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Journal of South American Earth Sciences. Vol. 4. No. 4, pp.

351 372, 1991

0895-98} 1/91 $ 3 . 0 0 + .00


," 1991 Pergamon Press plc
& Earth Sciences & Resources Institute

Printed in Great Britain

A n d e a n r e a c t i v a t i o n of the C r e t a c e o u s Salta rift,


northwestern Argentina
M. E. GRIER .1, J. A. SALFITY2, a n d R. W. ALLMENDINGER;~
14-86 Nelson Street, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3W8, Canada; 2Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad
Nacional de Salta, 4400 Salta, Reptlblica de Argentina; ~Department of Geological Sciences, Corncll
University, Ithaca, NY 14853-1504, USA

(Received May 1991; Accepted November 1991)


Abstract---Throughout the Andes, foreland geometries are correlated with the orientation of the subducting Nazca Plate: fold-and-thrust belts with steep subduction and basement uplifts with flat. The
geometries observed in the southern Cordillera Oriental and northern Sierras Pampeanas do not fit this
pattern. Instead, inversion of the Cretaceous Salta Rift Basin and mechanical differences between rift and
non-rift domains are proposed as the primary controls on both the timing of late Tertiary uplift and deformation, and foreland geometries. The influence of the rift basin is documented through field observations of
structures and lithologies, kinematic analysis of minor fault data, and published data on local stratigraphy.
The southern Cordillera Oriental developed within the southwestern subbasin of the Salta rift and is a
basement-involved fold-and-thrust belt. The Sierras Pampeanas developed to the south of the rift and are
basement uplifts. Dominant structures in both regions are N/S-trending reverse or thrust faults. They are
cut by oblique strike-slip faulL~. Older deformation is Mio-Pliocene in age and is characterized by thrust
kinematics with E-W to NW-SE shortening. Younger deformation is Plio-Quaternary in age and is characterized by strike-slip kinematics with NE-SW shortening, except ahmg the boundary between the
Cordillera Oriental and the Sierras Pampeanas where thrust kinematics with N-S shortening prevail. The
similar kinematics but different geometries in the two provinces during Mio-Pliocene deformation and the
anomalous thrust kinematics observed during Plio-Quaternary deformation suggest that the Salta rift is
the main control on structural geometries. A rift inversion model is developed and applied to the southern
Cordillera Oriental.
R e s u m e n - - A lo largo de los Andes, la geometria estructural del antepais generalmente se correlaciona con
la inclinaci6n de subducci6n de la placa Nazca. Las franjas de corrimientos se encuentran asociadas con
subducci6n de alto ~ngulo y los levantamientos de basamento con subducci6n de bajo ~ngulo. En el noroeste
argentino entre la Cordillera Oriental austral y las Sierras Pampeanas septentrionales, las geometrias no
siguen el modelo. En cambio, para esta zona proponemos que la inversi6n estructural de la cuenca rift
cret~cica de Salta y la diferencia mec~nica entre terrenos con y sin estructuras de rift controlan tanto el
tiempo de levantamiento terciario como la geometria estructural del antepais. La influencia de la cuenca
rift se muestra por observaciones estructurales y litol6gicas de campo, an~lisis quinem~tico de fallas, y
datos publicados de la estratigrafia local. La Cordillera Oriental austral se desarroll6 en la subcuenca sudoccidental del rift Salta y se clasifica como una franja de corrimientos que involucran al basamento. Las
Sierras Pampoanas septentrionales se desarrollaron al sur del rift y son levantamientos de basamento. Las
estructuras predominantes en ambas regiones son corrimientos meridionales de alto o bajo ~ngulo. Fallas
de desplazamiento de rumbo cortan oblicuamente a los corrimientos. La deformaci6n anterior tiene edad de
Mioceno a Plioceno y se caracteriza por la quinem~tica de corrimiento con acortamiento este-oeste a
noroeste-sudeste. La deformaci6n posterior tiene edad de Plioceno a Cuaternario y se caracteriza por la
quinemgttica de desplazamiento de rumbo con acortamiento noreste-sudoeste, excepto por la frontera entre
la Cordillera Oriental y las Sierras Pampeanas en la cual predomina la quinem~tica de corrimiento con
acortamiento norte-sur. Las quinemfiticas semejantes y geometrias distintas de las dos provincias durante
la deformaci6n mioc6nica-plioc6nica y la quinem~tica an6mala de corrimiento entre las dos provincias
durante la deformaci6n plioc6nica-cuaternaria sugieren que el rift Salta control6 la geometria estructural.
Desarrollamos un modelo de inversi6n estructural y lo aplicamos a la Cordillera Oriental austral.

INTRODUCTION
THE PRESENT BENIOFF ZONE b e n e a t h t h e C e n t r a l
A n d e s i s s e g m e n t e d i n t o r e g i o n s of s t e e p a n d f l a t
s u b d u c t i o n (Fig. 1) ( B a r a z a n g i a n d I s a c k s , 1976).
T h e o r i e n t a t i o n of t h e s u b d u c t i n g N a z c a p l a t e h a s
been correlated with the structural geometries that
a r e d e v e l o p e d i n t h e f o r e l a n d ( J o r d a n et al., 1983).
R e g i o n s of s t e e p s u b d u c t i o n a r e c o r r e l a t e d w i t h t h i n -

*Work done while at Cornell University.


Address all correspondence and reprint requests to:
Dr. Martha E. Grier; telephone [1] (613) 542-3656.

s k i n n e d f o l d - a n d - t h r u s t g e o m e t r i e s a n d r e g i o n s of
near-horizontal subduction with thick-skinned basem e n t u p l i f t s . T h e g e o l o g y of n o r t h w e s t e r n A r g e n t i n a , however, suggests t h a t this c o r r e l a t i o n m a y be
o v e r l y s i m p l i s t i c i n s o m e p a r t s of t h e C e n t r a l A n d e s
a n d t h a t p r e - e x i s t i n g s t r u c t u r e s c o n t r o l t h e s t y l e of
f o r e l a n d d e f o r m a t i o n ( A l l m e n d i n g e r et al., 1982;
A l l m e n d i n g e r et al., 1983).
T o t h e n o r t h of 24S, t h e f o r e l a n d c o n s i s t s of t h e
C o r d i l l e r a O r i e n t a l a n d t h e S i e r r a s S u b a n d i n a s (Fig.
2). T h e s e m o u n t a i n s y s t e m s a r e N / S - t r e n d i n g , d o m i n a n t l y e a s t - v e r g i n g f o l d - a n d - t h r u s t b e l t s w i t h local
west-verging back-thrusts.
To t h e s o u t h of 24S,
b a s e m e n t is i n v o l v e d i n t h e d e f o r m a t i o n , t h e Cor-

351

352

M.E. GRIER, J. A. SALFITY, and R. W. ALLMENDINGER


14

8
t~

tO

g,)
Q..

cO
o~
c-

30
74

62

Fig. 1. The Central Andes showing the Altiplano/Puna Plateau and the major geological provinces of the foreland. The contours
show the depth to the subducting Nazca plate in kilometers (from Isacks, 1988); regions of steep and flat subduction are indicated.

dillera Oriental broadens markedly, and zones of


both west- and east-verging thrusting are common
both in the Cordillera Oriental and in the southern
extension of the Sierras Subandinas known as the
Sistema de Santa B~rbara (Mon, 1976; Rolleri,
1976). In the region of 2615'S, across a NW/SEtrending boundary, the geometries of the fold-andthrust belt change to the thick-skinned basement
uplifts of the Sierras Pampeanas (Pampean Ranges).
To the north of 24S and to the south of 27S, the
correlation between foreland geometries and the
orientation of the subducting Nazca plate holds.
However, between 24S and 27S, the correlation is
confused, if not inconsistent, in that the complex
foreland overlies a broad, gentle flexure in the
subducting plate (Fig. 1) (Bevis and Isacks, 1984).
No short wavelength change in the contours of the
Benioff zone is observed that can explain the abrupt
change from fold-and-thrust geometries to basement
uplifts that occurs in the region of 2615'S (T. Cahill,
pers. comm., 1989). In addition, underlying plate

geometries do not account for the broadening of the


Cordillera Oriental, the basement involvement in
the deformation, and the zones of reversed vergence
within the thrust belt that are observed immediately
to the north of the structural transition.
Field observations in the southern Cordillera
Oriental suggest instead that foreland development
has been controlled by reactivation of pre-existing
structures. The present-day southern Cordillera
Oriental and Sistema de Santa B~rbara developed
within the southern Alemania and Met~n subbasins
of the Cretaceous Salta rift basin (Figs. 2 and 3). The
vergence of Andean structures tracks the basin margins: in the southern Cordillera Oriental, on the
west side of the rift, Andean faults are west-verging;
in the southern Sistema de Santa B~rbara, on the
east side of the rift, Andean faults are east-verging.
Vergence changes within these regions may also be
inherited from rift structures. In addition, reactivated normal faults are observed along the seuthwestern rift margin. Finally, the abrupt N-S struc-

Andean reactivation of the Cretaceous Salta rift, northwestern Argentina

100 km

353

ARGENTIN

vv:
v

v ~
vvvvv
~
v v J

vvvvvvvvv'v'~
. v v v v
vvvvvvvvvvv

P VV ~y VV ~V y V

p V ~ V V V

. .//..

Sierras

Puna

Subandinasy"

./
"/

: : : :~/~/Siitem:ai!
: ~
" Santa B&rbara
Jujuy

iii
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii"

. vvvvvvvvvvv:
w'~
v
v v vvvvvvv

Oriental iii:ii ~

Puna

Area

Tucuma.n
27

Sierras
Pampeanas
i

Cenozoic
volcanics
Major faults

{.~S:

66"

I
'34

Fig. 2. The geological provinces of n o r t h w e s t e r n A r g e n t i n a .

tural transition between the Cordillera Oriental and


the Sierras Pampeanas occurs across the rift margin:
the fold-and-thrust geometries of the southern Cordillera Oriental and the Sistema de Santa B~rbara
are developed within the rift and the basement uplifts of the Sierras Pampeanas are developed to the
south and west of the rift.
A simple rift inversion model, in which Andean
shortening is sub-parallel to rift extension, best explains the structural geometries that are observed in
this part of northwestern Argentina (Fig. 4). The
model assumes that crustal extension during the
Cretaceous was accommodated along listric normal
faults that sole into a zone of quasi-plastic decoupling at a depth of 10-12 km. It further assumes that,
during Andean shortening from Miocene to Recent
SAES~4/~--F

times, the basal decollement of the deformation reused the substructure of the old rift and that listric
normal faults were reactivated in their entirety as
thrust faults. The model predicts that the foreland
has been shortened 25% during Andean deformation.

RIFT REACTIVATION
In order for old structures to have controlled
later structural geometries they must not only exist
but have been favorably oriented for reactivation
during latest deformation. In any area in which the
possibility of fault reactivation arises, several questions must be answered.

354

M.E. GRIER, J. A. SALFITY, and R. W. ALLMENDINGER


I
.6~

__

22o::::::.~-C.::::

/i!ii

_/"

.BOLIVIA

ii!iiii!iii
c.,LE
[ .

!/
.

/i!ili::i
Salta III"

. . . . .

"

"

Ci!iiii!iiii
A = Alemania
ER = El Rey
LO = Lomas de Olmedo
M = Met~.n
S = Sey
TR = Tr~s Cruces

.26 . . . . . . . .

StudyArea:
o.~.iiiil;;i

iiii,

.2/

interval 1,000 m
Q

Intrusive

First phase
volcanic

SSBiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii:
.

......

~
0

100 krn

isopach, contour

Second phase
volcanic

Fig. 3. The modern limits of syn-rift Salta Group strata -- the Pirgua Subgroup -- showingdepocentersand syn-rift intrusive and
volcanic rocks (modifiedfrom Marquillas and Salfity, 1988). The inset map shows the relatiom~hipof the syn-rift strata to the
geologicalprovinces of northwestern Argentina.

1) Of the structures observed, which existed prior


to the latest deformation and can any of these
structures be grouped genetically?

2) W h a t geometries and kinematics characterize


the last deformation?
3)

Of the known pre-existing structures, which if


a n y could have been favorably oriented for reactivation during the last deformation?

4) W h a t field evidence exists t h a t supports reactivation of structures in a n y given tectonic


group?
The first of these questions is addressed in a discussion of the paleogeology of northwestern Argentina,
the remainder in a discussion of present-day geology.

Paleogeology of the Andean Forelan d, 2515'S2630'S


The strata t h a t comprise the foreland in this
region can be divided into three principal units (Fig.
5). The oldest unit throughout most of the region is a
deformed passive margin sequence of late Precambrian to Cambrian age known as the Puncoviscana
Formation. To the southeast, it is composed of metamorphic rocks that cannot be correlated with this
sequence. The second u n i t is a rift-basin sequence of
Cretaceous to early Tertiary age known as the Salta
Group that is developed within and on top of the
Puncoviscana Formation. The youngest overlies
both of these units and is the sequence of Neogene
continental clastics t h a t fills the Andean foreland
basin. Each unit has a distinctive form and struc-

EARLY

p - e = 0.1 -~1

::i : : ~ i : ~ : ~ ~ ~ : ~ :

~ ...................................

CRETACEOUS

MIOCENE

LATE EOCENE

MIDDLE

e = -0.25

Precambdan and Paleozoic


Pumcovisc~naFormation,
metamorphics and intrusions

-~
_

~_-

~.~,~:~ : ~ , J

::::~llllml!|

,, =~

I~JL,an .

Sierra de Met=tn
.

~ ~ ~~

S i s t e m a de S a n t a Bhrbara

6500 '
t

zone of Crustal Decoupling

1 - - - -

Nemania

---~2~ ~ .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Amblayo Valley

Cordillera Oriental
RIo Calchaqul

',~

PRESENT

6600 '
I

~,~rT~

40 km

:~:::~-'~'~::~

]r I I I I I I I--LI IL

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I/m-[I l

~;

6400 '
I

I
I

Fig. 4. Model of the Cordillera Oriental a n d S i s t e m a de S a n t a B a r b a r a a t 2530'S latitude. T h e cross-sections show t h e development of t h e foreland from pre-rift to rift-inversion in three
s t a g e s b e g i n n i n g in t h e Early Cretaceous. N e a r surface f a u l t trajectories are based on field observations; sub-surface trajectories are a s s u m e d . E a c h cross-section is area-balanced. See
Fig. i for location.

Cretaceoussyn-rift Salta Group

Devonianand Silurian strata

LowerTertiary and upper


Cretaceouspost-rift Salta Group

Quaternaryalluvium, upper
Tertiaryforeland basin strata

CO

~a

~a

5o

c~

(0
~a

>

356

M.E. GRIER, J. A. SALFITY, and R. W. ALLMENDINGER

Quaternary t :

Miocene
- Pliocene

Paleocene

- Eocene

surficial alluvial deposits

Andean foreland basin strata


(Payogastilla and Santa Maria Groups)

Santa B&rbara Subgroup


Balbuena Subgroup

Pirgua Sugroup
Early
I
Cretaceous

M2:76.4 3.5 a a
to 78 _+5 Ma

MI: 9 7 5 Mato
128 5 Ma

Late Precambrian
-Early Cambrian

Salta
Group

M3:63-+2 Ma
(Intrusive)

Late
Cretaceous

Puncoviscana Formation and


metamorphic equivalents

--

I
I

I o.1,0oom

Fig. 5. Stratigraphy of the southern Cordillera Oriental and northernmost Sierras Pampeanas between 2515'S and 2630'S. M1,
M2, and M3 represent three phases of magmatism. In this region, M1 and M2 are represented by volcanic rocks, and M3 by
intrusives. Ages of volcanic and igneous rocks from Galliski and Viramonte (1988).

ture. They combined to form a terrain that was inhomogeneous prior to and during Andean deformation (Mon, 1979).
The Puncoviscana Formation. The oldest exposed unit in the region is a thick series of parallelbedded clastics with common conglomeratic intercalations b u t rare syngenetic volcanics and carbonates (Fig. 5) (Omarini, 1983). Provenance of the
elastics was to the east (Jezek and Miller, 1985). The
sequence is late Precambrian to Cambrian in age
(Acefolaza, 1979) and, on the basis of its stratigraphy and provenance, is thought to represent a
prograding submarine-fan sequence deposited along
the stable proto-Pacific margin of Gondwana (Jezek
and Miller, 1985).
The sequence was deformed and metamorphosed
primarily during the early Paleozoic (Willner et al.,
1987).
In the Late Cambrian, the continental
margin became active and the Puncoviscana wedge
was shortened through folding and, possibly, thrusting. Shortening continued into the Ordovician with

the development of shear belts that are attributed to


large-scale crustal imbrication (Willner et al., 1987).
In the latest Ordovician, the region was probably the
site of back-arc magmatism which is currently represented by the Faja Eruptiva de la P u n a (Bahlburg,
1989). However, we speculate that, to the east of the
Faja Eruptiva, the final external form of the Puncoviscana was that of a thickened miogeoclinal wedge
of submeridional trend; the final internal form that
of a fold-and-thrust belt. The form of the Puncoviscana Formation has been modified since the end of
the Ordovician by erosion and by subsequent deformation with the result that different structural
levels are currently exposed in distinct tectonometamorphic zones (Fig. 6) (Willner and Miller,
1985).
The Salta Basin. The Salta Group represents a
rift system that developed within and on top of the
Puncoviscana wedge (Figs. 3 and 5) (Bianucci and
Homovc, 1982; Salfity, 1982). The basin's form could
have been controlled by structures within the wedge

Andean reactivation of the Cretaceous Salta rift, northwestern Argentina


660

357

65
Puncovlscana Fro.

structural depth
shallow
int.-shallow
,

deep-int.

deep
,_

K:;i:~i:;if

StudyArea

=A

granitic
intrusions

faults

C
A
AI

Cafayate
Angastaco
Aleman[a

Tucum&n

25 km

Fig. 6. The tectonometamorphiczonesofthe PuncoviscanaFormation(modifiedfromWillneret al., 1987);int = intermediate.

and, in turn, its development modified the Puncoviscana wedge itself, creating new structures that
may have been favorably oriented for reactivation
during subsequent Andean deformation. The form of
the basin at present reflects uplift and deformation
since the end of the Cretaceous; the present margins
may be erosional and not depositional.
This basin is one of a series that formed during
the Cretaceous from the Atlantic coast to Peru along
a northwesterly trend (Fig. 7). The series includes
the Chaco-Paranense and Salta Basins of Argentina,
and the Subandean and Andean Basins of Bolivia
and Peru (Fig. 7). The links between the Salta, Subandean, and Andean Basins are well established
(Riccardi, 1988; Macellari, 1989), but that between
the Salta Basin and the Chaco-Paranense Basin is
more tenuous, being based on subsurface data (Russo
et al., 1979). During the late Campanian through
the Maastrichtian-Paleocene, the Salta Basin was
also linked to the back-arc Andean Basin of northern
Chile (Salfity et al., 1985; Riccardi, 1988; Macellari,
1989).

These basins were active during the Cretaceous


and early Tertiary, and their plate tectonic setting
altered substantially during this time. Subduction
of the oceanic plate was established along the
western margin of Gondwana in the Jurassic, and
the eastern margin of South America was rifted from
Africa during the Cretaceous. The basins could thus
be subduction-related back-arc basins, a failed rift
system associated with the opening of the South
Atlantic, or a combination of the two. The overall
trend of the basin system makes a purely back-arc
origin unlikely. The basins' trend and the timetransgressive nature of alkaline volcanism along the
t r e n d ~ 1 2 8 _ 5 Ma in the Salta Basin (Reyes et al.,
1976) and 82.5 Ma in the Andean Basin (Cherroni
Mendieta, 1977)--are consistent, however, with a
failed rift system (Gallisky and Viramonte, 1985).
The Salta Basin itself consists of several subbasins grouped around the Salta-Jujuy high (Fig. 3).
The shape of the basin and the position of depocenters within the basin are thought to have been
controlled by NE/SW- and NW/SE-trending linea-

358

M.E. GRIER, J. A. SALFITY, and R. W. ALLMENDINGER

ments (Salfity, 1982). The basin strata can be


divided into syn-rift and post-rift sequences (Fig. 5)
(Bianucci et al., 1981). The syn-rift sequence is
represented by the fining-upward sequence of continental clastics of the Pirgua Subgroup. The post-rift
strata are represented by the lacustrine transgressive sequence of the Balbuena Subgroup and the
post-rift regressive continental sequence of the
Santa Bfirbara Subgroup (Moreno, 1970; Salfity,
1982). Rifting took place from the Neocomian to
Campanian, and the post-rift strata were deposited
from the late Campanian to middle Eocene (Marquillas and Salfity, 1988).
The formations that comprise the synrift Pirgua
Subgroup are thought to represent proximal alluvial
fan deposits, mid and distal-fan deposits, and
braided stream deposits from along the front of the
fan apron (Moreno, 1970; Reyes and Salfity, 1973;
Salfity and Marquillas, 1981). The facies combination is consistent with deposition in fault-bounded
basins (Salfity, 1982). The orientation and shape of
the basins can be inferred from thickness changes in
the proximal fan facies. On the southwest side of the
Alemania subbasin, for example, the conglomerates
of the La Yesera Formation are over 1000 meters
thick near the margins of the basin but are absent
from the sequence in the center of the basin (Fig. 8).
In both the Alemania and Metfin subbasins, these

facies are elongate N-S or, but with less frequency,


E-W (Moreno, 1970; Gbmez Omil et al., 1989). Given
the overall shape of the subbasins, this suggests that
basin-bounding normal faults had submeridional
trends and were offset by E/W-trending transverse
faults.
The syn-rift facies are overlain by the formations
of the Balbuena Subgroup which, in the southern
subbasins of the rift, comprise the basal sands of a
lacustrine sequence (Salfity, 1980) and limestones
deposited in a shallow (10 m depth on average),
restricted brackish basin with locally hypersaline
and fresh-water conditions (Marquillas, 1986). The
sands and limestones were deposited over a surface
of relatively low relief and reach a combined thickness of 400 meters in the major depocenters (Marquillas, 1986).
The Balbuena Subgroup is overlain by the Santa
B~irbara Subgroup, which is dominated by fluvial
clastics, the earlier lacustrine influences gradually
decreasing in importance over time (Fig. 5) (Moreno,
1970; Salfity, 1982). The sequence is capped by an
erosional unconformity, and the preserved thickness
reaches a maximum of 1500 meters in the basin
depocenters (Moreno, 1970).
The Salta Group includes intrusions and volcanics representing three phases of magmatism (Fig.
5) (Reyes et al., 1976; Bianucci et al., 1981; Berckowski, 1987). The first event occurred from middle
Neocomian to late Albian time and is represented by
intrusives in the Tres Cruces subbasin of the rift and
by lava flows, dikes, and minor pyroclastic flows that
are intercalated with the La Yesera Formation--the
proximal fan facies of the rift sequence--along the
margins of the southern subbasins of the rift (Reyes
et al., 1976; Salfity, 1982). The intrusives are alkali
granitoids, and the volcanic rocks range in composition from rhyolites to basalts (Reyes et al., 1976;
Salfity, 1982; Galliski and Viramonte, 1988).
The second phase of magmatism occurred during
Coniacian-Santonian time and is represented primarily by the Las Conchas Basalt (Figs. 3 and 5). It
includes lavas and pyroclastic flows, dikes, and sills
of basanites and mugearites that intrude and and
are intercalated with the Las Curtiembres Format i o n - t h e mid- to distal-fan deposits of the rift sequence. They occur primarily in the center of the
Alemania subbasin, although some basalts that may
be related to this phase of magmatism are intruded
along what we consider to be a basin margin fault.
The third phase of magmatism occurred during
the Paleocene (Fig. 5). It is represented in the southern part of the Salta Basin by a single lamproitic sill
(Omarini et al., 1987). The sill, a potassic trachyte,
intrudes the Los Blanquitos Formation. Elsewhere
in the basin, flows and intrusives of this episode also
occur in the overlying, post-rift Balbuena Subgroup
(Bianucci et al., 1981; Bercowski, 1987).
The volcanic rocks observed in the Salta Group
Fig. 7. Uppermost Cretaceous basins of west-central South America showing syn-rift sequences in northern Argentina and
are alkaline and are nepheline normative, although
Bolivia (modified from Marquillas and Salfity, 1988): SB, Salta
they vary widely in composition. This, and the geoBasin; CHPB, Chaco-Paranense Basin; AB, Andcan Basin; SAB,
graphic distribution of the volcanics, supports a rift
Subandean Basin; BAB, back-arc basin.

Andean reactivation of the Cretaceous Salta rift, northwestern Argentina

(
J
f

.I

359

Bo,,v,a

Argentina

23

iiiiii

Jujuy

"""

Shale

Salta
Conglomerate 50%

Sandstone

First cycle
volcanics
~

Second cycle

volcanics

Study
Area

Tucum&n

27

641

100 km 6/o_]

T"
Fig. 8. The distribution of syn-rift conglomerate, sandstone, and shale (Pirgua Subgroup) in the Salta Basin (modified from
Moreno, 1970): A, Alemania subbasin; M, Met~n subbasin.
origin for the Salta Basin (Bianucci et al., 1981;
Salfity, 1982; Galliski and Viramonte, 1988).
A n d e a n Foreland Basin Strata. The rift basin
and the older, deformed passive margin sequence are
overlain unconformably by 4000-6000 meters of sedim e n t a r y rocks that were derived from the uplift of
the Andes Mountains (Figs. 5 and 9). The strata
exposed in the southern Cordillera Oriental are
early Miocene to late Pliocene in age (Diaz and
Malizzia, 1983; Grier and Dallmeyer, 1990); those
exposed in the northern Sierras P a m p e a n a s are late
Miocene to Pliocene in age (Bossi et al., 1987). The
sequences in both locations are dominated by
braided stream and alluvial fan deposits, although
the pre-Pliocene strata exposed in the southern
Cordillera Oriental are much coarser than those
exposed in the northern Sierras Pampeanas (Grier
and Dallmeyer, 1990).

The unconformity between the Andean strata


and the Salta Group is variable (Fig. 4). J u s t to the
west of the study area, at the latitude of Angastaco
(Fig. 9), Andean strata lie directly over strata from
the syn-rift Pirgua Subgroup. The angle of unconformity is 27 , and the strata beneath the restored
unconformity dip to the south. Farther to the east,
in the Tonco Valley, the angle of unconformity
between Andean and Salta Group strata is 2-3 . The
unconformity suggests that uplift of the Salta Basin
began before Andean foreland basin strata were
deposited, and the variation in the unconformity
suggests that uplift was accompanied by deformation, at least in the westernmost part of the basin.
The foreland basin strata were deposited on a
variable substrate. During the early stages of deposition they accumulated in a basin controlled structurally on the west side. During later deposition, the
basin was divided structurally as the locus of Andean deformation moved eastward.

360

M.E. GRTER, J. A. SALFITY, and R. W. ALLMENDINGER


. . . . .

--

]~

]/%

%/%]%/

N
. . . . .

: .~.,~

:~

....
]

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0

(1)
....

.-:,~....

0
'%]]]]

(D

m__

Dam

:,:,;.:,:,:,"

San Carlos
,]%~ J~ %]]]]]

r%
,
, ]

~:~
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~,

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,,~ ]
]

,f.

]]

%.%]

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--26 .
,%]
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.* *. *. ] . ] . ] .] ]. ] . ] .] ]. % ]
"*. %
] ] ] , ~ ] ] ] ~ ' ]
" ,(g'-4
]

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/ %
] '~ %] ~] % ~
' ] ] ] ] , ] ~* ] ] ] ] ]

"~1

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,., ]

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/'

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,g'

~*

]%..'],,~%]

% %

% % % ,

% %

Cafayate

]%]

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e %r.]]

]%]%]%]%]~%]%]%
]

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%%%%%,~1%]%]
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%%%%:~%%~
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%%%%~
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] ] ] g ] ]
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] ] ] ] ~ / ] ]
] ] ] ] ] ~ ] ] ]
] ] ] ] ] g ] ] ] ]
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] ] ] ] ] g ] ] ] g ]

!,

--~ alluvium
Andeanforeland
basin strata

"13

"O

(D

g / J i g ] g ]
] ] ] ] ] ] ] / ] ]
~ ] ] g ] ~ ] ] ] ] ] ]
% %
] ] ] ] ] ] ] / ] ] ] ]
] ] ] ] ] g ] ] ] ] ]
~ ] ] ] ] 1 ] ] ] ] ] ]

pst'rift 1 Salta
syn-rift Group
PuncoviscanaFrn./
metasediments
'~ granite

_q.

del Va~le

t';';" o

lok

g ] / t ] ] / g Y t ] g g ]
~ s ] ] 2 ] ] 1 ] ] ] i

:,

Fig. 9. Geological map of the southern Cordillera Oriental and the northernmost Sierras Pampeanas.

Geometry and Kinematics of the Andean Foreland,


2515'S to 2630'S

A paleogeologic study of the Andean foreland in


this region shows that, during Andean deformation,
a complex composite wedge has been deformed quite
unlike, for example, the simple miogeoclinal wedge
found in the Rocky Mountains of Canada (Dahlstrom, 1969). The foreland has three interacting

components: the Puncoviscana wedge, the Salta rift


basin strata, and the Andean foreland basin strata,
all found within the rift domain. Each component
has a distinct lithology, form, and structure.
The possibility of paleotectonic control on Andean deformation thus exists, although the degree to
which conditions were favorable to reactivation is
uncertain. However, the present geometry and kinematics of Andean deformation can be used to weigh

Andean reactivation of the Cretaceous Salta rift, northwestern Argentina


the extent ofpaleotectonic control. That is, given the
present-day geology, could reactivation of a suite of
old structures or lithologic inhomogeneities account
for the configuration of modern structures, and is
there any direct evidence of fault reactivation?

361

tion.
Quaternary fans along the west side of
Cumbres Calchaquies (at the latitude of Colalao del
Valle, Fig. 9) are tilted 2-3 toward the mountain
front. A fault observed in Quebrada La Vifia at the
northeast corner of Sierra de Quilmes has an orientation of 052/52 SE and thrusts part of the Quilmes
Geometry. The study area is divided into two block over a Quaternary conglomerate. In both
structural domains across a NW-SE trend that cases, the Quaternary strata unconformably overlie
crosses the Calchaqui Valley several kilometers to deformed Tertiary strata.
the south of San Carlos (Fig. 9). The southern part of
In contrast to the Sierras Pampeanas, the
the Cordillera Oriental lies to the north of this trend southern Cordillera Oriental has been described as a
and the northern part of the Sierras Pampeanas to basement-involved fold-and-thrust belt (Vilela and
the south. The structural geometries observed in the Garcia, 1978; Turner and Mon, 1979). Major structwo mountain systems are different: the Sierras tures are more closely spaced than they are in the
Pampeanas are basement uplifts and the Cordillera Sierras Pampeanas (10-15 km spacing as opposed to
Oriental is a basement-involved fold-and-thrust belt. 20-30 km spacing) and they are developed not only in
The basement uplifts that are observed in the the Puncoviscana Formation and the Andean foreSierras Pampeanas are Precambrian to Cambrian land basin strata but in strata that are associated
schists and gneisses of the Puncoviscana Formation with the Salta rift basin.
or equivalents and have been uplifted along N- to
In the study area, major faults trend N-S to
NE-striking reverse faults. They are typically asym- NNE-SSW and dip to the east (Fig. 9). Only one
metric, with a steep eroded slope on the fault- major east-verging thrust fault--in the Amblayo
bounded margin. Remnants of a peneplain are ex- Valley--is observed. Most minor faults also have
posed, in some cases, on the tilted tops of the blocks submeridional trends but dip to either east or west.
where the Cenozoic cover has been eroded (Caminos, Syn-rift Salta Group strata or Puncoviscana Forma1979; Jordan et al., 1990). The block-bounding tion are commonly exposed in the hanging walls of
faults, in general, dip steeply where they are exposed the large-scale faults and post-rift Salta Group, and
at the surface although, locally, shallow dips have Andean foreland basin strata in the footwalls (Fig.
been observed. They are observed to parallel major 9). Major fold axes parallel the fault trends. Major
planes of schistosity (Gonz~lez Bonorino, 1950). anticlines are found in the hanging walls of the
Their orientation at depth is uncertain, but it has faults, and major synclines and minor anticlines in
been suggested, for geometric considerations, that the footwalls. Many of the folds are oversteepened
the faults must flatten with depth (Gonz~ilez Bono- on their west-facing limbs as a result of out-of-therino, 1950; Jordan and Allmendinger, 1986). The syncline thrusting, particularly in thick sequences of
blocks have been thrust over as much as 4000 meters syn-rift strata. The N/S-trending folds and thrust
of Tertiary and Quaternary strata. Minor folding faults do not involve Quaternary strata.
and faulting is observed in the basin strata, and the
As in the Sierras Pampeanas, the orientation of
terminations of the mountain-bounding faults are the dominant structures suggests that they were
often expressed as anticlines in these strata.
produced during an episode of E-W to WNW-ESE
The two northernmost Pampean ranges--Sierra shortening. Again, minor cross-cutting features
de Quilmes and Cumbres Calchaquies--lie in part show that one or more other episodes of deformation
within the study area (Fig. 9). The Sierra de also occurred. One set of features shows a consistent
Quilmes is uplifted along its east side by a series of NW-SE to WNW-ESE trend (Fig. 9). The major fault
faults that are exposed only at the north end of the that bounds the east side of the Calchaqui Valley
block and are inferred along the length of the north of Rio de Las Conchas is scalloped. The fault
northeastern part of the block (Ruiz Huidobro, 1972; consistently steps to the west along WNW-ESE to
Vilela and Garcia, 1978; Galv~n, 1981). Cumbres NW-SE trends. E/W-trending minor folds are obserCalchaquies is fault bounded to the east and west ved in the hanging wall of the main thrust at the
(Caminos, 1979), and a number of minor blocks are corners of some of the scallops and may represent
observed at its northern end: Filo Las Minas, Filo fault terminations or transpressional features relaParanilla and Loma Negra (Fig. 10). Remnants of ted to later deformation. A left-lateral strike-slip
the basement-capping peneplain have been observed fault that runs along the Rio Calchaqui, to the east
on both ranges (Strecker, 1987). The ranges are of Angastaco, parallels the trend of these scallops
separated by the Calchaqui or Santa Maria Valley, (Fig. 11). The abrupt terminations of the Tonco and
which is 20-25 km across.
Amblayo synclines are aligned along a similar trend
The mountain-bounding faults trend N-S, as do (Fig. 9). On a minor scale, near-vertical, NW/SE- to
faults and fold axes that are observed in the de- NNW/SSE-trending left-lateral strike-slip faults are
formed Tertiary strata immediately to the west of observed in the vicinity of Mina Don Otto on the east
Cumbres Calchaquies (Fig. 9). This suggests that side of the Tonco syncline (Raskovsky, 1968).
major structures were produced during an episode of
Other trends are also observed in the cross-cutE-W shortening. Other features indicate that shor- ting structures (Fig. 10). In Quebrada Las Chacras a
tening continues in a subsequent episode of deforma- NNE/SSW-trending, low-angle strike-slip fault cuts

362

M.E. GRIER, J. A. SALFITY, and R. W. ALLMENDINGER

Fig. 10. Cross-cutting structures in the region of Quebrada La Yesera. See Fig. 9 for location.

a N/S-trending thrust fault. The strike-slip fault is


oriented parallel to bedding and m a y be a reactivated thrust fault. Along the north side of Quebrada
La Yesera, the E1 Zorrito reverse fault trends E-W to
NE-SW and cuts a N/S-trending thrust fault. In the
quebrada itself, the major N-S folds and faults have
themselves been folded about an E-W axis. Finally,
a N/S-trending fault scarp with right-lateral displacement has been observed in Quaternary alluvial
fans to the west of Cerro E1 Zorrito (Fig. 9).
Cross-cutting and stratigraphic relations, as described above, show that these minor structures, with
the possible exception of the scallops in the main
thrust, post-date major E-W Andean shortening.
They are consistent with a single episode of minor
deformation with NE-SW to N-S shortening that
began as early as the late Pliocene and continued
into the Quaternary.

Fig. 11. Cross-cutting structures in the region of the Quebrada de


Piscuyacu. See Fig. 9 for location.

Kinematics. The kinematics of the deformation


are derived from the analysis of 304 fault-slip measurements within the study area and are consistent
with the kinematics derived from the analysis of
over 1200 measurements from adjacent areas
(Marrett et al., 1989; Grier, 1990). The regional data
set comprises two groups of faults that are thought to
represent two episodes of deformation: one that is
Mio-Pliocene in age, and one that is younger and
includes deformation during the Quaternary. Fault/

Andean reactivation of the Cretaceous Salta rift, northwestern Argentina

363

I
1 O0 km

v'v'.'.'~
Vv

v
v
v

A R G E NTINA i::i

~~v~/~ .'~

v
v
v

:::::9

: i i i!i i!i l
~vvVvVvVvV

23 -

vvvvvVvVvVv

'

!iiiiiii
~vvvvv% ~

(~/J:

Sierra...~.s
:S!!a:d!n.as.~: ." . i/
Sistemade
SantaB&rbara

Puna

. . . . .

:: ~

:il::Salta . . . . . .

tiii!ii;
.

Puna

Area

Tucum&n
27
[~

Cenozoic
volcanics

Sierras
Pampeanas

68

I
66

I
64

Fig. 12. The kinematics of Mio-Pliocene deformation (modified from Marrett et al., 1989). Kinematic analyses are displayed as
fault plane solutions. Solid boxes represent average shortening directiorL~; open boxes, average extension directions.

stratigraphic relations outside the study area suggest that the change in kinematics occurred between
2.35 and 0.78 Ma (Marrett et al., 1989).
The kinematics of Mio-Pliocene deformation are
homogeneous throughout the southern Cordillera
Oriental, the northern Sierras Pampeanas, and the
adjacent Puna margin (Fig. 12). The maximum
shortening direction is between E-W and NNW-SSE.
Shortening is horizontal and extension is vertical.
Maximum shortening is perpendicular to major Andean structures. The kinematics of Plio-Quaternary
deformation are less homogeneous (Fig. 13). Strikeslip kinematics prevail, although thrust faults and
normal faults are observed locally. Maximum shor-

tening directions typically lie between NE-SW and


E-W.
Within the study area, deformation has also
occurred in two kinematically distinct episodes; the
division into two episodes is based on cross-cutting
relationships between faults, fault stratigraphic
relationships, and considerations of kinematic compatibility as described in Marrett and Allmendinger
(1990). The older deformation shows thrust kinematics with maximum shortening directions between
WNW-ESE and E-W (Fig. 12). The younger deformation shows strike-slip kinematics with NE-SW
shortening in the northern and southern parts of the
study area ~Fig. 13) and thrust kinematics with N-S

364

M.E. GRIER, J. A. SALFITY, and R. W. ALLMENDINGER

100 k m

v
v

v
v

v
v

BOLIVIA

.
v

ARGENTII~
'V V
~yq
V
V

Y
V

q
Y

Puna
v
v

vvv
v v

vVvVv
v v

v v v v v v
v v v v v v .
v v v v v v v
vvvVvVvVv~vvv:

i:i:i:i:ii
~ V V
;V p
V
;VVVVV

Santa B~rbara

v VvV v v v

Jujuy

iiiiiliiiiii : : : : : : : : :
W:iSalta . . . . . . .
Cordillera
Oriental
% ~ v v v V v V v V v V v

:::::::::::::t
t

Puna

9tudy Area
I Tucum~.n

Cenozoic
volcanics
Sierras

68

1
66

I
64

Fig. 13. The kinematics of Plio(?)-Quaternary deformation (modifiedfrom Marrett et al., 1989). Kinematic analyses are displayed
as fault plane solutions. Solid boxes represent average shortening directions; openboxes,average extension directions.
shortening along the boundary between the Cordillera Oriental and the Sierras Pampeanas. The
older episode of deformation within the study area is
correlated with regional Mio-Pliocene deformation
on the basis of similar kinematics and similar fault/
stratigraphic relations. The younger episode is correlated with regional Plio-Quaternary deformation
in the same manner.

The Boundary Between the Sierras Pampeanas and


the Cordillera Oriental: Evidence for Andean Reactivation of Rift Basin Structures
The boundary between the Cordillera Oriental
and the Sierras P a m p e a n a s (Rolleri, 1976) coincides

with the southwestern limit of the syn-rift Salta


Group strata, and the southern Cordillera Oriental
is developed within the Alemania subbasin of the
rift. Syn-rift strata reach thicknesses of 3500 meters
in the depocenter of the subbasin (Fig. 3); at least
3000 meters is observed in the hanging wall of the
linked Calchaqu~-E1 Zorrito-Las Chacras faults that
bound the east side of Valle Calchaqui (Figs. 3 and
10). Significant syn-rift strata are not observed in
the footwall of the thrust. At Loma Negra, Filo
Paranilla, and Filo Las Minas (Fig. 10), post-rift
Santa B~rbara Subgroup lies directly on basement.
It is possible that the syn-rift strata thicken rapidly
toward the fault in the foot-wall subsurface. However, the spatial relations observed in Quebrada Las

Andean reactivation of the Cretaceous Salta rift, northwestern Argentina

365

A)

Fault

B)

Skyline

strata--~ SaltaGroup
syn-rift strata~ |
PuncoviscanaFm.
Fig. 14. A) P h o t o g r a p h of the Las Chacras fault (see Fig. 10 for location). B) Sketch of the fault/stratigraphic relations, which
suggest t h a t t h e fault is a reactivated normal fault.

Chacras suggest that this is unlikely (Figs. 10 and


14).
Quebrada Las Chacras is little more that 100
meters wide. On the east side of the Las Chacras
fault, syn-rift strata lie directly on basement; on the
west side, only post-rift strata lie directly on basement. Stratigraphic relations across the fault suggest that the syn-rift strata onlapped an erosional
basement surface in the hanging wall of a normal
fault and that the normal fault was reactivated during Andean deformation (Fig. 14). The fault system
that forms the boundary between the Cordillera
Oriental and the Sierras Pampeanas therefore probably represents the original rift margin.

A map view of fault trends and vergences in the


combined Alemania and Met~n subbasins shows
that Andean fault trends track the old basin margin
(Fig. 15). Fault vergences correlate with position in
the basin. On the west side of the basins, major
faults are west-verging and on the east side they are
east-verging; vergence changes in the Andean structures are associated with interbasin highs. This,
combined with evidence of reactivated basin-margin
faults along the Cordillera Oriental/Sierras Pampeanas boundary, suggests that the southern Cordillera Oriental developed within the rift domain
and that the northern Sierras Pampeanas developed
outside the rift.

366

M.E. GRIER, J. A. SALFITY, and R. W. ALLMENDINGER


660

65

- 250

26

Fig. 15. The vergence of Andean structures within the southern subbassins of the Salta rift basin.

The evidence also suggests that reactivation


within the rift domain was extensive and was not
confined to basin margin faults. Seismic data from
outside the region of interest show reactivated normal faults in the less-deformed Lomas de Olmedo
subbasin (Bianucci et al., 1981).
The correlation of rift domain with the southern
Cordillera Oriental and non-rift domain with the
northern Sierras P a m p e a n a s is further supported by
the present-day and pre-Miocene topography of the
region (Fig. 16). The present-day southern Cordillera Oriental is topographically lower than the
northern Sierras Pampeanas, and the relative ages
of Andean foreland basin strata in the two regions
suggest that a similar relationship existed during
the early Miocene. Foreland basin strata were deposited 5-6 million years earlier in the southern
Cordillera Oriental than in the northern Sierras
P a m p e a n a s (Grier and Dallmeyer, 1990). Because
the mountain system was evolving to the west of
both regions, this suggests that foreland basin strata
initially accumulated in a topographic low that coincides with the present-day southern Cordillera
Oriental. The Salta rift basin is the only paleogeographic feature that could give rise to such a low.

The crust beneath the basin must also have been


thinned during rifting, and this effect m a y have
persisted to the present despite shortening during
Andean deformation.
The boundary between the Cordillera Oriental
and the Sierras Pampeanas is not a kinematic boundary with respect to major late Tertiary deformation,
but it separates regions with distinct structural geometries. During late Pliocene-Quaternary deformation, the boundary has acted as a locus of anomalous
shortening direction. The distinct geometries b u t
similar kinematics during late Tertiary deformation
are attributable to reactivation of rift-related normal faults and to the mechanical differences between a domain that is made up of foreland basin
strata, rift strata, and high structural levels of the
Puncoviscana wedge and one that includes only
foreland strata and low structural levels of the
Puncoviscana wedge. The anomalous shortening
directions along the boundary between the two
domains during later deformation is attributable to
interaction between the two domains. Reactivation
of Paleozoic structures within the Puncoviscana
wedge is not precluded but is difficult to document.

Andean reactivation of the Cretaceous Salta rift, northwestern Argentina

367

Jujuy

Salta

O_

i
.

i::::::!:

! !! :o! i !:
Elevation
> 6,000 m
roll 4,500-6,000
3,000-4,5oo
~-] 1,500-3,000

I Io-1,5oo
....
:::::..

~:~:~:~;~;:~" ~ : ~ , ~
:. 66o

'

Tucum,~n
65o

Salta Rift Basin


~
limitof syn-rift
strata: ticks on
basin side of

boundary

Fig. 16. The relationship betweentopographyand the southern par~of the Salta rift basin.

THE RIFT INVERSION MODEL


Field evidence shows that structural inversion of
the Salta Basin is a major controlling factor in the
development of the Andean foreland. Inversion of
the Alemania and Met~n subbasins is well developed; in the Lomas de Olmedo subbasin it is incipient. To understand the effect of inversion on
Andean deformation, it is useful to consider the
geometric possibilities of simple rift inversion.
Given a rift and the existence of the conditions
that will allow inversion through the reactivation of
rift structures (see Sibson, 1985), the suite of structures observed in an inverted rift depends on several
factors: 1) the rift setting; 2) the suite of extensional
structures developed within the rift; 3) the relative
alignment of the direction of rift extension and the
direction of subsequent shortening; and 4) the degree
to which the syn-rift strata have been overlain by
post-rift strata. The degree to which the rift has
been inverted will affect the scale of the inverted
structures but not the suite of structures itself.

The Rift Setting


Rift structures are developed along passive margins and within failed rift systems. All may be reactivated during shortening but the potential for and
the nature of the reactivation will vary according to
tectonic setting (Dewey 1969). In a passive margin
in which a thick miogeoclinal wedge overlies the rift
structures, the basal decollement during shortening
may follow the unconformity between the basement
and the sedimentary cover, ramping up to higher
stratigraphic levels along the pre-existing normal
faults. Fold-and-thrust geometries would develop,
but the reactivation of rift structures would be
limited. Where a failed rift is being shortened, the
basal decollement of the deformation may reuse the
rift detachment and rift-controlling normal faults
may be reactivated in their entirety. In this case,
thrust faults will be listric in form within the rift
basement, and the basement itself will be involved
in the deformation. The decollement may also follow
the unconformity between the basement and the

368

M.E. GRIER, J. A. SALFITY, and R. W. ALLMENDINGER

sedimentary cover on the foreland side of the rift


where the basement steps up in the direction of fault
propagation. Where reactivation of rift structures is
extensive, variable fault cut-offs will lead to higher
amplitude-shorter wavelength geometries than is
typical of ramp and flat thrusting (Suppe, 1983).

The Suite of Structures Developed within the Rift


Rifts are developed along one or more sets of
normal faults and associated lateral- or obliquetrending transverse faults. Normal faults dominate
the rift geometry, transverse faults oriented at 90 to
the normal faults are rare, and the oblique transverse faults decrease in number as their obliquity to
the rift trend increases (Harding, 1984). The normal
faults are curved in plan view and die out along
strike into monoclines. They are usually listric in
form, typically dip between 30 and 60 at the surface,
and have cut-off angles of 60-65 between the fault
and syn-rift bedding (Harding and Lowell, 1979;
Gibbs, 1984; Ch~net et al., 1987). The lateral and
oblique faults dip steeply. Strain compatibility
requires that antithetic normal faults not cross the
main normal faults and that movement on the
linking faults is controlled by the movement on the
associated normal faults (Jackson and McKenzie,
1983).
The relative orientations of the normal and
transverse faults will affect the structures that develop during inversion (Fig. 17a). If the direction of
shortening parallels the original extension direction
of the rift, for example, transverse faults that are
perpendicular to the normal faults will act as tear
faults. An oblique-trending transverse fault will reactivate with a thrust component and act in the
manner of a lateral ramp.

The Relative Alignment of the Direction of Rift Extension and the Direction of Subsequent Shortening
Given a suite of rift structures, the structures
that will develop during rift inversion will depend on
the orientation of the shortening direction relative to
the rift axis (Fig. 17b). If shortening is sub-parallel
to the direction of rift extension, normal faults will
be reactivated as thrust faults. As the shortening
direction becomes oblique to the rift axis, there will
be an increasing component of strike-slip movement
along reactivated normal faults and an increasing
thrust component across transverse faults. If shortening parallels the rift axis, rift inversion is not
possible although reactivation of transfer faults
within the rift may occur and the entire rift may
control the position of first order lateral ramps.

The Degree to Which the Rift has been Overlain by


Younger Strata
The syn-rift strata of rift basins may be overlain
by strata associated with the thermal subsidence of
the basin and by strata related to a later geologic

event. A thick sequence of overlying strata will


permit the translation of the rift fill well beyond the
rift margins through the propagation of reactivated
faults into the overlying strata (Anderson, 1951). It
will also increase the possibility of fault development in the post-rift strata. These faults are not, in
themselves, reactivated structures and will have
lower cut-off angles than the rift structures. This
will again lead to higher amplitude-shorter wavelength geometries than is typical of ramp and flat
thrusting (Suppe, 1983).

T H E R I F T I N V E R S I O N MODEL A P P L I E D
TO T H E A N D E A N F O R E L A N D
A rift inversion model in which shortening parallels the rift extension direction during major deformation and is oblique to the extension direction
during subsequent minor deformation explains the
geometries observed in the southern Cordillera Oriental and the Sistema de Santa B~rbara. The rift
extended E-W along N/S-trending normal faults.
One set of transverse faults trends WNW-ESE to
NW-SE. The trend of the southern rift margin was
NW-SE in the Alemania subbasin and NE-SW in the
Met~n subbasin. During major Andean deformation, the shortening direction was sub-parallel to the
rift-phase extension direction, and the N/S-trending
normal faults were reactivated as thrust faults.
Transverse structures may have been reactivated as
tear faults, although such reactivation has not been
documented. During subsequent deformation, the
shortening direction was oblique to the rift extension
direction and thrust faults (reactivated normal
faults) were in turn reactivated as strike-slip faults.
Because the strike length of the normal faults is
much greater than that of the transverse faults,
strain compatibility requires that the latter were
reactivated principally as thrust faults instead of
strike-slip faults as the model predicts. Movement
on these faults created the transpressional structures that are observed adjacent to oblique trending
faults (Figs. 9 and 11). Burial of the rift during early
Andean deformation allowed the translation of the
rift fill beyond the rift's western margin and accounts for the development of low-angle thrust faults
within the Salta Group and the overlying Andean
foreland basin strata.
In addition to explaining the geometries of the
Andean foreland, the rift inversion model has been
used to infer the subsurface geometry of the Salta
Basin in cross-sectional form. Some assumptions
were made about the original rift and about Andean
deformation because no subsurface data are available. Where this was necessary, the simplest possible assumptions were made.
The cross-section runs E-W at approximately 25
30'S latitude and extends from 6625'W on the west
side of the Valle Calchaqui to 6352'W to the east of
Met~n (Figs. 2 and 4). Present-day surface geometries can be generated by interactively extending

A n d e a n reactivation of the Cretaceous Salta rift, northwestern Argentina

369

A)

}J

Transverse faults
perpendicular to normal faults

Transverse faults
oblique to normal faults

B)

I
Riffmargin

Shortening parallel
to the direction of
original rift extension

Shortening oblique
to the direction of
original rift extension

Shortening perpendicular
to the direction of
original rift extension

Fig. 17. Riftinversion: a) The effecton inversiongeometriesofthe relative orientation oftransverse structures and rift-controlling
normal faults, b) The effecton inversiongeometriesofthe relative alignment ofthe shorteningdirectionto the original directionof
rift extension.

one section to generate the rift and shortening a


second section in two stages to invert it (Fig. 4).
Each section is area balanced. Shortening and,
therefore, degree of inversion decrease to the east
but, within the confines of the rift, the section is
shortened by 25%. It is assumed t h a t the basincontrolling normal faults are listric and sole into a
quasi-plastic zone of decoupling, t h a t the normal
faults and their orientations correspond to major
t h r u s t faults observed in the southern Cordillera
Oriental and Sistema de S a n t a B~rbara, and t h a t
basin extension is reflected in known thicknesses of
syn-rift strata. The actual a m o u n t of extension t h a t
occurred in the southern subbasins of the rift is unknown. It was sufficient, however, to allow as much
as 2 k m of tectonic subsidence and to accommodate
3000-4000 meters of compacted syn-rift fill. In re-

constructing the rift, extension of 10% was needed to


create room for known syn-rift stratigraphic thicknesses given a m a x i m u m of 2 k m tectonic subsidence. It is assumed t h a t the rift strata restore the
full thickness of the crust above the detachment. It
is also assumed t h a t the basal d~collement of Andean deformation reused the basal rift structure and
t h a t the rift-controlling normal faults have been reactivated in their entirety. Shortening is sub-parallel to rift extension during major late Tertiary Andean deformation, and it is assumed t h a t movement
in and out of the plane of the cross-section during
younger Plio(?)-Quaternary deformation is negligible.
The cross-section illustrates the rift inversion
model and shows t h a t it is possible to generate observed surface geometries almost entirely through

370

M.E. GRIER, J. A. SALFITY, and R. W. ALLMENDINGER

ferred from the distribution of syn-rift facies and the


orientation of known reactivated faults. Basincontrolling normal faults probably had N-S trends
and one set of oblique structures WNW-ESE to NWSE trends. A rift inversion model in which the direction of Andean shortening is sub-parallel to the
direction of rift extension is used to generate the
present-day structural geometries that are observed
within the rift domain. It is illustrated in an E/WCONCLUSIONS
trending cross-section. The model predicts that the
The paleogeology of the Andean foreland rift has been shortened by 25%. This figure is conbetween 2515'S and 2630'S is the primary control siderably less than is predicted for classic foreland
on the structural geometries that have formed fold-and-thrust belts and may reflect the relatively
during Andean deformation from late Tertiary to high-angle trajectories of reactivated, rift-related
Recent times. The foreland has three components: faults.
The parameters of the rift model will undoubtedthe deformed passive margin sequence of the Puncoviscana wedge, the rift basin sequence of the Salta ly be modified as more is learned of this region.
Group, and the continental clastics of the Andean However, the model incorporates both paleogeology
foreland basin. Each component has a distinct litho- and recent geology. In addition, it explains the
logy, a distinct form, and distinct internal struc- structural anomalies observed in the Andean foretures. The structures developed in each component land that cannot be explained by variations in the
include all structures that are contemporaneous or underlying, subducting Nazca plate. The broadenyounger. The Puncoviscana wedge and the Andean ing of the Cordillera Oriental thrust belt, the
strata are exposed throughout the region. The Salta basement involvement in the deformation, and the
Group is exposed within the southern Cordillera zones of east- and west-vergence within the thrust
Oriental and Sistema de Santa B~irbara.
belt are attributable to inversion of the Salta rift
The thrust front that bounds the eastern side of basin. The abrupt change from fold-and-thrust
the Calchaqui Valley marks the southwestern limit geometries to basement uplifts that occurs in the
of the syn-rift strata in the Cordillera Oriental. The region of 2615'S marks the transition from rift to
thrust is a reactivated normal fault and is probably non-rift domain.
the translated southwestern margin of the rift. It
divides the foreland into rift and non-rift domains.
To the north of the margin, the foreland is comprised
of all paleogeologic components; to the south, the rift AcknowledgmentsqWe are grateful to Theresa Jordan, Randall
Marrett, Ricardo Mon, Stella Montes-Weber, Apolo Ortiz, Victor
sequence and structures are absent.
Ramos, and Manfred Strecker for their assistance in the field and
The northern domain includes the basement- for discussions of this work. We also thank Miles Shaw, Nivaldo
involved fold-and-thrust belts of the southern Cor- Rojas, Mary Gilzean, and Gonzalo Bravo of BHP Utah Interdillera Oriental and Sistema de Santa B~irbara. The national for providing us with a field vehicle, field support, and
southern domain includes the basement uplifts of much hospitality, and Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales and the
the northernmost Sierras Pampeanas. The geome- Comicion Nacional de Energia At6mica for their assistance in the
field. We are also very grateful to the Flores family of Salta for
tries observed in these regions are very different, but their
hospitality. The work was supported by the Division of
the kinematics of major late Tertiary deformation Earth Sciences, National Science Foundation, through grants to
throughout the region are homogeneous. The dis- R. W. Allmendinger (EAR-8206172, EAR-8519037, and EARtinct geometries but similar kinematics during late 8816287), the Geological Society of America, Sigma Xi, and the
Tertiary deformation can be attributed to reactiva- Marty Memorial Scholarship from Queen's University, Canada.
tion of old structures and to lithologic differences
between the two domains. It is difficult to document
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