The Neogene Veracruz fault: evidences for left-lateral slip along the southern Mexico block

2008 ◽  
Vol 179 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis Andreani ◽  
Claude Rangin ◽  
Juventino Martínez-Reyes ◽  
Charlotte Le Roy ◽  
Mario Aranda-García ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Volcanic Belt ◽  
Structural Data ◽  
Strike Slip ◽  
Southern Mexico ◽  
Lateral Strike Slip ◽  
Middle America Trench ◽  
The North ◽  
Mexican Volcanic Belt ◽  
Trans Mexican Volcanic Belt

Abstract Structural data combined with analysis of satellite images and seismic profiles show that a major left-lateral strike-slip fault affects the Veracruz basin and post-5 Ma volcanic rocks of the Los Tuxtlas volcanic field (LTVF). The main volcanic alignment of the LTVF is located along this fault. Additional structural data collected in the Trans-Mexican volcanic belt (areas of Xalapa, Teziutlán and Huauchinango) show that the shear zone affects Pliocene Trans-Mexican volcanic rocks. Low seismicity associated to faulted Quaternary markers such as alluvial fans, alluvial terraces and volcanoes argue for active faulting in this area. Plio-Quaternary strike-slip faulting in the Veracruz basin and in the eastern Trans-Mexican volcanic belt is important because it connects two important structural provinces: the left-lateral strike-slip faults province to the south and the left-lateral transtensive faulting that affects the central part of the Trans-Mexican volcanic belt. These three active deformation zones constitute the boundary between the southern Mexico block and the North American plate. It is generally assumed that strike-slip faulting along the Trans-Mexican and Central America volcanic arcs is the result of oblique subduction of the Cocos plate under the North American and Caribbean plates. However slip vectors along the Middle America trench are almost perpendicular to the trench. This Neogene sinistral strike-slip motion could be partially driven by the eastward motion of the Caribbean plate rather than by strain partitioning along the oblique Middle America trench subduction zone.

The southern Mexico block: main boundaries and new estimation for its Quaternary motion

2008 ◽  
Vol 179 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis Andreani ◽  
Xavier Le Pichon ◽  
Claude Rangin ◽  
Juventino Martínez-Reyes
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Triple Junction ◽  
Strike Slip ◽  
North American Plate ◽  
Southern Mexico ◽  
Active Deformation ◽  
Lateral Strike Slip ◽  
Counterclockwise Rotation ◽  
The North ◽  
Slip Partitioning

Abstract Numerous studies, mainly based on structural and paleomagnetic data, consider southern Mexico as a crustal block (southern Mexico block, SMB) uncoupled from the North American plate with a southeast motion with respect to North America, accommodated by extension through the central Trans-Mexican volcanic belt (TMVB). On the other hand, the accommodation of this motion on the southeastward boundary, especially at the Cocos–Caribbean–North American triple junction, is still debated. The boundary between the SMB and the North American plate is constituted by three connected zones of deformation: (1) left-lateral transtension across the central TMVB, (2) left-lateral strike-slip faulting along the eastern TMVB and Veracruz area and (3) reverse and left-lateral strike-slip faulting in the Chiapas area. We show that these three active deformation zones accommodate a counterclockwise rotation of the SMB with respect to the North American plate. We specially discuss the Quaternary motion of the SMB with respect to the surrounding plates near the Cocos–Caribbean–North American triple junction. The model we propose predicts a Quaternary counterclockwise rotation of 0.45°/Ma with a pole located at 24.2°N and 91.8°W. Finally we discuss the geodynamic implications of this counterclockwise rotation. The southern Mexico block motion is generally assumed to be the result of slip partitioning at the trench. However the obliquity of the subduction is too small to explain slip partitioning. The motion could be facilitated by the high thermal gradient and gravitational collapse that affects central Mexico and/or by partial coupling with the eastward motion of the Caribbean plate.

Rift propagation vs inherited crustal fabrics in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (Mexico): insights into geothermal investigations from analogue models

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniele Maestrelli ◽  
Marco Bonini ◽  
Giacomo Corti ◽  
Domenico Montanari ◽  
Giovanna Moratti
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Volcanic Belt ◽  
Central Mexico ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Sand Mixture ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
The North ◽  
Rift Propagation ◽  
Mexican Volcanic Belt ◽  
Trans Mexican Volcanic Belt

<p>The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB) is a large-scale, NW to SE trending volcano-tectonic feature extending through central Mexico for a length of more than 1000 km. In some models, its genesis is related to the interaction between the subducting Rivera and Cocos plates and the North America plate, with the eastward propagation of volcanism being associated with slab detachment and consequent asthenospheric upwelling (e.g., Ferrari, 2004). Progressive SE-directed slab tearing has been causing crustal extension and the emplacement of large-scale volcano and caldera edifices. In the frame of the GEMex Europe-Mexico cooperation project (Horizon 2020 Programme, grant agreement No. 727550), we aim to investigate the interplay between continental extension and inherited crustal fabrics. Particularly, in the easternmost part of the TMVB, where the GEMex Project is focusing geothermal investigation on two calderas (Los Humeros and Acoculco), the inherited fabric is represented by ca. NE-SW and NW-SE regional faults (Campos-Enriquez & Garduño-Monroy, 1987). This fabric may have localized volcanic centres, thereby bearing significant implications for geothermal investigation. We aim to evaluate if and how the inherited structures may have interacted with continental-scale rift propagation through analogue modelling. In the models, the upper continental crust was simulated by a Qz- and K-feldspar sand mixture (80%-20% proportion in weight), while a PDMS-corundum mixture reproduced the lower crust. Continental rift propagation was simulated using a deformation apparatus represented by two basal moving plates hinged at their topmost side, allowing rotational opening. Extensional deformation was distributed using a basal rubber sheet. Artificial dilation zones (simulating the inherited fabrics) have been introduced within the analogue brittle crust at various angles to the rift axis. Our modelling highlights that a propagating rift may reactivate the inherited fabrics as extensional structures or transfer zones (depending on their orientation) for angles ≤45° to the rift axis. Numerical analysis of slip and dilation tendency evaluated for the reactivated fabrics corroborate the modelling results, and suggest that they may represent favourable sites for magma emplacement, and ultimately for geothermal exploration.</p><p>Campos-Enriquez, J., & Garduño-Monroy, V. H. (1987). The shallow structure of Los Humeros and Las Derrumbadas geothermal fields, Mexico. Geothermics, 16(5-6), 539-554.</p><p>Ferrari, L. (2004). Slab detachment control on mafic volcanic pulse and mantle heterogeneity in central Mexico. Geology, 32(1), 77-80.</p>

scholarly journals Analysis of geomagnetic secular variation for the last 1.5 Ma recorded by volcanic rocks of the Trans Mexican Volcanic Belt: new data from Sierra de Chichinautzin, Mexico

2019 ◽  
Vol 219 (1) ◽  
pp. 594-606 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Rodríguez-Trejo ◽  
L M Alva-Valdivia ◽  
M Perrin ◽  
G Hervé ◽  
N López-Valdés
Keyword(s):  
Secular Variation ◽  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Quality Criteria ◽  
Volcanic Belt ◽  
Volcanic Field ◽  
Virtual Geomagnetic Pole ◽  
Mexican Volcanic Belt ◽  
Cooling Unit ◽  
Earth Magnetic Field ◽  
Trans Mexican Volcanic Belt

Summary The great wealth of volcanism along the Trans Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB) and the need to improve the secular variation curve of the Earth magnetic field of the region is the aim of this research. 300 oriented cores from 33 sites and 21 individual cooling units were acquired from Sierra de Chichinautzin volcanic field (ChVF) and Sierra de Santa Catarina (SSC). Directional analysis and rock magnetic experiments were performed (e.g. thermal demagnetization, hysteresis loop, susceptibility vs temperature), achieving 21 new averaged palaeomagnetic directions. New results are consistent with the previous studies on the same cooling unit. We compiled all the palaeomagnetic studies performed on the ChVF, updating age and calculating an average direction per cooling unit and estimating an overall mean direction for the ChVF (Dec = 359.1°, Inc = 35.3°, N = 33, k = 21.6, α95 = 5.5°, Plat = 87.7° N, Plong = 227.4° E, K = 31.8, A95 = 4.5°). Afterwards, we compiled all the previous palaeomagnetic studies along the whole TMVB with age ranging from 0 to 1.5 Ma, and constrained the directional analyses by specific quality criteria such as well-defined age, number of samples and quality of kappa) on the cooling unit consistency. The mean direction and virtual geomagnetic pole (VGP) estimated for the TMVB, during the periods 0–40 ka and 0–1.5 Ma, are close to the geographic pole, supporting the validity of the geocentric axial dipole hypothesis. The directional results of this study also fit well with the predictions at Mexico City of the models SHA.DIF.14k and CALS10k2 calculated for the last 14 ka. The dispersion of the VGP's on the TMVB are also consistent with the expected values proposed by different models of palaeosecular variation. However, large gaps in the temporal record remain that should be filled by further palaeomagnetic studies.

scholarly journals Geochemical Evidence for Slab Melting in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt

2006 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 537-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Gomez-Tuena ◽  
C. H. Langmuir ◽  
S. L. Goldstein ◽  
S. M. Straub ◽  
F. Ortega-Gutierrez
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Belt ◽  
Slab Melting ◽  
Geochemical Evidence ◽  
Mexican Volcanic Belt ◽  
Trans Mexican Volcanic Belt

scholarly journals Evidence for geomagnetic excursions recorded in Brunhes and Matuyama Chron lavas from the trans-Mexican volcanic belt

2013 ◽  
Vol 118 (6) ◽  
pp. 2648-2669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel M. Michalk ◽  
Harald N. Böhnel ◽  
Norbert R. Nowaczyk ◽  
Gerardo J. Aguírre-Diaz ◽  
Margarita López-Martínez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Belt ◽  
Matuyama Chron ◽  
Mexican Volcanic Belt ◽  
Trans Mexican Volcanic Belt

Volcano-sedimentary processes at Las Derrumbadas rhyolitic twin domes, Serdán-Oriental basin, Eastern Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt

2021 ◽  
pp. SP520-2021-144
Author(s):  
Marie-Noëlle Guilbaud ◽  
Corentin Chédeville ◽  
Ángel Nahir Molina-Guadarrama ◽  
Julio Cesar Pineda-Serrano ◽  
Claus Siebe
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Belt ◽  
Debris Avalanche ◽  
Density Currents ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mexican Volcanic Belt ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Eruptive Episode ◽  
Basin Floor ◽  
Supplementary Material ◽  
Trans Mexican Volcanic Belt

AbstractThe eruption of the ∼10 km3 rhyolitic Las Derrumbadas twin domes about 2000 yrs ago has generated a wide range of volcano-sedimentary deposits in the Serdán-Oriental lacustrine basin, Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. Some of these deposits have been quarried, creating excellent exposures. In this paper we describe the domes and related products and interpret their mode of formation, reconstructing the main phases of the eruption as well as syn-and-post eruptive erosional processes. After an initial phreatomagmatic phase that built a tuff ring, the domes grew as an upheaved plug lifting a thick sedimentary pile from the basin floor. During uplift, the domes collapsed repeatedly to form a first-generation of hetero-lithologic hummocky debris avalanche deposits. Subsequent dome growth produced a thick talus and pyroclastic density currents. Later, the hydrothermally-altered over-steepened dome peaks fell to generate 2nd generation, mono-lithologic avalanches. Subsequently, small domes grew in the collapse scars. From the end of the main eruptive episode onwards, heavy rains remobilized parts of the dome carapaces and talus, depositing lahar aprons. Las Derrumbadas domes are still an important source of sediments in the basin, and ongoing mass-wasting processes are associated with hazards that should be assessed, given their potential impact on nearby populations.Supplementary material at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5752296

Late Cenozoic tectonics offshore western Mexico and its relation to the structure and volcanic activity in the western Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt

1993 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 543-559
Author(s):  
Hugo Delgado Granados
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Activity ◽  
Volcanic Belt ◽  
Late Cenozoic ◽  
Western Mexico ◽  
Mexican Volcanic Belt ◽  
Cenozoic Tectonics ◽  
Trans Mexican Volcanic Belt

La tasa de convergencia calculada indica que la tectónica del occidente de México ha sido tensional durante los últimos 3 Ma. Este estilo de deformación se ve reflejado en la formación de estructuras rift en la parte occidental de la Faja Volcánica Trans-Mexicana [FVTM]. Los valores obtenidos para la tasa de convergencia predicen que, a través del tiempo, se verifica una tectónica menos tensional (con tendencia a la neutralidad) en la parte sureste de la zona de interacción de las placas de Rivera Y Norteamérica, mientras que en la parte noroccidental se vuelve más tensional. Por otra parte, un análisis cualitativo de las tasas de esparcimiento muestra que éstas fueron más rápidas antes de los 6.5 Ma de lo que fueron posteriormente. Después de analizar diferentes parámetros cinemáticos, se concluyó que la tasa de esparcimiento de la cresta del Pacífico Oriental en su sector Pacífico-Rivera, influye fuertemente sobre la tasa de convergencia. De esta manera se puede establecer una correlación positiva entre la evolución de la tasa de esparcimiento de la cresta Pacífico-Rivera y la geología continental. Esta correlación muestra que tasas de esparcimiento relativamente rápidas coinciden con la presencia de volcanismo monogenético calci-alcalino en la parte occidental de la FVTM cuando menos desde hace 10 Ma y que este tipo de volcanismo continúa hasta nuestros días. Sin embargo, cuando la tasa de esparcimiento se ha hecho más lenta (y por tanto la tasa de convergencia se ha hecho menor) durante el periodo comprendido entre 6.5 Ma y 3.5 Ma, se ha verificado en la región una tectónica extensional ampliamente distribuida, volcanismo explosivo y sedimentación lacustre en los sistemas rift de Colima, Tepic-Zacoalco y de Chapala; particularmente entre los 4.6 Ma y 3.9 Ma ha coincidido con volcanismo alcalino en los rifts fr Colima y Tepic-Zacoalco. Un leve incremento en la tasa de esparcimiento después de los 3.5 Ma coinciden con el decremento de actividad volcánica (principalmente alcalina). Durante el periodo entre 1.6 Ma y 0.7 Ma, la tasa de esparcimiento disminuyó de nuevo coincidiendo con un fallamiento normal continuo en las tres estructuras rift mencionadas y en parte, con otra etapa de volcanismo alcalino (entre 1.4 Ma y 0.2 Ma) en los rift de Colima y Tepic-Zacoalco. Después de los 0.7 Ma, la tasa de esparcimiento se ha incrementado levemente. Por otra parte, se observa una relación genética entre el contenido de elementos compatibles en rocas volcánicas de la región con la tasa de convergencia, lo cual implica que tasas de subducción mayores aportan una mayor cantidad de sedimentos acrecionados a la cuña del manto. Esto explica las diferencias geoquímicas entre las rocas volcánicas a lo largo del frente volcánico de la parte occidental de la FVTM.

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