Large landslide of the hyperarid Central Western Andes triggered during a humid period of the Late Pleistocene (ca. 19°S; northern Chile)

Abstract

The western flank of the Central Andes offers a unique geomorphological record of large paleolandslides that are well preserved on long time‐scales (i.e. ≥Pleistocene) due to the long‐lasting aridity of this region. However, the lack of chronological constraints on those landslides limits our understanding of the respective role of tectonics and climate on their triggering. Here, we report new 10Be surface exposure dating obtained on one of those giant slope‐failures: the Limaxina landslide (northern Chile, 19°S). Five tightly grouped exposure‐ages (one outlier discarded) point to a single landslide failure at 80 ± 4 ka. This timing being consistent with others local records of a wet episode in the Atacama Desert, it suggests a primary role of climate‐forcing on landslide activity in this region, calling to further slope failures dating in the arid Central western Andes to explore landscapes responses to Quaternary climate oscillations and extreme events.