Sedimentary record of the Early-Middle Jurassic inception of the Gulf of Mexico in Tlaxiaco basin

Abstract

The Tlaxiaco Lower-Middle Jurassic sequence cropping out in Oaxaca is one of the most complete pre-Callovian sequences in Mexico, and it is a key sequence for the understanding of the early rift phases that later led to the opening of the present-day Gulf of Mexico. Specifically, the tectono-stratigraphic history of the Early-Middle Jurassic sedimentary sequences exposed in the Tlaxiaco Basin can be explained with the rifting theoretical model of Fichter and Diecchio (2015). According to this model, continental rifts characterized by hotspots start with an uplift phase and crustal thinning due to the hotspot-related, crustal thermal perturbation. This is typically followed by deposition of continental sediments in alluvial and possibly lake environments withing evolving horst-and-graben systems. The purpose of this contribution is to provide an improved understanding of the provenance and depositional settings of the Cuarcitica Cualac, Zorrillo and Taberna formations, in order to refine the tectono-stratigraphic history of the early rift phases in the Tlaxiaco Basin.

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