Review of Caribbean neotectonics

Mann, Paul; Schubert, Carlos; Burke, Kevin

doi:10.1130/dnag-gna-h.307

Cited by 60 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 83 publications

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“…The fault system is a $100 km wide zone of dextral strike-slip faults that extends for $800 km along the northern coast of Venezuela, from the juncture with the Boconó Fault in the west, to the Lesser Antilles subduction zone near Trinidad to the east, and accommodates the east-west component of the motion along the CAR-SA plate boundary. Because of the complexity of the fault system and the lack of piercing points on the opposite sides of the fault planes, good estimates of the amount and rate of displacement along the faults have been extremely difficult to evaluate (see Mann et al [1990] for a comprehensive review), and many questions regarding the tectonics and the relationship between the strike-slip system and the rest of the structures in the plate boundary are still open. The strike-slip system is regarded as a crustal feature contained within the ''orogenic float'' and bounded at the base of the crust by a regional basal detachment connecting thrust systems coeval to the strike-slip system [Oldow et al, 1990].…”

Section: Tectonic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crustal structure of the South American–Caribbean plate boundary at 67°W from controlled source seismic data

Magnani¹,

Zelt²,

Levander³

et al. 2009

J. Geophys. Res.

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[1] We present the results of new seismic reflection and wide-angle data across the SE Caribbean plate boundary. The 550 km long N-S profile crosses the structures involved in the active 55 Ma long continent-arc oblique collision between the Caribbean (CAR) and the South American (SA) plate. From the north to the south these structures include the accretionary prism, the extinct volcanic arc (Leeward Antilles arc), the Tertiary Bonaire basin, the continental-size dextral strike-slip fault system (San Sebastián-El Pilar fault), the allochthonous exhumed terranes, and the authocthonous fold and thrust belt (Caribbean Mountain system) and foreland basin. The wide-angle data show that these elements are characterized by different velocity structures and that they are separated by sharp lateral velocity variations. The Leeward Antilles arc exhibits a velocity structure similar to that of the Lesser Antilles active volcanic arc, indicating that the extinct arc has not been modified by the collision with the SA plate. The data show a $20 km change in crustal thickness across the San Sebastián fault, suggesting that the dextral strike-slip fault is a crustal feature that likely continues in the mantle as a primary strand of the plate boundary between the South American and the Caribbean plates. South of the strike-slip fault and beneath the exhumed eclogitic terranes, the data image a north dipping, high-velocity (>6.5 km/s) anomaly in the upper crust (3-11 km), indicating that high-pressure/low-temperature rocks are the likely lithologies responsible for the high seismic velocities and suggesting that exhumation of these assemblages is enabled by the strike-slip fault.

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Section: Tectonic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crustal structure of the South American–Caribbean plate boundary at 67°W from controlled source seismic data

Magnani¹,

Zelt²,

Levander³

et al. 2009

J. Geophys. Res.

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“…However, by far the largest cluster of BVF volcanoes occurs in southeastern Guatemala contiguous to the North American-Caribbean plate boundary, suggesting a causal link between BVF volcanism and North American-Caribbean plate interactions [Plafker, 1976;Burkart and Self, 1985;Mann et al, 1990]. In this area, BVF volcanism extends continuously over 100 km behind the front (Figure 1), making it a premier locale for detailed across-arc volcanological or geochemical investigations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Petrogenetic insights provided by compositional transects across the Central American arc: Southeastern Guatemala and Honduras

Walker¹,

Patino²,

Cameron³

et al. 2000

J. Geophys. Res.

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Abstract.Two detailed cross-arc transects of the Central American subduction zone have been completed across southeastern Guatemala and Honduras. The two transects display both contrasting and similar cross-arc geochemical variations. Across southeastern Guatemala, ratios of fluid mobile to relatively fluid immobile incompatible elements, such as Cs/La and Ba/Nb, are typically high at the volcanic front, low behind the front, and, most importantly, unchanging once behind the front. Across Honduras, by contrast, such incompatible element ratios often systematically decline from the elevated values characterizing the volcanic front. Across both transects, many incompatible element contents and ratios of highly incompatible to moderately incompatible elements, such as the La/Yb ratio, are higher behind the front. The similarities between the two transects may be caused by (1) declining total slab inputs away from the volcanic front, (2) more contributions from subducting carbonate sediments behind the volcanic front, (3) declining degrees of melting away from the volcanic front, (4) more decompression-induced melting away from the volcanic front, and (5)

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“…Large solid triangles are Quaternary volcanoes. NPDB = North Panama Deformed Belt; PFZ = Panama Fracture Zone; MPFZ = Motagua-Polochic Fracture Zone (after Mann et al, 1990).…”

Section: Tectonic Setting and Destructive Earthquakesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seismic hazard assessment for Guatemala City

et al. 1997

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Guatemala is one of the Central American countries that for some years now have been participating in a regional program for natural hazard assessment and disaster reduction, funded by the Nordic countries and coordinated by a regional institution (CEPREDENAC*). Recent work related to seismic hazard has included the standardization, reporting and processing of seismicity data across the borders, followed by regional hazard modeling. The work presented here for Guatemala City represents a step from a regional to a more local level, based on reevaluation of historical seismicity, geological data related to active faults, and attenuation relations recently derived from analysis of strong motion records from the region. The site specific hazard calculations indicate that expected values of peak ground acceleration are ranging from less than 2 to more than 6 m s -z, corresponding to annual exceedence probabilities ranging from 0.1 to 0.001, respectively.

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Review of Caribbean neotectonics

Cited by 60 publications

References 83 publications

Crustal structure of the South American–Caribbean plate boundary at 67°W from controlled source seismic data

Crustal structure of the South American–Caribbean plate boundary at 67°W from controlled source seismic data

Petrogenetic insights provided by compositional transects across the Central American arc: Southeastern Guatemala and Honduras

Seismic hazard assessment for Guatemala City

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