Evidence of Neotectonism in Landforms and Landscape in the East of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

The Magallanes-Fagnano Fault System (MFFS) is the most important Quaternary structure in the Southern Andes. This transform system between the Scotia and South American plates extends over >600 km from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and crosses Tierra del Fuego from W to E. This chapter is based on the analysis of satellite imagery and digital elevation models in combination with reconnaissance flights and field observations. Fieldwork includes validation of remote mapping along with reconnaissance, classification, and the identification of landforms and morphostructural features in selected areas. The geomorphological observations and the morphostructural analysis presented in this chapter argue that the MFFS generated ruptures and co-seismic displacements associated with the latest seismic events of 1949, among other episodes. This neotectonic evidence not only confirms the MFFS as the main potential seismogenic source for Tierra del Fuego but also shows the neotectonic influence on the transform boundary and demonstrates its impact on the landforms and landscape of Tierra del Fuego.