Jurassic and Early Cretaceous radiolarians in Puerto Rican ophiolite—Tectonic implications

Mattson, Peter H.; Pessagno, Emile A.

doi:10.1130/0091-7613(1979)7<440:jaecri>2.0.co;2

Cited by 44 publications

(17 citation statements)

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“…In Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, pillow basalts are interbedded with ribbon radiolarian cherts of Late Jurassic -Early Cretaceous age and exhibit a Pacific affinity (Mattson and Pessagno, 1979;Montgomery et al, 1994). In Hispaniola and possibly in Puerto Rico, these MORB-type basalts probably emplaced near a hotspot (Donnelly et al, 1990;Lapierre et al, 1999).…”

Section: Comparison With the Northern Andes And Caribbeanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geodynamic significance of the Raspas Metamorphic Complex (SW Ecuador): geochemical and isotopic constraints

et al. 2002

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The Raspas Metamorphic Complex of southwestern Ecuador is regarded as the southernmost remnant of oceanic and continental terranes accreted in the latest Jurassic -Early Cretaceous. It consists of variably metamorphosed rock types. (1) Mafic and ultramafic rocks metamorphosed under high-pressure (HP) conditions (eclogite facies) show oceanic plateau affinities with flat REE chondrite-normalized patterns, eNd 150 Ma ranging from + 4.6 to 9.8 and initial Pb isotopic ratios intermediate between MORB and OIB. (2) Sedimentary rocks metamorphosed under eclogitic conditions exhibit LREE enriched patterns, strong negative Eu anomalies, Rb, Nb, U, Th, Pb enrichments, low eNd 150 Ma values (from À 6.4 to À 9.5), and high initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr and 206,207,208 Pb/ 204 Pb isotopic ratios suggesting they were originally sediments derived from the erosion of an old continental crust. (3) Epidote-bearing amphibolites show N-MORB affinities with LREE depleted patterns, LILE, Zr, Hf and Th depletion, high eNd 150 Ma (> + 10) and low initial Pb isotopic ratios. The present-day well defined internal structure of the Raspas Metamorphic Complex seems to be inconsistent with the formerly proposed interpretation of a ''tectonic mélange''. The association of oceanic plateau rocks and continent-derived sediments both metamorphosed in HP conditions suggests that the thin edge of the oceanic plateau first entered the subduction zone and dragged sediments downward of the accretionary wedge along the Wadatti -Benioff zone. Subsequently, when its thickest part arrived into the subduction zone, the oceanic plateau jammed the subduction processes, due to its high buoyancy. In Ecuador and Colombia, the latest Jurassic -Early Cretaceous suture involves HP oceanic plateau rocks and N-MORB rocks metamorphosed under lower grades, suggesting a composite or polyphase nature for the latest Jurassic -Early Cretaceous accretionary event. D

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Section: Comparison With the Northern Andes And Caribbeanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geodynamic significance of the Raspas Metamorphic Complex (SW Ecuador): geochemical and isotopic constraints

et al. 2002

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“…6B), in more localized exposures at Media Quijada (Fig. 6A), and in several quarries east of the Mayagüez (Mattson, 1960;Schellekens et al, 1991) areas, a matrix of highly sheared serpentinite engulfs huge tectonic blocks up to a kilometer in length (Mattson, 1960(Mattson, , 1973Mattson et al, 1973;Mattson and Pessagno, 1979;McIntyre, 1975;Wadge et al, 1983;Joyce, 1986;Joyce et al, 1987a,b;Schellekens et al, 1991). Most consist of MORB-like amphibolite and altered basalt of oceanic ridge affinity (Fig.…”

Section: Pre-arc Complexmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…According to current views, based largely on preserved radiolarian fauna in chert of pre-island arc pelagic sediments (Mattson and Pessagno, 1979;Schellekens et al, 1991;Montgomery et al, 1994a,b), the Caribbean plate originated as a part of the now largely disappeared Farallon plate within the eastern Mesozoic Pacific basin (Burke, 1988;Donnelly, 1989;Donnelly et al, 1990;Pindell and Barrett, 1990;Lebron and Perfit, 1994;Montgomery et al, 1994a,b). The Greater Antilles, including Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, and Jamaica (Burke, 1988), plus perhaps Cuba (Pindell and Barrett, 1990), were gradually marginalized by left-lateral strike-slip faulting generated by friction along the northern boundary of the arc.…”

Section: Boundary Of Northeastern Volcanic Provincementioning

confidence: 92%

Volcanism, tectonics, and stratigraphic correlations in Puerto Rico

Jolly¹,

Lidiak²,

Schellekens³

et al. 1998

Tectonics and Geochemistry of the Northeastern Caribbean

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Island arc volcanic strata in Puerto Rico, ranging in age from Lower Cretaceous (Aptian) to Eocene and dating from about 120 to 45 Ma, represent one of the longest oceanic arc sequences preserved in the world. Detailed and systematic mapping by the U.S. Geological Survey published between 1959 and 1986 reveal that, although postvolcanic sedimentary platform deposits consisting of limestone and other detrital materials ring the island and cover extensive parts of the arc platform, representative strata of the entire sequence are exposed. The island is subdivided into three volcanic provinces all containing strata without correlative units elsewhere; they are (1) a northeastern volcanic province, separated from the central province by the Cerro Mula Fault, a left-lateral strike-slip fault of mid-Santonian age with displacement of at least 50 km; (2) a central volcanic province, dominated by volcanic debris accumulated during sequential development of five east-west-oriented volcanic belts, and (3) a western volcanic province, with a northwest-southeast-trending boundary of uncertain origin, containing remnants of two sequential island arc volcanic belts of CampanianMaastrichtian and Eocene age.Additionally, in the southwestern corner of the island, the Sierra Bermeja Complex consists of a tectonic melange of partly serpentinized ultramafic rocks representing the lithospheric upper mantle originally composed of spinel-bearing peridotites, including lherzolite, harzburgite, and dunite. The melange incorporates rafts, blocks, and boulder-sized clasts of (1) Lower Jurassic to Upper Cretaceous pelagic sediments (Mariquita Chert), including radiolarian chert of Pacific provenance and later siliceous volcanogenic strata, representing pre-island arc oceanic deposits; and (2) altered mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-like basalts (Cajul Basalt) and amphibolites (Las Palmas amphibolite melange) of probable Lower Jurassic age, representing pre-island arc oceanic crust. Serpentinized peridotite bodies, containing amphibolite, altered MORB-like basalt, and chert, protruded the arc platform in a cold state at several places in the western province. The largest of these, the Monte del Estado Peridotite, was emplaced during the Maastrichtian, through crustal extension associated with left-lateral strike-slip faulting along the Cordillera fault.Volcanic strata preserved in the central province are subdivided into five major volcanic phases on the basis of stratigraphic and geochemical relations. Basalts evolved progressively from early primitive island arc tholeiites in phase I, to calcalkaline basalts in phase II, and finally to incompatible element-enriched shoshonite Jolly, W. T.

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“…The Early Cretaceous emplacement of the SBSB was due to either: (1) a subduction polarity reversal event (Mattson, 1973;Mattson and Pessagno, 1979;Pindell, 1994) or (2) by contraction in the back arc of the island arc during continuous SeW dipping (Krebs et al, 2011;L azaro et al, 2009;Pindell et al, 2012;La o-D avila, 2014). The emplacement of the RGSB and the MDESB, during the Late-Cretaceous-Paleocene, is associated with a collision of the northern Caribbean subduction zone and a hypothesized Caribeana-submerged platform to the north (García-Casco et al, 2008).…”

Section: Serpentinite Belts In Puerto Ricomentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Serpentinites in southwestern Puerto Rico resemble abyssal serpentinites (Lewis et al, 2006b;Marchesi et al, 2011), although Jolly et al (2008) suggest that supra-subduction zone processes affected some of the serpentinite samples within the Río Guanajibo Belt. The emplacement of the central Hispaniola and Puerto Rico serpentinized peridotite sequences occurred due to thrusting onto arc crust in response to crustal shortening (Dilek, 2003;Lewis et al, 2006b;La o-D avila et al, 2012) during the Cretaceous (110e120 million years ago; Mattson, 1973;Mattson and Pessagno, 1979). During the Late Eocene, transpressional movement reactivated preexisting faults and resulted in the uplift and exposure of the serpentinite bodies in Puerto Rico and Hispaniola (La o-D avila et al, 2012;Lewis et al, 2006b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%