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Evolution of Middle America and the in Situ Caribbean Plate Model

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Evolution of Middle America and the in situ Caribbean Plate model KEITH H. JAMES Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth, Wales, UK and Consultant Geologist, Plaza de la Cebada 3, 09346 Covarrubias, Burgos, Spain (e-mail: [email protected]) Abstract: Regional geological data and global analogues suggest Caribbean Plate geology con- tinues that seen along the margin of eastern North America in a more extensional setting, between the diverging Americas. From west to east there are continental masses with Triassic rifts, proximal continental blocks with kilometres-thick Mesozoic carbonates, more distal areas of Palaeozoic horsts flanked by Triassic–Jurassic dipping wedges of sediments, including salt and overlain by Cretaceous basalts, and most distal areas of serpentinized upper mantle. Plate history began along with the Late Triassic formation of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province and involved Triassic–Jurassic rifting, Jurassic–Early Cenozoic extension and Oligocene– Recent strike–slip. Great extension promoted volcanism, foundering, eastward growth of the plate by backarc spreading and distribution of continental fragments on the plate interior and along its margins. Hydrocarbons probably are present. Caribbean geology has important implica- tions for understanding of oceanic plateaus, intra-oceanic volcanic arcs, the ‘andesite problem’ and genesis of ‘subduction’ HP/LT metamorphic rocks. The model can be tested by re-examination of existing samples and seismic data and by deep sea drilling. Middle America – crustal makeup as Triassic–Jurassic rifts with dextral component of movement; (b) generated N608E extensional Based upon data discussed in a sister article this faults such as the Hess and NW Campeche escarp- paper suggests an in situ evolution of the Caribbean ments; and (c) generated the Florida Arch. Curved Plate between North and South America. The data faults in northern Central America reflect oroclinal indicate that Middle America is built mainly of bending and shortening during Cenozoic sinistral extended/distributed continental crust and smaller reactivation of N358E trends (James 2007). areas of pseudo-oceanic crust (serpentinized mantle) The following sketches suggest a Pangaean recon- (the only recognized spreading crust, with magnetic struction and the evolution of Middle America. anomalies, lies in the centre of the Cayman Trough; They do not pretend to be quantitative. Fig. 1). The geology continues that along the eastern margin of North America but in a more extensional Pangaean reconstruction setting between the diverging Americas. Rifted and extended continent with thick Mesozoic carbonate Pre-drift restoration of Middle America (Fig. 3a) cover recording subsidence surrounds the Gulf requires removal of sinistral offset and extension of Mexico and Yucata´n basins and underpins the between North and South America and removal of Florida–Bahamas platform and the submerged volcanic-arc crust and serpentinized mantle (Fig. 1). extension, as far as Jamaica, of continental Chortı´s The Gulf of Mexico (NAm) is closed up around the along the Nicaragua Rise. The internal Gulf of Maya Block. Maya and Chortı´s are united (removal Mexico, Yucata´n, Colombian, Venezuelan and of c. 900 km of Jurassic–Cretaceous, early Cayman Grenada basins carry extended continental blocks offset and 300 km of Oligocene–Recent Cayman flanked by half-grabens with wedge-shape fill, offset) by aligning their faulted eastern margins bounded by areas of thin (c. 3 km) pseudo oceanic and Jurassic rifts associated with the Rı´o Hondo crust of serpentinized mantle. and Guayape´ faults (Fig. 2). This also restores Cuba north of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, them- Tectonic fabric selves closed up by removal of Cenozoic pull-apart. Thick crust of the Caribbean ‘Plateau’, western Middle America manifests a regional tectonic Venezuela Basin, lies close to South America. fabric (Fig. 2) that demonstrates regional geological Similar crust seems to be present in the Yucata´n coherence and shows that no major block rotations and Colombian basins. Cenozoic oroclinal or plate migration occurred. The stress–strain bending of the Motagua and Agalta areas and ellipse (inset) for sinistral movement of North western Cuba (James 2007) is removed. The Hess America away from South America along N608W Escarpment/southern limit of the Nicaragua Rise fractures (a) reactivated N358E Palaeozoic sutures restores against the Me´rida trend of NW Venezuela. From:JAMES, K. H., LORENTE,M.A.&PINDELL, J. L. (eds) The Origin and Evolution of the Caribbean Plate. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 328, 127–138. DOI: 10.1144/SP328.4 0305-8719/09/$15.00 # The Geological Society of London 2009. 128 K. H. JAMES Fig. 1. Middle America crustal types/distribution. Continental blocks, indicated by crustal thickness (gravity, seismic), high silica rocks and dredge samples, beneath southern Central America (SCA) and the Greater Antilles–northern Lesser Antilles (NLA) are hidden beneath obducted volcanic arc/oceanic crust. Thick crustal areas on the Lower Nicaragua Rise (LNR), eastern Yucata´n Basin (EYB), Caribbean ‘Plateau’ (CP) and west Colombia Basin (WCB) are underpinned by extended continent and locally overlain by Upper Cretaceous basalts. Serpentinized mantle possibly includes extremely attenuated continental crust. The Oligocene–Recent area in the Cayman Trough (red) is the only area with spreading magnetic anomalies. Northwestern South America – the ‘Bolivar Block’ continental margin. Here, asymmetric basins is restored several hundred kilometres to the SW accommodated red beds, carbonates and evaporites along the Me´rida Andes – Eastern Cordillera of as seaward-dipping wedges along the eastern sea- Venezuela–Colombia. The Aruba–Blanquilla island board of North America to Caribbean latitudes. chain does not exist at this time. Southern Central Major N608E trending features such as the Hess America (Chorotega–Choco´) restores to the SW and NW Campeche escarpments and the La of Chortı´s (present day Gulf of Tehuantepec, Trocha F. formed as the extensional strain within James 2007). the regional N608W sinistral system of offset This schematic reconstruction suggests continu- between North and South America (Fig. 2). The ity of major faults crossing Maya and Chortı´s with resultant new basins accommodated salt deposition. southern Florida and the eastern seaboard of North Since salt diapirs and ultramafic rocks are seen America and its continuation into NW South along northern Honduras (Pinet 1971, 1972) and America, possibly through the Sierra Nevada de since serpentinites occur in the Motagua fault zone Santa Marta in Colombia. in the Cretaceous (Harlow et al. 2004), this paper suggests that the early Cayman Trough extended Geological evolution between Maya and Chortı´s as a salt basin at this time (Figs 4 & 5). Triassic–Early Jurassic rifting (Fig. 3b) reactivated Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous spreading in Palaeozoic continental sutures as rifts, accommo- the Central Atlantic resulted in WNW drift of North dating red beds and basalts (Manspeizer 1988; for America from Gondwana (South America–Africa) a more regional vision of the Central Atlantic Mag- and great extension in Middle America (Fig. 4a, matic Province and continental margin wedges James 2009, fig. 4). Slip along major NW transfer see McHone et al. 2005, Fig. 1). Inboard basins faults within southern North America continued, off- were then abandoned as extension moved to the setting the formerly linear Appalachian–Ouachita IN SITU CARIBBEAN PLATE MODEL 129 Fig. 2. Interpretation of Middle America tectonic fabric as the result of (1) reactivation of ancient lineaments (N358E), (2) extension (N608E) and strike–slip (east–west) strain within the sinistral offset (N608W) of North from South America. AI, Aklins–Inagua–Caicos; BF, Beata F; BR, Beata Ridge; BRR, Blue Ridge Rift; CE, Campeche Escarpment; CT, Catoche Tongue; EG, Espino Graben; GF, Guayape FM; HE, Hess Escarpment; LT, La Trocha FM; MG, Me´rida Graben; MiG, Mississippi Graben; M-SF, Motagua–Swan FM; OR, Oachita Rift; PF, Patuca FM; PG, Perija´ Graben – Urdaneta; RBFZ, Rı´o Bravo fault zone; RGR, Rı´o Grande Rift; RHF, Rı´o Hondo FM; SAL, San Andre´s Lineament; TF, Ticul FM; TG, Takutu Graben; TT, Texas Transform; TSZ, Tenochtitlan Shear Zone; TZR, Tepic– Zacoalco Rift; VF, Veracruz FM; YC, Yucata´n Channel. Red line, SE limit of Caribbean Plateau, the Central Venezuela FZ. Green lines, magnetic anomalies. Compiled from many sources. trend and opening the Gulf of Mexico as the conti- introduced strike–slip along the southern Caribbean nent interior pulled away from the Maya Block Plate boundary, possibly provoking HP/LT and the NW Campeche Escarpment. metamorphism in rapidly subsiding/filling deeps, Maya moved west relative to Chortı´s by some enhanced Caribbean extension and resulted in a 900 km (early Cayman displacement). Chortı´s first phase of basalt extrusion (120 Ma). Atlantic– moved around 900 km NW relative to South Caribbean convergence resulted in subduction America and 400 km NW relative to Chorotega/ below dispersed continental fragments along the Choco´. Marginal areas subsided to accommodate Lesser Antilles with resultant volcanism. Uplift to platform carbonates several kilometres thick wave base, formation of an unconformity capped (Florida–Bahamas platform–Greater Antilles, by shallow marine limestones and change of Limestone Caribbees, Campeche–Yucata´n– arc chemistry from primitive to calc-alkaline Nicaragua Rise).
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