The siliclastic protolith of the El Jagüelito ectinites Río Negro provimce

Abstract

The sedimentary character of the El Jagüelito ectinites, within the classic sequence of the crystalline basement of eastern North Patagonian Massif has been established by protolith analysis. A range of studies from hand specimen to trace elements analysis and including micro section, single grain, banding relations and X-ray analysis were performed. The rocks are derived from pre-existing greywacke and lithic sandstone, of shale to sandy grain size. They were deposited within a deep-sea basin, as high-density current deposits coming from a magmatic arc. Sparse quartz- rich rocks and calcium-poor carbonate rocks may represent a more neritic environment. Weathering, transportation and diagenesis seem not to modify the HFS elements. The behaviour of chemical elements, which are relevant to protoliths, suggests that metamorphism was isochemical. Discriminate tectonic diagrams indicate an active margin as the source of the sediments. Recent data from the region seem to indicate a Cambrian age for the continental arc and protolith sedimentation.