Abstract
Copahue Volcano lies in the Southern Volcanic Zone of the Andes Mountains, although its geology and local structural controls differ from nearby active volcanic centers. Most of its geology is substantially older than active volcanoes at these latitudes, as the postglacial component is relatively minor. The basement of Copahue Volcano, represented by the Agrio Caldera products and its basal sections, accumulated in extensional depocenters when the arc narrowed from a broad geometry on both sides of the Andes to its present configuration. Initial stages comprise early Pliocene basaltic-andesitic eruptions associated with extensional (transtensional?) processes that ended with the formation of a series of rhombohedral calderas that emitted important amounts of ignimbrites in latest Pliocene-early Pleistocene time. Copahue Volcano concentrates the Pleistocene activity of one of these calderas, the Agrio Caldera, before the emplacement and development of the Present arc front to the west. Volcano morphology reflects this particular evolution, looking more degraded than Antuco, Callaqui and Lonquimay volcanoes located immediately to the west in the arc front. Most of Copahue’s volume is early Pleistocene in age, showing a thin resurfacing cover in synglacial (>27 ka) and postglacial times. A synglacial stage occurred mainly to the east of Copahue Volcano toward the caldera interior in a series of independent, mostly monogenetic centers. Postglacial eruptions occurred as both central and fissural emissions reactivating the old Pleistocene conduits. Its particular geological record and eastern longitudinal position indicate that Copahue was probably part of the late Pliocene-Pleistocene arc mostly developed in the axial and eastern Andes. Narrowing and westward retraction of the arc front, proposed in previous works for the last 5 Ma at 38°S, could have been the result of the eastward migration of the asthenospheric wedge during slab steepening. Reasons for this long-lived eruptive history at Copahue volcano could be related to the particular geometry of the active Liquiñe-Ofqui dextral strike-slip fault system that runs through the arc front from south to north when penetrates the retroarc area at the latitude of Copahue volcano. This behavior could be due to the collision of the oceanic Mocha plateau at these latitudes, as recently proposed. This jump and related deflection would have produced local transtensional deformation associated with abundant emissions of syn- and post-glacial products that could have partially resurfaced this long-lived center.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Agusto M, Tassi F, Caselli A, Vaselli O, Rouwet D, Capaccioni B, Caliro S, Chiodini G, Darrah T (2013) Gas geochemistry of the magmatic-hydrothermal fluid reservoir in the Copahue-Caviahue volcanic complex (Argentina). J Volcanol Geoth Res 257:44–56
Bermúdez A, Delpino D (1999) Erupciones subglaciales y en contacto con hielo en la región volcánica de Copahue, Neuquén: Salta, Argentina. XIV Congreso Geológico Argentino, Còrdoba, Argentina 2:250–253
Brasse H, Soyer W (2001) A magnetoteluric study in the Southern Chilean Andes. Geophys Res Lett 28(19):3757–3760
Burd A, Booker J, Mackie R, Favetto A, Pomposiello M (2013) Three-dimensional electrical conductivity in the mantle beneath the Payún Matrú Volcanic Field in the Andean back-arc of Argentina near 36.5°S: decapitation of a mantle plume by resurgent upper mantle shear during slab steepening? Geophys J Internat (in press)
Cembrano J, Hervé F, Lavenu A (1996) The Liquiñe Ofqui fault zone: a long-lived intra-arc fault system in southern Chile. Tectonophysics 259:55–66
Cembrano J, Lavenu A, Reynolds P, Arancibia G, López G, Sanhueza A (2002) Late Cenozoic transpressional ductile deformation north of the Nazca-South America-Antarctica triple junction. Tectonophysics 354:289–314
Costa CH, González Díaz EF (2007) Age constraints and paleoseismic implication of rock-avalanches in the Northern Patagonian Andes Argentina. J S Am Earth Sci 24(1):48–57. doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2007.03.001
Dellapé D, Pando G (1975) Relevamiento geológico de la cuenca geotérmica de Copahue. Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Unpublished Report 524. Buenos Aires
Delpino D, Bermúdez A (1993) La actividad volcánica del volcán Copahue durante 1992. Erupción con emisión de azufre piroclástico. Provincia de Neuquén. XII Congreso Geológico Argentino, Mendoza, Argentina 4:292–301
Delpino D, Bermúdez A (1995) Eruptions of pyroclastic sulphur at crater lake of Copahue volcano, Argentina. XXI International union of geodesy and geophysics. Boulder, USA, B410
Dixon HJ, Murphy MD, Sparks SJ, Chávez R, Naranjo JA, Dunkley PN, Young SR, Gilbert JS, Pringue MR (1999) The geology of Nevados de Chillán volcano Chile. Rev Geol Chile 26(2):227–253
Folguera A, Ramos VA (2000) Control estructural del volcán Copahue (38°S–71°O): implicancias tectónicas para el arco volcánico cuaternario (36–39°S). Rev Asoc Geol Arg 55:229–244
Folguera A, Ramos VA (2009) Collision of the Mocha fracture zone and a less than 4 Ma old wave of orogenic uplift in the Andes (36°–38°S). Lithosphere 1(6):364–369
Folguera A, Ramos V, Hermanns R, Naranjo J (2004) Neotectonics in the foothills of the Southernmost Central Andes (37°–38°S). Evidence of the strike-slip displacement along the Antiñir-Copahue fault zone. Tectonics 23 TC 5008
Folguera A, Zapata T, Ramos VA (2006) Late Cenozoic Extension and the evolution of the Neuquén Andes. In: Kay SM, Ramos VA (eds) Late Cretaceous to Recent magmatism and tectonism of the Southern Andean margin at the latitude of the Neuquen basin (36–39°S). Geol S Am S 407:267–285
Folguera A, Introcaso A, Giménez M, Ruiz F, Martínez P, Tunstall C, García Morabito E, Ramos VA (2007) Crustal attenuation in the Southern Andean retroarc determined from gravimetric studies (38°–39°30′S): the Lonco-Luán astenospheric anomaly. Tectonophysics 439:129–147. doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2007.04.001
Folguera A, Alasonati Tašárová Z, Götze H-J, Rojas Vera E, Giménez M, Ramos VA (2012) Retroarc extension in the last 6 Ma in the South-Central Andes (36°S–40°S) evaluated through a 3-D gravity modeling. J S Am Earth Sci 40:23–37
González-Ferrán O (1994) Volcanes de Chile. Instituto Geográfico Militar, Santiago, pp 640
Groeber P (1921) La región de Copahue y su glaciación diluvial. Rev Soc Arg Estud Geogr 1:92–110
Groeber P (1928) Traslado del vulcanismo de la falda oriental de la cordillera hacia la ladera occidental. An Soc Arg Estud Geogr 3(1):210–218
Hermanns RL, Folguera A, Penna I, González Díaz E, Fauque L, Niedermann S (2011) Landslide dams in the Central Andes of Argentina (northern Patagonia and the Argentine northwest). In: Evans SG, Hermanns RL, Strom A, Scarascia Mugnozza G (eds) Lecture notes in the earth sciences V 133: Natural and artificial rockslide dams. Springer, Berlin, pp 147–177
Hervé M (1976) Estudio geológico de la falla Liquiñe-Reloncaví an el área de Liquiñe: antecedentes de un movimiento transcurrente (Provincia de Vadivia). I Congreso Geológico Chileno, Actas B:39–56
Hervé F (1994) The southern Andes between 39° and 44°S latitude: the geological signature of a transpressive tectonic regime related to a magmatic arc. In: Reutter KJ, Scheuber E, Wigger PJ (eds) Tectonics of the Southern Central Andes. Springer, Berlin, pp 243–248
Ibáñez J, Del Pezzo E, Bengoa C, Caselli A, Badi G, Almendros J (2008) Volcanic tremor and local earthquakes at Copahue volcanic complex, southern Andes, Argentina. J Volcanol Geoth Res 174:284–294
JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) (1992) The feasibility study on the Northern Neuquén geothermal development project. Unpublished Ente Provincial de Energia de la Provincial del Neuquén, pp 89
Kay SM, Burns WM, Copeland PC, Mancilla O (2006) Upper Cretaceous to Holocene magmatism and evidence for transient Miocene shallowing of the Andean subduction zone under the northern Neuquén Basin. In: Kay S, Ramos VA (eds) Late Cretaceous to Recent magmatism and tectonism of the Southern Andean margin at the latitude of the Neuquen basin (36–39°S). Geol S Am S 407:19–60
Krawczyk C, Mechie J, Tašárová Z, Lüth S, Stiller M, Brasse H, Echtler HP, Bataille K, Wigger P, Araneda M (2006) Geophysical signatures and active tectonics at the southern central Chilean margin. In: Oncken G et al (eds) The andes—active subduction orogeny: frontiers in earth sciences 1. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 171–192
Lara L, Rodríguez C, Moreno H, Pérez de Arce C (2001) Geocronología K-Ar y geoquímica del volcanismo plioceno superior-pleistoceno en los Andes del sur (39°–42°S). Rev Geol Chile 28:67–91
Lara L, Folguera A (2006) Plio-Quaternary narrowing of the volcanic arc at Southern Andes (37°–41°S), southwestern margin of Neuquén Basin: geochronologic and field tectonic data evaluated. In: Kay S, Ramos VA (eds) Late Cretaceous to Recent magmatism and tectonism of the Southern Andean margin at the latitude of the Neuquen basin (36–39°S). Geol S Am S 407:299–315
Lavenu A, Cembrano J (1999) Compressional and transpressional stress pattern for Pliocene and Quaternary brittle deformation in fore-arc and intra-arc zones (Andes of Central and Southern Chile). J Struct Geol 21:1669–1691
Linares E, Ostera HA, Mas L (1999) Cronología Potasio-Argón del conplejo efusivo Copahue-Caviahue, Provincia de Neuquén. Rev Asoc Geol Arg 54(3):240–247
López-Escobar L, Cembrano J, Moreno H (1995) Geochemistry and tectonics of the Chilean Southern Andes Quaternary volcanism (37°–46°S). Rev Geol Chile 22(2):219–234
Mazzoni MM, Licitra D (2000) Significado estratigráfico y volcanológico de ignimbritas neógenas con composición intermedia en la zona del lago Caviahue, Neuquén. Rev Asoc Geol Arg 55(3):188–200
Melnick D, Folguera A, Ramos V (2006a) Structural control on arc volcanism: the Caviahue-Copahue complex, Central to Patagonian Andes transition (38°S). J S Am Earth Sci 22:66–88
Melnick D, Rosenau M, Folguera A, Echtler H (2006b) Neogene Tectonics of the Western flank of the Neuquén Andes, 37°–39°30′S. In: Kay S, Ramos VA (eds) Late Cretaceous to Recent magmatism and tectonism of the Southern Andean margin at the latitude of the Neuquen basin (36–39°S). Geol S Am S 407:73–95
Moreno H, Lahsen A (1986) El volcán Callaqui: ejemplo de volcanismo fisural en los Andes del Sur. Rev Asoc Geol Arg 42:1–8
Muñoz J, Stern C (1988) The Quaternary volcanic belt of the southern continental margin of South America: transverse structural and petrochemical variations across the segment between 38° and 39°S. J S Am Earth Sci 1(2):147–161
Muñoz J, Stern C (1989) Alkaline magmatism within the segment 38°–39°S of the Plio-Quaternary volcanic belt of the Southern South American continental margin. J Geophys Res 94:4545–4560
Muñoz Bravo J, Stern C, Bermúdez A, Delpino D, Dobbs MF, Frey FA (1989) El volcanismo plio–cuaternario a través de los 38° y 39°S de los Andes. Rev Asoc Geol Arg 44(1–4):270–286
Naranjo JA, Polanco E (2004) The 2000 AD eruption of Copahue Volcano, Southern Andes. Rev Geol Chile 31:279–292
Niemeyer H, Muñoz J (1982) Hoja Laguna de La Laja, Región del Bío-Bío, scale 1:250.000, Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería
Pesce A (1989) Evolución volcano-tectónica del complejo efusivo Copahue-Caviahue y su modelo geotérmico preliminar. Rev Asoc Geol Arg 44:307–327
Pesicek J, Engdahl E, Thurber C, DeShon H, Lange D (2012) Mantle subducting slab structure in the region of the 2010 M8.8 Maule earthquake (30–40°S), Chile. Geophys J Int 191:317–324
Polanco E, Naranjo JA, Young S, Moreno H (2000) Volcanismo Explosivo Holoceno en la cuenca del alto Bío-Bío, Andes del Sur (37°45′–38°30′S). IX Congreso Geológico Chileno, Puerto Varas, Chile 2:59–61
Radic J (2010) Las cuencas cenozoicas y su control en el volcanismo de los complejos Nevados de Chillán y Copahue-Callaqui (36°–39°S). Andean Geol 37(1):220–246
Rojas Vera E, Folguera A, Spagnuolo M, Ramos VA (2009a) La neotectónica del arco volcánico a la latitud del volcán Copahue (38°S). In: Geología de los Andes del Sur. Rev Asoc Geol Arg 65(1):204–214
Rojas Vera E, Folguera A, Ramos VA (2009b) Estratigrafía del sector central de la cuenca de Loncopué: El depocentro cuaternario del Huecú (sector occidental de la cuenca neuquina). En: Geología de la Cuenca Neuquina. Rev Asoc Geol Arg 65(2):400–412
Rojas Vera E, Folguera A, Gímenez M, Martínez P, Ruiz F, Ramos VA (2009c) Evolución tectónica de la fosa de Loncopué: Estructura del depocentro cuaternario del Huecú y su relación con la sedimentación y el volcanismo. Rev Asoc Geol Arg 64(2):213–229
Rojas Vera E, Folguera A, Zamora Valcarce G, Giménez M, Ruiz F, Martínez P, Bottesi G, Ramos VA (2010) Neogene to Quaternary extensional reactivation of a fold and thrust belt: the Agrio belt in the Southern Central Andes and its relation to the Loncopué trough (38°–39°S). Tectonophysics 92(1–4):279–294
Rojas Vera E, Folguera A, Zamora Valcarce G, Bottesi G Ramos VA (2013) Structure and development of the Andean system between 36–39°S. J Geodyn 73:34–52
Singer B, Hildreth W, Vincze Y (2000) 40Ar/39Ar evidence for early deglaciation of central Chilean Andes. Geophys Res Lett 27:1663–1666. doi:10.1029/1999GL011065
Stern C (1989) Pliocene to present migration of the volcanic front, Andean Southern Volcanic Front. Rev Geol Chile 16(2):145–162
Suárez M, Emparán G (1997) Hoja Curacautín, Regiones de la Araucanía y del Bío-Bío, scale 1:250,000, Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería
Tašárová Z (2004) Gravity data analysis and interdisciplinary 3D modelling of a convergent plate margin (Chile, 36–42°S) (PhD thesis): Berlin, Germany, Freie Universität Berlin, pp 187
Varekamp J, Ouimette A, Herman S, Bermúdez A, Delpino D (2001) Hydrothermal element fluxes from Copahue, Argentina: a beehive volcano in turmoil. Geology 29(11):1059–1062
Vélez M, Euillades P, Caselli A, Blanco M, Martínez Díaz J (2011) Deformation of Copahue volcano: inversion of InSar data using a genetic algorithm. J Volcanol Geoth Res 202:117–126
Vergara M, Muñoz J (1982) La Formación Cola de Zorro en la alta cordillera Andina Chilena (36°–39° Lat. S), sus características petrográficas y petrológicas: una revisión. Rev Geol Chile 17:31–46
Yuan X, Asch G, Bataillek K, Bock G, Bohm M, Echtler H, Kind R, Oncken O, Wólbern I (2006) Deep seimic images of the Southern Andes. In: Kay S, Ramos VA (eds) Late Cretaceous to Recent magmatism and tectonism of the Southern Andean margin at the latitude of the Neuquen basin (36–39°S). Geol S Am S 407:61–72
Zech R, May J-H, Kull C, Ilgner J, Kubik PW, Veit H (2008) Timing of the late Quaternary glaciations in the Andes from ~15 to 40°S. J Quaternary Sci 23(6):635–647. doi:10.1002/jqs.1200
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Folguera, A. et al. (2016). A Review of the Geology, Structural Controls, and Tectonic Setting of Copahue Volcano, Southern Volcanic Zone, Andes, Argentina. In: Tassi, F., Vaselli, O., Caselli, A. (eds) Copahue Volcano. Active Volcanoes of the World. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-48005-2_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-48005-2_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-662-48004-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-48005-2
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)