The proposed research plan aims to develop three-dimensional (3D) geological and thermo-mechanical models at the lithospheric scale of the Macachín Basin (La Pampa province, Argentina) and its surrounding areas. The objective is to provide novel information on the basin’s boundaries, variations in sedimentary thicknesses, hydrocarbon potential (through temperature modeling), and crustal heterogeneities. Additionally, the study will investigate possible basin formation mechanisms and their relationship with the suture zone of the Pampean orogen and the Río de la Plata craton. 

The research seeks to identify crustal or lithospheric structures that have influenced the development and evolution of the Macachín Basin, as well as to explore the possible westward extension of regional structures previously identified in the southwestern margin of the Río de la Plata craton. Furthermore, given that the area has experienced seismic activity in recent years, thermo-mechanical models will be compared with deformation rates and plate motion velocities to obtain new insights that may link the area's neotectonic activity with its mechanical structure. 
This approach is innovative, as no studies of this kind have been conducted in the region to date. The expected results will provide valuable information on tectono-sedimentary processes, hydrocarbon potential, and lithospheric-scale geodynamic characteristics, contributing to a deeper understanding of the Pampean region’s evolutionary history. This project also represents a natural westward extension of the study area I investigated during my doctoral research on the southwestern margin of the Río de la Plata craton. 

The aim of working at the 4.5 section 'Subsurface Process Modelling' of GFZ-Helmholtz Institute is to test innovative modelling and up-to-date codes/softwares that will help to have the best results during the modelling processes.

Cooperation Partner:
Dr. Sebastián Emanuel Vazquez Lucero
Investigador en formación, área Geofísica
IGeBA (UBA - CONICET)
Departamento de Ciencias Geológicas
Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales - UBA
Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires - ARGENTINA