Salta Basin

Salta Basin
Cuenca Salta
Location of the basin in Argentina
Etymology	Salta Province
Region	Argentine Northwest
Country	Argentina  Bolivia  Chile
State(s)	Salta, Tucumán Cochabamba 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.

The basin basement is composed of rocks belonging to the Puncoviscana Formation. The volcanism that began in the Late Jurassic was initially of subalkaline character (low sodium and potassium content), but turned increasingly alkaline in the Early Cretaceous.

The rifts of Salta Basin developed in a time of generalized extensional tectonics along western South America. It has been proposed that the Salar de Atacama depression in Chile was once a westward rift arm of the Salta Basin.