Salta Basin
| Salta Basin | |
|---|---|
| Cuenca Salta | |
| Coordinates | 23°40′S 66°07′W / 23.667°S 66.117°W |
| Etymology | Salta Province |
| Region | Argentine Northwest |
| Country | Argentina Bolivia Chile |
| State(s) | Salta, Jujuy, Tucumán Potosí Antofagasta |
| Cities | Salta |
| Characteristics | |
| On/Offshore | Onshore |
| Boundaries | Andes |
| Part of | Andean foreland basins |
| Geology | |
| Basin type | Foreland-on-rift basin or intracontinental rift basin |
| Plate | South American |
| Orogeny | Andean |
| Age | Neocomian-Neogene |
| Stratigraphy | Stratigraphy |
Salta Basin or Salta Rift Basin is a sedimentary basin located in the Argentine Northwest. The basin started to accumulate sediments in the Early Cretaceous (Neocomian) and at present it has sedimentary deposits reaching thicknesses of 5,000 metres (16,000 ft). The basin contains seven sub-basins: Tres Cruces, Lomas de Olmedo, Metán, Alemanía, Salfity, El Rey, Sey and Brealito. The basin environment has variously been described as a "foreland rift" and an "intra-continental rift". The basin developed under conditions of extensional tectonics and rift-associated volcanism.