Eastern Guatemala Research Articles

Offset across the Polochic fault of Guatemala and Chiapas, Mexico

Research Article| June 01, 1978 Offset across the Polochic fault of Guatemala and Chiapas, Mexico Burke Burkart Burke Burkart 1Department of Geology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas 76019 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Burke Burkart 1Department of Geology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas 76019 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1978) 6 (6): 328–332. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1978)6<328:OATPFO>2.0.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Burke Burkart; Offset across the Polochic fault of Guatemala and Chiapas, Mexico. Geology 1978;; 6 (6): 328–332. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1978)6<328:OATPFO>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Polochic fault is seen on LANDSAT imagery to continue its westward path from northwestern Guatemala across the Chiapas massif to the Pacific coastal plain. The fault has had 132 ± 5 km of left-lateral displacement that is recorded in the offset of Cenozoic fold and thrust belt structure and stratigraphy. The trace of the Polochic fault has been folded into what approximates a sinusoidal curve of about 130-km wave length and 7-km amplitude by an essentially east-west compressive stress. The curious similarity in displacement and fold wavelength results in a premovement reconstruction that reveals not only a match across the fault in geology, but an almost perfect fit of one block against the others. Some segments of the fault across which recorded slip took place are probably locked and not active. Strain has shifted to other shears in western Guatemala and Chiapas and to the Motagua fault. Parts of the Polochic and the newer shears may be alternating with the Motagua as the Caribbean-North American plate boundary. With the 132 km of slip removed, segments of the now fragmented Cenozoic fold belt can be brought into coincidence in a clear-cut arcuate trend that is convex southwest. The major fault displacement is believed to have occurred within the interval from middle Miocene to middle Pliocene time. Eastern Guatemala has undergone a counterclockwise rotation of about 25° that reoriented the fault trace and all other structural fabric from due east to the present east-northeast azimuth. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.

Aftershocks of the Guatemalan Earthquake of February 4, 1976

Several thousand earthquakes were recorded by portable seismic stations operated in Guatemala within the first week following the destructive earthquake of February 4, 1976. The seismically active zone followed the Motagua fault through eastern and central Guatemala, and then branched sharply southward about 35 km west of Guatemala City. These data support the conclusion from field evidence that the main earthquake was caused by movement within the Motagua fault zone. A total rupture length of at least 250 km, defining a segment of the active boundary between the North American and Caribbean plates, is inferred. The southward trending zone of aftershock activity may be a newly defined section of the boundary, or a secondary fault.

Litter Fall and Leaf Decomposition in a Tropical Forest Succession in Eastern Guatemala

Litter Fall and Leaf Decomposition in a Tropical Forest Succession in Eastern Guatemala

Geophysical reconnaissance of the Western Cayman Ridge

Magnetic, gravity, and seismic reflection profiles indicate that the western Cayman ridge is composed of sedimentary rocks overlying a magnetic basement. Presumably, the ridge is a piece of continental material rifted northward from the Nicaraguan rise. The ridge changes trend from approximately E-W to NE-SW near its western end and seems to extend into the highly fractured belt between the Polochic and Motagua fault zones of eastern Guatemala. As the ridge probably forms the mutual boundary of the North American and Caribbean lithospheric plates, the change in trend combined with the left lateral plate motion may account for the extensional pattern in northeastern Central America.

Variation Among Tripsacum Populations of Mexico and Guatemala

Seven species of the genusTripsacum, one with a well marked subspecies, are indigenous to Mexico and Guatemala. Two diploids,T. zopilotense andT. maizar, are restricted to western and southwestern Mexico. The typical diploid form of a third species,T. latifolium, occurs in south central and eastern Guatemala; atypical tetraploid forms of this species are found in western Mexico. Four tetraploids,T. dactyloides, T. dactyloides ssp.hispidum, T. lanceolatum, andT. pilosum, have ranges extending from northwestern Mexico southeastward into Guatemala. The seventh species is the highly sterile tetraploid,T. laxum, of doubtful occurrence in the wild. It is readily propagated vegetatively and has been widely distributed in Latin America and the West Indies as a forage plant. Field studies of the range of variation in 80 Mexican and Guatemalan populations included an evaluation of 16 definitive morphological characteristics from an average of approximately six individuals of each population. Seventy-three of the 80 populations were allopatric, and of these, 50 were classed as typical, 13 as atypical, and ten as intermediates. Thirty-nine of the 50 populations classed as typical were tetraploid, and 11 were diploid. Of the 23 atypical and intermediate populations, 17 were tetraploid and six were diploid. Fifty-eight tetraploid populations, which included typical, atypical, and intermediate forms ofT. dactyloides, T. dactyloides ssp.hispidum, T. lanceolatum, T. pilosum, andT. latifolium, comprised an inclusive intergrading series having different combinations of characteristics distinguishing the two very dissimilar diploids,T. mizar andT. zopilotense. This series was interpreted as support for the hypothesis of Randolph & Hernandez (1950), that the tetraploid populations originated as alloploid derivatives of these or closely related diploid species. The occurrence in some of the tetraploid populations of characteristics not seen in either of the putative parental species was noted, and the possibility that other taxa also might have been involved in their origin is under investigation. In addition to the 73 allopatric populations included in this survey there were seven sympatric and mixed associations of diploid and tetraploid taxa. Among these were hybrids with various combinations of the characteristics differentiating taxa of the associated populations. These hybrids effectively obscured differences between taxa, thus creating a syngameon complex from which genetic recombinants were observed to have spread into recently disturbed habitats of neighboring areas. From such direct evidence, and the existing interrelationships among allopatric and sympatric populations, it was concluded that the origin of the Mexican and Guatemalan tetraploidTripsacum species and various atypical and intermediate variants, has involved, and is continuing to involve, alloploid recombinants of diploid species and syngameon complexes, of which those encountered in this survey are examples.

Chorti (Mayan) Ceremonial Organization

A recent typology of the Mayas (Tax 1964) classified the Chortí of eastern Guatemala as intermediate between the Yucatec, where shamans have both individual and communal functions, and the peoples of the Guatemalan highlands, where shamans perform for individuals and communal ceremonies are performed by permanent organizations (cofradías). Reinterpreting published reports in the light of new fieldwork, the author suggests (1) that some aspects of Chortí society cast doubt on the aptness of a distinction between individual and communal functions and (2) that of the Chortí towns, all but one, Quezaltepeque, appear to fit the Yucatec pattern very closely, suggesting that Quezaltepeque has been affected by its exposure to western pilgrims passing through it en route to Esquipulas each year.

A Collection of Birds from the Arid Interior of Eastern Guatemala

A Collection of Birds from the Arid Interior of Eastern Guatemala

The Chorti and the Problem of the Survival of Maya Culture

R AFAEL GIRARD' has recently published a monumental work2 which bears on the problem of the origins and survival of Maya culture and postulates the existence of the ancient Maya religion and calendar among the present-day Chorti Indians of eastern Guatemala and western Honduras. This work raises a methodological question as to the fruitfulness of interpreting what one observes about a present-day people almost wholly in the light of what is assumed to have been true of that people in the historic past. Part of Girard's thesis is that the present-day Chorti have conserved, in their essential form, the institutions, traditions, and customs of their Maya ancestors. It is the purpose of this paper to analyze and evaluate those sections of Girard's work which are relevant to this thesis.3 Girard's propositions are:

The Birds of the Sierra de las Minas, Eastern Guatemala.

IbisVolume 77, Issue 4 p. 807-817 The Birds of the Sierra de las Minas, Eastern Guatemala. Ludlow Griscom F.A.O.U., M.B.O.U., Ludlow Griscom F.A.O.U., M.B.O.U.Search for more papers by this author Ludlow Griscom F.A.O.U., M.B.O.U., Ludlow Griscom F.A.O.U., M.B.O.U.Search for more papers by this author First published: October 1935 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919X.1935.tb01633.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume77, Issue4October 1935Pages 807-817 RelatedInformation

Notes on the Geology of Eastern Guatemala and Northwestern Spanish Honduras

Previous articleNext article FreeNotes on the Geology of Eastern Guatemala and Northwestern Spanish HondurasSidney PowersSidney Powers Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Journal of Geology Volume 26, Number 6Sep. - Oct., 1918 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/622612 Views: 336Total views on this site Citations: 9Citations are reported from Crossref PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Marco Guzmán-Speziale, Enrique Molina Seismicity and seismically active faulting of Guatemala: A review, Journal of South American Earth Sciences 115 (Apr 2022): 103740.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsames.2022.103740John P. Craddock, Kim Neilson, Cameron Petersen, Ryan Porter, David H. Malone Calcite twinning fabrics along the Middle America trench, Costa Rica and the Motagua sinistral fault, Honduras and Jamaica: Tectonic implications for the Caribbean plate, Journal of South American Earth Sciences 104 (Dec 2020): 102816.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsames.2020.102816Jonathan Obrist‐Farner, Andreas Eckert, Marek Locmelis, James L. Crowley, Byron Mota‐Vidaure, Emanuele Lodolo, Joshua Rosenfeld, Edward Duarte The role of the Polochic Fault as part of the North American and Caribbean Plate boundary: Insights from the infill of the Lake Izabal Basin, Basin Research 32, no.66 (Jan 2020): 1347–1364.https://doi.org/10.1111/bre.12431Keith James Structural geology, (Feb 2010).https://doi.org/10.1201/9780203947043.ch11Jeffrey Marshall Geomorphology and physiographic provinces, (Feb 2010).https://doi.org/10.1201/9780203947043.pt2W.I. Manton, R.S. Manton Chapter 9 The southern flank of the tela basin, republic of honduras, (Jan 1999): 219–236.https://doi.org/10.1016/S1874-5997(99)80043-4W. I. Manton Tectonic interpretation of the morphology of Honduras, Tectonics 6, no.55 (Jul 2010): 633–651.https://doi.org/10.1029/TC006i005p00633Thomas W. Donnelly, Gregory S. Home, Richard C. Finch, Ernesto López-Ramos Northern Central America; The Maya and Chortis blockse, (): 37–76.https://doi.org/10.1130/DNAG-GNA-H.37J. J. Dozy Some notes on the volcanoes of guatemala, Bulletin Volcanologique 8, no.11 (Dec 1949): 47–67.https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02596779