Jurassic to Holocene tectonics, magmatism, and metallogeny of northwestern Mexico

Abstract

The present metallic distribution in northwestern Mexico is the culmination of superposed magmatism, tectonism, erosion, and burial over more than 150 m.y. Detailed palinspastic reconstructions of preextensional configurations-the first study of its kind for this region-clarify the interplay among these features on the present distribution and character of mineralized geologic systems. This new synthesis goes beyond previous metallogenic investigations of northwestern Mexico by separating events into specific timing and structural relationships, and by restoring the geology to its preextensional configuration. Metallogenic factors such as enrichment, preservation, and erosion play major roles in the present distributions and for the first time are related to the overall metallogenic framework of northwestern Mexico. The analysis concludes that modern metallogenic patterns are the result of the complex superposition and subsequent redistribution of geologic systems in a way that is related directly to the regional history, rather than simply metallic belts or interpreted angle of a subducting slab. Three main extensional events in the Oligocene-Holocene have been restored, and the palinspastic distributions have been analyzed. Reconstructions reveal the following: (1) Mineralization events, igneous centers, and sedimentary sequences are continuous across the Gulf of California and other areas with large amounts of extension. (2) Middle Tertiary gold-silver mineralization in Baja California may be the western part of the Sierra Madre Oc

Porphyry copper assessment of eastern Australia

“…With increasing depths of emplacement, erosion, and exposure, the proportion of preserved volcanic rocks to exposed plutonic rocks decreases, and sizes of exposed plutons increase (Staude and Barton, 2001). Textures of igneous intrusions also tend to coarsen inward and downward.…”

“…However, such small features are not likely to be shown on regional geologic source maps at 1:1,000,000 scale. Nevertheless, such maps do show the distribution of volcanic and intrusive rocks, and depth of exposure can be inferred from a combination of igneous textures, intrusion sizes, and ratios of areas of related volcanic and intrusive rocks (Staude and Barton, 2001).…”

Geology of the Selene perlite deposit in the northern Sierra Madre Occidental, northeastern Sonora, Mexico

“…During these magmatic episodes rhyolitic and lesser basaltic and andesitic lavas were emplaced in a supracrustal regime already undergoing extension (AguirreDíaz and McDowell, 1991;Bryan et al, 2008;Ferrari et al, 2013;Murray et al, 2013). This bimodal volcanism built vast parts of the SMO from the USA-Mexico border as far as south-central Mexico, and was partly concurrent with high-angle normal faulting associated with the Basin and Range Extensional Province (BREP) and with low angle faulting producing metamorphic core complex (MCC) formation in the Late Oligocene (Nourse et al, 1994;Gans, 1997;Staude and Barton, 2001;Dickinson, 2002;VegaGranillo and Calmus, 2003;Ferrari et al, 2007;Bryan et al, 2008;Wong et al, 2010;Ferrari et al, 2013;Murray et al, 2013). North of latitude N 22°, the Farallon plate , and the west-tilted (wt) and east-tilted (et) domains in Sonora divided by the red line (after Gans, 1997) (A).…”

“…After preheating and heating, a suction fan pulls the expanded particles from the furnace and transfers them pneumatically to a cyclone classifier system. The classifier collects the expanded particles and removes excessively (Hernández-Ávila, 2000), Durango (Rodríguez, 1961), Sonora (Bustillo-Sáynez and Gómez-Gutiérrez, 1965;Lagarda-Lagarda, 1983;Almazán-Holguín and TrellesMonge, 1986;Palafox-Reyes et al, 1998;Arriaga-Meléndez et al, 2008), and Baja California Norte (Corral-Gastélum et al, 1999;Staude and Barton, 2001; Cobo-Rivera et al, 2010). The Selene perlite ore deposit, formerly known as Babidanchic perlite (Almazán-Holguin and Trelles-Monge 1986;CRM, 1994;Palafox-Reyes et al, 1998), occurs along the tectonically extended western edge of the northern SMO in northeastern Sonora, Mexico (Figure 1).…”

Isotopic Studies of the Guerrero Composite Terrane, West-Central Mexico: Implications for Provenance of Crustal Rocks and Genesis of Ore Metals

“…The Cenozoic deposits are generally related to the volcanic activity of the Sierra Madre Occidental province (Staude and Barton, 2001;Camprubi et al, 2003) and include most of Mexico's mineral wealth. Generally, the porphyry copper deposits are between 63 and 33 Ma and have produced important quantities of Cu, W, and Mo (ValenciaMoreno et al, 2007).…”