Los Gemelos-El Saladillo

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Los Gemelos-El Saladillo are monogenetic volcanoes in Argentina.

Geologic context[]

The Nazca Plate subducts beneath the South America Plate, giving rise to the volcanism in the Andean Central Volcanic Zone, including mafic back-arc volcanism which is often associated with tectonic lineaments.[1]

Los Gemelos (

 WikiMiniAtlas
24°45′S 66°10′W / 24.750°S 66.167°W / -24.750; -66.167) and El Saladillo (
 WikiMiniAtlas
24°33′23″S 66°12′10″W / 24.55639°S 66.20278°W / -24.55639; -66.20278) lie in the Calchaqui Valley, close to the towns of La Poma and .[2] The valley is bordered by two thrust faults, at least one (the Calchaqui fault) of which has had historical earthquakes;[3] the Los Gemelos volcanic cones were constructed along the fault.[4]

Geology[]

Los Gemelos consists of three individual vents, the northern two have generated scoria cones the southern features a fissure. The vents have produced about 0.45 cubic kilometres (0.11 cu mi) of lava,[5] three from the northern and two from the central vent; lava flows reach the bed of the and have flowed along its bed,[6] damming the river and forming a lake.[7] El Saladillo consists of two partially eroded cones which have generated lava flows and several smaller cones generated by explosive eruptions.[6]

The two volcanoes have erupted shoshonitic rocks,[2] consisting of trachybasalt andesite.[8] They contain phenocrysts of clinopyroxene, mica, olivine and plagioclase but also xenoliths.[6]

Eruption history[]

The volcanoes were constructed during the Pleistocene.[4] The activity at Los Gemelos appears to be associated with an episode of tectonic activity, and on the basis of sediments in the lava-dammed lake the eruption occurred about 35,000 years ago.[9]

References[]

  1. ^ Guzmán, Petrinovic & Brod 2006, p. 51,52.
  2. ^ a b Guzmán, Petrinovic & Brod 2006, p. 52.
  3. ^ Guzmán, Petrinovic & Brod 2006, p. 53.
  4. ^ a b "Gemelos-Saladillo". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution.
  5. ^ Guzmán, Petrinovic & Brod 2006, p. 54.
  6. ^ a b c Guzmán, Petrinovic & Brod 2006, p. 55.
  7. ^ Guzmán, Petrinovic & Brod 2006, p. 65.
  8. ^ Guzmán, Petrinovic & Brod 2006, p. 61.
  9. ^ Guzmán, Petrinovic & Brod 2006, p. 66.

Sources[]

  • Guzmán, S.R.; Petrinovic, I.A.; Brod, J.A. (November 2006). "Pleistocene mafic volcanoes in the Puna–Cordillera Oriental boundary, NW-Argentina". Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 158 (1–2): 51–69. doi:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2006.04.014. ISSN 0377-0273.

Bibliography[]

  • Von Wolff, F (1929). Der Volcanismus II Band: Spezieller Teil 1 Teil Die Neue Welt (Pazifische Erdhalfte) der Pazifische Ozean und Seine Randgebiete (in German). Stuttgart: Ferdinand Enke. p. 354. "El Volcan" may refer to this volcano.
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