Mesozoic-Early Paleogene Paleogeography of Venezuela/Trinidad and its implications for Caribbean/South America plate interaction

Conference · Mon Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1993 · AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States)

OSTI ID:5932708

James, K H; Rigby, S M

We present paleogeographic reconstruction illustrating Jurassic-Early Cretaceous passive margin development along northern South America, followed by Late Cretaceous-Middle Eocene convergence between the Caribbean and South America plates. The maps support the model of in-situ origin of the Caribbean Plate. To construct the map's information from northern allochthonous units was combined with that from autochthonous units in the south. Allochthons comprise olistostromes, within upper Cretaceous-lower Paleogene flysch deposits, and upper Jurassic-lower Cretaceous metasediments in the Caribbean Mountains. In addition, northward tectonic escape of the Maracaibo Block and shortening resulting from plate collision were restored. The Late Cretaceous-Middle Eocene climax of Caribbean-South America plate collision was coeval from western Venezuela to Trinidad. Shortening juxtaposed rocks of disparate origins. However, the association of oceanic/volcanic elements with shelf deposits shows that the former were related to opening of the Caribbean and development of the Mesozoic passive margin of northern South America rather than originating in the Pacific. Since the late Eocene, plate interaction has been eastward migrating, dextral relative movement.

• OSTI ID: 5932708
• Report Number(s): CONF-930306--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States) Journal Volume: 77:2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
580000* -- Geosciences
CONVERGENCE
CRETACEOUS PERIOD
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
GEOGRAPHY
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
GEOLOGIC MODELS
ISLANDS
JURASSIC PERIOD
LATIN AMERICA
LESSER ANTILLES
MAPS
MESOZOIC ERA
MOUNTAINS
ORIGIN
OROGENESIS
PLATE TECTONICS
PLATES
ROCKS
SOUTH AMERICA
TECTONICS
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
VENEZUELA
WEST INDIES