Abstract

Dense swarms of predominantly mafic dykes outcrop in the north Chilean Coast Range. These rocks are not lamprophyres. They mark channelways used by Jurassic-to-Lower Cretaceous extrusives. The dykes can be divided into three groups according to their petrography, major and trace element compositions. Rocks of the oldest group (series I) are essentially andesitic with high Na, K, Fe, Ti, Mn, P, V and low Al and Sr values. The rocks of series II are normal calc-alkaline basalts and andesites, whereas the rocks of series III are rhyodacites with calc-alkaline affinities. It is proposed that the series I dykes are genetically related to a continental fault system, whereas the dykes of series II and III are directly related to the post-Triassic evolution of the Andean active continental margin.

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