Madre de Dios Terrane

Distinct fragment of Earth's crust in southwestern Patagonia

Madre de Dios Terrane is a distinct fragment of Earth's crust in southwestern Patagonia. Subduction made the Madre de Dios Terrane collide and accrete to Patagonia (then part of Gondwana) in the Mesozoic. This accretion is thought to have happened at a different location than today and the current location of the terrane is would be the result of displacement along dextral faults.^[1] The terrane is made up of three distinct units:^[1]

Denaro Complex
Torlton Limestone
Duque de York Complex is made up of pelites, greywackes and conglomerates. All these sediments are thought to be derived from a continent or microcontinent. Duque de York Complex was metamorphosed before the Cretaceous intrusions of the South Patagonian Batholith, as is also likely the case of the two other units.

References

^ ^a ^b Sepúlveda, S.A.; Hervé, F.; Calderón, M.; Lacassie, J.P. (2008). "Petrological and geochemical characteristics of metamorphic and igneous units from the allochthonous Madre de Dios Terrane, Southern Chile". Gondwana Research. 13 (2): 238–249.

Geology of Chile

Terranes

Arequipa-Antofalla
Chaitenia
Chilenia
Chiloé
Cuyania
Fitz Roy
Madre de Dios
Mejillonia
Patagonia

Sedimentary
formations
and groups

Cretaceous	Baños del Flaco Fm. Cerro Colorado Fm. Chacarilla Fm. Chañarcillo Gp. Coihaique Gp. Divisadero Gp. Dorotea Fm. Hornitos Fm. La Liga Fm. Ñirehuao Fm. Punta del Cobre Fm. Purilactis Gp. Quiriquina Fm. Viñita Fm. Way Gp. Zapata Fm.
Jurassic	Chacarilla Fm. Coihaique Gp. Ibáñez Fm. La Liga Fm. La Negra Fm. Nacientes del Biobío Fm. Nacientes del Teno Fm. Pan de Azúcar Fm. Tobífera Fm.
Triassic	Canto del Agua Fm. Choiyoi Gp. Panguipulli Fm. Santa Juana Fm. Tralcán Fm.