Browsing by Author "Pfeiffer, Marco"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Chronology, stratigraphy and hydrological modelling of extensive wetlands and paleolakes in the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert during the late quaternary
    (2018) Pfeiffer, Marco; Latorre H., Claudio; Santoro, Calogero M.; Gayo Hernández, Eugenia Monserrat; Rojas Ávila, Rodrigo; Laura Carrevedo, Maria; Mc Rostie Bustamante, Virginia Bernardita; Finstad, Kari M.; Heimsath, Arjun; Jungers, Matthew C.; De Pol-Holz, Ricardo; Amundson, Ronald
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    Rare calcium chloride-rich soil and implications for the existence of liquid water in a hyperarid environment
    (2019) Pfeiffer, Marco; Latorre H., Claudio; Gayo Hernández, Eugenia Monserrat; Amundson, Ronald
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    Secuencia estratigráfica de las paleodunas y paleosuelos de Ventanas II en la costa de Chile Central (32º) y su implicancia paleoclimática1
    (2023) Cabello Espinola, Misael Alejandro; Garcia Barriga, Juan Luis; Quilaman Quintulen, Estefania Andrea; Pfeiffer, Marco
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    Stratigraphic sequence of the paleodunes and paleosols of Ventanas II in the coast of central Chile (32°) and its paleoclimatic implication
    (2023) Cabello, Misael; Garcia, Juan Luis; Quilaman, Andrea; Pfeiffer, Marco
    The coast of central Chile maintains an extensive eolian sedimentary record that has remained without much attention and has potential as a paleoenvironmental record. In the Quintero Bay (32 degrees S), Ventanas sector, extensive paleodune fields have been described with a stratigraphy that includes sand sequences intercalated with paleosols, but details on the morphogenesis and pedogenesis of these records and their paleoenvironmental evolution remain unknown. This paper aims to determine the paleogeographic and paleoenvironmental implications of the Ventanas II stratigraphic site. By applying field, laboratory, statistical, and depositional environment descriptions we recognize sedimentary facies and pedogenetic intensity. In Ventanas II site, 13 sedimentary units were identified, which we classified into four facies: paleodune, paleosol, paleowetland, and paleobeach. The lower units of the sequence correspond to a coastal wetland and beach and the upper units (Units 10 to Unit 1) to five paleosols intercalated with paleodunes, denoting a change in the paleogeography within the stratigraphic sequence. The Unit 13 towards the base of the section is a paleosol developed on reworked sediments from the Horcon Formation. The paleosols and the paleodunes suggest similar and recurrent humid and dry conditions, respectively, caused by the latitudinal oscillation of the southern westerly winds during the last glacial period in central Chile.
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    Uncovering the relict periglacial landscapes of the central Chile Andes: Soil formation and polar desert features at 33°S
    (2025) Pfeiffer, Marco; Cárdenas, Valentina; Rovira, Elizabeth; Cordero, Jimmy; Pailamilla, Tamara; Vergara, Joaquín; Maldonado, Paula; Seguel, Oscar; Soto, Nicolás; Garcia Barriga, Juan Luis
    This study investigates periglacial relict surfaces in the central Chile Andes (33°S), focusing on soil formation and geomorphic features. These surfaces, preserved since preglacial periods, provide a unique record of long-term landscape evolution. We analyzed 12 sites with a mean elevation of ∼3200 m a.s.l., spanning 2200–4200 m, with periglacial and polar desert features appearing predominantly above ∼3300 m a.s.l. Fieldwork involved describing and sampling soil profiles, characterizing physical and chemical properties, and documenting geomorphic features across the altitudinal transect. Our results highlight desert pavements, vesicular horizons, patterned ground, and ice wedges, features indicative of a distinctive high-altitude periglacial dominated climatic regime. Soil formation trends across altitudinal vegetational belts show the development of mollic and argillic horizons, shaped by prolonged aridity and minimal glacial erosion, suggesting they are pre-Quaternary surfaces. In-situ mechanical weathering appears central to the genesis of pavements and vesicular horizons. The presence of these features at high elevations, together with evidence of periglacial processes, underscores the distinctive environmental conditions of the high elevation central Chilean Andes. Despite precipitation exceeding ∼500 mm y−1 -higher than in Antarctica or the Arctic-the soils display features typical of polar deserts sensu lato. These findings provide insights into the long-term climatic evolution of mid-latitude high-altitude environments, offering a new perspective on the region's climatic history and the formation of polar desert-like features in a non-polar setting. More broadly, they highlight the significance of mid-latitude high-altitude environments for interpreting polar desert-like features outside polar regions.