Sedimentology and age model of the late Cenozoic deposits of the Sauce Grande River Basin (Central Argentina)

Abstract

During the mid-late Pliocene to late Pleistocene, the Pampa Interserrana (i.e., the plains of central Argentina) experienced cycles of erosion and deposition on a Mio-Pliocene substrate generating the valleys of the main rivers of the region. These processes controlled the Quaternary sedimentary deposits that constitute their stratigraphy. The deposits of the Sauce Grande River Basin (SGRB) in Buenos Aires Province of Argentina are a useful case study to analyze in detail the sedimentary dynamics which took place during the late Cenozoic. Additionally, the development of river terraces and their fossiliferous content provide a temporal framework for such interpretations. The basin fill has been described sedimentologically and stratigraphically by several authors, but there is still much that is unknown about its evolution and sedimentary dynamics as well as the age of these deposits. Furthermore, the stratigraphy and age of the Saldungaray and La Toma formations remain largely unexplored, adding complexity to understanding the region's geological history.