Paleobathymetric Maps of Tertiary La Honda Basin and Implications for Offset Along San Andreas Fault in Central California

Richard G. Stanley

Paleobathymetric maps of the La Honda basin of central California were constructed for ten intervals of geologic time from late Paleocene (Ynezian) to middle Miocene (Luisian). The maps are based on analyses of benthic foraminiferal biofacies in more than 800 faunal lists compiled from the literature and from subsurface data provided by oil companies.

The sequence of paleobathymetric maps shows the paleogeographic evolution of the La Honda basin. From the late Paleocene (Ynezian) to the early Oligocene (early Zemorrian), deep-sea sands and muds accumulated at water depths of 2,000 m and more on a surface that sloped gently to the north and northeast. Striking changes in the configuration of the La Honda basin occurred during the late Oligocene and early Miocene (late Zemorrian). Much of the basin floor remained at water depths of 2,000 m and greater, but submarine volcanic rocks locally built up to form seamounts, and movement along the Zayante-Vergeles fault led to shoaling and development of a narrow shelf and very steep slope along the southwestern margin of the basin. During the early and middle Miocene (Relizian and Luisian), he entire basin shoaled to depths of less than 1,500 m. Comparison of paleobathymetric maps of the La Honda and San Joaquin basins lends support to the notion that the two basins were once contiguous but have been separated by about 320 to 330 km of right-lateral displacement along the San Andreas fault since the earliest Miocene (late Zemorrian and Saucesian).

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91038©1987 AAPG Annual Convention, Los Angeles, California, June 7-10, 1987.