Three stages in the Late Paleozoic to Triassic magmatism of southwestern Gondwana, and the relationships with the volcanogenic events in coeval basins

• Six U–Pb ages between c. 279 and 253 Ma were obtained from the Choiyoi magmatism in Argentine Frontal Cordillera.
• Three stages of magmatism are identified in the evolution of the Late Paleozoic to Triassic, southwestern Gondwana margin.
• These stages are named pre-Choiyoi, Choiyoi (286–247 Ma) and post-Choiyoi magmatism, and their characteristics are given.
• The Paganzo basin registers only the pre-Choiyoi magmatism, and the Sauce Grande basin only the Choiyoi magmatism.
• The Paraná and Karoo basins register both the pre-Choiyoi and Choiyoi magmatism.

The intermediate to acid Choiyoi Magmatic Province is the most conspicuous feature along the Late Paleozic continental margin of southwestern Gondwana, and is generally regarded as the possible source for the widespread ash fall deposits interlayered with sedimentary sequences in the adjacent Gondwana basins. The Choiyoi magmatism is geologically constrained between the early Permian San Rafael orogenic phase and the Triassic extensional Huarpica phase in the region of Argentine Frontal Cordillera, Precordillera and San Rafael Block. In order to better assess the Choiyoi magmatism in Argentine Frontal Cordillera, we obtained 6 new LA-ICPMS U–Pb ages between 278.8 ± 3.4 Ma and 252.5 ± 1.9 Ma from plutonic rocks of the Colangüil Batholith and an associated volcanic rock. The global analysis of age data compiled from Chilean and Argentine Late Paleozoic to Triassic outcrops allows us to identify three stages of magmatism: (1) pre-Choiyoi orogenic magmatism, (2) Choiyoi magmatism (286–247 Ma), and (3) post-Choiyoi magmatism related to extensional tectonics. In the Choiyoi stage is there an eastward shift and expansion of the magmatism to the southeast, covering an extensive region that defines the Choiyoi magmatic province. On the basis of comparison with the ages from volcanogenic levels identified in the coeval Gondwana basins, we propose: (a) The pre-Choiyoi volcanism from the Paganzo basin (320–296 Ma) probably has a local source in addition to the Frontal Cordillera region. (b) The pre-Choiyoi and Choiyoi events identified in the Paraná basin (304–275 Ma) are likely to have their source in the Chilean Precordillera. (c) The early stage of the Choiyoi magmatism found in the Sauce Grande basin (284–281 Ma) may have come from the adjacent Las Matras to Chadileuvú blocks. (d) The pre-Choiyoi and Choiyoi events in the Karoo basins (302–253 Ma) include the longest Choiyoi interval, and as a whole bear the best resemblance to the age records along the Chilean and Argentine Frontal Cordillera.