Fold growth and lateral linkage in the Southern Subandean fold and thrust belt of Argentina and Bolivia. The Argentinean and Bolivian Subandean fold and thrust belt is located at the orogenic front between 18°-23°S and 64°-63°W, east of the Puna-Altiplano system and Eastern Cordillera. This fold and thrust belt is characterized by thin-skinned deformation detached in lower Paleozoic sequences. The compressional stage that affected this part of the orogen began in late Miocene and is ongoing. Examining the morphology of the folds and thrusts by combining digital elevation models, geological maps and field observations, allow us to present tectonic and geomorphological data on lateral fold growth and spatially linked shortening along the San Antonio structural trend. The crest of this fold chain shows multiple culminations, slightly right-stepping, that merge to form the full San Antonio structural trend. Forked drainage patterns and the presence of wind gaps suggest recent fold amplification and lateral growth from these culminations. Linear and stepped linkage geometries are found between single structures. A northward increase in surface elevation and fluvial erosion follows the south to north increase in fold amplitude, aspect ratio and change in structural style from folding to thrusting. The observed along-strike alternation of topographic highs and lows correlates well with the locations of subsurface hydrocarbon traps and saddle spill points indicating that the shallow and deep deformation patterns are coupled as a single structural feature. The same criteria can be applied to other fold chains in the Subandean fold and thrust belt or similar fold belts worldwide to get a better understanding of hydrocarbon occurrence and exploration potential.