Volcano-tectonic field campaign in the Patagonian Andes
22. April 2019
Volcano-tectonic field campaign in the Patagonian Andes
From mid-January to end of March 2019, a team of M.Sc. and Ph.D. students as well as post-graduates from the structural geology group of the institute and CONYCET scientists from Cordoba and La Plata investigated the Agrio Caldera and the active Copahue Volcano, Argentina. The purpose of this project, conducted under the auspices of the DFG-MINCYT bilateral agreement, is to examine the influence of crustal deformation on the evolution of volcanic centres. Classic field mapping of volcano-sedimentary units was complemented by detailed sedimentological analysis, sampling for geochemical characterization and geochronological analyses of volcanic units as well as drone-based investigation of mafic dike swarms, lithological variation and morphological characteristics of the volcanic centres. Analogue modelling preceded field work, which, in turn, provides important morpho-tectonic information for the design of refined experiments. During the field campaign, the team witnessed four moderate earthquakes, the hypocentre locations of which agree with the predicted tip of a major upper-crustal discontinuity, the Lomín Fault, which likely controls the location and shape of both, the elongate volcano and the rectangular caldera.
Hamburg group: Elias Pitzke, Paul Göllner, Jan Oliver Eisermann, Ulrich Riller
Cordoba and La Plata group: Catalina Balbis, Irene Hernando, Joaquín Bucher, Ivan Petrinovic