TECTONICS, VOL. 20, NO.

2, PAGES 235-254 APRIL 2001

Paleomagnetically defined rotations from the Precordillera

of northern Chile' Evidence of localized in situ
fault-controlled rotations

DarrenE. Randall
Department
of Geological
Sciences,
University
of Plymouth,
Plymouth,
England,
UnitedKingdom

Andrew J. Tomlinson
ServicioNacionalde Geologiay Miner/a,Santiago,Chile.

GraemeK. Taylor
Department
of Geological
Sciences,
University
of Plymouth,
Plymouth,
England,
UnitedKingdom

Abstract. A paleomagnetic studyof Paleocene,Cretaceous, separated transandean faults. Instead, the rotations are
and Jurassicunits in the ?recordilleraof northernChile (26øS consistentspatially, and temporally and in their sense and
to 27øS) demonstrate a complexpatternof crustalrotations. magnitude with the Eocene transpressionaldeformation
The region was selectedto investigatethe pattern of associated with the DomeykoFault System;the deformational
deformationassociatedwith the SierraCastillo-AguaAmarga event that generatedmost of the importantstructuresin the
Fault and its associated structural subdomains, which form studiedarea. The data emphasizethe significanceof local
part of the Domeyko'Fault System,the fault systemthat tectonicsin controlling rotations in this part of the south
controls much of the structure of the Chilean Precordillera. centralAndesand the importanceof understanding the local
Paleocenelavasfrom the centerof the studyarea passa fold structureof regionssampledfor paleomagnetic study.
test,indicatingthe primarynatureof the remanencein these
rocks. A secondgroupof lavasfrom the southhasa similar
1. Introduction
formation mean inclination after tilt correction for a uniform
dip, which coupledwith the presence of reversals,suggests Paleomagneticinvestigationscarried out in the central
that theselavasalso carry a primaryremanence.The data Andeshave identifieda fairly consistentpatternof clockwise
indicateclockwiserotationsof-35 ø and 42ø respectively,for rotationsto the southof the Arica Deflection (Figure l a) and
the two samplinglocalities. Threegeographically
separate counterclockwiserotations to the north [e.g., Beck, 1988,
areas of Lower Cretaceousred beds also reveal primary
1998; Roperch and Carlief, 1992; Somoza et ai., 1996;
remanencesbased on the presenceof sites with reversed Randall, 1998]. Individual rotations and the large-scale
polarityat two of the localitiesand an inclination-only fold pattern observedhave been attributedto various tectonic
test of the three localitymean directionsfor this formation. modelsand mechanisms.At the centerof controversyin the
Thesesamplingareasyield remanence directions that reveal differing models is the role of large-scaleversus local
30ø of counterclockwise and 31ø of clockwiserotationas well
processesin the generationof the overall rotationpattern.
asan areawithoutstatistically significantrotation.Thesedata
include the first well-constrained counterclockwise rotation to
Large-scalemechanismsincludeforearcwide rotationsdue to
oroclinalbendingproducedby differentialshortening[Isacks,
be recovered from rocks in the southern central Andes,
1988; Roperch and Carlief, 1992; Butler et al., 1995;
althoughmappingsuggests the blockinvolvedis of limited
MacFadden et al., 1995] and large-scaledomino-styleblock
geographic extent.Jurassic stratafailedto yieldanyreliable
rotation by widely separatedtransandeanbasementfaults
results. Overall,the data indicatea greatervariabilityin the
[Abelsand Bischoff,1999]. Local processes includerotations
rotationpatternthan has previouslybeenobservedin most
of smaller-scale crustal blocks in response to oblique
comparable areassouthof theAricaDeflection.Thevariation
subduction[Beck, 1988; Hartley et al., 1988; Forsytheand
cannotbe explainedby large-scale rotationmechanisms, such
Chisholm, 1994; Randall et al., 1996; Somoza et al., 1996;
asoroclinalbendingor domino-style blockrotationby widely
Taylor et al., 1998] and rotation of detachedor partially
detachedthrust sheets[Hartley et al., 1992a, Butler et al.,
1995].
tNow at The Environment Agency,Exeter,England,United This paper presentsresultsfrom a paleomagneticstudy in
Kingdom
the Andean Precordilleraof northern Chile. The study area
lies between 26 ø and 27øS and 69015 ' and 69ø40'W, in the
Copyright2001 by theAmericanGeophysical
Union
region of the major mining districts of El Salvador and
Papernumber1999TC001180. Potrerillos(Figure 1). Jurassicto Paleocenevolcanic rocks
0278-7407/01/1999TC001180512.00 and Cretaceous sedimentary units were sampled for

235
 236 RANDALL ET AL.: FAULT-CONTROLLED ROTATIONS, PRECORDILLERA, CHILE

69ø30' 69o15,

/I
El Salvador
26ø15 '

0
I 5 17krn

Approximate limit
of central domain

Central
Domain
i• figures
Areaof map
Potrerillos

Southern
Domain

Figure 2

Figure 1. Map of majorfaultsin thestudyarea. Inseta showspositionof studyareawithinnorthernChile.

paleomagneticstudyin orderto detectany rotations,constrain 2. RegionalGeology

the timing of these rotations,and if possible,relate the
rotations to the known structural evolution of the area.
investigationwas designedto assessthe magnitudeand
distribution of rotations within an area that has faults with
well-constrained kinematicsand movementages[Cornejoet
al., 1993, 1997; Tomlinsonet al., 1993; Niemeyer, 1999].
Combining paleomagneticand structuraldata allows the
relationshipsbetweendeformationand block rotationto be
identifiedand in the currentstudyindicatesthat localizedin
situfault-controlled rotationsdominate thepatternof rotations Cretaceousthemagmatic arcmigrated eastwardto occupythe
in the Precordillera of northern Chile between 26øS and 27øS.
The The geology of this part of the Precordillerais the
consequence of fourdistincttectonomagmaticepisodesin the
evolutionof the Chileanmarginwhichyoungsuccessively
andepisodically eastward.DuringtheLateTriassic to Early
Cretaceousthemagmaticarclay in th CoastalCordillera,and
thePrecordilleraformedpartof an extensive
backarcto intra-
arc basinsystem[Mpodozisand Ramos,1989;Scheuberand
Reutter, 1992; Ardill et al., 1998]. During the mid-
present-dayCentralDepression[Scheuberand Reutter,1992;
 RANDALL ET AL.' FAULT-CONTROLLED ROTATIONS, PRECORDILLERA, CHILE 237

69"30'
26"15'

West of the Agua AmargalSierraCastillo Fault

UndifferentiatedTertiary volcanics
Jurassic-Cretaceous volcanic rocks
comprisingthe Sierra Fraga
Formation, Sierra Mantos Gruesos
sequence and Llanta Formation

East of the Agua Amarga/Sierra Castillo Fault

Cerro Valiente Sequence

U. Cretaceous volcanic rocks
26"30'
Quebrada Monardes Fm.

Pedernales Fm.

Quebrada Vicunita Sequence

Montandon and Asientos Fms.

Quebrada del Salitre Fm.

Paleozoic igneous basement

Unit contact

Fault

Thrust

-I-•-- Fold
ß IQMl1-16tSamplinglocalityor localities
P Potrerillos

MV Mina Vieja

0
I 5 10 15 27km

Figure 2. Simplifiedgeologicalmap of the studyareashowingsamplinglocalities(redrawnfrom Cornejoet al.

[ 1997, 1998] and Tomlinsonet al. [ 1999]).

Randall et al., 1996]. Subsequently, in the Late Cretaceous
and Paleogenethe Precordillerawas itself the locationof arc
magmatism[Cornejoet al., 1997], andduringthe Oligocene
thelocusof magmatism againmigratedeastwardto itspresent
positionin the Andean Cordillera, suchthat the Precordillera
formspartof the present-dayforearc.
The major structuralfeatureof the studiedareais the north-
southtrendingfault systemcomprisingthe SierraCastilloand
Agua AmargaFaults(SC-AA) (Figure 1), which togetherwith
the La TerneraFault System,to the south,and the Sierrade
Varas and West FissureFault Systems,to the north,comprise
the Domeyko Fault System [Maksaev and Zentilli, 1988;
Tomlinsonet al., 1993; Mpodoziset al., 1993]. The SC-AA
Fault separatestwo areaswith contrastingMesozoichistories,
indicating activity of the SC-AA Fault since the Jurassic
[Cornejoet al., 1993; 1997].
The Mesozoicgeologywest of the SC-AA Fault comprises
a Jurassic-Cretaceous successionof predominantlyvolcanic
rocks intercalated with marine limestones, terrigenous
sandstones,volcaniclasticsandstones,andbreccias(Figure2).
238 RANDALL ET AL.: FAULT-CONTROLLED ROTATIONS, PRECORDILLERA, CHILE

The succession is dominatedby the-3000 m thick Jurassic Lower Cretaceous succession of marine and continental facies
Sierra Fraga Formation[Sepglvedaand Naranjo, 1982], sedimentary rocks and sparse volcanic rocks in
whichformstheoldestexposed unitwestof theSC-AA Fault. unconformablecontact with Paleozoic basementcomprising
The successionhas limited areal extent and contrasts in facies graniticand volcanicrocks(Figure2) [Cornejoet al., 1997,
with coeval units east of the SC-AA Fault, suggesting 1998; Tomlinsonet al., 1999]. The basal sedimentaryunits
depositionin an extensional basinwherethe SC-AA Fault were depositedduringback arc conditionsprevailingduring
wasoneof themajorextensional faultsbounding theeastside the early Mesozoic. The Upper Triassicto Middle Jurassic
of the basin[Cornejoet al., 1993, 1997; Tomlinsonet al., rocks comprise limestone, shale, and terrigenous and
1999]. volcaniclastic sandstones of the Quebrada del Salitre,
East of the SC-AA Fault the pre-middle Cretaceous Montand6n,andAsientosFormationsthat were depositedin a
Mesozoicgeologyis characterized by an Upper Triassicto west facing platform environment [Harrington, 1961;

358 ø 0 ø

o N

e) t [fold
Reverse
trendsfault
stdkes
and
•i•.
•"• Bedding
strikes
::::::..:::.-:::::::::::::::::,:::::::::::-"::::
Fault strikes of dextral strike-slip
:!11::il;i;;11;;•ii!1111:•ii'!11':;il}:i:iii::i!:::i;:i
faultsin central
domain
84 ø

'-•• faults
Fault strikesofdextral
near Mina Vieja strike-slip

Figure 3. Rose diagramsfor the strikesof beddingand faults and trendsof folds in the northernand central
domains. The arrows indicate the mean direction for the correspondingdata. (a) northern domain, (b) central
domainexceptits southwestsector,(c) southwest sectorof the centraldomainexcludingthe areaof the Mina Vieja
samplinglocality,(d) areaof the Mina Vieja samplinglocality,(e) Comparison of fault strikesfor dextralstrike-slip
faultsthroughoutthe centraldomainwith thoseat the Mina Vieja locality. In Figure 3e and comparingFigure 3d
with 3c structuresin the Mina Vieja areaare revealedto be systematically
oriented350-40ø counterclockwise with
respectto the equivalentstructuresin the surroundingarea.
 RANDALL ET AL.' FAULT-CONTROLLED ROTATIONS, PRECORDILLERA, CHILE 239

69o27 ' 69o26' 69o25 '

.,,/• Potrerillos
Cobre
Porphyryintrusion,
36 Ma

N •- Strike-slipfaults

-- -• --- Fault-bend
antidine
0 1 km
32-• Bedding
727' Cleavage
OIQM9-141Sam plinglocality

.....
'-'"•• Cerro
Valiente
Sequence
i:::.:::
•.::t Qda.
Mortardes
Fm.
........
':'• Pedernales
Fm.
i?,?,iiiiiiii;i!;;?•ii?,!ii
Qda.VicunitaSequence

':-:f:• Montandon/Asientos
Fms.

Figure 4. Geologicalmapof the Mina Vieja area. Units andsymbolsare the sameas thosein Figure2 exceptfor
those indicatedin the legend. Fault A, fault B, and the Bailey Willis Fault, on the north, south and west,
respectively,boundan area which containsbedding,fold, and fault orientationsthat are counterclockwise with
respectto thosein the surrounding area. The younger-on-olderrelationshipacrossthe northernpart of the Bailey
Willis Fault is the resultof incompleteEoceneinversionof a Paleocenenormalfault (A. Tomlinson,unpublished
data,1994). (Redrawnfrom Tomlinsonet al. [ 1999]).

Cornejo et al., 1993]. These are supersededby the Upper abandonment

JurassicQuebradaVicufiita sequence[Cornejo et al., 1993,
1998], a series of basaltic-andesiticlavas intercalatedwith
thin marine sedimentaryhorizons,and the Upper Jurassic-
Lower CretaceousPedernalesFormation,comprisingmarine
limestoneand volcaniclasticsandstones [Harrington, 1961].
Subsequently,a regional marine regressionlArdill et al.,
1998] led to the accumulationof fluvial and aeolian facies
arkosicsandstone and coastalsabkhafaciesevaporites,which
together
formthe Quebrhda
Monardes
Formation
[Su•rezand
Bell, 1985; Bell, 1991] and its correlative,the Agua Helada
Formation[Garcia, 1967].
The Late Cretaceous and Paleogene magmatic arc is
represented by three majorphasesof activity,occurringin the
Late Cretaceous,Paleocene,and Eocene-Oligocene[Cornejo
et al., 1997]. One of the mostwidely exposedunitsfrom this
arc is the Paleocene(63-55 Ma) Cerro Valiente sequence,a
highly variable sequenceof flows with lesser amountsof
ignimbritesand breccias[Cornejoet al., 1993, 1998]. This
unit lies unconformablyto paraconformablyon the Lower
Cretaceoussedimentaryrocksand Upper Cretaceousvolcanic
rocks. The Eocene-Oligocenesaw the emplacementof
numerous,widely distributedintrusions,including shallow-
level bodies associatedwith the economicallyimportant
porphyrycopperdeposits. The Eoceneintrusionsare coeval
with the last major deformationalevent in the Precordillera,
the Incaic orogenic phase, which generatedmost of the
important structuresin the studied area [Tomlinson et al.,
1993; Mpodozis et al., 1994; Cornejo et al., 1997]. Since
of this arc and subsequent
eastwardrelocation
of magmatism
in the Oligo-Miocene,
thePrecordillera
region
hasundergone
a periodof uplift.
3. Structural Geology
Although having an earlier history as a Mesozoic
extensionalfault, the main phase of motion on the SC-AA
Fault was duringthe Eocenecontractionaldeformationof the
magmaticarc [Tomlinsonet al., 1993; Cornejoet al., 1997].
At this time, the Sierra Castillo fault was reactivatedas a near-
vertical sinistralstrike-slipfault with a componentof up on
the east slip [Tomlinsonet al., 1993; Niemeyer, 1999]. In
contrast,the southernfault segment,the Agua Amargathrust,
is a westsideup oblique reversefault. Despitethe opposite
sensesof vertical movementson these two fault segments,
Tomlinsonet al. [ 1993] arguedthatthey arecontemporary and
form a singlemasterfault for a sinistraltranspressive system
kinematicallylinkedto the broadzoneof deformationeastof
the SC-AA Fault.
To the east of the SC-AA Fault are three distinct but
kinematicallyrelated structuraldomainsof subsidiaryfaults
(Figure 1) [Tomlinsonet al., 1993]. (1) The Northerndomain
consists of a fold-and-thrust belt which can be subdivided ir•o
two subdomains based on structural style: an eastern
subdomain characterizedby thin-skinned, ramp flat style
folding and thrusting and a western subdomaindisplaying
thick-skinned, fault propagation fold style deformation
involving the Paleozoic basement (Figure 2). Bedding,
 240 RANDALLET AL.:FAULT-CONTROLLED
ROTATIONS,
PRECORDILLERA,
reverse faults, and folds in the domain have strikes and trends
of-10-25 ø (Figure 3a). (2)The Central domain is locatedat
the southernmost end of the fold-and-thrust belt and is a
complex region of thrusting and folding associatedwith
numerousdextralE-W strike-slipfaults. In this domain,the
lower, easterly positioned thrust faults have decreasing
displacementsalong striketo the southwestand die into tip
line folds or terminate in the eastern ends of dextral E-W
strike-slipfaultswhich transferthe thrustdisplacement to the
nexthigherandwesterlypositionedthrust. Otherthrustfaults
unite directly with higher thrusts. As a consequence, the
shorteningon lower thrustsis progressively replacedto the
southwestby added movement on higher thrusts. In this
manner, the domain is interpretedto be a displacement
transferzone in which shorteningacrossa broad zone in the
northern domain is transferredto a few higher thrusts,
particularlythe Agua Amarga thrust. Over much of the
central domain the regional structural features have
orientationsof 0300-045ø (Figure3b). In the southwestsector
of the domain,where the higher reversefaults dominatethe
shortening,the structuraltrends shift to a N-S orientation
(Figure3c), exceptin a-•2 x 2 km areanearMina Vieja where
the structurestrend350-40ø counterclockwise with respectto
thosein the surroundingarea (Figures3d, 3e, and 4). This
observationled Cornejoet al. [1993] to predictthat this small
block had experiencedcounterclockwise rotations.(3) The
Southern domainis characterized by sinistralstrike-slipfaults
with a NW orientation.The NW trendingfaultswith greatest
continuityand displacementoccurin the QuebradaCi•naga
area(Figure 2) and connectthe southernend of reversefaults
in the central domain to NNE orientedhigh-anglereverse
faultsin the La Coipaarea(Figure1). They are interpretedto
represent another transfer zone [Cornejo et al., 1993].
Outsidethis transferzone the faulting is minor, and instead,
deformationis dominatedby shorteningrelated to the Agua
Amargathrust.
Syntectonic andpost-tectonic intrusionsassociatedwith the
faults indicatethat regional deformationwas initiated by 42
Ma, continueduntil at least 36 Ma, and ended by 32 Ma
[Tomlinsonet al., 1993; Mpodoziset al., 1994; Cornejoet al.,
1997]. The SC-AA Fault and associateddomainsdefine a
wide deformation zone with structure orientations
kinematics consistent with development in response to
sinistraltranspression where the SC-AA acted as the master
fault to the structuralsystem. In mosttypesof transpression,
clockwiseand counterclockwiserotation of passivemarkers
of different orientationsare expected[Fossen and Tikoff,
1998]. Folds formed at an angle to the masterfault rotate
toward it with progressivetranspression[Sandersonand
Marchini, 1984; damison, 1991]; thereforecounterclockwise
rotationsmay be anticipatedin the fold-and-thrust belt of the
northerndomain. In the southerndomain,if slip on the NW
faultsaccommodates rotation,thesefaultsand the intervening
blocks might rotate either clockwiseor counterclockwise
dependingon the relative importanceof the pure and simple
shearingcomponentsin the deformationhistory,with system-
perpendicular pure shearing(contraction)producingsinistral
slip on the NW faults and clockwiserotationsand system-
parallelsinistralsimpleshearinggeneratingdextralslip on the
CHILE
NW faultsandcounterclockwise
rotations.Considering
the
evidentimportanceof shorteningin the systemand the
sinistralslip senseof the NW faults, a clockwiserotationis
expected.The centraldomainis morecomplexin that it is
part of the fold-and-thrust belt and so could have
counterclockwise rotationsbut also has a componentof
dextralE-W simpleshearing relatedto displacement
transfer
in the locus of shorteningand so could have clockwise
rotations.
4. PaleomagneticSamplingand Analytical
Procedures
Samplesfrom 66 siteswere collectedand analyzedfrom
the central and southern structural domains east of the SC-AA
Fault and from a small area abovethe Agua Amargathrust,
west of the main trace of the SC-AA Fault (Figure 2).
Sampleswere collectedfrom the CerroValiente(Paleocene)
andQuebradaVicufiita(UpperJurassic)sequences and from
the QuebradaMonardes(LowerCretaceous) andSierraFraga
(Jurassic)Formations. The Cerro Valiente and Quebrada
Vicufiita sequenceswere sampled from the southernand
central domains. The Quebrada Monardes Formation was
sampledin the southerndomain and at Mina Vieja in the
central domain, where the structurestrend counterclockwise
with respectto the equivalentstructuresin the surrounding
area. The northerndomainwas not sampledbecauseof its
inaccessibility,
and only the SierraFragaFormationcould be
sampledfrom west of the SC-AA Fault(Figure2).
Natural reinanent magnetizations(NRM) were measured
mainly using a Molspin MS2 or Geofyzika JR4 spinner
magnetometer. A CCL cryogenic magnetometerwas also
usedfor someof the QuebradaMonardesFormationsamples.
Specimenswere stepwisedemagnetizedby thermal or two-
axis tumblingalternatingfield (AF) methodsthroughat least
12 stepsuntil they becameunstable,or to 700øC or 100 mT,
respectively. During thermal demagnetization,bulk
susceptibility was measured after each thermal
demagnetization
stepto detectheat-induced
mineralchanges.
Remanencedirections were determinedusing principal
componentanalysis[Kirschvink,1980]. Components were
and definedby a minimumof three pointson vectorendpoint
diagramsand were consideredstable when they had a
maximum angular deviation (MAD) not exceeding15ø,
althoughin most casesthe observedMAD were < 10ø In
somecases,multiplemagneticcomponents with overlapping
blocking or coercivity spectra required the use of
remagnetizationcirclescombinedwith endpoints[McFadden
and McElhinny, 1988] to isolatethe characteristic
remanent
magnetization(ChRM). Mean directionsfor eachgeological
unit and samplinglocalitywere calculatedby combiningsite
meandirections[Fisher, 1953].
5. PaleomagneticResults
5.1 Cerro Valiente Sequence(Paleocene)
A total of 19 sites,mostlyorientedhand samples,were
collected and demagnetized from the Cerro Valiente
sequence,10 (CV 1-10) from the centraland 9 (CV 11-19)
 RANDALL ET AL.: FAULT-CONTROLLED ROTATIONS, PRECORDILLERA, CHILE 241

a)

b) NN

CV14-1-1 ß

/••/•10
mT •670øC•qRM'••
•30 mT
'•-*
+*++***++++*
E, UP
ß ' ' 3(•0
,

c) N CV11-1-1
N.M

670oC 500
Figure5. Representative
orthogonal
andequal-area
projections
for samples
fromtheCerroValientesequence.In
orthogonal
plots,open(solid)circlesrepresent
vertical(horizontal)
projections;
intensities
are in mArn
'• On
stereoplots,
open(solid)circlesrepresentnegative(positive)inclinations.All plotsare showntilt corrected.

from the southernstructuraldomains(Figure2). Where hand broadlyconsistentwithin individualsites. All sitesdisplay

sampleswere taken, at least two independentlyoriented simple demagnetizationbehavior, whereby a single
sampleswere collected,from which two or three oriented componentof magnetizationis readily isolatedafter removal
cores with different orientations were drilled. In the central of a 1ow-coercivity
componentby treatmentto -10-60 mT
domain, sites were collected from around an open, (Figure5). The 1ow-coercivity
components are scatteredbolh
noncylindrical,NE-SW oriented syncline, while in the within and betweensitesand are interpretedas representing
southerndomain, sites were collected from a sequenceof short-term laboratory-acquired viscous remanent
lavas of fairly consistentdip. Paleohorizontalcontrol was magnetizations(VRM). Demagnetizationof the NRM
obtainedfrom igneousflow surfaces. suggeststhat high- and 1ow-coercivitymagnetic mineral
NRM intensities
are in the range250-2400mAm -•, phasesare presentin the samples,interpretedas magnetite
although
mostsamples
fallin a 400-800mAm'• rangeandare and hematite. AF demagnetization reducedthe NRM to
242 RANDALL ET AL.: FAULT-CONTROLLED ROTATIONS, PRECORDILLERA, CHILE

Table1. Results
FromtheCerroValienteSequence
a
Uncorrected Tilt Corrected
Site n/N Dec. Inc. TC Dec. Inc. k a95
Central Domain
CV1 b 5/6 232.9 64.4 210/43 271.7 33.0 18.6 19.5
CV2 5/5 206.0 48.9 121/35 241.9 41.0 1560.0 1.9
CV3 3/6 196.7 17.3 260/30 206.0 43.2 47.4 18.1
CV4 b 6/6 194.5 51.6 320/35 134.4 68.8 72.1 8.5
CV5 3/3 243.3 27.0 355/29 231.8 53.0 97.4 14.7
CV6 b 6/6 222.5 20.2 208/61 232.6 -2.2 51.8 9.4
CV7 6/6 303.9 55.0 090/77 213.2 29.7 72.6 8.5
CV8 5/7 8.4 6.0 251/46 14.6 -34.2 52.4 10.6
CV9 4/7 221.7 6.1 259/46 235.1 30.9 73.4 10.8
CV10 7/8 36.3 -28.4 330/8 40.7 -30.0 14.3 16.5
Mean IS 7/10 38.1 -28.7 5.1 29.5
Mean TC 40.1 -38.5 26.0 12.1
Southern Domain
CV11 6/6 24.0 -57.7 190/33 57.6 -39.7 26.6 13.2
CV12 6/6 19.9 -45.5 202/31 48.2 -38.7 56.3 9.0
CV13 6/6 356.3 -51.3 198/36 43.1 -50.1 54.4 9.2
CV14 6/6 16.3 -38.4 196/36 41.2 -30.0 207.5 4.7
CV15 6/6 357.0 -77.6 180/27 63.7 -61.1 271,.4 4.1
CV16 6/6 36.6 -52.3 226/10 49.7 -52.8 352.7 3.6
CV17 7/7 177.9 71.5 180/50 246.2 38.2 27.2 11.8
CV18 6/6 10.8 -49.3 180/50 45.9 -23.2 41.6 11.3
CV19 6/7 173.2 32.0 180/50 202.1 24.7 156.7 5.4
Mean IS 9/9 11.2 -53.6 22.7 11.0
Mean TC 47.5 -40.5 24.2 10.7
a Notationis as follows:n, the numberof samplescontributingto the mean;N, the total numberof demagnetized
samplesfor thesite;Dec. andInc., thedeclination
andinclinationof thesitemeanmagnetization vector(in degrees);TC,
thetilt correction,givenas strikeanddip;k anda95, the statisticalparameters
of Fisher[1953]. Mean IS is the in situ
mean direction and Mean TC is the tilt-corrected mean direction.
bIndicatessitesexcludedfrom the sitemeancalculation.

between 40 and 10% of its initial intensity and was the 5.2 Quebrada Monardes Formation (Lower Cretaceous)
preferredtreatmentmethodas manysamplesbrokeup when
heated. When a direction could be recovered from the
Twenty-foursiteswere collectedfrom the Quebrada
Monardes
Formation
(Figure2) asoriented
handsamples
and
hematitecomponent, it wasfoundto have'thesamedirection field-drilledcores. SitesQM1 to QM8 werecollectedfrom a
asthe componentcarriedby magnetite.
Of the 10 sites from the central domain, seven carry a
gentlySW plunging, openanticlinein thesouthof thestudy
consistent tilt-corrected direction, taken to be the ChRM,
areanearQuebradaCerrosBravos. SitesQM15 to QM24
were collectedfarthernorth,from a NW trendinganticlinein
directedto the NE with moderateinclinationor its antipode
(Table 1 and Figure 6). Three sites excludedfrom the Quebrada
Cignaga. Both of thesesamplinglocalitieslie
formation mean all have remanence directions that lie > 2cs within the southerndomainof NW trendingstrike-slipfaults.
awayfrom the ChRM aftertilt correction.The groupingof SitesQM9 to QM14 comefrom a 20 m plusthick section
the sevensitesis significantlybetteraftertilt correctionand withapproximately
constant
dipnearMinaVieja(Figure4) in
passesa fold test at the 99% confidencelevel [McElhinny, an areahavinganomalous
structural
trendsin the southwest
1964]. All nine sites from the southerndomaincarry a sectorof the centraldomain,aspreviouslydescribed.
ChRM, again directedto the NE with moderateupward The total NRM intensitiesfor thesered bed samplesrange
inclinationor, in two sites,its antipode(Table 1 and Figure between
0.5and187mAm
-•,withthemajority
< 50mAm
-•
6). The uniformityof the beddingcorrections meansthat a Demagnetization behaviorin the samplesis variableand
meaningfulfold test cannot be performedon this data. typicallymulticomponent
(Figures7a- 7d). In somecasesthe
Applicationof a reversaltest [McFaddenand McElhinny, components have overlappingblockingspectra(Figure7d),
1990]yieldsan indeterminate resultfor bothstudyareasat the andthe ChRM is onlyrecoveredas a linearsegmentin two or
95% confidencelevel, probablya consequence of the uneven three samplesfrom the site, while others only define
distributionof normal and reverse polarity sites at each remagnetizationcircles. When clearly isolated, low
samplinglocality. In both casesthe angle betweenthe unblocking temperature componentstendto be eitherpresent-
polarity groups is smaller in tilt-correctedthan in situ day field directions,interpretedas long-termVRM, or are
coordinates. dispersed,representing laboratory-induced
VRM. Despitethe
 RANDALL ET AL.' FAULT-CONTROLLED ROTATIONS, PRECORDILLERA, CHILE :243

N N

a) Dec.= 40.1 +

Inc.= -38.5 ø
= 12.1o
+\ • I•e.:......• \
o•95
..:.:.:.• • •

Jr.- + + + + + + + • + + + + + + + +

+ +

/. • ,.....
%
•
,... 47.5II +
IDec.= o
•(b ",
,
• \ "-•"-"•
i,,o.___,0.,ol + \,.k,_•..:•¾
I_. _ 4rt.7ol• +

0 + 0
........ + ............ +

Figure 6. Equal-areaprojectionssummarizingthe paleomagnetic datafrom the CerroValientesequence. The data

areshownin (left) in situ(geographic)
coordinates and(right)tilt-corrected
coordinates.
(a) centraldomainand(b)
southerndomain. Open (solid) circles representnegative (positive) inclinationswith their associated95%
confidencelimits. The formationmeandirectionis representedby a square,andits 95% confidencelimit is shaded.
Trianglesdenotesitesexcludedfrom the formationmean.

complicated well-defined direction(0[95> 20ø), but it is broadlyconsistentwith the other

natureof theNRM, a consistent,
ChRM was recovered from all sites. sitesandhenceis includedin the overallgroupmean.
Sitesfrom the QuebradaCerrosBravosregionyieldeda The positivereversaltest demonstratesthat the directional
consistentChRM, directedupwardin the NE quadrantor, in differencebetweenthe two polaritiesgroupsat the Quebrada
(Table2 andFigure8a). Wherestable Ci6nagalocality is small, so either group mean could be used
twosites,itsantipode
endpointswererecovered, it wasthrough thermaltreatment for the tectonic analysis. However, the direction recovered
above580øC. All but one of the 10 sitesanalyzedfrom the from the hematitecomponenthasan inclinationcloserto that
Quebrada Ci6nagalocalitycarriedbothnormalandreversed expected at this sampling latitude. Furthermore, the
polaritycomponents (Table3 and Figure8b), with the remanencerecoveredfrom the QuebradaMonardesFormation
reversedpolaritycomponent bydemagnetizationat Quebrada Cerros Bravos and Mina Vieja was isolated
onlyisolated
above580øC(Figure7d). The meandirections of the two above580øC,suggesting it is carriedby hematite. Therefore,
polaritygroupsareantipodal at the 95% confidencelevel, to ensurethat we are comparingsimilarage magnetizations
bothin situandtilt corrected,
passing
the reversaltestwith a acrosstheformation,thehematitecomponent of the Quebrada
C classificationin both cases[McFaddenand McElhinny, Cidnagarocksis preferredas the ChRM for the remainderof
the discussion.
1990]. Thermaldemagnetization
to temperatures
> 580øC
isolateda consistentnormal polarityremanencedirection, At all three localities,site mean directionsgroup better
directedupwardin the NW quadrantfrom all six sites aftertilt correction,althoughthe improvementis insufficient
fromnearMina Vieja (Table2 andFigure8c). One to passa fold test at the 95% confidencelevel [McElhinny,
collected
site (QM12) has a relativelypoorly definedsite mean 1964]. This lackof clearpositivefold testsis a consequence
244 RANDALLET AL.' FAULT-CONTROLLED
ROTATIONS,
PRECORDILLERA,
CHILE

a) N,N

NRM

b)
NN
580øC

NRM
8
E,
5-5A
QMI-1
N

200øC

•600øC, :
E, UP
640øC

N
N
c) E, UP

QM2-1A

10øC
N..eRa

'"%.
NN N

A
I •_.o.o .O .

eoøc
;
Figure
7. Representative
o•hogonal
andequal-area
projections
forsamples
fromtheQuebrada
Monatales
Formation.
In o•hogonal
plots,
open(solid)
circles
represent
vertical
(horizontal)
projections;
intensities
arein
•']. Onstereoplots,
open(solid)
circles
represent
negative
(positive)
inclinations.
All plots
areshowntilt
corrected.
 RANDALL ET AL.: FAULT-CONTROLLED ROTATIONS, PRECORDILLERA, CHILE 245

Table 2. ResultsFromtheQuebrada
MonardesFormation
a
Uncorrected Tilt Corrected
Site n/N Dec. Inc. TC Dec. Inc. k ix95
QuberadaCerrosBravosRegion
QM1 5/7 52.5 -34.5 090/10 47.8 -27.9 32.9 13.9
QM2 5/6 174.6 60.2 085/8 174.7 52.2 58.7 10.1
QM3 6/6 25.0 -35.5 121/12 25.7 -23.6 19.6 17.2
QM4 6/7 26.6 -35.1 126/10 27.5 -25.2 40.6 11.1
QM5 6/7 3.1 -60.4 155/12 18.1 -53.3 36.9 12.0
QM6 4/6 29.6 -52.7 173/15 41.8 -42.4 38.0 15.1
QM7 4/5 6.6 -27.9 230/26 22.0 -43.4 29.0 17.3
QM8 7/7 194.9 41.4 202/20 212.5 40.8 17.8 14.9
Mean IS 8/8 20.8 -44.7 20.4 12.5
Mean TC 27.8 -39.5 23.8 11.6
Mina Vieja Region
QM9 6/6 305.3 4.8 181/34 308.6 -23.0 34.1 12.1
QM10 6/6 309.9 -11.2 185/37 321.9 -39.7 14.0 18.9
QM11 7/7 315.7 -37.9 160/31 343.1 -44.0 44.4 9.2
QM12 4/5 325.4 -24.7 160/30 340.7 -28.5 22.6 22.8
QM13 6/6 304.0 -28.7 159/37 330.1 -43.3 45.7 10.0
QM14 3/4 309.7 -13.6 182/28 318.3 -34.7 79.1 14.0
Mean IS 6/6 311.5 - 18.7 23.5 14.1
Mean TC 326.6 -36.2 34.2 11.6
a Notation is as for Table 1.

of the shallowdipsandrelativelyconsistentstrikeazimuthsat had high total NRM intensitiesthat decayedrapidly when

each locality. Statisticalcomparisonof the formationmean
directions from the three localities does, however, pass an
inclination-onlyfold test. In this test the fact that the angle
between the paleomagneticremanencedirection and the
beddingplane must remainconstantduringany rigid-body
rotation can be used as a tilt test on a regional scale, even
where the localities have different rotation
[McFaddenandReid, 1982]. Thuscomparison of in situand
tilt-correctedpaleomagneticinclinationscan be made from
our threedifferentareasthat appearto havedifferentrotation
historiesas indicatedby their declinations. The effect of
progressive untiltingon the precisionparameter
k of the three
formationmean inclinations,following the statisticalmethod
of McFaddenand Reid [1982], is shownin Figure 9. The
increase in k after correction exceeds the 99% confidence
level for an F test distribution and thus constitutes a
statistically
significantimprovementandhencea positivetest.
We thereforeinterpretthis magnetizationas a prefolding
remanance andnot a postfoldingremagnetization.
5.3 Jurassic Formations
The majority of samplesfrom the Jurassicformations
failed to yield stabledirectionsor geologicallyinterpretable
primaryremanencedirections(Table 4). For the most part,
samplesshowedtwo types of behavior:in situ northerly
directionswith moderateupwardinclinations,consistent with
a viscousremanence acquiredin the presentfield direction;or
directionsthat are inconsistentwith either the presentfield
direction or the ChRM identified from other units when
considered either in in situ or tilt-corrected coordinates.
Sampleswithout obviouspresent-daycomponents
typically
subjectedto AF demagnetization, reminiscentof the effectsof
lightning strike-inducedisothermalremanentmagnetizations.
Tilt-corrected site mean directions in some of the Quebrada
Vicufiita sequencesiteshave a tendencytoward NE directed
declinationswith moderate upward inclinationsor, in one
case(site QV7), its antipode,consistentwith someof the data
histories recordedin the youngerunits. The in situ directionsof these
sites,however,fall closeto the Earth'spresentfield direction,
and the site mean directionsoverall have increasedscattering
on tilt correction, undermining our confidence in the
directionshavingany geologicalsignificance.Only four sites
from the SierraFraga Formationgroup sufficientlywell after
tilt correctionto pass a fold test [McElhinny, 1964]. The
confidence limits on both the individual site mean directions
and the resultant formation mean coupled with the shallow
inclinationof the tilt-correctedformationmean,which implies
major north-southdisplacement,make us skepticalof the
significanceof thesedata.
5.4 Identification of Magnetic Carriers
The nature of the magnetic carriers in all units was
investigated using acquisition of isothermal remanent
magnetization (IRM) andsubsequentthermaldemagnetization
of three componentIRM with along-axisfields of 800, 300,
and 50 mT [Lowtie, 1990]. Additionally, high-temperature
susceptibility
behaviorwas alsoexaminedfor somesamples:
IRM experiments on the Cerro Valiente sequence
demonstrate behavior consistent with a mixture of low- and
high-coercivity carriers in varying proportions. This is
consistentwith the demagnetizationbehaviorof the NRM and
suggeststhat magnetite and hematite are carriers of natural
 246 RANDALL ET AL.: FAULT-CONTROLLEDROTATIONS,PRECORDILLERA,CHILE

N N

+ //
a) ,, t /
!
Dec.=27.6
øI
\ Inc.=-39.3ø• ...}_./
•,•s - 11.6ø• 4- "•--"
+

4- +

,,,..•/--'% Dec.=358.5
ø
b) CO,
'- 4,,• F-,.,,-4..
½•••O
•Inc.
=-47.8
+
ø ....O" •,• = 8.8ø

+ + + + 4- + + + 4- +
Jr- + + + + + + +

' Dec.= 181.0 ø

+ Inc. = 38.3 ø
o•,• = 10.6ø

c)

Figure 8. Equal-areaprojections summarizingthepaleomagnetic datafromthe QuebradaMonardesFormation.The

dataare shownin (left) in situ (geographic)
coordinates
and(right)tilt-correctedcoordinates.(a) QuebradaCerros
Bravosregion,(b) QuebradaCi6naga(with bothnormalandreversepolaritycomponents shown),and (c) Mina
Vieja region.Open(solid)circlesrepresent negative(positive)inclinations
with their associated95% confidence
limits. The formationmeandirectionis representedby a square,and its 95% confidencelimit is shaded.Triangles
denote sites excluded from the formation mean.

remanence
aswell as inducedmagnetizations.As mostof the 6. Discussionand Interpretation
drilled samplesbroke up explosivelyon heating,high-
temperature
susceptibility
studiesof powderedsampleswere 6.1 Interpretation of the Mean Directions
moresuccessful
in confirmingthe high-coercivity
carrieras In the Cerro Valiente sequence,sevenof 10 sites in the
hematite. central and all nine sites from the southerndomain carry a
Visualinspection
of samplesfromthe QuebradaMonardes ChRM. The demagnetizationbehavior from this unit is
Formationshowsa rangeof redcoloration;
IRM experiments relatively simple, and the within-site variation is much less
werethereforeperformedon a broadrangeof samples, and than that observed in the other formations. Site directions
end-member examples areshownin Figure10. Thesamples from the central domain pass a fold test, indicating a
displaya mixtureof low- and high-coercivity carriersin prefolding remanence. Uniformity of the structural
varyingproportionsthat demagnetizeat-580 ø and 670øC, correctionsin the southerndomain prohibitsa meaningful
respectively,consistentwith a mixture of magnetiteand fold test. The inclination of the formation mean direction
hematitecarryingIRM andNRM. from the south is, however, much closer to that from the
RANDALL ET AL.: FAULT-CONTROLLED ROTATIONS, PRECORDILLERA, CHILE 247

central region when both directions are considered in tilt-

correctedcoordinates. This, combinedwith the presenceof
sites with opposing magnetic polarities, suggeststhat the
Cerro Valiente rocks in the southerndomain also carry a
prefoldingremanenceand not a postfoldingremagnetization.
The reason for the failure of three sites in the central
domain to record the ChRM is uncertain. Some samples
carried
veryhighNRM intensities
(upto 2400mAm'l) and
had low median destructivefields (typically, below 15 mT),
suggestiveof possiblyhavingbeenremagnetizedby lightning
strikes. It is noteworthy, however, that the three site mean
directionsgroup better before applicationof a tilt correction
(Figure6) and thereforemay be recordinga later, postfolding
remagnetization.The origin of this remagnetizationmay be
relatedto hydrothermalactivity associatedwith emplacement
of the Eocene porphyry copper-relatedintrusions. If the
remanencerecovered is a postfoldingremagnetization,the
consistencyof its directionswith the prefolding remanence
recoveredfrom the other sites (Figure 6) suggeststhat both
were acquired prior to any tectonic rotation of the central
domain.
The demagnetization behavior of samples from the
QuebradaMonardesFormationis variableand complex,but a
ChRM was recovered from sites at all three sampling
localities. The positive result from the inclination-onlytilt
test coupled with normal and reversedpolarity site mean
directionsat two of the three samplinglocalitiesprovides
strongevidencethat the remanencedirectionrecoveredfrom
the QuebradaMonardesFormationis prefoldingin origin.
The presenceof both polarity componentsin nine of the 10
sites from Quebrada Cidnaga is tentatively interpretedas
being a combinationof a detrital magnetizationcarried by
magnetiteand an early diageneticmagnetizationcarried by
hematite.

800
i i i i i i i i i i

• 6o0

t• 4o0
i i i i i i i i i
.ø.9.
._•

,- 200

.
o•--•'7--? .......
o •o 2o 3o 4o so 60 7o 8o 9o •oo

% Unfo{d{ngl
Figure 9. Plot of precisionparameterk againstpercent
unfolding for the formation mean inclinations of the
QuebradaMonardesFormation. The plot demonstrates
the
improvedclusteringof the formationmean inclinationsafter
100% untilting,followingthe methodof McFaddenand Reid
[•982].
248 RANDALL ET AL.: FAULT-CONTROLLED ROTATIONS, PRECORDILLERA, CHILE

Table 4. Results From Sites Excluded From Further Discussion a

Uncorrected Tilt Corrected
Site n/N Dec. Inc. TC Dec. Inc. k ct95
QuebradaFicugitasequence- CentralDomain
QVlb 3/6 185.3 51.5 031/64 155.3 5.8 12.9 19.4
QV2b 6/6 355.0 -35.7 031/64 342.8 10.0 31.1 12.2
QV3b 3/6 356.8 -49.6 325/81 273.2 -27.2 230.3 8.1
QV4 4/6 16.5 -60.3 151/22 33.0 -42.3 15.7 17.5
QV5 6/6 7.0 -44.7 151/22 19.5 -29.7 15.2 17.7
QV6b 6/6 271.2 -53.5 232/73 177.0 -36.4 13.4 19.0
QV7 6/6 167.2 40.6 186/40 203.8 41.0 100.3 6.5
QV8 6/6 358.2 -50.0 205/28 35.2 -54.3 48.9 9.7
QV9 6/6 348.3 -47.8 205/28 24.3 -57.4 175.6 5.1
QV10 3/6 9.3 -44.3 197/23 31.6 -42.9 61.8 15.8
Mean IS 6/10 0.3 -48.4 61.6 8.6
Mean TC 27.5 -44.7 54.8 9.1
QuebradaVicufiitasequence- SouthernDomain
QVll 5/6 347.5 -61.4 165/16 13.7 -57.0 145.8 7.2
QV12b 6/6 69.5 62.1 165/16 62.6 77.9 49.0 10.4
QV13b 6/6 327.4 -48.2 075/25 332.3 -24.0 474.3 3.1
QV14 6/6 1.1 -49.9 169/9 10.9 -47.3 177.9 5.0
QV15b 6/6 347.8 -24.4 131/16 352.2 -14.3 277.1 4.0
QV16 6/6 354.8 -54.3 147/20 12.9 -42.1 46.3 10.0
Mean IS 3/6 355.1 -55.3 136.4 10.6
Mean TC 12.4 -48.8 113.3 11.6
Sierra Fraga Formation- Westof AguaAmargaThrust
SF1 6/6 137.1 47.3 005/64 122.3 -7.5 60.9 8.6
SF2b 6/6 75.6 55.6 005/62 84.1 -4.8 12.0 20.9
SF3 5/6 299.1 -24.8 005/62 301.0 32.3 16.0 20.3
SF4 5/6 104.5 79.2 190/56 278.8 44.8 13.2 24.6
SF5 3/6 314.0 51.5 192/54 301.3 1.9 62.7 15.7
SF6b 6/6 234.4 4.6 182/46 226.9 -30.8 22.7 14.4
SF7b 7/7 53.9 -10.1 181/46 49.5 26.3 10.9 19.3
Mean IS 4/7 311.0 16.8 1.6 122.7
Mean TC 297.1 21.8 13.1 26.3
a Notation is as for Table 1.
bIndicatessitesexcludedfrom thesitemeancalculation.

Some sites in the QuebradaVicufiita sequenceand Sierra
FragaFormationshowthe influenceof lightningstrikes. The
reason for the failure of other sites to yield reliable
paleomagneticdirectionsin theseJurassicunits is lesscertain.
Thin sectionanalysisdid, however,revealpervasivealteration
of theserockswith a mineral assemblageconsistentwith the
effectsof hydrothermalfluids.
6.2 Comparisonwith PaleomagneticReferenceDirections
The apparentpolarwanderpathfor SouthAmericaremains
the subjectof muchdebateowingto the poor constraints on
manyof the availablepoles[e.g., Beck, 1988, 1998; Randall,
1998]. As the remanences recoveredin thisstudypredatethe
Eocene folding and are regardedas primary, the Cerro
Valiente sequenceand QuebradaMonardesFormationmean
directionsneedto be comparedwith Paleoceneand Early
Cretaceouspoles,respectively.
Comparison of the formation mean directions with
directions calculated from appropriatereference poles
[Randall,1998] clearlydemonstrates
significantandvariable
amounts of rotation with, in most cases, insignificant
latitudinal displacement(Table 5). Both formation mean
directions from the Cerro Valiente sequence indicate
statistically significant southward latitudinal transport,
contraryto the insignificantshift suggestedby the Quebrada
Monardes Formation data and the regional geologic and
paleomagnetic data sets, which indicate margin-parallel
transportin the centralAndes is negligible[e.g., Beck et al.,
1994; Randall, 1998]. This apparentinconsistency with the
Paleocenedatamay resultfrom a problemwith the Paleogene
reference pole determination [Randall, 1998]. When
compared with other proposed reference poles for the
Paleogeneor Paleocene[e.g., Beck, 1988;Butler et al., 1991;
Roperch and Carlief, 1992], the amount of latitudinal
displacement is variable and sometimes statistically
significant,suggestingthat the availablePaleocenereference
polesmay not be well determinedyet.
The results from both localities in the Cerro Valiente
sequencereveal statisticallysignificant clockwise rotations.
Two of the three studiesin the QuebradaMonardesFormation
 RANDALL
ETAL.'FAULT-CONTROLLED
ROTATIONS,
PRECORDILLERA,
CHILE 249

35O

QM8-1 /• 3OO IRM

coercivity
]
-m-50mT I
x -•-300mT I
E 200 -•-800mT ]

ii

-•05- 100 E lOO

(:3 (:3
100 200 300 400 500 600 700
Applied
Field(roT) Temperature
(øC)
3OOO

IRM coercivity
QMll-3
Jmax=3.55 A
/ -m-50mT
•300mT
ß: 2000
E --•-800mT

o.5 1.o
• n,' 1000

o:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
Applied
Field(roT) Temperature
(øC)

Figure10.Isothermal
Remanent
Magnetization
(IRM)acquisition
anddemagnetization
curves
forsamples
from
theQuebrada
Monardes
Formation,
following
thetechnique
ofLowtie
[1990].
Applied
fields
areupto800mTand
areplotted
onalogscale.
Both
samplesindicate
amixture
ofmagnetite
andhematite
carriers
with(a)magnetite
dominantand(b) hematitedominant.

likewise demonstrate statistically significant rotations: blockrotationby widelyseparated

transandean
faults,and
clockwise in the Quebrada Cerros Bravos and instead
indicate
thatlocaltectonics
dominate
thepatternof
counterclockwisein the Mina Vieja localities. The result rotations. The greater clockwise rotations in the Cerro
from QuebradaCi6nagaindicatesno statisticallysignificant Valiente sequencecould be interpretedto indicatea
rotation.Irrespectiveof the referencepoleused,the sampling multistage history of rotations with an earlier
localitiesin the Cerro Valiente sequencerecord clockwise counterclockwiserotation of the Quebrada Monardes
rotationsof largermagnitudethanthe Cretaceousrocks. Formation.However,the spatialconsistency
of therotations
withtheregionalstructuressuggeststhepatterncanbe best
7. Tectonic Implications explainedin termsof a singlepost-Paleocene
tectonicevent
where the rotation is localized and due to deformationrelated
The variation in the magnitudesand sensesof rotation to theSC-AAFaultSystem andits subsidiary
faultdomains.
observedin this studycannotbe explainedby a singlelarge- It is impossible
to discount
a contribution
froma large-scale
scalemechanism,suchas oroclinalbendingor domino-style processwhich would add a uniform rotation to the different

Table5. Calculation
ofRotation
andFlattening
a
Mean Direction

Locality Dec. Inc. (195 Rotation Flattening

QuebradaMonardesFormation
QuebradaCerrosBravos 27.8 -39.5 11.6 31.3+12.6 -0.3+10.3
MinaVieja 326.6 -36.2 11.6 -29.9+12.1 -3.6+10.3
QuebradaCi6naga 1.0 -38.3 10.6 4.5+11.4 -1.5+9.6
Cerro ValienteSequence
Centraldomain 40.1 -38.5 12.1 35.2+17.2 -16.0+13.6
Southerndomain 47.5 -40.5 10.7 42.6+16.4 -14.5+12.8
aRotation
andflattening
aregiven
in degrees
using
theparameters
ofBeck
[1980]
andDemarest
[1983].
Positive
rotations
areclockwise,
andpositive
flattenings
indicate
northwardlatitudinal
transport.
Reference
directions
arecalculated
fromthepoles
given
byRandall [1998]
usinga location
of 69.4øW,26.5øS,
close
the
center
of thestudied
location.
Thereference
directions
lie atDec.= 356.5
ø,Inc.= -39.8ø,and(19s
= 4øforthe
Quebrada
Monardes
Formation
andDec.--355.9
ø,Inc.=-55.3
ø,and(195
= 12øfortheCerro
Valiente
sequence.
 250 RANDALL ET AL.: FAULT-CONTROLLED ROTATIONS, PRECORDILLERA, CHILE

69ø30 ' modeled analytically and numerically[Nelson and dones,

Vertical axis
1987; Sonder et al., 1986]. Following such models,the
rotation rotation gradient in the southern domain indicates the
rotationsare relatedto activity of the SC-AA system,but
+90
•-90 0
,rro'Va•;t•'• furthermore,
giventhe sinistralsenseof the simpleshearing
componentof the master fault, the clockwise senseof the
•in• Vieja
rotationssuggests the rotationsare a resultof the pure-shear
shorteningcomponentof the deformation. Althoughthe
26o30 '
above cited numerical models treat only the classic
(nontranspressive) wrench-typefault systems,in theorythe
samegradientscan occur for the shorteningcomponentin
transpressive syste•ns[Deweyet al., 1998].
The lack of a paleomagnetically determinedrotationin the
QuebradaCi6nagaarea,despitebeing locatedwherethe NW
trendingstrike-slipfaults have the greatestdisplacements,
suggests that thesefaultsdid not producesignificantrotation.
The lack of rotationmay be relatedto a numberof factors,
includingthefaultsarewidelyspaced(2-4 km), theirslipsare
small(hundredsof metresto 1-2 km), andtheyappearto act
asa transferzonebetweentwo beltsof shortening, suggesting
the shear zone boundariesmay be parallel to the faults
themselves,in which casethere would be no domino-style
rotation associatedwith them. The NW trending faults
maintain a more or less constant strike across the southern
domain, despitethe variation in paleomagneticrotations,
suggestingthose faults in the QuebradaCerros Bravos and
Cerro Valiente localities developedlate in the deformation
history.
Quebrada One alternative hypothesisis that the southerndomain
Cerros Bravos suffereda more or lesshomogeneous clockwiserotationand
that sinistralshearon the NW trendingfaults in the Quebrada
ro Valiente Ci6naga area overprinteda counterclockwiserotation. The
Seq. (Southern) hypothesis
cannotbe excluded,but it seemslessprobablein
that it requires the fortuity that the overprinting
counterclockwise
rotation be of similar magnitudeas the
clockwise rotation.
Abels and Bischoff [1999] recently proposeda model
whereinwidely spacedNW trendingbasementfaultstransect
the entireEoceneforearcand produceclockwisedeclination
Figure 11. Distributionof rotationsand major faultsin the
studyarea.
anomaliesby a domino-stylerotationof large crustalblocks.
As their modelis largelybasedon the geologyof the southern
domain,the data containedhereinpertaindirectlyto their
model. In their model,oneof theirNW trendingtransandean
localities,but the variationin the amountsof rotationcan only faults corresponds to the set of NW trendingfaults in the
be explainedby local controls. Furthermore, the magnitudes QuebradaCi•naga area. The mappingof Cornejo et al.
of the clockwiserotationsgreatlyexceedthosepredictedby [1993, 1998] indicates,however,that the faults in Quebrada
currentoroclinalbendingmodels. The drivingforce for the Ci6nagado not cutthe SC-AA Fault,nor do theycutstratified
rotations was apparently the major regional sinistral unitslocatedin the hangingwalls of the reversefaultswhich
transpressive phaseassociated with deformationof the arc at the NW trending faults terminateinto; insteadthe stratified
-42-32 Ma [Tomlinsonet al., 1993; Mpodoziset al., 1994; unitsstrikeacrossthe endsof the NW trendingfaults(Figure
Cornejoet al., 1997]. 2). We do notdisputeAbelsandBischoffs[1999] suggestion
Within the southern domain the amount of rotation thatthe EoceneNW trendingfaultsmayhavehadan originin
recordedby the CerroValiente,QuebradaCerrosBravos,and the reactivation of older basement structures that have a
QuebradaCi6naga samplinglocalitiesincreasestoward the greatercontinuity,but we do disputethat these basement
SC-AA Fault (Figure 11). This implies a gradient in the faults were reactivated across the entire width of the forearc
deformationacrossthe southerndomain,at leastwith respect as Eocenetransandean faults. Instead,the mappingindicates
to vertical axis rotations, wherein deformation increases thatthe Eoceneactivityof theNW trendingfaultsis localized
toward the master fault. Similar deformation and and that they are secondaryto the main N-S trending
paleomagnetic rotationgradientshave been observedin the structuresin the area. Furthermore,althoughthe basicform
borderlandsof othertranscurrentfault systemsand have been of the Abels and Bischoff[1999] model suggestsuniform
 RANDALL ET AL.: FAULT-CONTROLLED ROTATIONS, PRECORDILLERA,CHILE 2:51

into smallersize blocks.However, in orderfor their model to

a) N describethe paleomagneticpatternin the southern
domainit
requires,as in the secondhypothesis above,the fortuitous
situationthat the marginsof the rotatingblocks deform
sufficientlyto yield no declinationanomaly(Quebrada
Ci6naga).Instead,the hypothesis favoredhere is that the
masterAgua Amarga thrust is the sourceof maximum
-•_•Centra.I-• rotation-related deformation.
In the central domain the clockwise rotation obtained from
•_••Domain_ the CerroValientesequence is interpretedasthe resultof the
kinematicsof the displacement transferthat characterizes
the
area (Figure 12). In the kinematicmodel, differential
movement on lower thrusts, related to the progressive
replacement
of their displacement
by movementon higher,
westerlypositionedthrusts,causesclockwiserigid-body
rotationsand E-W dextralshearmanifestedby numerousE-W
dextralstrike-slipfaults. The modelis consistent
with the
notablymoreNE trendof structures in thedomaincompared
to those in the northern fold-and-thrust belt and in the
b) J
southwestern
sectorof the centraldomain(Figure3). In fact,
if the NE trendingstructures
are rotatedbackto undothe
declinationanomalyindicatedby the paleomagnetic data,the
structures
becomeN-S trending,parallelto the structural
grain
in the southwestsector(Figure12a).
The counterclockwiserotation at the Mina Vieja sampling
locality is consistentwith the structuraltrendsin the
immediatearea (Figures3 and 4) and the predictionof
Cornejoet al. [1993]. If thestructural
trendsarerestored
by
the rotationamount(•-30ø clockwise),the map-scalefault
bend anticlinebecomesN-S trending,and the dextral strike-
slip faults become E-W striking, parallel to the correlative
structuresin the surroundingarea. This suggeststhe N-S
structural grain in the surrounding area is a primary
orientationwith no significantpaleomagnetic rotation.
Figure12. Kinematic
model
forclockwise
rotations
in the Crosscuttingrelations indicate that the counterclockwise
central
domain.(a) Nondeformed
reference
grid(planview) rotationof the Mina Vieja regionoccurredduringthe Eocene
with inferred initial orientationof reversefaults in the deformation. Since the rotation affected the trend of the fault
northern and central domains. Since there is no bend anticline and dextral strike-slipfaults, it must postdate
paleomagnetic
datafromthenorthern
domain,
thefaults
there the generation of these Eocene structures. Late in the
areshown, forsimplicity,
ashaving initiated
withtheircurrent deformationhistory,the-•36 Ma PotrerillosCobre porphyry
strike(18ø) andmaintained thatorientationthroughoutthe intrusion[Marsh et al., 1997] was emplacedin the coreof the
deformation. In the centraldomainthe initial structural
orientationisshownasN-S, consistentwiththeirapproximate anticline and contains in its contact aureole a metamorphic
orientationif thecurrently
NE trending arerotated foliation having an orientationconsistentwith the regional
structures
backto undothe declination discordance. Notethe locusof shorteningdirection [Tomlinson,1994]. The orientationof
reversefaultingchanges acrossthe centraldomainfroma the cleavageis the same both east of the intrusion,where
positioninthenortheast toa position inthesouthwest. (b) beddingstrikesN-S, andnorthwestof the intrusion,wherethe
Deformed gridaftershortenings,whichisconstantalong the cleavagetransectsthe counterclockwise-rotated fault bend
length
of thegrid. At thelatitudeof overlap of thetwo anticline (Figure4). Maintenance of thecleavage
orientation
thrusts,
displacement
onthelowereastern thrustdecreasesto across the area suggests the counterclockwiserotation
thesouthwhiledisplacementon the higherwestern thrust precedesthe cleavageformationat-36 Ma.
increases
fromzerodisplacement
atitsnortherntip,producing
The mechanismby which the counterclockwiserotation
a displacement
transfer
zone(DTZ). As a resultof the
differentialmovementof the lower thrust,the fault and was accomplishedis less clear as it is inconsistentwith the
kinematics of the central domain described above.
hanging
wallunitsrotate
clockwise,
andE-Wdextral
shear
is
generated. Furthermore, since the rotation is highly localized it is
unlikely to be a result of the SC-AA system-parallelsinistral
simple shearing. Cornejo et al. [1993], in addition to
clockwiserotations,they point out that the regionalpatternof describingthe E-W trendingdextralfaults,reportedseveralE-
paleomagneticdata is more variable. They suggestthat the W trending sinistral faults. They interpretedthe sinistral
variabilityin paleomagneticdeclinationscan be explainedif movementsto representreactivation of the dextral faults
the rotating blocks are internally deformedand fragmented during a second,probablyunrelated,event. We proposethe
 252
RANDALL
ETAL.'FAULT-CONTROLLED
ROTATIONS,
PRECORDILLERA,
CHILE

a)
vertical
dextral
strike-slipfaults

.•,••ault
bend
anticline

reversal in sense of shear

of some faults

eady formed structures

b passivelytranslate and
rotate

postrotationintrusionand
associated cleavage

Figure
13.Block
diagram
modeling
formation
ofthecounterclockwise
rotation
attheMina
Vieja
locality.
(a)
Inferred
prerotation
orientation
ofthestructures
inthearca.
(b)Impedance
ofthrust
displacement
onthenorth
but
downstepping
andcontinued
displacement
ofthethrustonthesouthresults
inrotation
ofthehanging
wallfault
bendanticline
andassociated
minorfaults.Afterrotation,
the36 Ma Potrerillos
Cobre
porphyry
intrusion
is
eraplaced
intothecoreoftheanticline,
andacleavage
forms
initscontact
aureole,
crosscutting
therotated
anticline.

sinistralmovements were produced duringthe same suggesting thateitherit hadreciprocal andcompensatory

progressiveEocene
deformationandreflect,
atleast locally,
a differentialslip contemporaneous with the sinistralshearin
reversalin thekinematics
of thecentral
domain.Figure13 the footwallor postdatesthe footwallrotationas an out-of-
illustrates
howthismighthavebeenaccomplished. Thefault sequence
reverse fault.Exploration
drilling[Reyes,1981]and
bendanticline formedinitially
asa N-Strending structurestructural
restorations [Tomlinson,
1994]suggest the fault
above a rampflattransition
intheunderlyingthrust(Figure bendanticline formed abovea frontal
ramplyingovera step
13a).At somepointin time,thesouthern partof thethrust inthePaleozoic igneous basement.Suchirregularitiesin the
mayhavestepped downintothefootwall blockandbegan underlying basement or othermechanicalheterogeneities in
translating
theanticline
anditsunderlying ramppassivelythe footwallblockmay havepreventedor hindereddown
eastward,
whilethenorthern
partof thethrustmaintained
its stepping
anddisplacement
of the thruston the northside,
higher
position
andwasimpeded
fromfurther
displacement
leading to developmentof the E-W sinistralshear and
(Figure13b). The differentlevelsof the thrustwouldbe counterclockwise
rotations.
A similar
model,
butona larger
connected
bya lateralramphaving E-Wsinistralshear,
above scale,hasbeenproposedfor the Mioceneclockwiserotation
whichthefaultbendanticline
andgeologic unitswouldrotate of regionalstructuresin the subandean
fold-and-thrust
belt in
counterclockwise.
In contrast,
theBaileyWillisreversefault, southern
Bolivia[Kley,1996;Somozaetal., 1999].
located
to thewest,maintains
itsN-Sstrike(Figure
4), Thisisthefirstwell-constrained
counterclockwise
rotation
 RANDALL ET AL.: FAULT-CONTROLLEDROTATIONS,PRECORDILLERA,CHILE 2:53

to be recordedin the southerncentralAndes. Hartley et al. distinctdomainsof differing tectonicstyle, rotation amounts,
[1992b] report data from the Mejillones Peninsula which and rotation senses.
likewisesuggestcounterclockwise rotations. However, many Results from the southerndomain of sinistral strike-slip
of the site mean directionsare poorly determinedstatistically, faults demonstrate a decrease in clockwise rotation with
andthe rangeof rotationsamongsitesis so largethat they did increasingeastward distance from the master fault trace,
not calculate a mean for the formation or area. They irrespectiveof the age of the sampledunit. This is consistent
attributed the rotations to small-scale fault block rotations, with the rotationsbeingrelatedto activityof the SC-AA Fault.
with eachsite representingan independent recordof rotation. Furthermore,the clockwise senseof the rotationsis consistent
The Mina Vieja rotationis apparentlyhighlylocalized,and so with the structural style that indicates a dominance of
no inferencescan be drawn from this data about the large- shorteningover margin-parallelshear in the transpressive
scaletectonicsof the studiedareaor the tectonichistoryof the system. Sinceunits as youngas Paleoceneare affected,the
Andean margin, but it does serve to demonstratethe rotationsmustbe post-Paleocene in age. The resultfrom the
importanceof local tectonicsfor rotationsin the southcentral central domain likewise recordsa post-Paleoceneclockwise
Andes. rotation and is interpreted in terms of rotation due to
This is now one of several studiesin the Andean margin differentialmotionon thrustsheetsin a displacement transfer
wheredetailedpaleomagnetic samplingoversmallstructurally zone between the fold-and-thrust belt to the north and the N-S
well-constrainedareas has revealed complex patterns of trendingreversefaults, includingthe Agua Amargathrust,to
rotation. Other examplesfrom the ArgentinePuna [Aubryet the south. Sites collected from the Quebrada Monardes
al., 1996] and the Bolivian Altiplano [Butler et al., 1995] Formationin the Mina Vieja area recorda counterclockwise
havealso showntemporaland spatialvariabilityof rotations. rotationthat is highly localizedand interpretedas a resultof
Togethertheseintegratedstudieshighlightthe importanceof E-W sinistralsheardevelopedduring differential movement
localtectonicinfluenceson the observedrotationpatternsand of the underlyingthrust;the differentialmovementpossibly
demonstrate that an understandingof local structureis crucial being imposedby along-strikemechanicalheterogeneities in
to the interpretationof rotation data. Furthermore,care the block through which the thrust propagated. The
shouldbe taken when using paleomagneticdata to interpret counterclockwise rotation affects Eocene structures but not a
the large-scaletectonic evolution of the Andes and other cross-cuttingcleavage developed late in the deformation
tectonicallyactivemargins. history and associatedwith the 36 Ma Potrerillos Cobre
porphyry intrusion. These relations therefore bracket the
8. Conclusions timing of rotationto the Eocene.
Overall, the data highlight the importanceof localized
The presenceof dual magneticpolaritiesat four of the five tectonicsin controllingrotations,even wherethe rotationsare
samplinglocalities,a positiveinclination-onlyfold testin the the consequence of a single deformational event.
QuebradaMonardesFormation,and a positivefold test in the Furthermore,it underscoresthe significanceof relating
Cerro Valiente sequence indicates that all units carry a rotationsinterpretedfrom paleomagneticdata in terms of the
predeformational and probably primary remanence. structureandtectonichistoryof the samplinglocality.
Comparison with appropriate reference poles indicates
varyingamountsof rotationin the regioneastof the SC-AA Acknowledgments. Financial support for this project was
provided by a University of Plymouth studentshipto D.E.R.
Fault. The patternis too complexto be explainedby large- Paleomagneticresearch in Chile is supportedby NERC grant
scale tectonic rotation mechanisms alone, whether it be (GR3/11199) to G.K.T. Logisticalsupportfor the fieldwork was
oroclinalbendingor large-scaledomino-styleblock rotation. provided by the Servicio Nacional de Geologia y Mineria
The model proposedto explain the interpretedrotationsis (SERNAGEOMIN-Chile). We would like to thank Paula Comejo
and Antonio Diaz for their assistancein the field. Paleomagnetic
thereforeone of discrete,localized,in situ rotationsresulting analysiswas carriedout usingRandyEnkin's software.Constructive
from an Eocenesinistraltranspressive eventwhereinresponse reviewsby R. Butler,J. Kley, and P. Roperchhavehelpedimprove
to the transpressional
deformationis varied and forms several the manuscript.

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