| Arauco Basin | |
|---|---|
| Cuenca de Arauco | |
 Arauco Basin is located in the westernmost part of central Chile | |
  | |
| Coordinates | 37°05′S 73°10′W / 37.083°S 73.167°W |
| Etymology | Arauco Peninsula |
| Location | Southwestern South America |
| Country |  Chile |
| State(s) | Bío Bío Region |
| Characteristics | |
| On/Offshore | Both |
| Boundaries | Accretionary prism of the Chile trench (W) Accretionary complex intruded by the Coastal Batholith of central Chile (E) |
| Area | ~8,000 km2 (3,100 sq mi) |
| Hydrology | |
| Sea(s) | Eastern Pacific Ocean |
| Geology | |
| Basin type | Forearc basin |
| Orogeny | Andean |
| Age | Maastrichtian-Pliocene |
| Stratigraphy | Stratigraphy |
| Field(s) | Chilean coal |
The Arauco Basin (Spanish: Cuenca de Arauco) is a sediment-filled depression –a sedimentary basin– in south-central Chile. In the context of plate tectonics it is classified as a forearc basin. The basin has an approximate area of 8,000 square kilometres (3,100 sq mi) and at its deeper parts the surface of its sedimentary fill reaches 200 metres (660 ft) below sea-level.[1] The basin is interpreted as being part of an uplifted part of the continental shelf.[2] To the west it bounds an active accretionary prism that lies next to the Chile trench and to the east it bounds metamorphic basement representing a fossil Paleozoic accretionary complex that has been intruded by the Coastal Batholith of central Chile.[3]
Traditionally the centre of coal mining in Chile, large-scale coal mining in Arauco Basin ended in the 1990s.[4] Given a high density of geological faults that have displaced the coal beds and the thin nature of these (less than one metre) mining activity in Arauco Basin has proven difficult to mechanize.[5]
- ^ González, Eduardo (1989). "Hydrocarbon resources of the coastal zone of Chile". In Ericksen, G.E.; Cañas Pinochet, M.T.; Reinemund, J.A. (eds.). Geology of the Andes and its relation to hydrocarbon and mineral resources. pp. 383–404.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Mordojovichwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Becerraetal2013was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Explotacion Reservas. CNE. Accessed on September 10. 2012.
- ^ Carbón mantiene su sitial en Chile