Características texturales y procesos genéticos de los depósitos evaporíticos de la salina del Gualicho, provincia de Río Negro, República Argentina

Abstract

Salina del Gualicho is a salt-pan evaporitic deposit located in the eastern region of Río Negro province, Argentina. It represents a salt body in permanent evolution, that generates deposits whose textural characteristics change cyclically along evolutive periods. It is composed basically of four components: a) evaporitic facies, b) elastic facies, c) organie matter and d) circulant fluids. In this paper. we present the results of a textural analysis of the evaporitic facies of surficialleveIs of this salt body, which are composed essentially by halite and secondly by gypsum and glauberite. The recognized textures are both primary features related to the direct precipitation phenomena from brines and diagenetic, related to postdepositional proeesses, which distinguish Salina del Gualicho as a typical salt-pan.