Tectonic and unroofing history of Neogene Manantiales foreland basin deposits, Cordillera Frontal (32°30′S), San Juan Province, Argentina

The Miocene Manantiales foreland basin is located in Cordillera Frontal of San Juan, between 32°30′ and 33°S. The unroofing study of the synorogenic Miocene deposits provides information about the structural evolution of Cordón de La Ramada fold-and-thrust belt. These Tertiary deposits are represented by the Chinches Formation and comprise seven members (Tc0–Tc6). They are the result of the uplift of Mesozoic sequences that crop out in La Ramada fold-and-thrust belt of the Cordillera Principal. Quaternary deposits unconformably overlying the Chinches Formation are composed of granitic and rhyolitic blocks, and represent the final uplift of the Cordón del Espinacito and a series of out-of-sequence thrusts. The unroofing studies also provide sufficient information to establish the out-of-sequence timing of the deformation at this latitude. Initial deposition of the Tertiary deposits can be dated at about 20 Ma, or early Miocene. Andesitic lavas dated in 9.2±0.3, 10.7±0.7, and 12.7±0.7 Ma unconformably overlie the structure of La Ramada fold-and-thrust belt. These facts constrain the uplift of the High Andes between 20 and 10 Ma at this latitude. The unconformity between Tertiary and Quaternary deposits suggests final uplift during Pliocene–Pleistocene times.