Geology Along Southwest Coast of Mexico--Implications for Cretaceous Paleogeography: ABSTRACT

Abstract

The coast of Mexico between Puerto Vallarta (lat. 21/sup 0/N) and the Bay of Tehuantepec (long. 94/sup 0/) rises steeply from the Middle America Trench to expose deeply eroded terranes of metamorphosed ophiolitic, basinal to terrigenous sedimentary, and arc volcanic rocks of Pennsylvanian to middle Cretaceous age, in part lying on older Paleozoic and Proterozoic rocks. Granitic intrusios are of Late Cretaceous to early Cenozoic age. The terranes are overlapped by volcanic rocks of middle Cenozoic age and locally, along the coast, by marine Miocene strata. It is particularly significant to paleogeographic reconstructions that there are no known marine coastal deposits of Late Cretaceous or early Cenozoic age. Eight tectono-stratigraphic units are currently recognized. The Colima terrane is a complete sequence of red colvaniclastic beds and limestones from Neocomian to Aptian (ammonites, rudistids). The Tumbiscatio terrane is comprised of lavas and radiolarian cherts, at least in part Triassic. The Huetamo terrane is formed of turbiditic, volcaniclastic, and calcareous sequences of Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous age (ammonites), locally containing fragments of ophiolite. The fourth unit is comprised of ophiolite terranes. Guerrero terranes are gently metamorphosed lavas, tuffs, and sediments of Late Jurassic to Aptian-Albian age. The Mixteca terrane is comprisedmore » of terrigenous calcareous sequences of Pennsylvanian and Early Jurassic ages lying on early Paleozoic basement. The Oaxaca terrane is a Paleozoic sedimentary sequence overlying metamorphic precambrian basement, and the Xalapa terrane is formed of migmatitic, gneissic rocks of Jurassic(.) age. However, this preliminary breakdown does not convey the chaotic complexity of the region.« less