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| Author(s): |
Paulo Augusto Moretti Junior
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Master's Dissertation |
| Press: | Campinas, SP. |
| Institution: | Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica |
| Defense date: | 2009-02-16 |
| Examining board members: |
Giorgio Basilici;
Henrique Rosa;
Saul Barisnik Suslick
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| Advisor: | Giorgio Basilici |
| Abstract | |
This work consists in the study of sedimentological and paleodepositional features of four Ordovician lithostratigraphic units of the Precordillera Argentina: Portezuelo del Tontal Formation (PTF), Sierra de La Invernada Formation (SIF), Gualcamayo Formation (GF) and Los Azules Formation (LAF). The PTF is represented by alternating fine- to very fine grained sandstone and shale. Most sandstone strata are bipartite: a thicker lower part, medium to mediumfine grained size, massive, showing buoyant muddy clasts or traction carpet, and a thinner upper part, very fine in grain size, with anisotropic hummocky cross-stratifications. The sandstone is interpreted as gravitational flow generated by and combined with storms. The presence of anisotropic hummocky cross-stratification in the upper part of the strata testifies that the sedimentation occurred above the storm wave base and that the gravitational flow developed contemporaneously to the storm activity. The SIF is characterized by very fine-grained sandstone showing anisotropic hummocky cross stratifications, alternated with sandy pelite showing thin sandstone beds produced by low-density turbidity currents. The SIF is rich in ichnofossils, testifying a high biological benthic activity. The LAF and GF are characterized by shale and marl facies deposited mainly by settling. The depositional system of the PTF and SIF is dominated by storm activity. The transition of the upper part of the SIF to lithologies similar to PTF and analogous paleocurrent directions, from north to south, suggests that both formations take part of the same depositional basin. The thicker and coarser sandstones, represented by the PTF deposits, bypassed shallower areas (SIF) and deposited in deeper areas (FPT). Very fine storm generated sandy deposits in SIF were characterized by shallower and proximal areas. The western margin of the Gondwana in the middle-late Ordovician was characterized by storm-dominated siliciclastic shelf deposits in a foreland basin. The margin showed a progressive deepening toward south. (AU) | |