North Patagonian Batholith North Patagonian Batholith The North Patagonian Batholith () is a series of igneous plutons in the Patagonian Andes of Argentina and Chile. The Northern Patagonian Batholith was formed in the Mesozoic Era and Cenozoic Era. It is made up of a collection of individual plutons made up of granodiorite, tonalite and diorite among other rocks. Most plutons of the North Patagonian Batholith are of Cretaceous Period to the Miocene age of the Neogene Period (135 Ma to 25-15 Ma), during the Mesozoic Era. Late Miocene to early Pliocene (10 to 5 Ma) leucogranites were also intruded. The Tertiary intrusions are
Monte Desert other two nearby deserts. The geography of the land is very similar to that of the interior Patagonian Desert, with volcanic sediments, piedmont plains, large mountain blocks and many usually dry salt lakes. The major river is the Río Colorado and its tributary the Río Desaguadero, which meet in the south of the region and provide its principal source of irrigation water for wine crops. Due to the region lying on the eastern, or leeward, side of the Andes and west of the Sierra de Córdoba, it experiences very little rain. These rain shadow effects are the primary reason for