Stratigraphy and geochronology of the Late Pleistocene-Holocene of the Arroyo La Estacada Basin, Departmets of Tunuyán and Tupungato (Uco Valley), Mendoza

Abstract

Arroyo La Estacada is a tributary of Rio Tunuyán situated in the distal Andean piedmont of Mendoza, Argentina. Stratigraphic, sedimentological and geomorphological analysis along with numerical dating by ¹⁴C and optical stimulated luminescence were performed on the late Pleistocene-Holocene deposits. Three geomorphological units (regional aggradational plain, fill terrace and the present floodplain) have been identified. The regional aggradational plain is made up of a sedimentary succession dominantly composed of sandy-silty deposits; the sediment accumulation started prior to 48,000 years BP and continued until circa 3,000 ¹⁴C years AP. The fill terrace is composed of a fining upward sequence encompassing a time interval older than 5,500 ¹⁴C BP and extending until 400-500 ¹⁴C years BP. The present floodplain, made up of sand beds, was formed after 400-500 ¹⁴C years BP. Based on the results obtained, the stratigraphic boundaries originally attributed to La Estacada Formation and El Zampal Formation are laterally transgressive in relation to the sedimentary beds included in each of these lithostratigraphic units. Considering both their lithology and stratigraphic relationships we propose to group these deposits into a single lithostratigaphic unit named El Zampal Formation.