60 research outputs found
Foundations of Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean evolution : eight controversies resolved
Eight points of recurring controversy regarding the primary foundations of models of Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean tectonic evolution are identified and examined. The eight points are controversial mainly because of the disconnect between different scales of thinking by different workers, a common but unfortunate problem in the geological profession. Large-scale thinkers often are unaware of local geological detail, and local-scale workers fail to appreciate the level of evolutionary precision and constraint provided by regional tectonics and plate kinematics. The eight controversies are: (1) the degree of freedom in the Gulf-Caribbean kinematic framework that is allowed by Atlantic opening parameters; (2) the existence of a South Bahamas-Guyana Transform, and the role of this structure in Cuban, Bahamian, Trinidadian, and Guyanese evolution; (3) the anticlockwise rotation of the YucatĂĄn Block during the opening of the Gulf of Mexico; (4) the Pacific origin of the Caribbean oceanic crust; (5) the Aptian age and plate boundary geometry of the onset of west-dipping subduction of Proto-Caribbean beneath Caribbean lithospheres; (6) the origin and causal mechanism of the Caribbean Large Igneous ProvinceâŠnot Galapagos!; (7) the number and origin of magmatic arcs in the northern Caribbean; and (8) the origin of Paleogene "flysch" deposits along northern South America: the Proto-Caribbean subduction zone. Here we show that there are viable marriages between the larger and finer scale data sets that define working and testable elements of the region's evolution. In our opinion, these marriages are geologically accurate and suggest that they should form discrete elements that can and be integrated into regional models of Gulf and Caribbean evolution. We also call upon different facets of the geological community to collaborate and integrate diverse data sets more openly, in the hopes of improving general understanding and limiting the publication of unnecessary papers which only serve to spread geological uncertainty
The Record of the Transition From an Oceanic Arc to a Young Continent in the Talamanca Cordillera
The Talamanca Cordillera in the Central America Arc (Costa Rica-Panama) preserves the record of the geochemical evolution from an intraoceanic arc to a juvenile continental arc in an active subduction zone, making it a testbed to explore processes that resulted in juvenile continental crust formation and explore potential mechanisms of early continental crust generation. Here we present a comprehensive set of geochronological, geochemical, and petrological data from the Talamanca Cordillera that tracks the key turning point (12â8 Ma) from the evolution of an oceanic arc depleted in incompatible elements to a juvenile continent. Most plutonic rocks from this transition and postintrusive rocks share striking similarities with average upper continental crust and Archean tonalite, trondhjemite, and granodiorite. We complement these data with seismic studies across the arc. Seismic velocities within the Caribbean Plate (basement of the arc) show a relatively uniform lateral structure consistent with a thick mafic large igneous province. Comparisons of seismic velocity profiles in the middle and lower crust beneath the active arc and remnant Miocene arc suggest a transition toward more felsic compositions as the volcanic center migrated toward the location of the modern arc. Seismic velocities along the modern arc in Costa Rica compared with other active arcs and average continental crust suggest an intermediate composition beneath the active arc in Costa Rica closer to average crust. Our geochemical modeling and radiogenic isotopes systematics suggest that input components from melting of the subducting Galapagos hotspot tracks are required for this compositional change
Tectono-stratigraphic response of the Sandino Forearc Basin (N-Costa Rica and W-Nicaragua) to episodes of rough crust and oblique subduction
The southern Central American active margin is a world-class site where past and
present subduction processes have been extensively studied. Tectonic erosion/accretion
and oblique/orthogonal subduction are thought to alternate in space and time
along the Middle American Trench. These processes may cause various responses
in the upper plate, such as uplift/subsidence, deformation, and volcanic arc migration/
shut-off. We present an updated stratigraphic framework of the Late Cretaceousâ
Cenozoic Sandino Forearc Basin (SFB) which provides evidence of
sedimentary response to tectonic events. Since its inception, the basin was predominantly
filled with deep-water volcaniclastic deposits. In contrast, shallow-water
deposits appeared episodically in the basin record and are considered as tectonic
event markers. The SFB stretches for about 300 km and varies in thickness from
5 km (southern part) to about 16 km (northern part). The drastic, along-basin, thickness
variation appears to be the result of (1) differential tectonic evolutions and (2)
differential rates of sediment supply. (1) The northern SFB did not experience major
tectonic events. In contrast, the reduced thickness of the southern SFB (5 km) is the
result of at least four uplift phases related to the collision/accretion of bathymetric
reliefs on the incoming plate: (i) the accretion of a buoyant oceanic plateau (Nicoya
Complex) during the middle Campanian; (ii) the collision of an oceanic plateau (?)
during the late DanianâSelandian; (iii) the collision/accretion of seamounts during
the late Eoceneâearly Oligocene; (iv) the collision of seamounts and ridges during
the PlioceneâHolocene. (2) The northwestward thickening of the SFB may have
been enhanced by high sediment supply in the Fonseca Gulf area which reflects
sourcing from wide, high relief drainage basins. In contrast, sedimentary input has
possibly been lower along the southern SFB, due to the proximity of the narrow,
lowland isthmus of southern Central America. Moreover, two phases of strongly
oblique subduction affected the margin, producing strike-slip faulting in the forearc
basin: (1) prior to the Farallon Plate breakup, an Oligocene transpressional phase
caused deformation and uplift of the basin depocenter, triggering shallowing-upward
of the Nicaraguan Isthmus in the central and northern SFB; (2) a PleistoceneâHolocene transtensional phase drives the NW-directed motion of a forearc sliver
and reactivation of the graben-bounding faults of the late Neogene Nicaraguan
Depression. We discuss arguments in favour of a Pliocene development of the
Nicaraguan Depression and propose that the Nicaraguan Isthmus, which is the
apparent rift shoulder of the depression, represents a structure inherited from the Oligocene
transpressional phase
Phylogeny and Historical Biogeography of Asian Pterourus Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae): A Case of Intercontinental Dispersal from North America to East Asia
The phylogenetic status of the well-known Asian butterflies often known as Agehana (a species group, often treated as a genus or a subgenus, within Papilio sensu lato) has long
remained unresolved. Only two species are included, and one of them especially, Papilio
maraho, is not only rare but near-threatened, being monophagous on its vulnerable hostplant, Sassafras randaiense (Lauraceae). Although the natural history and population conservation of âAgehanaâ has received much attention, the biogeographic origin of this group
still remains enigmatic. To clarify these two questions, a total of 86 species representatives
within Papilionidae were sampled, and four genes (concatenated length 3842 bp) were
used to reconstruct their phylogenetic relationships and historical scenarios. Surprisingly,
âAgehanaâ fell within the American Papilio subgenus Pterourus and not as previously suggested, phylogenetically close to the Asian Papilio subgenus Chilasa. We therefore formally
synonymize Agehana with Pterourus. Dating and biogeographic analysis allow us to infer
an intercontinental dispersal of an American ancestor of Asian Pterourus in the early Miocene, which was coincident with historical paleo-land bridge connections, resulting in the
present âEast Asia-Americaâ disjunction distribution. We emphasize that species exchange
between East Asia and America seems to be a quite frequent occurrence in butterflies during the Oligocene to Miocene climatic optima.© 2015 Wu et al. This is an open access
article distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution License, which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any
medium, provided the original author and source are
credited
Ambient Noise Tomography Images Accreted Terranes and Igneous Provinces in Hispaniola and Puerto Rico
Spatial and temporal variations in creep rate along the El Pilar fault at the CaribbeanâSouth American plate boundary (Venezuela), from InSAR
LongâLived Source Heterogeneities in the Galapagos Mantle Plume
Abstract Mantle plumeâderived melts provide a unique glimpse into the chemical heterogeneity of the deep mantle. However, the exact processes involved in forming and sampling lower mantle heterogeneities remain unresolved and thus, require further investigation to understand the cumulative effects of planetary differentiation, crustal recycling, and mantle mixing that lead to their formation. The Galapagos Plume is exceptional in that its lavas sample four distinct isotopic mantle components. However, the origin of each of these endâmembers remains debated. In this study, we investigate the spatial and temporal appearance and evolution of these four isotopic endâmembers that comprise the presentâday Archipelago by examining ancient Galapagos lava flows preserved in the accreted terranes in Costa Rica and Panama. We discovered that the spatial relationship between each of the classically defined Galapagos Domains has remained relatively constant throughout the evolution of the plume. Our new results extend the time scale of distinct isotopic heterogeneity in the source of the plume to at least 70 Ma for the Southern Domain and 90 Ma for the Central, and Northern Domains, suggesting that geochemically heterogeneous plumes rising through the mantle preserve distinct isotopic heterogeneity on the time scale of tens of millions of years. Additionally, trace element systematics of olivine crystals from the Galapagosârelated Quepos and Azuero terranes (50â70 ma) suggest derivation from sources that included recycled components. Collectively, these results suggest that mantle plumes not only sample largeâscale heterogeneities within the deep mantle, but that these source heterogeneities can remain sampled throughout the lifetime of a plume
P-T Path for Ultrahigh-Pressure Garnet Ultramafic Rocks of the Cuaba Gneiss, Rio San Juan Complex, Dominican Republic
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