Geomorphology of Tafi valley (Tucumán Province, Northwest Argentina)

Abstract

Tafí valley is an elongated tectonic basin of about 450 km2 located in NW Argentina in a mountainous frame of metamorphic and granitic Precambrian-Paleozoic rocks belonging to Sierras Pampeanas. This study presents the first detailed geomorphological map of the area. The most representative landforms date to the Lateglacial-Holocene, with four differentiating aggradative units separated by incision phases. Among these phases, it is possible to identify the units H1 (Lateglacial-Early and Middle Holocene) and H2 (Upper Holocene until ca. 600 cal BP). These units are composed of slopes, fluvial terraces, and alluvial fans, forming a coupled system. In some areas, this system is complemented with fluvioglacial and glacial landforms. More recent units (H3 and H4), together with active processes, contribute to the great variety of morphologies represented in the area.

Keywords

• holocene
• lateglacial
• alluvial fan
• slope
• fluvial terrace