Jurassic drifting scenario of eastern Mexico: paleomagnetic data re-evaluation and Circum-Gulf of Mexico stratigraphic review

Abstract

It is during the Jurassic Period when the major global re-organization of tectonic elements occurred as result of Pangea’s breakup. Continental Circum-Gulf of Mexico Jurassic stratigraphy mainly consists of clastic sedimentation in extensional basins associated to Pangea’s breakup process influenced by the Lower-Middle Jurassic volcanic arc, and subsequently, sediment composition gradually turned from clastic to calcareous, and continental to marine during the Oxfordian stage. Meanwhile, due to controversy over regional reconstructions of the western margin of equatorial Pangea, there have been several scenarios proposed for the Jurassic configuration of Mexico. Nevertheless, most of them have proposed that Mexico was conformed by a set of crustal blocks delimited by megashears in order to avoid the overlap of northern South America with Mexico observed in global reconstructions, adjusting the original Wegener’s model and models delivered from it.

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90369 © 2020 AAPG Hedberg Conference, Geology and Hydrocarbon Potential of the Circum-Gulf of Mexico Pre-salt Section, Mexico City, Mexico, February 4-6, 2020