Morphogenesis of the ?"barreales"? and its relationship with the deterioration of the landscape in the Catamarca Valley

Abstract

?Morphogenesis of the ?barreales? and its relationship with the deterioration of the landscape in the Catamarca Valley?. In the present work the analysis of the morphogenetic and morphodynamic characteristics of the ?barreales? is carried out. These are typical geoforms of the arid and semi-arid regions of Argentina, which acquire great development in the extensive pocket framed by the mountains from Ambato and Ancasti, better known as Valle de Catamarca. The large area occupied by ?barreales? and its accelerated expansion in recent times constitute a disturbing indicator of the intensity of the degradation processes that affects the lands that generate and receive runoff in the region. An attempt is made to describe the geomorphic factors that generate such forms and to determine the causes that intensify or accelerate their development.