Arauco Peninsula Research Articles

Incipient axial collapse of the Main Cordillera and strain partitioning gradient between the central and Patagonian Andes, Lago Laja, Chile

Lago Laja is a late Quaternary volcanic‐dammed lake located near the drainage divide of the south central Andes. Field observations, lake reflection seismic profiles, bathymetry, and remote sensing data reveal an active fault system that runs parallel to the volcanic arc along the axis of the Main Cordillera, the Lago Laja fault system (LLFS). Normal faults of this extensional system cut late Pleistocene volcanics, <7.1 ka still water lacustrine sediments, 6.3 ka pyroclastic deposits, and Holocene alluvial fans. We divide the LLFS in three segments on the basis of fault geometry, width, and slip magnitude. The underwater faults of the central segment in the lake's deepest part have the maximum Holocene vertical slip rate of >2.7 mm/yr. Since 7.1 ka, the LLFS accounts for ∼0.7% of arc‐normal extension at an average minimum rate of 1.2 mm/yr and strain rate of ∼10−14s−1. Seismites and surface ruptures evidence M>6 paleoearthquakes. The Main Cordillera at ∼37°S is a large‐scale pop‐up structure uplifted by thrusting along its foothills. In this light, we interpret extension in the axial and highest part of the Andes as incipient synorogenic gravitational collapse in response to uplift and crustal thickening. Thermal weakening due to elevated heat flow and postglacial lithospheric rebound and unbending have probably contributed to the arc‐limited collapse and Holocene acceleration of deformation rates. The lack of significant strike‐slip offsets along the LLFS as well as along both foothills‐thrust systems at 37°S contrasts with the intra‐arc dextral fault zone south of 38°S. Regional structural data indicates that north of 38°S, diffusely distributed strain reflects low partitioning of oblique subduction, while to the south deformation is localized in a discrete strike‐slip fault zone along the volcanic arc, reflecting a higher degree of partitioning. We relate this strain partitioning gradient to favorable fault orientations in the fore arc north of the Arauco Peninsula, a major seismotectonic boundary.

A diverse assemblage of fossil hardwood from the Upper Tertiary (Miocene?) of the Arauco Peninsula, Chile

Silicified woods of 10 dicotyledonous tree families of probably Miocene age from the Arauco Peninsula, central Chile are described and classified according to their anatomy. The diversity is surprisingly high, in that of the 19 samples analyzed, virtually every one could belong to a different species of tree or shrub. Almost all species document a damp climate, and most have related species living in the central zone of modern Chile. The samples were collected in a narrow zone on Punta El Fraile, west of the town of Arauco. The following families are based on woods from the Arauco Peninsula: Anacardiaceae, Boraginaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fagaceae, Lauraceae, Leguminosae, Monimiaceae, the first report of fossil Myristicaceae, Myrtaceae, and Proteaceae. Their diagenetic history is connected to tuffaceous material and calcareous concretions.

Miocene Vetigastropoda and Neritimorpha (Mollusca, Gastropoda) of central Chile

Species of Vetigastropoda (Fissurellidae, Turbinidae, Trochidae) and one species of Neritimorpha (Neritidae) from the Navidad area, south of Valparaı́so, and the Arauco Peninsula, south of Concepción, are described. Among these, the Fissurellidae comprise Diodora fragilis n. sp., Diodora pupuyana n. sp., two additional unnamed species of Diodora, and a species resembling Fissurellidea. Turbinidae are represented by Cantrainea sp., and Trochidae include Tegula (Chlorostoma) austropacifica n. sp., Tegula (Chlorostoma) chilena n. sp., Tegula (Chlorostoma) matanzensis n. sp., Tegula (Agathistoma) antiqua n. sp., Bathybembix mcleani n. sp., Gibbula poeppigii [Philippi, 1887] n. comb., Diloma miocenica n. sp., Fagnastesia venefica [Philippi, 1887] n. gen. n. comb., Fagnastesia matanzana n. gen. n. sp., Calliostoma mapucherum n. sp., Calliostoma kleppi n. sp., Calliostoma covacevichi n. sp., Astele laevis [Sowerby, 1846] n. comb., and Monilea riorapelensis n. sp. The Neritidae are represented by Nerita (Heminerita) chilensis [Philippi, 1887]. The new genus Fagnastesia is introduced to represent low-spired trochoideans with a sculpture of nodes below the suture, angulated whorls, and a wide umbilicus. This Miocene Chilean fauna includes genera that have lived at the coast and in shallow, relatively warm water or deeper, much cooler water. This composition therefore suggests that many of the Miocene formations along the central Chilean coast consist of displaced sediments. A comparison with different fossil and Recent faunas from around the Pacific and South America indicates that the vetigastropod and neritid fauna from the Miocene of Chile has only minor affinities with taxa living near New Zealand, Argentina, and the tropical eastern Pacific at that time.

Studies made between Arauco and Valdivia with respect to the earthquakes of 21 and 22 May 1960

ABSTRACT The earthquake of 21 May was felt as a brusque horizontal movement; the large shock of 22 May was felt as a suave movement of large amplitude similar to a ship at sea. Lebu was extensively damaged. The shoreline at Lebu was elevated 1.5 meters, rendering docks and waterside facilities useless; a large expanse of new beach was exposed. Rio Lebu is no longer navigable because of the uplift. Details of tsunami are reported for several towns on the Arauco Peninsula and south to Tolten.