Volcanic geology of the easternmost sector of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, Mexico

Abstract

This work presents the volcanic geology of the easternmost sector of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, including the Serdán-Oriental basin and Cofre de Perote-Citlaltépetl volcanic range, two contrasting Quaternary volcanic fields. The first comprises dominant monogenetic volcanism of bimodal composition including isolated rhyolitic domes and tuff rings, basaltic andesite maar volcanoes, cinder and lava cones, and an active caldera complex (Los Humeros). The second is dominated by large composite polygenetic volcanoes of andesitic-dacitic composition, including the shield-like compound Cofre de Perote volcano, La Gloria and Las Cumbres complexes, and the active Citlaltépetl stratovolcano. Mapping units include a pre-volcanic basement made of metamorphic (Paleozoic), and sedimentary (Jurassic-Cretaceous); intrusive (Miocene) rocks; multiple basaltic-andesitic lava flows and rhyolitic domes; volcaniclastic sequences (debris avalanches and lahars; and pyroclastic deposits (block-and-ash flows, ignimbrites, fallouts, and surges) (Miocene-Holocene). This map provides a comprehensive view of the highly diverse volcanism, which may reference for future research work.

Contribuciones al entendimiento de la naturaleza volcánica, sus peligros y la exploración geotérmica: reflexiones personales desde el vulcanismo mexicano

“…However, different studies performed in the last years reveal the Holocene age of many other volcanic centers. The location of this recent volcanism shows no systematic patterns, instead it is randomly distributed along the entire area (Carrasco-Núñez et al 2021), which is contrary to the general appreciation that the volcanic front of the TMVB tends to migrate trenchward.…”

“…Integration of the lithostratigraphic framework on a regional scale was challenging, due to the large diversity of landforms, eruptive products, magmatic compositions, and spatio-temporal variations. A proper analysis of these parameters along with stratigraphic information facilitates more precise correlations and define lithostratigraphic units and groups based on the eruptive product, composition, and age, which at the end provide support to obtain a final new regional volcanological map for the ETMVB (Carrasco-Núñez et al, 2021), as depicted in Figure 1.…”