Andean evolution, orogenic deformation and uplift of the Western Cordillera and Altiplano of southern Peru, northern Bolivia and Chile: Eocene-Oligocene lithospheric delamination

Reappraisal of Andean evolution in southern Peru, northern Bolivia and northern Chile provides support for models of orogenic cyclicity in which Andean crustal shortening in the Western Cordillera led to Eocene-Oligocene lithospheric delamination which triggered a renewed pulse of Andean uplift. The sedimentary fill of the Arequipa rift back-arc basin (Rhaetian-Neocomian) was controlled by two major graben-bounding fault systems: the Condoroma-Caylloma and Cincha-Lluta-Incapuquio; as well as the Cusco-Lagunillas fault system separating the back-arc region from the Cusco-Puno high. These thinned cortical inherited structures, were the most favourable places to undergo a positive tectonic inversion at the beginning of Andean compression (Albian), and then during Late Cretaceous-Paleocene shortening, they continued to develop as east-vergent crustal decollements which allowed crustal doubling and Western Cordillera thickening. The crustal thickening of >45 km took place along the Condoroma-Caylloma inverted graben where the lower crust, which was probably enriched in basalts, was subjected to high-pressure metamorphism leading to eclogitization, and became denser than the underlying mantle lithosphere and therefore delamination occurred. The subsequent asthenospheric upwelling led to lithospheric thinning, asthenospheric mantle magmatism of the first stage of Andahuaylas-Yauri batholith emplacement (-48-43 Ma), which crystallized under temperatures of 1200-700 degrees C and pressures of 1.0-0.5 GPa (>40-30 km deep). This process was followed by the rapid surface uplift of the Western Cordillera that reached 3.1 km and fed the Kayra and Lower Moquegua basins, located on the Altiplano and in the forearc respectively. The delamination process was still active during 43-30 Ma, with second-stage magmatism of the Andahuaylas-Yauri batholith, emplaced continuously from deep mafic intrusions (40-30 km) to superficial porphyries (3 km). This indicates an important uplift of the Western Cordillera to 3.3 km, supported by mantle upwelling and the continuous flat-slab compression that prevented normal faults from developing, and rather produced the shortening of the delaminated crust. The Anta-Soncco foreland basins (43-30 Ma) of the Altiplano and Moquegua basin of the forearc, received the products of Cordilleran denudation at a rate of up to 700 m/My. The alkaline potassic magmatism (29-27 Ma) could represent episodes of post-delamination magmatism and the late stage of fiat subduction.

Automated summary

The reevaluation of Andean evolution in southern Peru, northern Bolivia, and northern Chile presents evidence for cyclical orogenic models in which the Andean crust underwent shortening, followed by lithospheric delamination during the Eocene-Oligocene period, leading to renewed uplift of the Andes. The sedimentary fill of the Arequipa rift back-arc basin was controlled by fault systems and crustal structures, which allowed for tectonic inversion and crustal doubling during the Albian and Late Cretaceous-Paleocene periods. The thickening of the Western Cordillera occurred along the inverted graben, driven by high-pressure metamorphism and delamination. Magmatism and asthenospheric upwelling resulted in lithospheric thinning and subsequent surface uplift, accompanied by the development of foreland basins and alkaline potassic magmatism.