U–Pb dating of carbonate veins constraining timing of beef growth and oil generation within Vaca Muerta Formation and compression history in the Neuquén Basin along the Andean fold and thrust belt

We combine structural analysis of fractures with 22 U–Pb dates measured in fracture-filling carbonate cements from bed-parallel fibrous calcite veins (beef), conjugated and faults within the Vaca Muerta Formation along Andean fold thrust belt Neuquén Basin. The ages constrain accurately relationships between overpressures caused by hydrocarbon generation compression as mechanisms for natural fracturing vein formation. Two generations fibres have been identified beef. first one, consists dark inner zones, which are perpendicular to bedding contain abundant cone-in-cone structures inclusions. dating these yielded Early Late Cretaceous 116.7 ± 17.7 78.8 10.2 Ma. second corresponds outer zones white oblique bedding, indicating growth during layer-parallel shortening. Bed-perpendicular cutting beef Cretaceous-late Palaeocene 72.8 22.4 60.9 10.4 Eocene 52.0 2.9 42.2 18.9 Ma were slip surfaces reverse strike-slip faults, whereas Miocene 13.9 2.6 6.2 1.1 E-W veins. veins, subsidence curves, indicate that formed oil window burial basin, tectonic stresses could enhance their Beef bed-perpendicular Contrarily, late Palaeocene-late NE-SW syn-to post-folding deformation, respectively. In both cases, occurred synchronously forelandward migration magmatic activity attributed flat subduction Pacific slab beneath Andes.