Geological Observations on South AmericaDarwin, Charles
Science
Geological Observations on South America
Darwin, Charles
Beagle Expedition (1831-1836); Geology -- South America; Mollusks, Fossil -- South America; Paleontology
has given to the upper parts of this range its anticlinal structure.
CONCLUDING REMARKS ON THE USPALLATA RANGE.
I will not attempt to estimate the total thickness of the pile of
strata forming this range, but it must amount to many thousand feet.
The sedimentary and tufaceous beds have throughout a general
similarity, though with infinite variations. The submarine lavas in the
lower part of the series are mostly feldspathic, whilst in the upper
part, on the summit and western flank, they are mostly basaltic. We are
thus reminded of the relative position in most recent volcanic
districts of the trachytic and basaltic lavas,—the latter from their
greater weight having sunk to a lower level in the earth’s crust, and
having consequently been erupted at a later period over the lighter and
upper lavas of the trachytic series. (See on this subject, “Volcanic
Islands” etc. by the Author.) Both the basaltic and feldspathic
submarine streams are very compact; none being vesicular, and only a
few amygdaloidal: the effects which some of them, especially those low
in the series, have produced on the tufaceous beds over which they have
flowed is highly curious. Independently of this local metamorphic
action, all the strata undoubtedly display an indurated and altered
character; and all the rocks of this range—the lavas, the alternating
sediments, the intrusive granite and porphyries, and the underlying
clay- slate—are intersected by metalliferous veins. The lava-strata can
often be seen extending for great distances, conformably with the under
and overlying beds; and it was obvious that they thickened towards the
west. Hence the points of eruption must have been situated westward of
the present range, in the direction of the main Cordillera: as,
however, the flanks of the Cordillera are entirely composed of various
porphyries, chiefly claystone and greenstone, some intrusive, and
others belonging to the porphyritic conglomerate formation, but all
quite unlike these submarine lava-streams, we must in all probability
look to the plain of Uspallata for the now deeply buried points of
eruption.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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