Sedimentary architecture, structural setting, and Late Cenozoic depocentre migration of an asymmetric transtensional basin: Lake Izabal, eastern Guatemala

Bartole, Roberto; Lodolo, Emanuele; Obrist‐Farner, Jonathan; Morelli, Danilo

doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2018.12.004

Cited by 13 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…However, their temporal constraints and limited seismic data availability along the eastern and western sides of the basin introduce a significant degree of uncertainty with respect to the inferred slip rates. The thickening of the Carboneras Formation towards the east ( Figure 5) also indicates that the location of the initial depocentre might have been located further to the east than inferred by Bartole et al (2019), thus increasing the uncertainty in their slip rate calculations. In addition, Brocard et al (2011) suggested that 25 km of the 132 km of displacement along the Polochic Fault occurred since 10 to 7 Ma (based on the tectonic deflection of the Chixoy River).…”

Section: Tectonic Context Of Basin Initiation and The Role Of The Pmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…The petrographic studies were carried out using a Leica DVM6 digital microscope in the Department of Geosciences and F I G U R E 3 Simplified stratigraphic column from the Izabal region. Lithological column is based on outcrop and well observations and it is modified from Bartole et al (2019). Absolute ages are from Gradstein et al (2004)…”

Section: Geological Mapping and Sedimentologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fault switch activity has previously been hypothesized by Burkart (1994), Rogers and Mann (2007), and Authemayou et al (2012), but was not confirmed and/ or constrained chronologically. Variable slip rates along the Polochic Fault from ~10 Ma to present have been proposed by Bartole et al (2019) based on interpretations of the migration of the Lake Izabal basin depocentre. However, their temporal constraints and limited seismic data availability along the eastern and western sides of the basin introduce a significant degree of uncertainty with respect to the inferred slip rates.…”

Section: Tectonic Context Of Basin Initiation and The Role Of The Pmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The 12 Ma age for basin inception and Polochic Fault activity also agrees with the timing of extensional tectonics | 1361 EAGE OBRIST-FARNER ET Al. in the Caribbean plate. The half graben morphology of the Lake Izabal Basin indicates that extension played a significant role during basin development (Bartole et al, 2019;Ben-Avraham & Zoback, 1992;Cox, 1997). Tectonic models show that extension in the Caribbean Plate resulted from its pinning against the North American Plate (Burkart & Self, 1985;Guzmán-Speziale, 2001;Malfait & Dinkelman, 1972;Plafker, 1976).…”

Section: Tectonic Context Of Basin Initiation and The Role Of The Pmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The role of the Polochic Fault as part of the North American and Caribbean Plate boundary: Insights from the infill of the Lake Izabal Basin

et al. 2020

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The Lake Izabal Basin in Guatemala is a major pull-apart basin along the sinistral Polochic Fault, which is part of the North American and Caribbean plate boundary. The basin infill contains information about the tectonic and sedimentological processes that have imparted a significant control on its sedimentary section. The inception of the basin has been linked to the relative importance of the Polochic Fault in the tectonic history of the plate boundary; yet, its sedimentological record and its inception age have been poorly documented. This study integrates diverse datasets, including industry reports, well logs and reports, well cuttings, vintage seismic data, outcrop observations and geochronological data to constrain the initial infill and age of inception of the basin. The integrated data show that during the Oligocene-Miocene, a marine carbonate platform was established in the region which was later uplifted and eroded in the early Miocene. The fluvial-lacustrine deposits above this carbonate platform are part of the initial infill of the basin and are constrained with zircon weighted-mean 206 Pb/ 238 U ages of 12.060 ± 0.008 from a volcanic tuff ~30 m above the unconformity. Sandstone, mudstone and coal dominate the interval from 12 to 4 Ma, with an increase in conglomerate correlating to the uplift of the Mico Mountains and San Gil Hill at 4 Ma. Fault switch activity between the Polochic and Motagua faults has been hypothesized to explain total offset along the Polochic Fault and the geologic and geodetic slip rates along the two faults. The 12 Ma age determined for the initial infill of the basin confirms this hypothesis. Consequently, our study confirms that at ~12 Ma the Polochic Fault served as the main fault of the plate boundary with inferred slip rates ranging from 13 to 21 mm/yr with a strong possibility that the Polochic Fault was, at some point between 15 Ma and 7 Ma, the only active fault of the plate boundary. The results of this study show that tectonic records preserved in sediments of strike-slip basins improve the understanding of the relative significance of individual faults and the implications with respect to strain partitioning throughout its tectonic history.

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Section: Tectonic Context Of Basin Initiation and The Role Of The Pmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Geological Mapping and Sedimentologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Tectonic Context Of Basin Initiation and The Role Of The Pmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Tectonic Context Of Basin Initiation and The Role Of The Pmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The role of the Polochic Fault as part of the North American and Caribbean Plate boundary: Insights from the infill of the Lake Izabal Basin

et al. 2020

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“…Transtension between the Polochic and Motagua fault started creating the releasing bend of Lake Izabal during the Middle Miocene, in close proximity to the Caribbean Sea (Carballo-Hernandez et al, 1988). Since then, protracted transtension in the bend has led to the burial of the Maya surface under up to 5 km of terrigenous sediments (Bartole et al, 2019). Transtension at the eastern end of the Motagua fault has, likewise, generated an elongate (125x15 km) fault basin more than 1.4 km deep (Carballo-Hernandez et al, 1988).…”

Section: Tectonics and Orogenesismentioning

confidence: 99%

Top-down and bottom-up controls on mountain-hopping erosion: insights from detrital <sup>10</sup>Be and river profile analysis in Central Guatemala

Brocard

Willenbring

Salles

et al. 2020

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Abstract. The presence of a mountain affects the circulation of water in the atmosphere and over the land surface. These effects are felt over some distance, beyond the extent of the mountain, controlling precipitation delivery and river incision over surrounding landmasses. The rise of a new mountain range therefore affects the erosion of pre-existing mountains located in close proximity. We document here this phenomenon in the mountains of Central Guatemala. The 40Ar-39Ar dating of lava flows shows that two parallel, closely spaced mountain ranges formed during two consecutive pulses of single-stepped uplift, one from 12 to 7 Ma, and the second one since 7 Ma. The distribution of erosion rates derived from the analysis of detrital cosmogenic 10Be in river sediments shows that the younger range erodes faster (~300 m/My) than the older one (20–150 m/My), and that erosion correlates with the amount of precipitation. Moisture tracking form the Caribbean Sea is intercepted by the younger range, which casts a rain shadow over the older one. The analysis of river long-profiles provides a record of longer-term interactions between the two ranges. The rivers that drain the older range were diverted by the younger range during the early stages of its rise. A few rivers were able to maintain their course across the young range, through profile steepening, but incision completely stalled along their upper reaches, upstream of the younger range. As a result, the older range has been passively uplifted, and entered a phase of a slow topographic decay: pediments have formed along its base, while ancient upstream-migrating waves of erosion, located farther up the mountain flanks, have almost stopped migrating. Aridification and cessation of river incision together explain the slowing down of erosion over the older range. They represent top-down and bottom-up processes whereby the younger range controls erosion over the older one. These controls are regarded as instrumental in the nucleation and enlargement of orogenic plateaus forming above continental accretionary wedges.

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Recent onset of eutrophication in Lake Izabal, the largest water body in Guatemala

et al. 2019

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Sedimentary architecture, structural setting, and Late Cenozoic depocentre migration of an asymmetric transtensional basin: Lake Izabal, eastern Guatemala

Cited by 13 publications

References 55 publications

The role of the Polochic Fault as part of the North American and Caribbean Plate boundary: Insights from the infill of the Lake Izabal Basin

The role of the Polochic Fault as part of the North American and Caribbean Plate boundary: Insights from the infill of the Lake Izabal Basin

Top-down and bottom-up controls on mountain-hopping erosion: insights from detrital <sup>10</sup>Be and river profile analysis in Central Guatemala

Recent onset of eutrophication in Lake Izabal, the largest water body in Guatemala

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Sedimentary architecture, structural setting, and Late Cenozoic depocentre migration of an asymmetric transtensional basin: Lake Izabal, eastern Guatemala

Cited by 13 publications

References 55 publications

The role of the Polochic Fault as part of the North American and Caribbean Plate boundary: Insights from the infill of the Lake Izabal Basin

The role of the Polochic Fault as part of the North American and Caribbean Plate boundary: Insights from the infill of the Lake Izabal Basin

Top-down and bottom-up controls on mountain-hopping erosion: insights from detrital &lt;sup&gt;10&lt;/sup&gt;Be and river profile analysis in Central Guatemala

Recent onset of eutrophication in Lake Izabal, the largest water body in Guatemala

Contact Info

Product

Resources

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Top-down and bottom-up controls on mountain-hopping erosion: insights from detrital <sup>10</sup>Be and river profile analysis in Central Guatemala