@phdthesis{FigueroaVillegas2021,
  author    = {Figueroa Villegas, Sara},
  title     = {Paleolagos cuaternarios como marcadores neotect{\´o}nicos, Valle de Cafayate, Cordillera Oriental (no de Argentina)},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-53174},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-531742},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {192},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {The eastern flank of the southern Central Andes in north-western Argentina (NWA) is characterized by fault-bounded mountain ranges arranged in a thick-skinned active contractional orogen with a non-systematic spatiotemporal pattern of tectonic activity. This pattern is represented by instrumentally recorded crustal seismic activity as well as the distribution of Quaternary deformation phenomena along the Eastern Cordillera and the Santa B{\´a}rbara System morphotectonic provinces, creating a wide (> 200km) deformation zone that lacks a clear deformation front. The study of the neotectonic activity in this region has become more detailed over the past years and has involved morphotectonic analysis, remote sensing, geodesy, and field-based structural studies. Lacustrine deposits in the intermontane basins of the Eastern Cordillera that are exposed in areas associated with Quaternary faulting - due to their original horizontality of the fine-grained layers, are excellent strain markers to assess neotectonic activity. I analyzed lacustrine deposits that outcrop in the central area of the Calchaqu{\´i} valleys (Cafayate sector) to understand how deformation is accommodated in one of the largest intermontane basins of the tectonically active orogen. The strike of the Quaternary structures in the studied area is parallel to subparallel to the valley-bounding faults. With the stratigraphic, morphotectonic and structural study of the lacustrine deposits, I identified a minimum of five deformation episodes that affected the Quaternary stratigraphic section. Based on this I present Late Pleistocene minimum and maximum shortening rates for the central Calchaqu{\´i} intermontane valley that range between 0,19-4,47 mm/yr, respectively. The rates presented are based on balanced geological cross sections and geochronological ages obtained in this study as well as compilations from previously published studies. In order to compare the local shortening results at regional and different temporal scales, I additionally compiled Global Positioning System data from northwest Argentina to generate a surface-velocitiy profile. The results reveal a gradual decrease in horizontal surface velocities from the Eastern Cordillera toward the foreland, indicating tectonic activity in the interior of the orogen, which is recorded by seismic activity and the wide distribution of Quaternary faults and folds. In addition to the neotectonic investigation carried out in the study area, the stratigraphic analysis of the lacustrine deposits allowed to have a better understanding of the Quaternary basin evolution of the central area of the Calchaqu{\´i} valleys. At least seven distinct lacustrine deposits could be identified that correspond to an impoundment of the fluvial system and ensuing base-level changes, resulting in successive aggradation and subsequent erosion events. Together with a hydrological model previously published for the study area, the maximum elevations that the paleolakes reached were furthermore reviewed and compared with regional paleoclimate data to allow local climatic inferences. The results of this thesis are a significant contribution to our understanding of the Quaternary tectonic and the stratigraphic evolution of the central sector of the Calchaqu{\´i} valleys. Furthermore, the integration of local structural and geochronological data with regional structural and geodetic observations contributes to our knowledge of the deformation dynamics of the thick-skinned orogenic wedge of northwest Argentina.},
  language  = {es}
}