Osorno–Llanquihue Basin
| Osorno–Llanquihue Basin | |
|---|---|
| Cuenca de Osorno-Llanquihue | |
 SRTM map of the topography of the northern part of Osorno–Llanquihue Basin. The basin does largely correspond with the topographic low of the Chilean Central Valley. | |
  | |
| Coordinates | 40°42′44″S 73°06′33″W / 40.712124°S 73.109218°W |
| Etymology | Osorno and Llanquihue Lake |
| Location | Southwestern South America |
| Country |  Chile |
| State(s) | Los Ríos Region Los Lagos Region |
| Characteristics | |
| On/Offshore | Southern tip is offshore |
| Boundaries | Chilean Coast Range (W) Andes (E) |
| Hydrology | |
| Sea(s) | Eastern Pacific Ocean |
| River(s) | Bueno, Negro, Pilmaiquén, Rahue, Damas |
| Lake(s) | Llanquihue, Laguna Las Ortigas and the westernmost portions of Rupanco, Puyehue and Ranco |
| Geology | |
| Basin type | Forearc basin |
| Orogeny | Andean |
| Age | Oligocene-Pleistocene |
| Field(s) | Chilean coal |
The Osorno–Llanquihue Basin (Spanish: Cuenca Osorno-Llanquihue) is a sedimentary basin located in south-central Chile in the forearc region of the Andes. From north to south the basin spans and area from Catamutún to Reloncaví Sound (40–42° S).[1] The deepest part of the basin lie to the east.[2] The lower levels of the basin are occupied by coal-bearing Cheuquemó Formation among other units while the Miocene-aged marine Santo Domingo Formation makes up much of the upper stratigraphy.[2] The uppermost levels are made of sediments of Quaternary age of glacial, glaci-fluvial, glaci-lacustrine and volcanic character.[3] The thickness of Quaternary sediments is greater to the south reaching almost 1,300 m (4,300 ft) in Puerto Montt.[3] Sediments in the western part of the basin are roughly estimated to have reached 70 °C (158 °F) during burial and diagenesis.[4]
References
- ^ Elgueta et al. 2000, p. 7.
- ^ a b Elgueta et al. 2000, p. 10.
- ^ a b Elgueta et al. 2000, pp. 13–14.
- ^ Kelm, Ursula; Cisternas, María E.; Helle, Sonia; Méndez, David (1994). "Diagenetic character of the Tertiary basin between Los Angeles and Osorno, southern Chile". Revista Geológica de Chile. 21 (2): 241–252. doi:10.5027/andgeoV21n2-a07.
- Bibliography
- Elgueta, Sara; McDonough, Michael; Le Roux, Jacobus; Urqueta, Esteban & Duhart, Paul (2000), Estratigrafía y sedimentología de las cuencas Terciarias de la Región de Los Lagos (39-41°30'S) (in Spanish), Santiago, Chile: Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería, ISSN 0020-3939
