Geología del sector medio de la quebrada de Hualcupén, complejo volcánico Caviahue-Copahue, provincia de Río Negro.

Abstract

This final degree project aims to analyze the geology of the middle sector of the Hualcupén ravine, part of the Caviahue-Copahue Volcanic Complex, located in the Southern Volcanic Zone of the Andes. Through geological mapping and petrographic analysis, six volcanic and volcaniclastic facies were identified and described, enabling the reconstruction of the geological evolution of the study area. The results include the characterization of facies belonging to the Hualcupén Formation, the Riscos Bayos Formation, and the Carreri Ignimbrite. These units are associated with different types of volcanic activity: the Hualcupén Formation is related to more effusive events linked to a stratovolcanic system, while the Riscos Bayos Formation and the Carreri Ignimbrite correspond to explosive events related to the formation of the Las Mellizas caldera and the eruption of the Cerro Bayo dome, respectively. Based on this analysis, three main geological stages were identified: the first corresponds to the development of a stratovolcano that gave rise to the Hualcupén Formation; the second is associated with the collapse of the Las Mellizas caldera, which produced the facies of the Riscos Bayos Formation; and the third is marked by an explosive event of the Cerro Bayo dome that led to the deposition of the Carreri Ignimbrite.