The Late Palaeozoic of Western Gondwana: new insights from South American records

Abstract

Late Palaeozoic basins of southern South America offer an excellent opportunity to study sequences deposited in contrasting tectonic regimes, shifting climatic conditions and different sea level positions. From the tectonic point of view, these Late Palaeozoic basins developed in three scenarios (Limarino and Spalletti, 2006): arc-related or Proto-Pacific basins, retroarc or peripheral basins, and large intracratonic or intraplate basins (Fig. 1).