Conservation of the Mount Cameron West engraving site

A study of the site and its surroundings indicates that the geochemical environment is such that although the aeolian calcarenite on which the engravings are executed is soft and friable, it is not undergoing appreciable chemical or physical weathering, at least in the short-term. In contrast the site is under considerable threat from coastal erosion. This threat could be reduced, if not eliminated, through the implementation of coastal erosion control measures

Meso-Cenozoic paleotopographies and paleolandscapes in the Deseado Massif (Santa Cruz province, Argentina)

International audienceThe Deseado Massif is the southernmost part of a continent, outside of Antarctica, where Gondwana Landscapes may be observed and investigated. This paper present preliminary observations and field data about the Gondwana Landscapes of this cratonic area of Southern Argentina, one of the most remote, isolated and less populated places on Earth. Under extreme cold-arid climate conditions, the region presents very scarce vegetation cover, which further enables the geomorphological observations. Remnants of planation surfaces of undisputable Late Mesozoic age, developed on Jurassic volcanic units and covered by Late Cretaceous and Paleogene sedimentary rocks, are exposed along tens of thousands square kilometres of this cratonic unit. In those remote times, the climate of this portion of Patagonia was very wet and warm, responsible for the development of extensive chemical weathering. Volcanic and sedimentary paleosurfaces of younger ages were also recognized in the regional landscape, allowing a reconstruction of uplift and denudation histories since the Late Mesozoic