Thematic mapper studies of volcanism and tectonism in central Mexico

Abstract

Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images were used to define and map fault zones and crustal blocks in central Mexico. These fault zones have been active intermittently during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic and are closely related in time and space to the dominantly calc-alkaline volcanics of the Neogene Mexican Volcanic Belt (MVB). This indicates that deformation within the crust of central Mexico is possibly the dominant factor controlling the oblique orientation of the MVB relative to the Acapulco Trench. Although this area has been intensely studied for decades using a variety of techniques, the regional mapping of neotectonic activity there and the detection and mapping of major fault zones and their relationship to the character and location of volcanism have not been possible until the application of high resolution satellite imagery.