Contributions to the knowledge about Environmental Baseline of Quilmes hill, Tucumán, Argentina

Abstract

?Contributions to the knowledge about Environmental Baseline of Quilmes hill, Tucumán, Argentina?. This paper is an approach to the Environmental Baseline of Quilmes hill, province of Tucumán.

The area is located 95 kilometers WNW from San Miguel de Tucumán. It belongs to Sierras Pampeanas morphostructural province. In the hill outcrop mostly metamorphic rocks asigned to Precambrian-Eocambrian. Zoned granitic pegmatites are emplaced in metamorphites. Climatic type is BWkwb. Soil types has been defined as Typic Haplosalids; Litic Ustortents; Typic Torriortents and Litic Torriortents. Five plant communities have been recognized: Forest in gallery, intermountain; Monte shrub communities; Shrub communities with Trichocereus and terrestrial Bromeliaceae in pre-Puna; Puna shrub communities and high andine grasses.

The fauna is composed mainly by andean-patagonic and chaco elements with some species of Yungas origin. Information available registers 207 vertebrates: 4 fishes, 6 amphibians, 28 reptiles, 145 birds and 24 mammals.

The hill and the valley are important for the archeological patrimony of the province. A number of cultures developed there probably from the early Formative to the Hispanis-Aboriginal period. The sites belong to the following localities: El Pichao, El Bañado and Quilmes.