The Sierras de Córdoba Metasedimentary Series consists of marbles and metasiliciclastic rocks of Ediacaran to early Cambrian age (ca. 630 and 540 Ma) that underwent high-grade metamorphism during the collisional Pampean orogeny in the early Cambrian. The ages of the marbles were determined from the Sr-isotope composition (blind dating) of screened samples of almost pure calcite marble and were further constrained with C- and O-isotope data and U–Pb SHRIMP detrital zircon ages of an interbedded paragneiss. Two groups of samples are recognised with Sr-isotope composition ca. 0.7075 and 0.7085 that are considered stratigraphically significant. The first is inferred early Ediacaran, the second late Ediacaran to early Cambrian. The Sierras de Córdoba Metasedimentary Series is correlated for the first time with marble-bearing metasedimentary series in several sierras to the west and north of Sierras de Córdoba (e.g., the Difunta Correa Sedimentary Sequence and the Ancaján Series), implying that all were probably parts of an originally extensive sedimentary cover. These series bear evidence of sedimentary sources in the Mesoproterozoic (and Paleoproterozoic) basement of the Western Sierras Pampeanas (part of the large MARA continental block) and farther west (Laurentia?). In terms of the age of limestones/marbles and detrital zircon patterns, the Sierras de Córdoba Metasedimentary Series differs strongly from the older section of late Ediacaran to early Cambrian Puncoviscana Formation of northwestern Argentina, which mostly outcrops in northern Sierra Chica and Sierra Norte, with sedimentary input from western Gondwana sources

The effect of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) on concrete performance against external sulfate attack (ESA) is not yet fully known. In this paper, recycled aggregate concretes (RAC) with 0, 50, 75 and 100% of RCA contents were evaluated after 10 years of exposure immersed in 50g/l sodium sulfate solution. Sulfate ingress profiles were obtained by wet chemical analyses and FRX. Also, the mineralogy of the ingress profile was evaluated by thermogravimetric analyses. Finally, microcracking development in samples was evaluated by optical fluorescent microscopy image analysis. Although RAC showed a slight increase in sulfate ingress, due to its higher porosity (about 30% higher SO₃ content near the surface for 50% or higher replacement ratio than control concrete), a dense new matrix still allows a good performance of RAC to external sulfate attack with even 100% RCA content.