Puneet Varma (Editor)

Vicuña Mackenna Batholith

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Type
  
Batholith

Country
  
Chile

Named for
  
Sierra Vicuña Mackenna

Primary
  
Gabbro, granitoids

Region
  
Antofagasta Region

The Vicuña Mackenna Batholith (Spanish: Batolito Vicuña Mackenna) is a group of plutons in the Chilean Coast Range of northern Chile. The plutons of the batholith formed (cooled) between the Early Jurassic and the Late Cretaceous (192–98 Ma). The magmas that formed the batholith originated in Earth's mantle and have not suffered any significant crustal contamination. A group of Early Cretaceous plutons were intruded syn-tectonically on Atacama Fault.

Geologists Miguel Hervé and Nicolás Marinivic identify six mayor units. From the oldest to the youngest these are:

  • Barazate Unit (192-181 Ma)
  • Paranal Unit (ca. 170 Ma). This unit has the largest areal extent. It is mande up of gabbronorite, gabbro, diorite, monzodiorite, monzogabbro and monzogabbronorite.
  • Ventarrones Unit (149-138 Ma)
  • Remiendos Unit (133-128 Ma)
  • Herradura Unit (108-98 Ma)

    • References

    Vicuña Mackenna Batholith Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA