Petrografía y geoquímica preliminar de los basaltos cretácicos de la sierra de Las Quijadas y cerrillada de Las Cabras, provincia de San Luis, Argentina

Abstract

Preliminary petrography and geochemistry of the Cretacic basalts of the Sierra de Las Quijadasand Cerrillada de Las Cabras, San Luis province, Argentina. We present preliminary results of the petrologyand geochemistry of Cretaceous basalts exposed in the anticlines of the sierra of Las Quijadas and cerrillada ofLas Cabras. In the mountainous western of San Luis crop out at least two depositional sequences which togetherexceed the 1500 m thick and consists mainly of clastic sedimentary sequences typical continental red beds belongingto the Giant Group and Lagarcito Formation. Within this group, recognizes two types of basalt events, representedby lava flows and dykes. The lava flows were described in the northeastern sector of the anticline, in a landscapeof gentle hills. The dykes were found on the western flank of the anticline, northern sector of that mountain.Basalt lava flows have porphyritic texture with phenocrystals show idiomorphic olivine with clinopyroxene,amphibole and plagioclase, while the basaltic dykes show olivine in porphyritic texture embedded in a plagioclasepaste without orientation, amphibole and apatite needles. The basalts of the cerrillada de Las Cabras presented asa volcanic breccia associated with basaltic bombs. They have phenocrystals of olivine and clinopyroxene in pastewith plagioclase oriented. The basalts are classified as alkali basalts and related to intraplate basalts. When analyzingrare earth elements chondrite normalized according to Nakamura’s design are observed with a steep negative slopefor the heavy rare earth elements, a design that is similar to that found in alkaline basalts from the Sierra Chica deCórdoba.

Keywords

• cretaceous magmatism
• basaltic deposits
• petrochemistry
• Gondwana rupture