Paleontology and biostratigraphy of the Lower Ordovician strata cropping out at the Abra de Zenta (Cordillera Oriental, Jujuy and Salta provinces), NW Argentina
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Guillermo F. Aceñolaza [1] ; Lucía Aráoz [1] ; María del Milagro Vergel [3] ; M. Franco Tortello [2] ; Sergio M. Nieva [1]
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[1] Universidad Nacional de Tucumán
Universidad Nacional de Tucumán
Argentina
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[2] Universidad Nacional de La Plata
Universidad Nacional de La Plata
Argentina
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[3] Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Argentina
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- Localización: Serie correlación geológica, ISSN-e 1666-9479, ISSN 1514-4186, Vol. 17, Nº. 1, 2003
- Idioma: inglés
- Enlaces
- Dialnet Métricas: 3 Citas
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Resumen
The Sierra de Zenta is one of the most remarkable physiografic units of NW Argentina. Covering a surface of over 15.000 km2 in the northern provinces of Salta and Jujuy, reaches in certain areas up to 5.000 meters above sea level. Surprisingly, there is a restricted knowledge on many geological aspects of the range, being most of the available data related to mining projects. This virtual lack of stratigraphic and biostratigraphic information gave as a result several mapping problems, where inaccurate dated sequences are common elements within the range.
Well developed Ordovician strata display over 1000 meters of thickness of sandstones and shales, cropping out extensively all along the central sector of the range. The ages varies from the Cambro/Ordovician strata of the Abra de Zenta up to the Upper Tremadocian – Mid Arenig (?) in the neighbouring Santa Ana and Caspalá localities.
Within the framework of an integrated project that will help on a better understanding of the high mountain chain of Zenta, different sections of Ordovician strata have been measured, and their paleontological data analysed. In this opportunity, the highly fossiliferous Abra de Zenta is reviewed by means of the fossil material located in the strata.
