Tectonics and sedimentology along the Monkey River and Big Creek, southern Belize, Central America: Modern analog of select Morrow sands

Conference · Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States)

OSTI ID:5813832

Gries, J C; Full, W E ^[1]

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1. Wichita State Univ., KS (United States)

Big Creek is presently a relatively short river draining the flat coastal plain at the southern edge of the North American plate, south-central Belize. The recent sediments in this river consists of very fine-grained silts and clays derived from the local coastal plain. Offshore from the mouth of the Big Creek are shallow sand bars, channels, and eroding islands consisting of well-sorted, coarse sand comprised dominantly of feldspathic minerals. The location and geometry of these sands suggest that Big Creek was the fluvial source for this material. The sedimentology implication is that the nearshore and offshore parts of Big Creek represent a relatively large drowned deltaic complex, a modern analog of some lower Morrow depositional systems. Coarse feldspathic material found in the Cockscomb basin in the Maya Mountains is transported by the Swasey branch of the Monkey River toward the Big Creek drainage to the coast. However, the Swasey branch is abruptly diverted southward to intersect the present-day Monkey River. Drainage analysis suggests that structural features subsidiary to the Chixoy-Polochic fault zone bounding the North American plate may have diverted flow southward, beheading Big Creek. Field observations have not found any major relief changes which would have drainage analysis support tectonic diversion of the head waters of Big Creek into present-day Monkey River. Similar processes are hypothesized to have occurred during Morrow deposition.

• OSTI ID: 5813832
• Report Number(s): CONF-9109239-; CODEN: AABUD
• Journal Information: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States), Vol. 75:8; Conference: American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) mid-continent section meeting, Wichita, KS (United States), 22-24 Sep 1991; ISSN 0149-1423
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
BELIZE
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
SANDSTONES
DEPOSITION
STRATIGRAPHY
FELDSPARS
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
GEOLOGIC MODELS
MINERALOGY
RIVERS
TECTONICS
WATERSHEDS
CENTRAL AMERICA
GEOLOGY
LATIN AMERICA
MINERALS
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SILICATE MINERALS
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
580000* - Geosciences