ARC 1 - Red Cubana de la Ciencia

IGCP Project 433
Caribbean Plate Tectonics
The origin and evolution of the
Caribbean: Evaluation of Pindell´s
model
Manuel A. Iturralde-Vinent andJoaquin Proenza
During this presentation three problems
will be debated:
1. The interpretation of terranes
2. The interpretation of the “so called” ophiolites
3. Evaluation of Pindell´s model
Example of the improbable original position of
“Central Cuba” [implying the ESCAMBRAY
TERRANE] according to Pindell and Kennan 2002.
Age of the deformations in the
continental margin areas
The deformations of the North American continental
margin took place in progression from Cretaceous to
Late Eocene.
Original position of the Cuban Southwestern Terranes
Gulf of Mexico
Atlantic Ocean
Bahamas
Guaniguanico
Yucatán
Pinos Escambray
Opening of the
Yucatan Deep
Caribbean Realm
South America
Nature of the Caribbean ultramafic - mafic
igneous complexes
New petrological research in the mafic igneous
bodies within the Caribbean has shown greater
complexity in the nature and origin of the
ophiolites and related mafic bodies. In Cuba,
Hispaniola, Venezuela and Guatemala there
have been identified mafic bodies related to
MORB-Plateau, Arc and suprasubduction (arcbackarc) environments, previously considered
just ocean crust.
Cuban ophiolites
Cuban Ophiolites where usually subdivided into
the northern belt, the amphibolitic ophiolites and
the exotic blocks or olistoplates.
MULTI-ORIGIN OF THE CARIBBEAN “OPHIOLITES”:
Havana
BONINITE
Cajalbana
Margot
SUPRASUBDUCTION
Iguara-Perea
SUPRASUBDUCTION
SUPRASUBDUCTION
Mayari
SUPRASUBDUCTION
Mabujina
IAT-CALC-Arc
Moa-Baracoa
Holguin
BACK-ARC?
Loma Caribe
BONINITE
SUPRASUBDUCTION
G. de Jauco
PLATEAU Bs.
Duarte Complex
PLATEAU Bs.
Bermeja Complex
OCEANIC Bs.
CARIBBEAN PLATEAU BASALTS
The conception of a single Great Arc
vs Multiple Arc
The single “Great Arc” evolving from Cretaceous to Recent is
not the only possible model.
Another concept is that there were
Multiple Arcs evolving independently since Cretaceous to Recent The
Multi Arc concept arose from the following points:
a. The occurrence of several magma
In Cuba, three main areas of arc’s rock occurrence
can be indicated:
1. Within the Northern Ophiolite belt
2. Within the central NW-SE area of the island
3. In Eastern Cuba
W
84°W
83°W
N
82°W
81°W
80°W
79°W
78°W
77°W
76°W
75°W
La Habana
Matanzas
Guaniguanico
terrane
K-Vo
lcani
c arc
Pinar del Rio
Santa Clara
Cienfuegos
0
Cabaiguan
Pinos terrane
Nueva Gerona
Trinidad
100
200 KM
Ciego de Avila
Escambray terrane
Florida
Camaguey
K-Volcanic arc
Bahamian borderland
Victoria de las Tunas
Holguin
Northern Ophiolites
K
P
Volcanic arc (K-Cretaceous, P-Paleogene)
P-Volcanic arc Santiago de Cuba
Guantanamo
Yucatán borderland
W
84°W
83°W
82°W
81°W
80°W
79°W
78°W
77°W
76°W
75°W
Paleocene - Eocene palinspastic reconstruction
AXIS OF THE
CRETACEOUS ARCS
Back arc
AXIS OF THE
PALEOGENE ARC
Front arc / Caribbean crust
Back arc
Back arc
Observations about the Plate Tectonic
Model of James Pindell and coworkers
ARC 1
Los Pasos, PreCamujiro, Teneme,
Sagua La Chica, Quivijan, Guamira,
Maimon, Los Ranchos, Rio Verde,
Water Island, pre-Roble
ARC 1
Lower mid-Albian
Central Cuba?!
ARC 1
ARC 2
Limestone and conglomerates
ABOVE: Los Pasos, PreCamujiro,
Teneme, Sagua La Chica, Quivijan,
Guamira, Maimon, Los Ranchos, Rio
Verde, Water Island, pre-Roble
ARC 1
Central Cuba?!
JAM
ARC 2a
Albian-Santonian
Encrucijada , La Trampa,
Matagua, Camujiro-Guaimaro,
Purial inf., Turquino, Tireo Inf.,
etc.
JAM
Central Cuba?!
ARC 1
ARC 2b
Orozco, Cotorro, Bruja, Aguilar,
Turquino, Santo Domingo Sup., Purial
Sup., Tireo Sup., etc.
JAM
C OLLISIO N IN CU B A
Central Cuba?!
ARC 1
Deposition of red beds, clastic
rocks and limestones. In
Puerto Rico also volcanic rocks
noARC
ARC 3
C OLLISIO N N CUB A
Central Cuba?!
ARC 4
JAM???
ARC 3
El Cobre Gp.,
Sabaneta, Imbert
Sup, Monserrat, etc.
C OLLISIO N IN CU B A
m ore space needed
noARC
JAM
ARC 5
How many independent arcs?
ARC 1. Lower Cretaceous (IAT+Boninitic aff.)
ARC 2. Mid to Late Cretaceous (CA and kCa)
ARC 3. Latest Cretaceous and Paleocene (CA)
ARC 4. Paleocene-Early Mid Eocene (IAT)
ARC 5. Late Eocene-Recent (CA?)
Project 433
Caribbea n Plate
This is a contribution to
IGCP Project 433:
"Caribbean Plate Tectonics"
Project 433
Caribbea n Plate
Our web page
http://www.ig.utexas.edu/CaribPlate/CaribPlate.html
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