Formation, development and disappearance of gypsum stromatolites in the Andean Highlands, Regions of Antofagasta and Atacama, Chile
- Autores: Oscar Ercilla
- Localización: Andean geology: Formerly Revista geológica de Chile, ISSN-e 0718-7106, ISSN 0718-7092, Vol. 46, Nº. 1, 2019, 10 págs.
- Idioma: inglés
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Resumen
The stromatolites are a window to know the origin of life, through the organisms that live together in shallow waters, in extreme conditions, such as those that are formed by gypsum, generating a mineral structure that is preserved in time. When an organic colony dies, the stromatolitic structures remain and the geologic process are still occurring, that includes mineral growth and the erosion of these structures. In this second phase, after the death of the colony, and the manner that it occurs, is not possible without the initial organic phase, which does not always leave a clear register. This paper presents the development of this process in several stages, from the formation of the organic mats to the erosion of these structures, through the various outcrops located in the salars in the Chilean Andean Highlands, these gypsum stromatolites that are formed at a greater geographical altitude.
