Coastal mapping of the Quaternary deposits in the Strait of Magellan (Chile)

Through the collaboration between the Centro Austral Antartico Universidad de Magallanes and the Dipartimento di Scienze della terra, Università di Cagliari (PVS Project: «Cartografia Geologica e Morfologica delle Coste dello Stretto di Magellano») nine geological maps of the Coastal Atlas of the Strait of Magellan (1:200,000 and 1:50,000 scale) have been realized. The maps refer to Chilean I.G.M., and were made using the preliminary cartography by E.NA.P. (Empresa Nacional de Petroleo) and the Chilean I.G.M., aerial photos by S.A.F. (Servicio Aerofotogrammetrico Fuerza Aerea de Chile) and by the Servicio de Hydrografia Naval (Division Fotogrammetria) of the Argentine Armada, and T.M. and M.S.S. Landsat satellite images. The Project focuses primarly on locating and mapping the marine and transitional terraces in Tierra del Fuego, along the eastern coasts of the Strait of Magellan, between Punta Dungeness and Cabo Froward. From a methodological point of view, we followed the general criteria internationally adopted in coastal geological cartography. Considering the scale and the difficulty in finding complete and uniform preliminary cartography, this mapping differs from the quoted bibliographical references, both in its legends and in some of the graphics related to practical requirements of the studied area. For some aspects (eg: graphics, explanations, information) the map is innovative especially regarding the use of digital data, low production costs and easier readability. Cartographic restitution is prevalently referred to the coastal belt and reports the littoral, aeolian, lacustrine and glacial deposits, processes and forms as well as those due to the flow of surface water or to the present coastal dynamics.