Caracterización morfométrica de la cuenca del río Fuego, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
Morphometric characterization of the Fuego River Basin, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
María Paula Bottone1,3,*, Andrea Coronato2, Juan Federico Ponce1,2
1 Instituto de Ciencias Polares, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Tierra del Fuego. Fuegia Basket 251, 9410, Ushuaia, Argentina.
2 Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Bernardo Houssay 200, 9410, Ushuaia, Argentina.
3 Secretaría de Ambiente, Ministerio de Producción y Ambiente, Gobierno de Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur. San Martín 1410, 9410, Ushuaia, Argentina.
* Autor para correspondencia: (M.P. Bottone) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
How to cite this article:
Bottone, M.P., Coronato, A., Ponce, J.F., 2025, Caracterización morfométrica de la cuenca del río Fuego, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina: Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana, 77(3), A020925. http://dx.doi.org/10.18268/BSGM2025v77n3a020925
Manuscript received: February 1, 2025. Corrected manuscript received: July 20, 2025. Manuscript accepted: August 2, 2025.
ABSTRACT
Morphometric analysis is a useful method for identifying areas susceptible to erosion and flooding in basins with limited hydrological information. This study aims to characterize the hydrological dynamics of the Fuego River basin, located in Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina, applying a morphometric approach. Morphometric parameters and index were measured and calculated to describe the hydro-geomorphological features of the basin and to infer its hydrological behavior, among others, Drainage Density, Bifurcation Ratio, Torrentiality Coefficient are analyzed. The obtained results indicate the basin is oriented southwest-northeast, elongated in shape, and intermediate to large in size, the western side has greater relief, sub-basin numbers, and higher-order streams than the eastern. Erosion evidence and gully development, a predominantly homogeneous litholog y with local heterogeneities, and a drainage network density ranging from low to moderate are some of its characteristics. The basin’s hydrological behavior is conditioned by its location within two morphostructural units and also by its topographic, lithological (marine foreland-basin sedimentary rocks), sedimentological, and geomorphological features of glacial, glaciofluvial, fluvial, and coastal origin. Erosive potential is concentrated in the upper and middle river stretches, while flood susceptibility is high in the lower sector, according to the spatial variability of the precipitation gradient. In several sub-basins and in the main river channel, evidence of flash-flood erosion was observed. This process is triggered by the breaking of dams built by the invasive species Castor canadensis. The obtained results provide useful insights for land management and land-use planning in the basin.
Keywords: basin morphometry, quantitative geomorphology, fluvial dynamics, Fuego River, Tierra del Fuego.