Correlating the Arperos Basin from Guanajuato, central Mexico, to Santo Tomás, southern Mexico: Implications for the paleogeography and origin of the Guerrero terrane

Martini, Michelangelo; Solari, Luigi Augusto; López‐Martínez, Margarita

doi:10.1130/ges01055.1

Cited by 64 publications

(20 citation statements)

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“…3; Mendoza and Suástegui, 2000;Centeno-García et al, 2008;Martini et al, 2009. Some lines of evidence indicate that the Guerrero terrane represents a North American extensional arc that was rifted from nuclear Mexico during Tithonian-early Aptian backarc extension and subsequently accreted back to the Mexican continental interior, producing backarc inversion and the development of a fold-thrust suture belt exposed at Guanajuato (Martini et al, , 2014. At Guanajuato, arc accretion and consequent development of the suture belt are bracketed to the late Aptian by paleontologic and U-Pb geochronologic ages (Chiodi et al, 1988;Martini et al, 2013) (Fig.…”

Section: Guerrero Terranementioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for two Cretaceous superposed orogenic belts in central Mexico based on paleontologic and K-Ar geochronologic data from the Sierra de los Cuarzos

et al. 2016

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The continental interior of Mexico is characterized by a Late Cretaceous-Eocene fold-thrust belt named the Mexican Fold-Thrust Belt, which shows characteristics of an eastward-tapering orogenic wedge. The juxtaposition of the Guerrero terrane to the west of the Mexican Fold-Thrust Belt has motivated many to propose the accretion of this terrane as the cause for the regional shortening in the Mexican continental interior. The Sierra de los Cuarzos is located in the westernmost Mexican Fold-Thrust Belt, directly to the east of the boundary with the Guerrero terrane. Based on its position, the Sierra de los Cuarzos is key in reconstructing the possible propagation of shortening deformation from the Guerrero terrane suture belt into the Mexican continental interior. Our new paleontologic and K-Ar geochronologic data from the Sierra de los Cuarzos show that shortening in the westernmost Mexican Fold-Thrust Belt started ca. 83 Ma, which is ~30 m.y. later than the late Aptian age of the Guerrero terrane suture boundary. Therefore, the integration of our new paleontologic and geochronologic determinations with previous data suggests that the Guerrero terrane was already accreted and amalgamated with the Mexican continental interior at the time of the formation of the Mexican Fold-Thrust Belt. In light of this, the shortening structures in the western Mexican Fold-Thrust Belt do not show any in-sequence relationship with the adjacent Guerrero terrane suture belt. Therefore, we favor the idea that the Guerrero terrane suture boundary and the Mexican Fold-Thrust Belt are two distinct orogens that mark two distinct stages of tectonic evolution of the North American Pacific margin.

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Section: Guerrero Terranementioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for two Cretaceous superposed orogenic belts in central Mexico based on paleontologic and K-Ar geochronologic data from the Sierra de los Cuarzos

et al. 2016

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“…First, according to a tectonic reconstruction based on the GAWPaP poles (Torsvik et al, ), the southwestern part of NAM was some degrees of latitude farther north (~8°) and clockwise rotated ~20°, as seen in Figure . Second, the western margin of Mexico was completing a process of extension and westward arc migration (Centeno‐García, ; Ortega‐Flores et al, ), and beginning diachronic compression and closure from north to south of the Arperos back‐arc basin (Martini et al, ). Penecontemporaneously, the convergent system of NW of Mexico (Baja California) was undergoing the Alisitos arc assembly and formation of an accretionary complex, as a result of the Farallon plate subduction below NAM (Alsleben et al, ; Boschman et al, ; Schmidt et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paleomagnetism and Geochronology of the Early Cretaceous Dipilto Batholith (NW Nicaragua): Chortís Block Large Rotation With Respect to SW North America

et al. 2020

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The Dipilto Batholith is one of the largest plutonic complexes (~1,200 km 2 ) of the Chortís block. It is located at northwestern Nicaragua in Central America. We present paleomagnetic, rock magnetic, and petrographic results from 34 sites (269 samples) of this batholith and some associated dikes. Four U-Pb (zircon) isotopic ages were obtained from samples collected through the intrusive body in order to gain insight into the timing of silicic magmatism in the southern Chortís block and its possible tectonic and paleogeographic connections with the southwestern North America Plate during the Early Cretaceous. The paleomagnetic analyses of 16 selected sites indicate a large counterclockwise rotation (~101°), with a related paleolatitude of 28.7°N, and isotopic ages ranging from 119.08 ± 0.37 to 112.69 ± 0.44 Ma. Our results imply an updated tectonic model resulted from an inherited peri-Gondwanan position and open the discussion of at least three possible tectonic scenarios for the Chortís block during the Early Cretaceous: (1) Chortís block with an angle of~45°with respect to the southwestern margin of North America. This would imply the removal of an in-between continental or oceanic crust segment by subduction or subduction erosion; (2) Chortís block immediately juxtaposed to the southwestern margin of North America, being part of extension-compression events of the Guerrero Terrane-Arperos basin; or (3) Chortís block juxtaposed to North America, but with intraplate deformation resulting in overestimated counterclockwise rotation for a tectonic decoupled block, called herein the "Dipilto block." Plain Language Summary The plate tectonic evolution of the Caribbean region and NorthAmerica have been a topic of discussion for more than 40 years. This and several previous studies on the rocks of Central America suggest that this region belonged to the south-southwest of the tectonic plate of North America (currently southern Mexico) since at least 80 million years. To demonstrate this, we use the paleomagnetism of 34 sites of the Dipilto Batholith at northwestern Nicaragua, belonging to the continental crust domain named Chortís block, and U-Pb dates to determine the spatial and temporal relationship of Central America. Our results show that at least since the Early Cretaceous (110 million years) the Chortís block was adjacent to the southwestern region of North America. In other words, this implies that the Chortís block belonged to the southwestern part of Mexico, probably next to the geological Guerrero terrane. The new paleogeographic information redefines the tectonic evolution and the causes and consequences of the geological record of this region of Mexico and Central America since the Early Cretaceous.

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“…Four‐step sketches of the geodynamic evolution of the convergent margins of SW North America during the latest Middle Jurassic to late Early Cretaceous (modified after Sedlock et al, ; Flores, ; Bandini et al, ; Pindell et al, ; Flores et al, , ; Escuder‐Viruete & Baumgartner, ; Martini et al, ; Escuder‐Viruete & Castillo‐Carrión, ; Madrigal et al, ; Andjić et al, ; Martini & Ortega‐Gutiérrez, ). The drawing style is after Stampfli et al ().…”

Section: Margin‐scale Geodynamic Scenariomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Albian was characterized by the closure of back‐arc basins along SW North America (Martini et al, ) and W South America (Maloney et al, ; Braz et al, 2018; Figure d), possibly in response to an increased westward velocity of North America and South America (Spikings et al, ; Umhoefer, ). Along SW North America, closure of the Arperos Basin coincided with the accretion of the Alisitos and Guerrero fringing intraoceanic arcs (Busby, ; Centeno‐García et al, ; Figures d and d).…”

Section: Margin‐scale Geodynamic Scenariomentioning

confidence: 99%

Sedimentary Record of Arc‐Continent Collision Along Mesozoic SW North America (Siuna Belt, Nicaragua)

et al. 2019

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The western margin of the Caribbean Plate is a typical example where oceanic and continental terranes have amalgamated by subduction, collision, and strike-slip processes. The boundaries between these blocks, as well as their tectonostratigraphic records, are generally covered by younger deposits and dense tropical vegetation, which may hamper reconstructing the accretionary evolution of the convergent margin. In that context, the study of overlap sedimentary assemblages represents an important tool to constrain the accretion timing of terranes. In northern Central America, the geology of the suture zone between the Chortis Block and the exotic Siuna Intraoceanic Arc indicates that the two terranes were assembled together during a Hauterivian arc-continent collision (approximately 134-131 Ma). The exotic origin of the intraoceanic arc is based on the nature of metamorphic blocks within and the kinematics of the Siuna Serpentinite Mélange. The short duration of the collision event is suggested by coeval exhumation of the Siuna Serpentinite Mélange and Chortis-derived coarse sedimentation (El Amparo Formation) along the suture zone, rapidly followed by onset of pelagic sedimentation (Rio Matis Formation). Although the collision appears to have been short lived and preserved only in the suture zone, postcollisional extension affected intra-arc to back-arc settings of the Chortis Block and led to the formation of kilometer-thick extensional basins. We envisage that the convergent margin inboard of SW Mexico-represented by the fringing Guerrero Intraoceanic Arc and the Mixteca continental terrane-underwent similar postcollisional extension, whereas the western margin of the proto-Caribbean oceanic realm experienced onset of WSW dipping subduction beneath the accreted Siuna Intraoceanic Arc.

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Correlating the Arperos Basin from Guanajuato, central Mexico, to Santo Tomás, southern Mexico: Implications for the paleogeography and origin of the Guerrero terrane

Cited by 64 publications

References 36 publications

Evidence for two Cretaceous superposed orogenic belts in central Mexico based on paleontologic and K-Ar geochronologic data from the Sierra de los Cuarzos

Evidence for two Cretaceous superposed orogenic belts in central Mexico based on paleontologic and K-Ar geochronologic data from the Sierra de los Cuarzos

Paleomagnetism and Geochronology of the Early Cretaceous Dipilto Batholith (NW Nicaragua): Chortís Block Large Rotation With Respect to SW North America

Sedimentary Record of Arc‐Continent Collision Along Mesozoic SW North America (Siuna Belt, Nicaragua)

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