Field Trip 1 - Río de la Plata estuary
Preconference, 3 days (November 14th-16th)
Leaders
Rubén Alvaro López (Departamento de Geología, Universidad de Buenos Aires)
Silvia Marcomini, (Departamento de Geología, Universidad de Buenos Aires)
Roberto Violante (Servicio de Hidrografía Naval)
José Luis Cavallotto (Servicio de Hidrografía Naval)
Contact: scm@gl.fcen.uba.ar
Introduction and purpose
The aim of the excursion is to give participants an insight into the Quaternary Geology of Río de La Plata estuary situated across an ancient rifting valley. The excursionroute will be in Northern Buenos Aires, and will focus on the coastal evolution of a microtidal estuary and adjacent environments such as Paraná delta and Samborombón bay.
The excursion coverage will be general in nature, suited for earth scientists ofvarying backgrounds, but there will be a strong emphasis on what makes human intervention in coastal progradation along urbanized areas like Buenos Aires city and Parana delta.
Evolving on a substratum formed during the Holocene transgression, Río de la Plata estuary configuration is the result of the progradation processes accompanying the last sea-level fall. Coastal plain evolution was controlled by the interaction of hydrometeorological conditions, suchas wind, waves, currents and tidal climate; with a muddy depocenter migration and sea levelfluctuations.
Itinerary
This tour to Río de la Plata estuary offers a unique opportunity to experience the recent transformation of one of the largest microtidal estuaries in the world, and to examine the coastal changes by natural and human processes. Offering a fantastic opportunity for a first hand experience to learn about actual processes in delta, estuaries, marshes and tidal flats. The tour includes a boat trip through distributary channels of Parana delta plain, walks into estuarine plains of Río de la Plata and across the anthropicoast of Buenos Aires city with its new tidal ecosystems, exploring littoral areas with evidences of coastal progradation and retrogradation, and visiting outcrops of late Pleistocene transgressive deposits and fantastic exposures of Holocene beach ridges and tidal flats.
Experience also the soul of tango and its history touring the historic city center.
Tour Highlights
The following is not intended to be prescriptive, but to give you an idea of what we hope to cover during this trip:
A) Paraná delta: Walk and navigate through one of the largest constructive fluvial dominated deltas in the world and scroll through its ecological zones.
B) Buenos Aires city: See the estuarine coastal transformation by human intervention in Buenos Aires city from its colonization, and walk new tidal environments as Reserva Ecologica Costanera sur. Also enjoy an evening of tango in Buenos Aires's historic center.
C) Estuarine coast: Visit the original coast of the estuary during low tide to observe the natural ridge and runnel beach topography favoured by moderate wave-energy conditions on a the flat beaches of very fine sands, as well as areas of strong manifestation of coastal progradation and erosion.
D) Samborombón bay:Reach to the mouth of the Río de la Plata, to access to the bay arc of 135 km, extending from Punta Piedras to the northern point of San Antonio cape. The bay is an extensive microtidal marsh that receives the Samborombón and Salado rivers as well as several artificial channels draining from the humid Pampa, an extensive fertile plains area. Some of the artificial channels expose impressive, hundreds of meters long and more than 5 meters high, outcrops of Holocene beach ridges and ancient tidal flats showing fantastic sedimentary structures and evidences of sea-level fluctuations. In the cliffs that mark the innermost extension of the mid Holocene sea-level rise, exposures of the late Pleistocene Transgression (OIS 5e) can be observed. The area is a Natural Integral Reserve and a wetland (Ramsar). Marshes are colonized by halophytic vegetation. The large number of crabs has been given the name “cangrejal”. It is spawning ground for certain migrating marine fish of commercial and sporting value. This reserve was created to protect native species under threat of extinction.
What’s included in the cost?
- The services of specialized geologists guides who will be available to you at all reasonable times
- Coach excursions each full day
- Lunch
- Admission to any museums, exhibitions etc. as visited by the group.
What’s excluded from the cost?
- Accommodation and dinners in Buenos Aires
- The cost of travel between your hotel and the meeting point.
- Travel insurance
- Incidental expenditure
- Dinner with show of tango
Departure: Buenos Aires city
Arrival: Buenos Aires city
Duration: 3 days (proposed itinerary: Area B: Day 1; Areas C and D: Day 2; Area A: Day 3)
Max number of participants: 18
Min number of participants: 10
Cost: USD 380 per person
Dinner with tango-show (optional): USD 100
Booking: your booking will be confirmed upon receipt a deposit of USD 100 per person.