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Due to its high efficiency and zero direct greenhouse gas emissions, the direct utilization of geothermal energy could play a crucial role in addressing climate change. Low-enthalpy geothermal projects, such as geothermal heat pumps (GHPs), have the potential to contribute to greenhouse gases reduction and replace polluting systems like wood burning, which are extensively used in countries such as Chile. The implementation of this technology presents various challenges, encompassing not only economic and technical aspects but also cultural and social factors. This paper addresses the latter two, providing empirical findings from a social and qualitative perspective by examining three GHP projects in educational spaces in Chilean Patagonia. An inductive approach was employed to describe the social perception of GHP projects in three public buildings, specifically educational facilities, located in the Aysén region of Chile. The questions that guided the research were how users interact with technology in these environments and what factors influence their acceptance. Data were collected through various methods, including in-depth interviews and participant observation, with a focus on social perceptions and everyday practices. The paper argues that there is a general lack of information regarding GHP technology. This type of system is often perceived as an 'elegant' and almost 'untouchable' technology. Nevertheless, motivational factors such as preventing deforestation and reducing air pollution were identified as the primary drivers supporting this type of initiative. One of the cases studied, which demonstrated sustainability over time, revealed that the participants' main motivation was to see themselves as agents of change. This allowed them to build a coherent narrative around the project. Consequently, the cultural meaning attached to the new practice became central for change and sustained adoption of social practices. • There is a social distance between GHP technology and local communities. • There is a low level of information about geothermal energy. • Sustainable adoption of GHP requires cultural and social changes. • GHP projects require the development of new skills and monitoring activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patagonia features the most extensive glaciers of the Southern Hemisphere, excluding Antarctica, and a vast inventory of glacial landforms, so it is thought to have played a key role in (paleo)glacier studies since the late 19th century. However, no systematic attempts to characterize the specific research trends and the scientific community focused on Patagonian cryosphere have been conducted so far. To fill this gap, we analyzed the metadata associated to 305 articles compiled from the Web of Science database following a bibliometric approach covering the period between 1976 and 2020. Our results point to an irregular but net increase on the number of contributions on Patagonian (paleo)glaciers. Mass balance analyses based on satellite data of present-day glaciers and the reconstruction of past glacier activity by dating glacial landforms formed during the Last Glacial Termination, were the most addressed topics during the analyzed period. Patagonian (paleo)glacier studies are mostly published in generic Earth Sciences publications, followed by Quaternary and glaciological journals. Most of the studies were led by scientists from the United Kingdom, followed by Chile, Argentina and United States. In terms of collaborations, these studies can be divided into two main clusters, one composed by researchers from United States, Chile and Argentina institutions, and another mostly composed by British researchers. So far, the most prolific authors are nearly equally distributed in nationality, yet gender inclusion and international collaborations are still caveats that must be solved. Even though our query on the Web of Science missed highly influential (so-called) grey literature, such as local scientific journals and technical reports, the reviewed scientific literature unambiguously indicates that Patagonia is a privileged location for (paleo)glaciers studies worldwide and that it will continue offering vast opportunities to tackle critical questions related to global cryosphere and past-to-present climate changes. • Patagonia is a privilege site for studying present and past glacier dynamics and the evolution of climate changes at hemispheric and global scale. • Glacier dynamics during the 20th century and and the Last Glacial Termination are the most common topics addressed in past decades in the WOS. • Patagonian (paleo)glacier studies has contributed to the development or improvement of diverse analytical techniques. • United Kingdom, United States, Chile and Argentina produced the largest number of WOS-listed papers on (paleo)glaciers in past decades. • The related scientific community is fairly heterogeneous. Although, inclusion and international collaboration issues still need to improve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The provenance of sandstones deposited in the late Paleozoic Tepuel-Genoa Basin is analyzed in this paper. Five sections were sampled in Esquel, Sierra de Tepuel, Sierra de Tecka, El Molle, and Río Genoa areas for petrographic and geochemical studies. The sandstones in the Tepuel-Genoa Basin are dominated by feldspathic litharenites and litharenites, showing lithic fragments of volcanic and sedimentary rocks in the Valle Chico Formation and medium-to high-grade metamorphic rock clasts in the rest of the units. Detrital modes of seventy-five sandstones samples from the Valle Chico, Pampa de Tepuel, Mojón de Hierro, and Río Genoa formations were counted and analyzed. Seven modal components have discriminant value for identifying provenance areas (Qm, Qi, Lv, Lmm-h, Lm-Lp, Lm, Qpm). These modal components allow identification of three petrofacies: 1. Quartzose-lithic (Qm 69 Lv 2 Lm 29), 2. Quartzose (Qm 89 Lv 4 Lm 7) and 3. Volcanic-sedimentary (Qm 60 Lv 38 Lm 1). The quartzose-lithic petrofacies is mainly composed of monocrystalline quartz, medium- and high-grade metamorphic clasts and polycrystalline quartz with cataclastic texture, this assemblage is interpreted as being derived from the crystalline rocks that form the Deseado Massif. The quartzose petrofacies is composed of monocrystalline quartz with scarce contributions of metamorphic clasts and traces of volcanic fragments; the provenance area is ascribed to sedimentary terrains, which most likely covered part of the Deseado Massif. The volcanic-sedimentary petrofacies is comprised of volcanic (acidic and intermediate rocks) and sedimentary (sandstone and mudstone) clasts, with discrete amounts of quartz grains with idiomorph shapes and embayments. This assemblage may correspond to material supply from the Devonian-Early Carboniferous accretionary complex developed in Chile or the unroofing of the western volcanic arc located in the central part of Patagonia. The validity of the three defined petrofacies was evaluated using Principal Component Analysis and triangular compositional diagrams; both methods show good separation and lack of overlap between the three petrofacies. Major (Si, Al, Fe, Na, K) and trace-REE elements (Zr, Th, Sc, Hf) were used to improve the petrographic information. The relation SiO 2 against K 2 O/Na 2 O indicates that the Pampa de Tepuel and the Mojón de Hierro formations correspond to a passive margin, while the Valle Chico and Río Genoa formations represent different types of active continental margins. The Th/Sc and Zr/Sc ratios and the Th-Hf-Co distributions indicate that the sandstones of the Tepuel Group were formed from rocks compatibles with the average composition of the upper continental crust. • Detrital modes of the late Paleozoic Tepuel-Genoa Basin in Patagonia (Argentina) are analyzed. • Geochemical data of sandstones of this basin are presented. • Three petrofacies (Quarztoze, Quarztose-lithic, and Volcanic-sedimentary) are defined. • The basement of the Macizo del Deseado and Chilean accretionary complexes are proposed as the main source areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]