bartonian
Divisaderan		Divisadero LargoFluvial[6]
LutetianPapagayosFluvial[6]
Early EoceneHiatus[6]
Paleocene
Late Cretaceous
Early CretaceousPunta de las BardasBasaltsVolcanic[6]
Late Jurassic
BarrancasSandstones and conglomeratesAlluvial to fluvial[6]
RhaetianUspallataRío BlancoFluvial-deltaic[6][3]
Norian
CarnianCacheutaBlack shalesLacustrine[6][7]
PotrerillosTuffs, conglomerates, sandstones, shalesAlluvial to fluvial[6][7][8]
LadinianCerro de las CabrasMudstones and conglomerates[6][7]
Anisian
OlenekianRío MendozaVolcaniclastic conglomerates[6][7]
Induan
Late PermianChoiyoi Group[3]
CarboniferousHiatus[9][10]
Devonian
Early PaleozoicCuyania[9][10]

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. These tectonics are not related to the break-up of Gondwana later in the Mesozoic.[3]

References
  1. "Cuenca Cuyana". Secretaría de Energía (in Spanish). Government of Argentina. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  2. Zencich et al., 2008, p.110
  3. Spalletti et al., 2008, p.270
  4. Yrigoyen, 1993
  5. Garrido et al, 2017, p.51
  6. Zencich et al., 2008, p.112
  7. Spalletti et al., 2008, p.269
  8. Spalletti et al., 2005
  9. Finney, 2007
  10. Keller et al., 1998

Bibliography
General
Divisadero Largo Formation
Huayquerías Formation
Mariño Formation

Further reading
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