Andrea Coronato

Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas | CAIC · Laboratorio de Geomorfología y Cuaternario

The absolute chronology of the Patagonian glaciations is one of the most complete in the world and probably the best available for the Southern Hemisphere outside Antarctica. The oldest known Patagonian glaciations took place between approximately 7 and 5 Ma (Latest Miocene-Earliest Pliocene). A minimum of eight glaciations occurred in the Middle-L...

The geodiversity and geoconservation status in Argentina is herein presented considering the geodidactic potential and tourism activity as geosystem services. The Geological Interest Sites (GIS) identified by the geological and mining national survey, the Natural Protected Areas (NPA) supported by the national park administration and the World Heri...

Environmental changes were reconstructed from a multiproxy synthesis of over 30 localities from the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego and Isla de los Estados, southernmost South America. At a local scale, the results from the mountain forest and gently undulating steppe areas were integrated as well as those from the marine environments of the Beagle...

The objective of this contribution is to distinguish characteristic wind speed periodicities from a roughly 19 m-thick profile of Arturo Dune (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina), which contains eight interbedded paleosoils. The results include different magnetic properties and ratios measured in 29 aeolian sediment samples. These properties are coercive...

Integridad, resolución y obstrusividad del registro arqueológico en el norte de Tierra del Fuego REVISTA DEL MUSEO DE LA PLATA 2021, Volumen 6, Número 2: 256-274 1,

The Patagonian glaciations developed since the latest Miocene (ca. 6 Ma) in multiple events, of varied duration and intensity. Most of the present glacial landscape is the outcome of the glacial modelling during the Pleistocene, since the Great Patagonian Glaciation (GPG; ca. 1 Ma). The Patagonian Andes were covered by a continuous mountain ice she...

In the present study, we carried out palynological (pollen, spores, fungal remains, and freshwater algae) and pedological analyses from three paleosols (Ps6, Ps7, and Ps8) that developed in the upper part of the Arturo perched dune deposits, in the periphery of the homonymous lake, and compared the results with modern palynological assemblages from...

The southern extreme location and the natural landscapes, highly modelled by glaciers during the Quaternary period, give Tierra del Fuego a unique opportunity to attract visitors worldwide. Its glacial landforms are geodiversity resources that are witness to global climate changes as natural processes. Therefore, this study aims to highlight differ...

The general trend of glacial retreat since the Little Ice Age has shown an acceleration during the last decades in Southern Argentine and Chilean Patagonia. The Fuegian Andes climatic records report an irregular mean annual temperature increase since 1970, with acceleration from 2015, and the Chato Glacier, as other regional cirque glaciers, has un...

The Magallanes-Fagnano Fault System (MFFS) constitutes the onshore segment of the transform boundary between the Scotia and South American plates. The objective of this study is to provide a characterization of the portion of the MFFS, extending from the eastern shore of the Fagnano Lake to the Atlantic coast of Argentina, from a geometric and morp...

High-resolution paleomagnetic investigations were performed on Río Valdez outcrop at the Fagnano Lake, central Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, southernmost South America. Our aims were to develop a full-vector paleomagnetic secular variation (PSV) record and establish paleomagnetic chronostratigraphy for the outcrop based on radiocarbon dating and...

The intense glacial activity produced in the Fuegian Andes during the Quaternary period generated numerous erosive glacial landforms with abundant depressions, many of which presently are occupied by glaciers and freshwater lakes. A characterization of these glaciers and lakes is presented based on their geomorphological distribution, morphology an...

During the last years, geophysical surveys have been carried out in order to study the possible tectonic origin of Udaeta Lake and the extension and thickness of glacio-lacustrine deposits cropping out in the Río Valdez mouth. In both cases, geophysical methods proved to be a powerful tool for the investigation of Quaternary tectonic and glacial ac...

This chapter presents a morphogenetic characterization and a distribution map of the main Quaternary sedimentary deposits in the argentine sector of Tierra del Fuego with potential for the exploitation of aggregates, classified according to large morphogenetic units. These deposits result from the intense glacial and glacio-fluvial activity develop...

This chapter highlights different aspects of origin, vegetation development and uses of Tierra del Fuego and Isla de los Estados peatlands. Most peatlands in the region were formed when the Last Glaciation was ending, during the Late Glacial period (between 19,000 and 11,500 years BP), while the active glaciers were receding. In peatlands, plant co...

Se presenta el primer mapa de zonificaciónde susceptibilidad a procesos erosivos según exposición de laderas, considerando valores de pendiente, orientación y estado de cobertura del suelo para un sector de la estepa fueguina localizado en el norte de la provincia de Tierra del Fuego. Se identifcaron dos sitios de observa-ción de procesos de remoci...

The aim of this chapter is to present the main hydrolithological features of an area of the northern region of Tierra del Fuego province, based on geoelectrical analyses. The surface geology is dominated by the Carmen Silva Formation (middle Miocene), composed by two members deposited on marine environments, from marginal to deltaic, and sands and...

Se dan a conocer las geoformas crionivales activas que se presentan entre los 1064 y 700 m s.n.m. en la meseta Latorre, ubicada en el extremo sudoccidental de Argentina. Las geoformas fueron reconocidas inicialmente en el terreno y su distribución espacial cartografiada en forma digital una vez identificados sus patrones texturales. Se calcularon l...

A late Pleistocene glaciolacustrine record was studied at Fagnano Lake (54°35´S, 67°20´W), central Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, southernmost South America. Two profiles from the Río Valdéz outcrop were collected for isotopic, geochemical, sedimentological, and geophysical analyses. The sedimentological characteristics, such as rhythmites, prese...

Last Glacial Maximum and Holocene environmental conditions are reconstructed from a lacustrine core obtained from Lake Arturo, located in the Fuegian steppe of southern Argentina. Proxies include diatoms, ostracods, plants remains, organic matter content and sedimentological studies, and they suggest that Lake Arturo experienced climate-related var...

Several morphotectonic evidence along the Magallanes-Fagnano Fault System trace are herein analysed. Those are fault scarps with alternating northwards and southwards free surface, linear valleys and rivers, drainage control situations as inverted, offset or deflected streams, behead meanders, wind gaps, sag ponds, pull-apart basins and linear ridg...

An active Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) colony has been established on Martillo Island, Beagle Channel (54°54´26” S; 67°22´58” W) since 1976. It is located in remnants of eroded drumlins placed in both ending and joined by gravel terraces of glaciofluvial and marine origin. Forest patches occupy the eastern side of the island while m...

The description of the genesis and the geomorphological characteristics of three perched dunes, named as O’Connor, Amalia and Arturo is presented herein. They are located in the periphery of the shallow lakes of such name, which have a semi-perennial nature in the Fuegian steppe (lat. 53° S). These landforms are characterized according to their loc...

Pull-apart basins are depressions formed at releasing bends or steps in strike-slip fault systems, between two parallel vertical strike-slip fault sections. In the present study, the geometry of Udaeta Lake, located in the central section of the Magellan-Fagnano Fault System (MFFS) and previously defined by some authors as a pull-apart basin, is an...

Abstract: GEOCONSERVATION IN NATURAL PROTECTED AREAS OF TIERRA DEL FUEGO, ARGENTINA. This contribution aims to: a- analyse the environmental protection categories of the province of Tierra del Fuego (Argentina), thinking about the rol of geoconservation in local regulations and taking into account the Global Geopark Network, sponsored by UNESCO; a...

Late Holocene environmental conditions are reconstructed from a sedimentary core (LCTF2) retrieved from Laguna Carmen (53° 40′ 60″S, 68° 18′ 0″W, 29 m a.s.l.) in the Fuegian steppe, northern Tierra del Fuego, southern Argentina. The multiproxy study utilizes pollen/spores, algae, ostracods, palynofacies, Total Organic Carbon (TOC), carbonate conten...

This contribution aims to: a- analyse the environmental protection categories of the province of Tierra del Fuego (Argentina), thinking about the rol of geoconservation in local regulations and taking into account the Global Geopark Network, sponsored by UNESCO; and b-identify geodiversity resources in natural protected areas taking into account th...

This paper adds information on the palaeoenvironmental evolution in northern Tierra del Fuego, using subfossil diatom analysis. The archaeological evidence suggested the presence of hunter-gatherer groups during the Holocene at the Fuegian steppe. Some shallow lake basins have denser archaeological record than others; thus, it is interesting to eva...

This paper presents the main palaeoenvironmental results obtained from two sites located in the eastern (La Correntina peat bog) and southern (Terra Australis peat bog) sectors of the Lake Fagnano area, situated at 54º S on the Tierra del Fuego island, at the southernmost extreme of Patagonia. Here, we provide an overview of the postglacial ecosyst...

This work has the aim of presenting the geomorphological and morphometric characteristics of deflation hollows or pans which occur in northern Tierra del Fuego under temperate/cold climate. The shape, size, perimeter and density of each pan are analysed, as well as the landforms developed in their periphery. The study was conducted in the San Sebas...

In eight chapters, the main aspects related to the natural environment of the southernmost part of South America are presented: its geology, climate, morphogenetic units, hydrography, soils, vegetation and landscapes, as integration units. A Glossary is also included, with the meaning of the main terms used in the text.

We analyzed a peat-bog sequence from the central region of Tierra del Fuego, southernmost Patagonia, to reconstruct the environmental changes over the past 15,000 years. Postglacial vegetation was mainly composed by grasslands and shrubby communities with sparsely distributed Nothofagus trees under dry conditions. The predominance of Glomus sp. and...

The morphometric characteristics of the Moneta river basin are compared to those of the Avilés river basin. Both are located in the north of the province of Tierra del Fuego in Argentina, and they also have their catchment area in the same range: the Sierras del Bosque; runoff on the NE-oriented slopes forms the Avilés river basin, while runoff on...

The bathymetry and geomorphological characteristics of Udaeta Lake are herein presented. This lake is located in the central-eastern portion of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego and it fills a structural depression originated along a section of the Magallanes-Fagnano Fault System. Based on a bathymetric survey, the depth data of the lake allowed for...

The geological, geomorphological and sedimentary characteristics of lake Carmen, one the poorly known shallow lakes of northern Tierra del Fuego are herein presented. This lake is one of those in the region without previous information. The lacustrine basin was carved out in the upper member of the sedimentary Carmen Silva Formation and into pleist...

Atmospheric mineral dust is intrinsically linked with climate. Although dust flux variability on glacial–interglacial timescales is well documented, Holocene dust records remain scarce. To fill this gap, we conducted elemental, isotopic and sedimentological analyses on a peat core from the Karukinka Natural Park in Tierra del Fuego. An 8000-year-ol...

We report the results of geomorphological mapping of the high tablelands of Patagonia east of the Andes and between the Coyle and Gallegos river valleys. The map covers a low-relief area of about 3400 km2 at a scale of 1:85,000. It contributes to knowledge of a landscape shaped by lobes of the Patagonian ice sheet and can be used as a tool for furt...

In this paper, evidence of paleoearthquake-induced soft-sediment deformation structures associated with the Magallanes-Fagnano Fault System in the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, southern Argentina, has been identified. Well-preserved soft-sediment deformation structures were found in a Holocene sequence of the Udaeta pond. These structures were a...

A pollen record was obtained from a coring site at La Correntina mire (54º33'S, 66º59'W, 206 m a.s.l.) to the east of Lago Fagnano, centre of Tierra del Fuego. The results indicate that the valley bottom was free of ice shortly before 15,400 cal BP. Pioneer vegetation included dwarf shrub heaths, grasses and herbs with sparsely distributed Nothofag...

The pollen analysis from Cañadón del Toro peat bog (54° 49’ 36” S; 68° 27’ 36” W), located in an interior valley of the Fuegian Andes, provides information about vegetation and climate changes during the last 13,500 years. The results indicate the postglacial development of steppe-like vegetation under drier and colder conditions than today, follow...

Atmospheric dust loadings play a crucial role in the global climate system. Southern South America is a key dust source, however, dust deposition rates remain poorly quantified since the last glacial termination (~17 kyr ago), an important timeframe to anticipate future climate changes. Here we use isotope and element geochemistry in a peat archive...

Las estructuras de deformación en sedimentos blandos comprenden las alteraciones que se producen casi simultáneamente con la sedimentación; sin embargo, cuando se reconocen resulta difícil diferenciar entre su origen sedimentario y diagenético o su carácter de auténticas sismitas, pues los procesos que las generan son similares, diferenciándose tan...

Morphometric characteristics of a river located in a semiarid cold steppe with few hydrological and meteorological data are analysed. Parameters and indices obtained offer an approach to the fluvial dynamics knowledge of the Aviles river basin in northern Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. A 1:50,000 base map was made using Google Earth® images and the S...

INTRODUCCION Los diques clásticos y otras estructuras sedimentarias de deformación reconocidos en las barrancas en el sector sur del lago Fagnano, exhiben numerosas características en común con las estructuras de paleolicuefacción de origen sísmico. La actividad sísmica de fallas origina estas estructuras de deformación denominadas sismitas que se...

ABSTRACT. Postglacial vegetation reconstruction and its relation with the relative sea-level rise in the E extreme of Beagle Channel, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. The coast-line evolution and vegetation from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, ca. 25 ka cal AP) until the middle Holocene are reconstructed from a digital terrain model and a postglacial se...

The coast-line evolution and vegetation from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, ca.25 ka cal AP) until the middle Holocene are reconstructed from a digital terrain model and a postglacial sea level curve and pollen analysis of a Donatia-Astelia cushion bog located in Punta Moat (Moat-2; 54 degrees 58'50'' S, 66 degrees 44'10"W; 40 m s.n.m.), east Beagl...

Características e importancia de ecosistemas muy poco frecuentes en la Argentina que, además de su utilidad ambiental y económica, constituyen fuentes de información sobre el clima y el ambiente del pasado, útil para elaborar modelos matemáticos que ayudan a estudiar los actuales cambios climáticos.

The middle Pleistocene glaciations in the Southern Hemisphere are generally poorly represented, mainly resulting from a lack of dated outcrops. A sequence of glaciations has been identified in the Patagonian Andes, between the Great Patagonian Glaciation (ca. 1 Ma) and the Last Glacial Maximum. Similar evidence, although less well preserved, has be...

late Pleistocene glaciations in South America developed all along the Andean Cordillera, from Venezuela and Colombia to Cape Horn and Staaten Island. In most of the Andes, the late Pleistocene glaciers were restricted to the higher summits or inner valleys, reaching the piedmont areas only in Patagonia, south of 38° S, on both sides of the Andes. T...

Late Quaternary environmental changes, especially sea-level fluctuations and glacial advances and retreats, affected the distribution of the benthic marine fauna which inhabited the Beagle Channel in southernmost South America. To evaluate these changes, calcareous macro-and-microfossils obtained from Holocene marine sediments along a sector of the...

We describe the Pleistocene evolution of the landscape in the Laguna Potrok Aike area in southern Patagonia, Argentina, based on a geomorphological survey. Basaltic eruptions generated tablelands and scoria cones between the Late Miocene and Middle Pleistocene, and phreatomagmatic eruptions produced maars during Middle and Late Pleistocene time. Th...

Phytolith analyses are practically absent from peatlands, except for studies developed on tropical mires and peat profiles. In Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, peatlands represent the largest surface coverage in the South American continent. Because of their continuous sedimentation pattern, they represent relevant palaeoenvironmental records from whic...

The geomorphological, sedimentary and pedological evidence related to the various glacial periods which took place in the Patagonian and Fuegian Andes between the Late Miocene and the Late Pleistocene are herein presented and discussed. The occurrence of basaltic flows interbedded with till and other glaciogenic deposits provides radiometric dating...