Tectonic controls on carbonate sequence formation in an active strike–slip setting: Serranilla Basin, Northern Nicaragua Rise, Western Caribbean Sea

Abstract

The Serranilla Basin is a flat-floored, semi-circular bathymetric depression (100×100 km; 1100–1200 m deep) at the western end of the northern Nicaragua Rise (NNR) in the Caribbean Sea. It is bound to the north by the Cayman Trough, an area of active sea floor spreading, and is part of the Northern Caribbean Plate Boundary Zone (NCPBZ). Single-channel, high-resolution seismic data were calibrated to rock dredges and ODP Site 1000 to define the geologic evolution and attempt to tie sequence formation within the basin to tectonic developments in this part of the Caribbean. Five seismic sequences were identified within the basin. The two lower sequences (A and B) are interpreted as neritic and shallow periplatform deposits which infill three distinct basins that make up the early to late Miocene Serranilla Basin. The three upper sequences (C through E) are interpreted as periplatform and pelagic deposits interspersed with turbidites, and in some areas, megabreccias. Faulting is prevalent in sequences A through C in the central basin, and becomes progressively younger toward the south, disrupting the seafloor in places and perhaps indicating renewed activity along the Pedro Fracture Zone. The timing of sequence boundary formation has been correlated to tectonic activity along the NCPBZ and closure of the Central American Seaway. Possible mechanisms of sequence boundary formation include tectonic tilting within the basin in conjunction with increased turbidite deposition, carbonate platform drowning and subsequent back-stepping associated with circulation changes resulting from tectonic `gateway' closure, and megabreccia deposition associated with bank demise. Although a direct genetic relationship is not proven, regional tectonic changes are considered more important than eustatic sea-level changes in controlling depositional sequence formation in the Serranilla Basin.