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MIOCENE ROTATION and QUATERNARY UPLIFT of CARMEN ISLAND, BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR, MEXICO by Jamie Patrick Macy a Thesis Submitted I

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MIOCENE ROTATION and QUATERNARY UPLIFT of CARMEN ISLAND, BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR, MEXICO by Jamie Patrick Macy a Thesis Submitted I MIOCENE ROTATION AND QUATERNARY UPLIFT OF CARMEN ISLAND, BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR, MEXICO by Jamie Patrick Macy A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science In Geology Northern Arizona University August, 2005 Approved: Paul J Umhoefer, Ph.D., Chair Michael H Ort, Ph.D. Lee Amoroso, Ph.D. ABSTRACT MIOCENE ROTATION AND QUATERNARY UPLIFT OF CARMEN ISLAND, BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR, MEXICO JAMIE PATRICK MACY The Gulf of California is a young oblique-divergent plate boundary. The plate margin is characterized by rift segments and accommodation zones that contain strike- slip and normal faulting. The Baja California peninsula strikes 330o and many elongate islands in the Gulf of California also follow a NW-SE trend, parallel to the rift trend. Carmen Island, however, has a NNE-SSW, anomalous trend. Carmen Island, located east of the town of Loreto, Baja California Sur, was studied for possible vertical-axis rotation and uplift. Paleomagnetic samples were collected from sites around Carmen Island and compared to locally collected samples on the Baja California peninsula. Uplifted marine terraces were surveyed and shells were collected as dating material. Paleomagnetic samples from Carmen Island showed variable results. Miocene rocks from Carmen Island were found to have varying amounts of rotation ranging from ~2o – 135o. Pliocene rock samples collected from Carmen Island showed little to no rotation when compared to rocks from the Baja California peninsula. Uplifted Quaternary marine terraces were surveyed at Bahia Marquer on Carmen Island to determine uplift rates. Three sets of uplifted marine terraces were surveyed at 18 m, 25 m, and 55 m above sea level at Bahia Marquer. Shells and corals were collected from two marine terraces at Bahia Marquer and one terrace at Punta El Bajo, on the Baja ii California peninsula. Amino acid racemization was used to date and correlate shells collected from Bahia Marquer and Punta El Bajo. U-Th ages of corals were also used to calibrate the amino acid racemization analysis. An uplift rates of ~0.15 m/ka was found for the western side of Carmen Island. These rates suggest that the island is uplifting much faster than the adjacent Baja California peninsula. Carmen Island has been tectonically active since Miocene time and continues today. Paleomagnetic and uplifted marine terrace data confirm this idea. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are several individuals who are directly responsible for helping me finish my thesis. I would foremost like to thank my advisor, Paul Umhoefer, who has stuck with me through the years and guided my research and writing. I would also like to thank my committee members Michael Ort and Lee Amoroso, for their insight and expertise when editing my work. A special thank you goes out to Darrel Kaufman who, although couldn’t be a part of my final committee, was an original committee member and a tremendous help in my marine terrace work. And my thesis would never have been started without the tutelage and mentoring of Larry Mayer, my deepest thanks. While working in the field I was lucky enough to have an old friend as a field assistant and a great deal of gratitude is owed to Eric Meltzer. My parents have supported and encouraged me even when it looked like nothing was happening. Thanks mom and dad for hanging tough and always being there for me. I may never have completed my thesis had it not been for the inspiration and motivation of the closest person in the world to me, Renata Dolecka. She has helped in every aspect of life and was an important part in finishing my work, thank you. This research was partly funded by an NSF Grant awarded to Paul Umnoefer. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………….vii LIST OF FIGURES……………….………………………………….…………….viii APPENDIX……………………………………………………………….cd in pocket CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION…………………………..………….………….....1 Significance of Problem……………………………..…………………….....1 Area of Study……………………………………………..………….……….7 Objectives and Methods of this Study…………………………………...…...9 CHAPTER 2. TECTONIC AND GEOLOGIC SETTING……………..…………..12 Evolution of the Gulf of California…………………………………………12 Geology of the Loreto Rift Segment………………………………………..18 Carmen Island Geology…………………………………………………......25 CHAPTER 3. ROTATION OF CARMEN ISLAND………………………………31 Vertical-Axis Block Rotation……………………………………………….31 Proposed Evolution of Carmen Island………………………………………37 Paleomagnetic Sample Collection…………………………………………..42 Laboratory Procedures……………………………………………………....48 Paleomagnetic Sample Analysis………………………………………….…49 Paleomagnetism Results…………………………………………………….56 Summary…………………………………………………………………….61 CHAPTER 4. QUATERNARY UPLIFT OF CARMEN ISLAND………………..66 Background……………………………………………………………….....66 Coastal Uplift…………………..……………………………………………68 v Previous Work………………………………………………………………73 Marine Terrace Surveys on Carmen Island…………………………………75 Geochronology of Marine Platforms…………………………..…………....84 Interpretations of Geochronology and Correlation of Terraces………..……89 CHAPTER 5. DISCUSSION……………………………………………………...100 Tectonic evolution of Carmen Island……………………..……………….100 Recommendations for Furture Studies…………………………………….112 CHAPTER 6. CONCLUSIONS………………………………………………......117 REFERENCES………………………………………………………………….....119 vi LIST OF TABLES 3.1 Sample locations and bedding at each paleomagnetic site………………………44 3.2 Tilt corrected magnetic poles for paleomagnetic sites…………………………...54 3.3 Mean tilt corrected magnetic poles………………………………………………64 4.1 Amino Acid Racemization Results………………………………………………85 4.2 Isotopic stage ages and uplift rates at Bahía Marquer…………………………...95 4.3 Surveyed uplifted marine terrace at Punta El Bajo and Bahía Marquer…………99 vii LIST OF FIGURES 1.1 Tectonic map of the Gulf of California………………………………………2 1.2 General rift geometry in continental rift……………………………………...4 1.3 Map showing Gulf of California and study area……………………………..5 1.4 Central Baja California with rift segments…………………………………...8 2.1 Oligocene and Miocene volcanic belts Baja California and Mexico……….14 2.2 Tectonic evolution of Gulf of California……………………………………16 2.3 Generalized geologic map of Loreto segment………………………………20 2.4 Geologic map of Carmen Island…………………………………………….23 2.5 Stratigraphic column of map units on Carmen Island……………………....24 3.1 Satellite image of southern Baja California peninsula……………………...32 3.2 Diagram of deformation in right-lateral strike-slip setting………………….34 3.3 Geologic map of Carmen Island with paleomagnetic sits…………………..36 3.4 Poles to bedding and average strike of bedding on Carmen Island…………38 3.5 Proposed evolution of the rotation of Carmen Island……………………….40 3.6 Photograph of Red to red-brown volcanic sandstone……………………….45 3.7 Photograph of Green tuffaceous sandstone…………………………………45 3.8 Photograph of Pink to white welded tuff……………………………………46 3.9 Photograph of Pliocene beige mudstone/marlstone…………………………46 3.10 Photograph of Red volcanic sandstone along San Javier road……………...47 3.11 Ziljderveld diagrams for three cores from a single sample…………………50 3.12 Ziljderveld diagram for one core from three different sites………………...51 3.13 Pole position of mean tilt-corrected paleomagnetic analysis……………….53 viii 3.14 Paleomagnetic rotations for each sample on Carmen Island..………………58 3.15 Mean paleomagnetic rotations for domains on Carmen Island……………..59 3.16 Mean southwest, southeast and north Pliocene Carmen Island tilt corrected magnetic poles..………………………………………………….61 3.17 Mean middle of Carmen Island tile corrected magnetic poles……………...62 3.18 Inclination comparison of paleomagnetic samples………………………….63 4.1 Marine terrace nomenclature………………………………………………..69 4.2 Photograph of abrasion platform from Bahia Marquer…….……………….70 4.3 Modeled terraces at Punta El Bajo…………………………………………..72 4.4 Bahia Marquer survey areas #1 and #2……………………………………...76 4.5 Photograph of Uplifted marine terraces near Arroyo Blanco……………….78 4.6 Elevation contour map from Bahia Marquer survey………………………..79 4.7 Profile of cross-section A-A' from figure 3.02……………………………...80 4.8 Second elevation contour map from Bahia Marquer survey………………..81 4.9 Profile of cross-section B-B’ from figure 4.7……………………………….82 4.10 Photograph of 2-3 flights of uplifted marine terrace at Bahia Marquer…….83 4.11 Photograph of collecting shells……………………………………………...84 4.12 Photograph of 18m, 107 ka terrace deposit at Bahia Marquer……………...87 4.13 Photograph of shells and corals collected from 25m, 125 ka terrace……….88 4.14 Photograph of calcarenite matrix associated with shells……………………89 4.15 Photograph of identification of shell species from Marquer and Punta El Bajo………………………………………………………………..90 4.16 Graph plotting shell samples collected at Bahia Marquer with A/I ix ratios and their associated elevation terrace………………………..………91 4.17 Graph plotting shell samples collected at Punta El Bajo with A/I ratios and the elevation at which the shells were collected…………………92 4.18 A/I ratios from Punta El Bajo and Bahía Marquer………………………….93 4.19 Graph of epimerization/racemization of isoleucine for given ambient temperatures………………………………………………………..94 4.20 Graph showing predicted spacing of marine terrace at Bahia Marquer……………………………………………………………………...96 4.21 Bahía Marquer uplift rate regression analysis………………………………98 5.1 Modified tectonic evolution of Carmen Island……………………….........101 5.2 Carmen Island restored 100o……………………………………………….105 x CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION The better understood rift systems of the world, such as the Gulf of Suez, the East African Rift and the Rio Grande Rift, are orthogonal in extension direction relative
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