Granitic caves from the Achala Batholith in the Province of Córdoba, Argentina: A study on three particular stories with a common past

Abstract

The igneous or magmatic rocks, especially those with granitic composition, constitute a special type of geomorphological substrate. As fromits exposure on the Earth´s surface and the modelling that eventually takes placeon them, different landscapes with specific characteristics emerge where inherited and present shapes coexist making possible to reconstruct the landscape evolution of the massif. Traditionally, in the studies of granitic landscapes,only the forms observed on the surface are described, where as those that develop underground are not often taken into consideration. In this paper three caves are analysed in order to specify their particular origins and classify it according to its morphological characteristics and the genetic processes involved. These caves are located on the same scarp of the rock massif and, therefore, share a geological and geomorphological common history, which is shown in their hypothesis of evolution. In addition, based on the type of cavityand certain observations of their environments it is possible to establish a relative chronological order in their ages of formation. In this context, it is proven that these underground environments (as the other geographical accidents andgranitic landforms) are not chaotic but - on the contrary- they are structured ingeological and geomorphological processes over time and they respond to acommon evolutionary framework to the entire rock massif. More detailed studies on these environments can develop in new methodological tools to understand the geological history of the granitic landscape they are located in.