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Focuses on the global developments in geology. Discovery of the largest dinosaur remains in Patagonia; Production of a living dinosaur embryo by scientists; Use of the Kosovan communities for the effects of high levels of natural radon.

In a seminal paper regarding the mechanisms of carbonate stromatolite formation, Ginsburg (1991, Controversies in Modern Geology, pp. 25–36) emphasized the need to question the relative role of microbes versus environment in their formation. The Maquinchao Basin is a continental lacustrine system in southern Argentina. It provides an ideal site to study carbonate buildups, the role of microbes and environmental stressors in their development and their implications in palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. Presently, the basin encompasses two lakes (Carri Laufquen Grande and Carri Laufquen Chica) joined by the ephemeral Maquinchao River. Fossil microbialites are found south and southwest of the largest lake. Preferential areas of development for fossil microbialites have been mapped using a high‐resolution differential Global Positioning System. Outcrops are located between 820 and 830 m elevation, higher than actual lake levels and the Maquinchao River where living microbialites have been observed. Field data along with microscopical observations and X‐ray diffraction analyses have revealed a heterogeneity in both distribution and macro‐morphotypes since carbonate buildups display different morphologies such as crust, columns, open flower‐like, rounded and ellipsoids. Conversely, on the meso and micro‐scale they show more homogeneous morphologies including laminations and shrubs. These microbial buildups are associated with basaltic substrates of variable size from pebbles to boulder. The homogeneity in meso and micro‐structures argue in favour of stable intrinsic parameters (i.e. microbial communities) whereas the variable macro‐morphotypes indicate changing extrinsic constraints such as steepness, energy and turbidity. The occurrence of distinctive morphotypes in buildups separated by outcrop and topography suggest that the Maquinchao microbialites are indicative of a former larger lake. Thus, the Maquinchao microbial buildups are a valuable proxy for water‐level evolution and therefore palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. They can be further used to interpret the apparently random distribution of morphological types and extension of microbialites in the geological past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The western slope of Cerro Domuyo in northern Patagonia is characterized by thermal springs with boiling waters, Quaternary silicic domes, and pyroclastic deposits that suggest the existence of a geothermal reservoir. According to geochemical studies, the reservoir may have a temperature of 220 °C and one of the largest advective heat fluxes reported for a continental volcanic center. In this paper, we propose a more refined conceptual model for the Domuyo geothermal area, based on a geological survey supported by U Pb, U Th, and Ar Ar geochronology and by magnetotelluric and gravity surveys. Our study indicates that the Domuyo Volcanic Complex (DVC) is a Middle Pleistocene dome complex overlying middle Miocene to Pliocene volcanic sequences, which in turn cover: 1) the Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Neuquén marine sedimentary succession, 2) silicic ignimbrites dated at ~186.7 Ma, and 3) the Paleozoic metamorphic basement intruded by ~288 Ma granite bodies. The volcanic cycle in the DVC is distinctly bimodal, characterized by the emplacement of massive silicic domes and less voluminous olivine basalts on its southern slope. A major collapse of the central dome at ~600 ka produced a voluminous (19.4 km3 and 133 km2) block-and-ash flow, and associated pyroclastic flows, that filled a valley to the southwest at distances up to ~30 km from Cerro Domuyo summit. This was followed by a period of intense effusive activity that formed the Cerro Guitarra, Cerro Las Pampas, Cerro Domo, and Cerro Covunco silicic domes. The last two domes are the youngest and largest edifices, dated at 0.50 Ma (Ar Ar age) and 0.25 Ma (U Th age). Pre-Cenozoic successions were affected by N-S reverse and thrust faults that were later displaced by an ENE-WSW-trending transtensional belt. The basement rocks at the northern termination of the Cordillera del Viento anticlinorium were also displaced towards the east-northeast by this belt, which is observed NNW of Cerro Domuyo. The DVC was emplaced within this zone of crustal weakness. The integration of geologic observations with magnetotelluric and gravity data, allowed us to develop an updated conceptual model of the geothermal system. The geothermal reservoir is inferred at a depth of less than 2 km within pre-Pliocene fractured rocks, bounded by ~WSW-ENE trending faults and sealed by the pyroclastic deposits and rhyolitic lavas of the DVC. The location of most thermal springs is not directly controlled by faults. Instead, flows emerge at the contact between the fractured and faulted basement and the caprock. • The Domuyo Volcanic Complex (DVC) is a silicic dome complex formed in the Pleistocene. • The central dome collapsed at ~600 ka producing a voluminous (19.4 km3) pyroclastic deposit. • The youngest domes were emplaced at ~500 ka and 250 ka. • The DVC was emplaced within a ENE-WSW trending transtensional zone of crustal weakness. • The geothermal reservoir is hosted in pre-Pliocene rocks sealed by the DVC pyroclastics and lavas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution presents a 1:200,000 scale geologic map of the Anecón Grande area in northern Patagonia (41°00′–41°30′ S/70°00′–70°30′ W, Río Negro province, Argentina), covering around 2300 km2. The map results from a combination of classical visual stereoscopic interpretation of aerial photographs and remote sensing data, later corroborated by field surveys. The geology of the Anecón Grande is composed of a thick succession of intermediate to acidic volcanic and pyroclastic rocks (Late Triassic to Paleogene), and a thick pile of basaltic lava flows of the Somuncura Plateau (Neogene to Quaternary). Volcanic landforms, flat lava flows called ‘escoriales’, and regional peneplains are typical Patagonian landscapes in the Anecón Grande area. The map is of further interest for its socio-cultural relevance because the Anecón Grande area was settled by the Anikhon Grande Mapuche community, being one of the Native South American People and First Nations in Patagonia. Seven sites of geological interest are shown on the map which informs the reader of source areas of lithic materials (geodes, obsidian, peridotite mantle xenoliths) which may be potentially useful in the manufacturing of handicrafts by Mapuche people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]