Aguas Calientes caldera

For the volcano in Chile, see Aguas Calientes (volcano).
Aguas Calientes caldera
Aguas Calientes caldera is located in North-western Argentina, which lies on the southeastern coast of South America.
Aguas Calientes caldera is located in North-western Argentina, which lies on the southeastern coast of South America.
Aguas Calientes caldera
The South American country of Argentina
Highest point
Elevation4,473 m (14,675 ft)[1]
Coordinates24°15′S 66°30′W / 24.250°S 66.500°W / -24.250; -66.500[2]
Geography
Locationnorthwest Argentina
Parent rangeAndes
Geology
Mountain typecaldera
Volcanic beltAndean Volcanic Belt

Aguas Calientes is a major Miocene caldera in Salta Province, Argentina. It is in the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes, a zone of volcanism covering southern Peru, Bolivia, northwest Argentina and northern Chile. This zone contains stratovolcanoes and calderas.

The activity of the Central Volcanic Zone is linked to the subduction of the Farallon Plate and later its splinter, the Nazca Plate, below the South American Plate. The Aguas Calientes caldera is located on a Precambrian basement that was thrust over more recent (Cretaceous and younger) layers of sediment.[3]

Aguas Calientes caldera was the source of two major ignimbrites; the Tajamar Ignimbrite (including the Chorrillos Ignimbrite inside the caldera) and the Verde Ignimbrite. The first was erupted 10.5–10.1 Ma ago and is a body of ignimbrite of about 350 cubic kilometres (84 cu mi). The second was erupted 17.2 Ma ago and has a volume of 140–300 cubic kilometres (34–72 cu mi).

  1. ^ Kay, Suzanne Mahlburg; Coira, Beatriz; Mpodozis, Constantino (2008). "Field trip guide: Neogene evolution of the central Andean Puna plateau and southern Central Volcanic Zone". In Suzanne Mahlburg Kay; Víctor A. Ramos (eds.). GSA Field Guide 13: Field Trip Guides to the Backbone of the Americas in the Southern and Central Andes: Ridge Collision, Shallow Subduction, and Plateau Uplift. Vol. 13. Geological Society of America. pp. 117–181. doi:10.1130/2008.0013(05). ISBN 978-0-8137-0013-7.
  2. ^ Kay, Suzanne Mahlburg; Coira, Beatriz L.; Caffe, Pablo J.; Chen, Chang-Hwa (2010). "Regional chemical diversity, crustal and mantle sources and evolution of central Andean Puna plateau ignimbrites". Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 198 (1–2): 81–111. Bibcode:2010JVGR..198...81K. doi:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2010.08.013. ISSN 0377-0273.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference PetrinovicMartí2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).