South America s Natural Wonders Patagonia Neuquén Basin Atacama Desert and Across the Andes 1st Edition by Gary L Prost ISBN 9781351168281 1351168282

1 Patagonia: Torres del Paine, Chile, to Fitz Roy Massif, Argentina and Chile

Overview

Itinerary

A Brief History of the Southern Andes

Tectonics

Glaciation

Human History

Stop 1 Torres del Paine National Park

Visit

Stop 1.1 Lago Nordenskjöld Overlook

Stop 1.2 Cerro Toro Turbidite Sand Channel

Stop 1.3 Mirador Salto Grande

Stop 1.4 Mirador Cuernos

Stop 1.5 Mirador Condor

Stop 1.6 Lago Grey

Stop 1.7 Mirador Río Serrano

Stop 1.8 Mirador Lago del Toro

Stop 2 Frontal Folds of Main Ranges

Stop 3 Cerro Castillo

Stop 3.1 Deformed Cerro Toro Formation, Cerro Castillo

Stop 3.2 Cerro Castillo Overview

Stop 4 Dorotea Formation Cuesta

Stop 5 Cerro Calafate, Lago Argentino, and the Glaciarium

Visit

Stop 6 La Anita Sandstone

Stop 7 Puerto Bandera

Stop 8 Los Glaciares National Park, Perito Moreno

Stop 8.1 Bajo Las Sombras (Below the Shadows)

Stop 8.2 Bridge Roadcut

Stop 8.3 Mirador Los Suspiros (The Sighs Lookout)

Stop 8.4 Mirador Velo de Novia (Lover’s Veil Lookout)

Stop 8.5 Perito Moreno Glacier Overlook

Stop 9 Cerro Fortaleza and Mata Amarilla Badlands

Stop 10 La Anita and Mata Amarilla Formations

Stop 11 Mount Fitz Roy and Los Glaciares National Park

Stop 11.1 Mirador Lago Viedma

Stop 11.2 Outer Fold-Belt Syncline

Stop 11.3 Kaikén Aike Fold Belt

Stop 11.4 Río Mayer Formation, Río de las Vueltas Bridge

Stop 11.5 Park Entrance, Fitz Roy Massif Viewpoint

Stop 11.6 Visitor Center (Centro de Visitantes)

Stop 11.7 Recumbent Fold (Pliege Tumbado) in Río Mayer Formation, Valle del Torre

Stop 11.8 Torre Lagoon, Moraine, and Glacier Torre

References

2 Neuquén Basin and Andean Foothills: Neuquén to Mendoza, Argentina

Overview

Itinerary

A Brief Review of the Neuquén Basin

Setting

Basin Development

Structure

Stratigraphy

Volcanics

Local History

Neuquén Basin and the Energy Industry

Stop 1 Carmen Funes Museum, Plaza Huincul

Visit

Stop 2 Los Catutos Member, Vaca Muerta Formation

Stop 3 Arroyo Covunco

Stop 4 Lotena Formation

Stop 5 Lajas Formation at km 2457

Stop 6 Tordillo Hogback and Auquilco Formation

Stop 7 The Agrio Fold-Thrust Belt

Stop 7.1 Huitrín and Agrio Formations, Bajada del Agrio

Stop 7.2 Agrio Formation, Bajada del Agrio

Stop 8 Agrio Anticline

Stop 9 Cordón del Salado

Stop 10 Pampa Salado

Stop 10.1 Troncoso Sandstone, Pampa Salado

Stop 10.2 Agrio Formation, Agua de la Mula Member

Stop 11 Salado Anticline

Stop 12 Cerro Rayoso Anticline

Stop 13 Rayoso Formation, Pichi Neuquén Syncline

Stop 14 La Mula Anticline Overview

Stop 15 La Mula-Cerro Naunauco Anticline

Stop 15.1 Agrio-Huitrín Contact, La Mula Anticline

Stop 15.2 Collipilli Laccolith and Anticlinal Axis

Stop 15.3 Collipilli Laccolith, Cerro Naunauco

Stop 16 Agrio Formation, Las Máquinas Anticline

Side Trip 1 Ruta Provincial 43 along Río Chacal Melehue

Stop ST 1.1 Agrio Formation, East Flank Chos Malal Anticline

Stop ST 1.2 Folded Agrio, West Flank Chos Malal Anticline

Stop ST 1.3 Folded Vaca Muerta Formation

Stop ST 1.4 Folded and Thrusted Tordillo Formation, Cordillera del Viento

Stop ST 1.5 Folded and Thrusted Tordillo Sandstone

Stop ST 1.6 View into Core of the Chos Malal Anticline

Stop 17 West-Verging Fold, Vaca Muerta

Stop 18 Tromen Volcano from Laguna Auquincó

Stop 19 Tromen Thrust

Stop 19.1 Mulichinco-Lower Agrio Hogback

Stop 19.2 Tromen Thrust at Pampa Tril

Stop 20 Las Yeseras Anticline, Auquilco Gypsum, and Tromen Volcano

Stop 21 Vaca Muerta – Tordillo Contact

Stop 22 Mulichinco Formation Flatirons

Stop 23 Tromen Volcano

Stop 24 Domuyo View

Stop 25 Cochiquito Volcano

Stop 26 Cerro Payún View and the Payunia Volcanic Field

Stop 27 Neuquén Group Redbeds

Stop 28 Río Grande Gorge

Stop 29 Bardas Blancas

Stop 29.1 Mirador Río Grande

Stop 29.2 Caverna de las Brujas (Witches’ Cave)

Visit

Stop 30 Cuesta del Chihuido

Stop 30.1 Agrio Formation, Dike, and Sill

Stop 30.2 Chachao Formation Limestone and Dike

Stop 30.3 Dike and Sill

Stop 30.4 Vaca Muerta

Side Trip 2 Castillos Pincheira

Visit

Side Trip 3 Río Salado Canyon

Stop ST 3.1 Puesto Rojas Field and Cañada Ancha Anticline

Stop ST 3.2 Infiernillo Basalt Flow, Mirador Cañón Río Salado

Stop ST 3.3 Laguna de la Niña Encantada

Stop ST 3.4 Pozo de las Ánimas

Stop 31 Sosneado Thrust View and El Sosneado Field

Stop 32 Cerro Diamante View

Stop 33 Lago Salinas del Diamante

Stop 34 Atuel Canyon

Stop 34.1 Atuel Canyon Overlook, Cochicó Group

Stop 34.2 Feeder Dike Intruding El Imperial Formation

Stop 34.3 Los Elefantes and El Imperial Formation

Stop 34.4 Devonian-Permian Unconformity

Stop 34.5 Choiyoi Group Volcanics

Stop 34.6 Museo de Cera

Stop 34.7 Embalse Valle Grande

Stop 35 Pareditas, Valle de Uco, and the Terroir of Mendoza

Terroir

History of Wine in Argentina and Mendoza

References

3 From the Sea to the Sky: The Atacama Desert from Antofagasta to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Overview

Itinerary

The Atacama Desert and Copper Mining

World-Class Copper Deposits

Stop 1 La Portada

Stop 2 Antofagasta

Stop 3 Atacama Fault

Mantos Blancos Mine

Geology

History

Production

Lomas Bayas Mine

Geology

Production

Stop 4 Cordillera Domeyko (Precordillera)

Stop 5 Cerro Negro, Eastern Cordillera Domeyko

Stop 6 El Bordo Escarpment and Llanos de la Paciencia

Stop 7 Cordillera de la Sal

Stop 8 Cordón de Lila

Stop 9 Salar de Atacama and Lithium Mines

Stop 10 Quebrada de Jere

Side Trip 1 Altiplano – Puna Volcanic Complex

Stop ST1.1 Volcán Lascar

Stop ST1.2 Laguna Lejía

Stop ST1.3 Laguna en Salar de Aguas Calientes

Stop 11 San Pedro de Atacama and Valle de la Luna

Stop 11.1 Las Tres Marias

Stop 11.2 Anfiteatro

Stop 11.3 Mirador Likan-Antay

Stop 11.4 Mirador de Kari

Stop 11.5 Pukara de Quitor

Side Trip 2 Volcán Licancabur

Stop 12 The Puna Plateau

Stop 12.1 Quebrada Escalera

Stop 12.2 Termas de Puritama

Visit

Stop 13 Fractured Ignimbrites

Stop 14 Vado Putana

Stop 15 Cerro la Torta

Side Trip 3 El Tatio

Geology

Visit

Stop 16 Volcano Panorama

Stop 17 Painted Rocks

Stop 18 Cerro Paniri View

Side Trip 4 Volcán San Pedro and Volcán Poruña

Conchi Viejo and Mina El Abra

Conchi Viejo

El Abra

Stop 19 Pukara de Lasana

Stop 20 Valle de Lasana and Lasana Formation

Stop 21 Calama, Mirador DMH, and the Chuquicamata Mine

Calama

Mirador DMH (DMH Overlook)

Chuquicamata

Stop 22 Cerritos Bayos Formation Roadcut

Stop 23 Cerros de Montecristo Syncline and Quebrada Mala Andesite

Stop 24 Geoglifos Chug Chug and San Salvador Formation

Stop 25 Río Loa Nitrates

Side Trip 5 Balneario Coya Sur

Balneario Coya Sur

Stop 26 Quebrada Barriles

Stop 27 El Panteón, Tocopilla

Stop 28 Antenna Hill, Tocopilla

Stop 29 Petroglyphs at Punta Grande

Carolina de Michilla Stratiform Copper District

Stop 30 Playa Norte Hornitos

Stop 30.1 Uplifted Beach Terraces, Playa Norte Hornitos

Stop 30.2 Beach Section, Playa Norte Hornitos

Side Trip 6 Mejillones Peninsula

Stop ST6.1 Mejillones Fault

Stop ST6.2, Punta Angamos

Stop ST6.3 Punta Lobería View

References

4 Across the Andes in Darwin’s Footsteps: Mendoza, Argentina, to Valparaíso and the Colchagua Wine Region, Chile

Overview

Itinerary

Darwin’s Trek

Evolution and Tectonics of the Central Andes

Mendoza, Argentina

Stop 1 Luján de Cuyo and Volcán Tupungato

Stop 2 Precordillera and Cordillera Frontal

Stop 3 Neogene Synorogenic Sediments

Stop 4 Early-Middle Triassic Continental Units at Potrerillos

Side Trip 1 Fossil Forest and Darwin Plaque

Stop 5 Uspallata Group Volcanics and Pediment

Stop 6 Altered Volcanics near Los Penitentes

Stop 7 Puente del Inca

Stop 8 Mirador Aconcagua, Aconcagua Provincial Park

Visit

Stop 9 Las Cuevas Slide

Stop 10 Aduana Chilena and West-Dipping Andesites

Stop 11 Laguna del Inca

Stop 12 Curve 17, Los Caracoles

Stop 13 Salto de Soldado and the Cordillera Principal/Rio Aconcagua Valley

Stop 14 San Felipe

Stop 15 Coast Range Granodiorite, Chagres Roadcut

La Campana National Park

Stop 16 Roca Oceanica, Granite of the Coast Batholith

Valparaíso

Stop 17 Sheraton Miramar, Valparaíso Granodiorite and Gneiss

Stop 18 Mirador Faro Punta Angeles Granodiorite

Stop 19 Sauce Diorite, Curauma

Stop 20 Casablanca Valley Vineyards

Casa Valle Viñamar

Visit

Santiago

Stop 21 Cerro Santa Lucía, Santiago

Stop 22 Cerro San Cristóbal, Santiago

Stop 23 Maipo Valley and Viña Concha y Toro

Viña Concha y Toro

Visit

Side Trip 2 Maipo Canyon

Stop ST 2.1 El Toyo Roadcut

Stop ST 2.2 Paso Angosto El Tinoco

Stop ST 2.3 Observatorio

Stop ST 2.4 Tierra Amarilla

Stop ST 2.5 Mina Lo Valdés

Stop ST 2.6 Placa Verde

Stop ST 2.7 Termas Valle de Colina

Visit

Stop 24 Diorite, Hotel Monticello Roadcut

Stop 25 Centinela Roadcut

Stop 26 Ignimbrite, Río Tinguiririca Roadcut

Stop 27 Santa Cruz and the Colchagua Valley

Stop 27.1 Viña Viu Manent

Visit

Stop 27.2 The Colchagua Museum

Visit

References

Index