Geodynamic model of the northwestern Caribbean: scaled reconstruction of Late Cretaceous to Late Eocene plate boundary relocation in Cuba

Crustal structure of eastern Cuba, derived by constrained 3D gravity inversion

“…The folded basement is constituted of ophiolites thin sheets intercalated over and under the Cretaceous Volcanic Arc (CVA). At the Southeast of our study area, the Paleogene Volcanic Arc (PVA) rocks are predominant and lay over the ophiolites flakes and CVA package (Iturralde-Vinent 1998;Iturralde-Vinent et al 2002;Cobiella et al 2011). These geological models were constructed from petrological data taken from surface rocks.…”

“…Geologic models allowed us to establish seven geological units (Iturralde-Vinent 1998Cobiella, 2005;Sommer et al, 2011). We expanded from the simplest model (Occam's razor) with only seven units to nine units (Table 1) for the inversion process.…”

“…Models of genesis and evolution for the Caribbean-Cuba region show little agreement; in-situ (Giunta et al, 1997,James, K.H;2003) and allochthonous (Pindell et al, 1990(Pindell et al, , 2009Iturrade-Vinent, 1998Cobiella, 2005;García-Casco et al, 2008 andSommer et al, 2011). Allochthonous models indicate the area is formed by fragments of the ancient Caribbean plate that overrode the continental Bahamas margin.…”

Variscan ophiolites in NW Iberia: Tracking Lost Paleozoic Oceans and the Assembly of Pangea

“…sedimentary cover (Brink et al, 2002). In this modern example, as apparently occurred in the inception of Pangea, the pull-apart basin was generated after an initial collision event between the two plates that currently limit the basin (García Casco et al, 2008;Sommer et al, 2011). The dextral convergence of Gondwana finally facilitated the closure of the basin and the initial accretion of buoyant oceanic lithosphere below the northern continent after c. 380 Ma; the age of the prograde foliation in the Careón and Purrido ophiolites (Dallmeyer et al, 1997).…”

Variscan ophiolites in NW Iberia: Tracking lost Paleozoic oceans and the assembly of Pangea

“…There, the Gonâve microplate, occupying the pull-apart basin, is comprised of oceanic-type lithosphere, generated by the activity of the Mid-Caiman Spreading Centre, and scarce or nonexistent sedimentary cover (Brink et al, 2002). In this modern example, as apparently occurred in the inception of Pangea, the pull-apart basin was generated after an initial collision event between the two plates that currently limit the basin (García Casco et al, 2008;Sommer et al, 2011). The dextral convergence of Gondwana finally facilitated the closure of the basin and the initial accretion of buoyant oceanic lithosphere below the northern continent after c. 380 Ma; the age of the prograde foliation in the Careón and Purrido ophiolites (Dallmeyer et al, 1997).…”