News Release

Field guide travels the backbone of the Americas

Book Announcement

Geological Society of America

Field Guide 13

image: "Field Trip Guides to the Backbone of the Americas in the Southern and Central Andes: Ridge Collision, Shallow Subduction, and Plateau Uplift" view more 

Credit: Geological Society of America

Boulder, CO, USA – With over 150 maps, diagrams, photographs, and satellite images, this new field guide from The Geological Society of America truly illustrates the Andes of Argentina and Chile on a detailed and intimate level. The five geologic field trips in this volume journey from southern Patagonia, through three regions in the south-central Andes, and on to the Puna plateau. Designed for use in the office or the field, this book also includes up-to-date overviews with references.

The geologic field guides in this volume were written for the five field trips accompanying the 3-7 April 2006 Backbone of the Americas conference in Mendoza, Argentina, co-convened by the Geological Society of America and the Asociacion Geologica Argentina, in association with the Sociedad Geologica de Chile. Volume editors Suzanne Mahlburg Kay of Cornell University and Victor A Ramos of the University of Buenos Aires chaired the meeting, which was organized around three processes influential in the evolution of the western margin and cordilleras of the Americas: ridge collision, shallowing and steepening subduction zones, and plateau and orogenic uplift. The first field trip, to southern Patagonia, highlights the ridge-trench collision theme; the next three, to different regions of the south-central Andes, examine temporal and spatial issues related to shallowing subduction; and the final trip to the central Andean Puna plateau highlights plateau uplift in the context of steepening subduction and lithospheric delamination.

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Individual copies of the volume may be purchased through the Geological Society of America online bookstore http://rock.geosociety.org/Bookstore/default.asp?oID=0&catID=18&pID=FLD013 or by contacting GSA Sales and Service, gsaservice@geosociety.org.

Book editors of earth science journals/publications may request a review copy by contacting Jeanette Hammann, jhammann@geosociety.org.

Field Trip Guides to the Backbone of the Americas in the Southern and Central Andes: Ridge Collision, Shallow Subduction, and Plateau Uplift
Suzanne Mahlburg Kay and Victor A. Ramos (editors)
Geological Society of America Field Guide 13
2008, 181 pages, US$50.00, GSA member price US$40.00
ISBN 978-0-8137-0013-7

www.geosociety.org


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