SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHY OF THE MESOZOIC DOMEYKO BASIN, NORTHERN CHILE

The Domeyko Basin of northern Chile records Late Triassic to Early Cre taceous mixed carbonate and siliciclastic marine deposition along the western margin of Gondwana. Sequence stratigraphical analysis has iden tified five long-term sequences of 11-17 Ma duration. Comparison of th e relative sea-level fluctuations interpreted from the Domeyko Basin s uccession with those documented from other similar-aged South American marginal basins and northern hemisphere basins allows the distinction of regional from global events. Relative sea-level fall in the Early Pliensbachian, Early Aalenian and Early Valanginian, and rises in the Early Hettangian, Early and Late Toarcian, Early and Late Bajocian, La te Bathonian and Early Oxfordian of the Domeyko Basin appear time-equi valent to similar events in other southern and northern hemisphere bas ins and are thus interpreted to be products of global sea-level cycles . Long-term relative sea-level falls in the Early Bathonian, Late Oxfo rdian, Early Valanginian and rise in the Late Kimmeridgian are interpr eted to be tectonically driven, continental-scale changes in sediment- accommodation space. The Domeyko Basin succession thus appears to have been dominantly controlled by global sea-level fluctuations during th e Early to Mid-Jurassic and by continental-scale (but not global) fluc tuations during the Mid-Jurassic to Mid-Cretaceous, interpreted to hav e been driven by the fragmentation of Gondwana.