U.S.-Argentina Dissertation Enhancement: Basement-Cored Systematics; Structural Study of Sierra de Hualfin and Adjacent Uplifts, Sierras Pampeanas, NW Argentina

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Davis9908622This US-Argentina dissertation enhancement research proposal was submitted by Ms. Pilar E. Garcia, University of Arizona, under the sponsorship of Dr. George H. Davis. Ms. Garcia will work with Dr. Ernesto Cristallini of the Universidad de Buenos Aires in Argentina. She will be doing a detailed study of a well-exposed range in the Sierras Pampeanas of Northwest Argentina, to increase our understanding of the formation of basement-cored uplift mountain ranges.Basement-cored uplifts are irregular tectonic products because they occur several hundred kilometers from active plate margins where most mountains are usually formed, and because they involve brittle faulting and folding of continental, crystalline rocks at shallow levels within the crust. This anomalous nature of these uplifts makes their kinematics and dynamics of formation poorly understood. The chosen site is important because it has exposure of the basement-cover contact, which will permit observation at a critical interface. A better understanding of the structure of these ranges is critical to evaluate the formation of these tectonic elements and may lead to useful geometric and kinematic models. The understanding of foreland basement uplifts is a significant problem in structural geology.***