The Geological Society of America Special Paper 436 2008

The Guerrero Composite Terrane of western Mexico: Collision and subsequent rifting in a supra-subduction zone
E. Centeno-Garca* Instituto de Geologa, Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Ciudad Universitaria, Mxico D.F. 04510, Mxico M. Guerrero-Suastegui O. Talavera-Mendoza Unidad Acadmica de Ciencias de la Tierra, Universidad Autnoma de Guerrero, AP 197, Taxco el Viejo, Guerrero, Mxico ABSTRACT The Guerrero Composite Terrane of western Mexico is the second largest terrane in North America.Mostly characterized by submarine volcanism and formed by ve terranes, the Guerrero records vast and complex subduction-related processes inuenced by major translation and rifting. It is composed of the Teloloapan, Guanajuato, Arcelia, Tahue, and Zihuatanejo Terranes. The Teloloapan Terrane is made up of Lower Cretaceous island-arc (IA) andesitic to basaltic submarine lava ows, interbedded with limestone and shallow-marine volcaniclastic rocks. The Guanajuato and Arcelia Terranes are characterized by Lower Cretaceous supra-subduction ophiolite successions formed by deep-marine volcanic and sedimentary rocks with mid-oceanic-ridge basalt (MORB), oceanic-island basalt (OIB), and island-arc basalt (IAB) signatures. These two terranes are placed between the continent and the more evolved arc assemblages of the Zihuatanejo Terrane. The Tahue Terrane is composed of Paleozoic accreted arc and eugeoclinal sedimentary rocks, Triassic rift-related metaigneous rocks, and overlain unconformably by pillow basalts, limestone, and volcaniclastic rocks. The Zihuatanejo Terrane was formed by Triassic ocean-ank to ocean-oor assemblages accreted in Early Jurassic time (subduction complexes). The subduction complexes are overlain by Middle Jurassicevolved volcanic arc rocks, which are in turn unconformably overlain by Early and Late Cretaceous subaerial and marine arc-related volcano-sedimentary assemblages. Mesozoic stratigraphy at the paleocontinental margin of Mexico (Oaxaquia and Mixteca Terranes) is formed by Triassic submarine fan turbidites accreted during Early Jurassic time; Middle Jurassicevolved volcanic arc rocks are unconformably covered by a Late Jurassic to Cretaceous calcareous platform. Six stages in the tectonic evolution are proposed on the basis of the stratigraphic and deformational events recorded in western Mexico: (1) A passive or rifting margin developed along the western margin of continental Mexico throughout the Triassic. A
*centeno@servidor.unam.mx Centeno-Garca, E., Guerrero-Suastegui, M., and Talavera-Mendoza, O., 2008, The Guerrero Composite Terrane of western Mexico: Collision and subsequent rifting in a supra-subduction zone, in Draut, A., Clift, P.D., and Scholl, D.W., eds., Formation and Applications of the Sedimentary Record in Arc Collision Zones: Geological Society of America Special Paper 436, p. 279308, doi: 10.1130/2008.2436(13). For permission to copy, contact editing@geosociety.org. 2008 The Geological Society of America.All rights reserved.

279

280

Centeno-Garca et al. thick siliciclastic turbiditic succession of the Potosi Submarine Fan was accumulated on the paleo-continental shelf-slope and extended to the west in a marginal oceanic basin. (2) Subduction began in the Early Jurassic, and the turbidites of the Potosi Fan with slivers of the oceanic crust were accreted, forming a wide subduction prism. (3)Exhumation of the accretionary prism and development of a Middle Jurassic continental arc onto the paleo-continental margin (Oaxaquia and Mixteca Terrane) took place, and also in the Zihuatanejo Terrane. (4) Intra-arc strike-slip faulting and rifting of the Middle Jurassic continental arc took place along with migration of the subduction toward the west and development of a calcareous platform in Oaxaquia and the Mixteca Terrane (continental Mexico). (5) Drifting of the previously accreted Tahue and Zihuatanejo Terranes formed a series of marginal arc-backarc systems, or one continuously drifting arc with intra-arc and backarc basins during Early to middle Cretaceous time. (6) Deformation of the arc assemblages, and development of Santonian to Maastrichtian foreland and other basins, date the nal amalgamation of the Guerrero Composite Terrane with the continental margin. Keywords: Guerrero Terrane, Mexico, tectonics, Triassic subduction complex, Cretaceous arc volcanism.

INTRODUCTION The present conguration of continental Mexico was built after accretion of basement remnants and oceanic terranes. During most of their Mesozoic history, Proterozoic to Paleozoic accreted terranes formed a relatively narrow neck of land adjacent to the North American craton. This was bordered on its eastern side by rifting and on its western side by active subduction. Thus Mexico is probably one of the most suitable regions in North America for studying the interaction between these two differing tectonic scenarios. We suggest in this paper, based on evidence recorded in the stratigraphy of the Guerrero Composite Terrane and surrounding terranes, that the almost continuously subducting Pacic margin of Mexico was directly inuenced by extensional tectonics associated with the breakup of Pangea and the formation of the Gulf of Mexico. The Guerrero Composite Terrane (Campa and Coney, 1983) constitutes approximately one-third of Mexico. As originally described, it is the largest of all the Mexican terranes and probably the second largest of the North America Cordillera after Wrangellia (Campa and Coney, 1983; Centeno-Garca et al., 1993a). The Guerrero Composite Terrane is characterized mostly by submarine and locally subaerial volcanic and sedimentary successions that range in age from Jurassic (Tithonian) to middleLate Cretaceous (Cenomanian), and scarce exposures of older rocks. A wide variety of models has been proposed for the origin of the Guerrero Composite Terrane. Like other terranes of the North America Cordillera, it was rst interpreted as an exotic terrane formed by a fartraveled Cretaceous oceanic arc. Some authors have suggested that it was an oceanic arc terrane that was accreted to nuclear Mexico in Late Cretaceous time via a westward-dipping subduction zone that closed a major ocean basin (Lapierre et. al., 1992; Tardy et al., 1994; Dickinson and Lawton, 2001, etc.). Other authors have

suggested that the Guerrero Composite Terrane might represent one or more complex systems of two or three peripheral arcs that developed relatively close to the continent (Campa and Ramrez, 1979; Ramrez-Espinosa et al., 1991; Mendoza and Suastegui, 2000; Centeno-Garca et al., 2003; Centeno-Garca, 2005). Some models even proposed that the arc was autochthonous and was built upon Proterozoic continental crust of nuclear Mexico (de Cserna, 1978; Elas-Herrera and Snchez-Zavala, 1990). In other words, there is a model for each likely possibility, but each lacks strong supporting evidence. New ndings on the stratigraphy, discussed in this paper, suggest a more complex evolution, implying a series of accretions to the continent followed by rifting, and later by collision. In this paper we attempt to present our insights into the evolution of western Mexico gained from examining the stratigraphy and structure, and the geochemical and geochronological data, of such a vast area. However, we discuss in this paper only stratigraphic units and localities that are keys for reconstructing the tectonic evolution. This paper synthesizes the work done by many authors. Although there is the need for more geochronological and detailed eld work, we consider that the preliminary tectonic model presented in this paper is consistent with the evidence collected to date. OVERVIEW OF THE GUERRERO COMPOSITE AND NEIGHBORING TERRANES The stratigraphy of western Mexico is synthesized in this paper under the framework of tectono-stratigraphic terranes, which are regions that share the same geological history and are bounded by major faults. As mentioned before, by the early Mesozoic, the Paleozoic and Proterozoic terranes were already accreted to the southern part of the North American craton.

Guerrero Composite Terrane of western Mexico

281

Those that already formed part of the continental margin during the Mesozoic were Oaxaquia and the Mixteca, Parral, and Cortes Terranes (Fig.1). Terranes accreted or displaced during the Mesozoic were those of the Guerrero Composite, the Central, as well as terranes of the western Baja California Peninsula. The latter will not be reviewed in this paper. A brief summary of the stratigraphy is described as follows; more detailed descriptions of key areas and events are discussed later. OAXAQUIA At the end of the Paleozoic, Proterozoic basement terranes of Gondwanan afnity were already accreted to the southern part of the North American craton. The largest of these is the Oaxaquia block (Fig.1), a crustal fragment, subcontinent in size, of Grenville afnity (Ortega-Gutirrez et al., 1995). This crustal block forms the backbone of eastern Mexico and is referred to herein as continental Mexico for the Mesozoic. Oaxaquia has a Precambrian (1157900Ma) crystalline basement (gneisses and anorthosites; Patchett and Ruz, 1987; Ortega-Gutirrez et

al., 1995; Ramrez-Ramrez, 1992; Lawlor et al., 1999; Solari et al., 2003; Keppie et al., 2003). It is covered by Paleozoic sedimentary rocks (Fig.2) that are capped by Permian volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks (McKee et al., 1999; Stewart et al., 1999; Rosales-Lagarde et al., 2005). Triassic (CarnianNorian) sedimentary rocks (La Ballena Formation) are exposed at the western margin of Oaxaquia (Labarthe et al., 1982; SilvaRomo, 1993; Tristn-Gonzalez and Torres-Hernndez, 1994; Centeno-Garca and Silva-Romo, 1997; Barboza-Gudio et al., 1998, 1999, 2004; Bartolini et al., 2002). These rocks are made up of a thick succession of turbidites (Fig.2) deposited in a submarine fan environment named the Potosi Fan (CentenoGarca, 2005). Triassic rocks of the Potosi Fan were deformed prior to deposition of Jurassic volcanic-volcaniclastic rocks (Centeno-Garca and Silva-Romo, 1997). They are interpreted as a Jurassic continental arc and rest unconformably on the Triassic Potosi Fan. Jurassic arc strata are made up of subaerial andesitic-rhyolitic lava ows, interbedded with volcaniclastic rocks (Silva-Romo, 1993). The arc sequence changes transitionally upsection to shallow-marine

115

110

105

100

95

90

30

USA C M XICO a Te b o Mo r r rc j av an a ee So

no

North America
ra
La Ba

Cortes Terrane

Sa

Oa
nM

bia

arc

xa

Fa u

lt

Cenozoic volcanism Oaxaquia Cortes Terrane Parral Terrane Central Terrane Mixteca Terrane Guerrero Composite Terrane Tahue Terrane Arcelia Terrane Zihuatanejo Teloloapan Guanajuato N

30

Me ga sh ea r

os

qu

Fa ult

ia

25

Mojave-Sonora

Megashear

25

G ue rr er
g Fi

n Early Mesozoic Co

Central Terrane

Fig. 6

nd T da Fol

o
.4

ax
ta

s hru

C om po

aq

t Be ont lt Fr

ui

GULF OF MXICO
20

tin

PA C IF IC

si te Te rr

en lM

gi ar n

20

an e

115

110

105

100

95

M X IC O

Figure1. Map showing main tectono-stratigraphic terranes, major faults mentioned in the text, and locations of Figures4, 6, and 8.

O C E A N
Fig. 8

Mixteca
A AL M E T UA G

90

282

Centeno-Garca et al.

GUERRERO COMPOSITE TERRANE

Guanajuato

Teloloapan

Oaxaquia

Zihuatanejo
Maastrichtian Campanian

Coast Huetamo Northern

Cortes Parral

Central

Tahue

Caborca
basic-andesitic submarine volcanism andesitic submarine volcanism rhyolitic-andesitic submarine volcanism rhyolitic-andesitic continental volcanism volcaniclastic rocks terrestrial and shallow marine sedimentary rocks siliciclastic and volcaniclastic rocks limestone, shale and evaporites siliciclastic turbidites accretionary prism metamorphic arc volcanic and sedimentary rocks gneiss and schist

Santonian Coniacian Turonian

Cenomanian

Albian Aptian
Barremian

? ?

Hauterivian
Valanginian

Berriasian

Tithonian
Kimmeridgian Oxfordian

Callovian
Bathonian Bajocian

Aalenian

Toarcian
Pliensbachian
Sinemurian

Mixteca

Arcelia

Hettangian

Rhaetian

Norian

Carnian
Ladinian Early Triassic

Paleozoic

Proterozoic
Figure2. Simplied stratigraphic columns for Oaxaquia and terranes mentioned in the text. They show the age range (inMa) of sedimentation and magmatism for western and central Mexico. Geochronological data are represented as follows: Black circles are U/Pb ages, and diamonds are Ar/Ar and K/Ar ages.

volcaniclastic rocks, limestone, and some evaporites (Fig.2; Silva-Romo, 1993; Tristn-Gonzlez and Torres-Hernndez, 1994; Barboza-Gudio et al., 2004). Calcareous sedimentation in Oaxaquia ranges in age from late OxfordianKimmeridgian to Turonian and is interpreted as the southern extension of the North

American seaway. A major change upsection from calcareous to clastic sedimentation occurred at the uppermost part of the Cretaceous, forming a thick succession of sandstone, shale, and conglomerate (Caracol Formation; Silva-Romo, 1993). Oaxaquia is overthrust by the Guerrero Composite Terrane (Fig.1).

 MIXTECA TERRANE

Guerrero Composite Terrane of western Mexico

283

The basement of the eastern Mixteca Terrane is made up of pre-Mississippian polydeformed metamorphic rocks of the Acatln Complex (Ortega-Gutirrez, 1981; Ruz et al., 1988; Yaez et al., 1991). This complex is considered to be the result of complex interactions between Gondwana and Laurentia previous and during the assembling of Pangea (Ortega-Gutirrez et al., 1999). It is unconformably overlain by Permian sedimentary rocks, which are in turn overlain unconformably by Middle Jurassic volcanic and sedimentary rocks (Fig.2; Garca-Daz et al., 2004). At the western part of the terrane, near the limit with the Guerrero Composite Terrane, partly metamorphosed volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks are exposed (Taxco Schist and Chapolapa Formation; de Cserna and Fries, 1981; Talavera-Mendoza, 1993; Campa and Iriondo, 2004). The Taxco Schist is made up of andesitic to rhyolitic lavas and volcaniclastic rocks of Early Cretaceous age (TalaveraMendoza, 1993; Campa and Iriondo, 2004). The Taxco Schist is unconformably overlain by a thick limestone succession of Albian to Cenomanian age and by TuronianMaastrichtian clastic rocks (Mexcala Formation; Campa and Ramrez, 1979; TalaveraMendoza et al., 1995). Contacts between the Mixteca Terrane and Oaxaquia, as well as between the Mixteca and Guerrero Composite Terranes, are partially exposed. The Mixteca Terrane is on strike-slip fault contact with Oaxaquia, and rocks of the Guerrero Composite Terrane are thrust over the Mixteca Terrane. PARRAL TERRANE The Parral Terrane (Figs.1 and 2) was rst dened by Pacheco et al. (1984) and Coney and Campa (1987) and was redened by Centeno-Garca (2005). The basement of the Parral Terrane is formed by Devonian to Carboniferous metamorphic rocks (Pescadito Schist; Eguiluz and Campa, 1982; Araujo and Arenas, 1986; Zaldivar and Garduo, 1984). These Paleozoic metamorphic rocks are unconformably overlain by red beds and volcanic successions (Nazas Formation; Pantoja-Alor, 1963), which change transitionally to Tithonian limestone (Araujo and Arenas, 1986; Contreras-Montero et al., 1988). Cretaceous calcareous and clastic sedimentation of the Parral Terrane is laterally continuous with the calcareous-clastic deposits that cover Oaxaquia and the Central Terrane. Relationships among the Parral, Central, and Cortes Terranes and the Parral Terrane and Oaxaquia are unknown, because the contacts are covered by Cretaceous limestone or by Cenozoic volcanic successions. Therefore, the exact locations of their boundaries are unknown but are inferred by the difference in styles of deformation of the Cretaceous rocks. CABORCA AND CORTES TERRANES

Paleozoic miogeosyncline of Nevada. It was transferred toward the south by Middle to Late Jurassic time via the Mohave-Sonora megashear (Anderson and Silver, 1979, 2005; Stewart et al., 1990). The Cortes Terrane is interpreted as an autochthonous terrane to North America, which probably evolved at the margin of the Caborca Terrane (Stewart et al., 1990). It is made up of a thick succession of Paleozoic deep-marine turbidites that were thrust over platform limestone of the Caborca Terrane (Figs.1 and 2). The Cortes Terrane is interpreted as continental-slope deposits, and it is considered the southern extension of the Paleozoic Cordilleran eugeoclinal deposits from Nevada and California (Poole and Madrid, 1988; Coney and Campa, 1987; Stewart et al., 1990). The previously deformed Paleozoic deep-marine rocks of the Cortes Terrane are overlain by Triassic (CarnianNorian) terrestrial and marine sedimentary rocks (Stewart et al., 1990; Stewart and Roldn-Quintana, 1991). The Triassic rocks are overlain by Cretaceous red beds and volcanic rocks (Stewart and RoldnQuintana, 1991). Contact relationships between the Cortes and Guerrero Composite Terranes have not been well constrained, but the contact is inferred to be a Late Cretaceous thrust fault. CENTRAL TERRANE The nature of the basement of the Central Terrane is unknown, but it is assumed to be different from the Proterozoic basement of Oaxaquia because its oldest exposed rocks near its contact are a subduction-related accretionary complex (Taray Formation; Anderson et al., 1990; Diaz-Salgado et al., 2003; Anderson et al., 2005; Centeno-Garca, 2005). The subduction zone on which the Taray Formation was deformed was probably constructed along the Oaxaquia continental margin between Late Permian and Early Jurassic time (Diaz-Salgado et al., 2003; Anderson et al., 2005). The complex is unconformably overlain by Oxfordian subaerial rhyolitic to andesitic volcanic rocks and red beds (Jones et al., 1995). These rocks change transitionally to shallow-marine limestone that ranges in age from Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous (Crdoba-Mndez, 1964). The location of the northern and eastern contact between the Central Terrane and Oaxaquia is inferred on the basis of the location of the last exposures of Paleozoic early Mesozoic rocks, and a contrast in deformation styles of Cretaceous rocks in both (Fig.1). The contact between the Central and Guerrero Composite Terranes has not been studied in detail but is inferred on the basis of the distribution of the northernmost exposures of Cretaceous marine volcanic rocks that belong to the Guerrero Composite Terrane. Structural trends on both sides of the contact suggest that the Central Terrane is overthrust by the Guerrero Composite Terrane to the south (Fig.1). The thrusting is inferred to have occurred about Late Cretaceous time. GUERRERO COMPOSITE TERRANE

The Caborca Terrane has a Proterozoic basement older than 1.7Ga (Anderson and Silver, 1981), covered by a thick Paleozoic sedimentary succession. It has been interpreted to be a displaced block of continental North America, originally located along the

Areas with large volumes of Lower Cretaceous volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks, located toward the west of Oaxaquia and the Mixteca Terrane, were originally grouped as the

284

Centeno-Garca et al. up of large volumes of Triassic (Norian) quartz-rich turbidites (sandstone and shale) that are tectonically imbricated (Campa et al., 1982; Centeno-Garca et al., 1993a, 1993b). The turbidites form a matrix within which are blocks and slabs of pillow basalts, diabase, banded gabbros, chert, and limestone (Fig.2). These rocks have received different names at different outcrops: Zacatecas Formation, Arteaga Complex, and Las Ollas Complex (Burckhardt and Scalia, 1906; Ranson et al., 1982; Cuevas-Prez, 1983; Monod and Calvet, 1991; Centeno-Garca and SilvaRomo, 1997; Talavera-Mendoza, 2000; Centeno-Garca et al., 2003). The deformation of these rocks varies from gently folded strata to highly sheared block-in-matrix textures, and their metamorphism ranges from none to high-greenschistamphibolite facies (Centeno-Garca et al., 2003). Blueschist facies have been reported only in one locality (Las Ollas Complex; TalaveraMendoza, 2000). These lithologies are interpreted to constitute an Upper Triassic(?)Lower Jurassic subduction-related accretionary complex. Scattered exposures of rocks of Middle to Late Jurassic evolved arc volcanism lie along the Pacic Coast of the Zihuatanejo Terrane. These rocks are made up of submarine rhyolitic lavas and volcaniclastic rocks, and granitoids that were emplaced in rocks of the accretionary complex (Bissig et al., 2003; Centeno-Garca et al., 2003). The Middle to Upper Jurassic arc rocks were in turn deformed and exhumed previous to the deposition of uppermost JurassicCretaceous arc-related strata (Centeno-Garca et al., 2003). The Cretaceous arc succession ranges from Berriasian to Cenomanian in age, and it includes andesitic, basaltic, and some rhyolitic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks, interbedded with limestone, evaporites, and some red beds (Grajales and Lpez, 1984). The arc succession contains abundant fossils such as rudists, gastropods, microfossils, fossil logs, and vertebrates. This arc succession was deformed prior to the intrusion of large granitoids of latest Cretaceous to Paleogene age (Schaaf et al., 2000). Also, uppermost Cretaceous (Santonian to Maastrichtian) red beds and volcanic rocks rest unconformably on all previous units (Altamira Areyn, 2002; Benammi et al., 2005). The contact between the Zihuatanejo Terrane and Oaxaquia is exposed at its northern limit, where Cretaceous arc rocks of the Zihuatanejo Terrane are thrust over shallow-marine limestone of Oaxaquia. Its contact with the Arcelia and Guanajuato Terranes is inferred to be an east-verging thrust, but it is covered by uppermost Cretaceous and Cenozoic red beds and volcanic rocks. Guanajuato Terrane The Guanajuato Terrane has been interpreted as a complete crustal section through a primitive island arc that appears to lack an older basement (Ortiz-Hernandez et al., 1991; OrtizHernandez, 1992). It has also been interpreted as the remains of an oceanic basin that lay between the Guerrero arc and the continental margin (Freydier et al., 2000). This terrane was formed by a series of tectonic slivers that placed lower crust rocks (gabbro,

Guerrero Terrane by Campa and Coney (1983) and were, 10 years later, divided into the Tahue, Nahuatl, and Tepehuano Terranes by Sedlock et al. (1993). Subsequent regional mapping has shown that the divisions proposed by Campa and Coney (1983) are closer to the eld locations of faults delimiting the terranes than those of Sedlock et al. (1993). Therefore, more recent reviews of the terrane distribution of Mexico (e.g., Centeno-Garca, 2005) have been based on Campa and Coney (1983). The Guerrero is a composite terrane, formed by at least ve terranes: Tahue, Zihuatanejo, Guanajuato, Arcelia, and Teloloapan (Figs.1 and 2; Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995; Mendoza and Suastegui, 2000; Centeno-Garca et al., 2003; Centeno-Garca, 2005). Their stratigraphy is briey described from NNW to ESE (Fig.1): Tahue Terrane The Tahue Terrane contains the oldest rocks found so far within the Guerrero Composite Terrane (Fig.2; Centeno-Garca, 2005). These rocks comprise Ordovician marine rhyoliticandesitic lavas and clastic and calcareous rocks, all deformed and metamorphosed to low-greenschist facies (El Fuerte Complex; Mullan, 1978; Roldn-Quintana et al., 1993; Poole and Perry, 1998). These rocks may have originated as an oceanic arc that apparently was accreted previous to the deposition of PennsylvanianPermian deep-marine sedimentary rocks (San Jos de Gracia Formation; Carrillo-Martnez, 1971; Gastil et al., 1991; Arredondo-Guerrero and Centeno-Garca, 2003; Centeno-Garca, 2005). These deep-marine turbidites are strongly deformed but do not show the metamorphism of the El Fuerte Complex; thus an unconformable contact relationship between these two units is inferred. Paleozoic rocks of the Tahue Terrane are unconformably overlain by Cretaceous marine arc volcanic rocks and are interpreted as part of the Guerrero Arc (OrtegaGutirrez et al., 1979; Henry and Fredrikson, 1987; RoldnQuintana et al., 1993; Freydier et al., 1995). These rocks are also cut by mac and ultramac intrusions that are part of the same Cretaceous arc magmatism (Henry and Fredrikson, 1987; Gastil et al., 1999; Arredondo-Guerrero and Centeno-Garca, 2003). Therefore, the Paleozoic units form the basement upon which the arc was built. The Tahue Terrane also contains metamorphic rocks of Triassic age (Keppie et al., 2006). The contact relationship between the Cortes and Tahue Terranes has not been studied in detail, but it is inferred to be a thrust (Fig.1; Roldn-Quintana et al., 1993). The contact between the Tahue and Zihuatanejo Terranes is not exposed. Zihuatanejo Terrane The Zihuatanejo Terrane is the largest of all terranes that form the Guerrero Composite Terrane (Fig.1). It extends north of the Mexican Volcanic Belt and along the Pacic Coast of Mexico (Centeno-Garca et al., 1993a, 1993b; Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995; Mendoza and Suastegui, 2000). Its basement is made

Guerrero Composite Terrane of western Mexico

285

tonalite, serpentinite, wehrlite, and dike swarms) on pillow basalts, rhyolitic tuffs, volcanic turbidites, chert, and black detrital limestone (Quintero-Legorreta, 1992; Ortiz-Hernandez et al., 1992; Lapierre et al., 1992; Monod et al., 1990; Martnez-Reyes, 1992; Ortiz-Hernandez et al., 2003). These rocks were poorly dated as TithonianHauterivian in age (Ortiz-Hernandez et al., 2003; Hall and Mortensen, 2003). Previously deformed volcanic turbidites are unconformably overlain by AptianAlbian limestone (Ortiz-Hernandez et al., 2003). This suggests that sedimentation and at least one phase of deformation occurred previous to the AptianAlbian (Ortiz-Hernandez et al., 2003). At present the Guanajuato Terrane is thrust over the calcareous platform of Oaxaquia (Ortiz-Hernndez et al., 2002). Contact relationships between the Guanajuato and Zihuatanejo Terranes have not been constrained. Arcelia Terrane The Arcelia Terrane is made up of basaltic pillow lavas and ultramac bodies, black shale and chert, and volcanic turbidites, all intensively deformed and partly metamorphosed (RamrezEspinosa et al., 1991; Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995). It is characterized by Early Cretaceous deep-marine primitive arc or arcrelated oceanic facies and shows the least evolved magmatism of all the arc successions of the Guerrero Composite Terrane (Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995; Mendoza and Suastegui, 2000). The Arcelia Terrane appears to lack an older basement (TalaveraMendoza et al., 1995; Mendoza and Suastegui, 2000). Rocks of the Arcelia Terrane apparently were thrust over the assemblages of the Teloloapan Terrane, and were in turn overthrust by rocks of the Zihuatanejo Terrane. However, these contacts are inferred because they are covered by younger red beds. Teloloapan Terrane The Teloloapan Terrane consists of two distinct regions: the eastern region is characterized by shallow-marine volcanic and sedimentary deposits (Fig.2), and the western region by deeper volcanic and sedimentary facies (Guerrero-Suastegui et al., 1991; Ramrez-Espinoza et al., 1991; Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995; Mendoza and Suastegui, 2000; Guerrero-Suastegui, 2004). Both are marine arc assemblages, which vary in composition from basalt-andesite to scarce dacite-rhyolite (Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995). This unit contains microfossils (radiolarians and coccoliths), gastropods, and bivalves that range in age from Hauterivian to Aptian; these rocks change transitionally upsection to AptianAlbian island-arc carbonates (Guerrero-Suastegui et al., 1991; Ramrez-Espinoza et al., 1991; Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995). The Teloloapan Terrane (Fig.1) is exposed in the easternmost parts of the Guerrero Composite Terrane. It is characterized structurally by a complex thrust-fault system that verges eastward. Its Lower Cretaceous rocks are severely deformed and metamorphosed in low-grade greenschist facies. The Teloloapan Terrane overrides either Lower to Middle Cretaceous platform

carbonates or Upper Cretaceous clastic sediments that belong to the Mixteca Terrane (Fig.1; Campa and Ramirez, 1979). The nature of its basement remains unknown. Metamorphic rocks that are exposed near the northwestern boundary of the Teloloapan Terrane with the Arcelia Terrane have been interpreted as a possible basement for the former (Elas-Herrera and SnchezZavala, 1990; Sanchez-Zavala, 1993). The rocks in this area are of uncertain age and origin. TECTONIC MODEL The most abundant rocks of the Guerrero Composite Terrane are marine, and rarely subaerial, arc volcanic and sedimentary successions that range in age from latest Jurassic (Tithonian) to middle Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian). The composition of the few scattered exposures of older units suggests a complex earlier tectonic evolution. These older rocks were not taken into consideration for the tectonic models proposed by previous authors (de Cserna, 1978; Campa and Ramirez, 1979; Elas-Herrera and Snchez-Zavala, 1990; Tardy et al., 1994; Lapierre, et. al., 1992; Dickinson and Lawton, 2001, etc.). Based on the available information, we identied six main tectonic stages in the evolution of the Guerrero Composite Terrane. These stages are represented in Figure3 and are briey described in this section. Detailed discussion of the data that support the reconstruction of each stage is presented in the following section. Stage I: Collision of a Paleozoic Oceanic Arc?Basement of the Tahue Terrane The basement of the Tahue Terrane (Fig.3) is composed of the early Paleozoic accreted volcanic-sedimentary rocks of the El Fuerte Metamorphic Complex. There are not enough data available to constrain the origin of this complex. Preliminary interpretations considered these rocks as remnants of Gondwanan crust accreted during the formation of Pangea (Poole et al., 2005). In this model, metamorphic rocks of El Fuerte could be the western continuation of basement rocks of the Parral Terrane (Figs.1 and 2). An alternative interpretation is that the El Fuerte Complex may be a displaced fragment of the early Paleozoic arc (Antler Arc) that collided with the western continental margin of North America during late Paleozoic time (Burchel et al., 1992; Snchez-Zavala et al., 1999; Dickinson, 2004; Centeno-Garca, 2005). Carboniferous deep-marine turbidites (San Jos de Gracia Formation) that apparently cover the lower Paleozoic arc rocks unconformably may be correlative with deep-marine sedimentary rocks exposed in the eastern peninsular ranges of Baja California and the southwestern Cordillera of North America (Gastil et al., 1991; Centeno-Garca, 2005). In either of the two scenarios, deformed Paleozoic rocks of the Tahue Terrane are the basement upon which Cretaceous volcanism was built, indicating an earlier history of accretion of the Guerrero Composite Terrane than was previously interpreted by other authors.

Tahue (Guerrero Composite Terrane) Passive margin sediments

Cortes

E
Caborca

Stage I Arc collision and development of a passive margin

Paleozoic

Vizcano?
Vizcaino?

Zihuatanejo (Guerrero Composite) and Central terranes

Oaxaquia
n Potos Submarine Fan

Continent margin Siliciclastic turbidites share the same provenance

Arteaga Basin

Oaxaquia and Mixteca

Stage II Marginal oceanic basin with active rift volcanism Triassic

Carnian-Norian

Vizcano?

Guerrero

Central

Taray Complex Arteaga Complex

?

Oaxaquia Potosi Fan (deformed)

Oaxaquia and Mixteca

Stage III Accretion via subduction wide accretionary prism Early Jurassic
pre 180-163 Ma

Guerrero
Tumbiscato Granitoid 163-158 Ma

Central

Oaxaquia

transtension?
158 Ma

?
Sub duc tion

+Oaxaquia and Mixteca

Stage IV Continental arc and contemporaneous strike-slip and extension (roll-back of the subducting plate?)
Middle to Late Jurassic

Guerrero Zihuatanejo/Tahue

Composite Terrane Arcelia Guanajuato Teloloapan

Central and Mixteca

Oaxaquia (north)

transtension?
Calcareous K platform

Stage V Formation of a multiple arcs system or a single arc with intra-arc/back arc rifting Cretaceous
Berriasian-Cenomanian

?
Sub duc tion

Oaxaquia and Mixteca

Guerrero Zihuatanejo/Tahue
granitoids 105 Ma

Composite Terrane Arcelia Teloloapan Guanajuato

Central / Oaxaquia and Mixteca (south)

compression

Stage VI a Deformation and locally metamorphism, cut by 105 Ma granitoids in the Zihuatanejo terrane Cretaceous
Cenomanian?-pre Santonian

Oaxaquia and Mixteca

Red Beds

Marine turbidites

Stage VI b Active continental arc in the west and syntectonic marine turbidites (foreland) in the east and deformation Cretaceous
Santonian?-Maastrichtian

Figure3. Tectonic models for the evolution of western Mexico, showing the alternating stages of subduction-collision and rifting.

Guerrero Composite Terrane of western Mexico

287

Stage II: Late Triassic Passive MarginDeposition of the Potosi Fan The paleo-continental edge of Mexico lay approximately at the western boundary of the Oaxaquia and Mixteca Terranes in the early Mesozoic (Fig.1; Centeno-Garca, 2005). Thus the Central and Guerrero Composite Terranes (Fig.1) were accreted or displaced to their present position during the Mesozoic. Sedimentation along the western continental margin of Oaxaquia was dominated by large volumes of siliciclastic turbidites (quartz-rich sandstone and shale) that were deposited in the distal continental shelf or at the continental slope at least during CarnianNorian time (Fig.3). Accretionary complexes that form the basement of the Central Terrane and parts of the Guerrero Composite Terrane (Zihuatanejo Terrane) are formed largely (up to 60% of the total area of exposures) by similar quartz-rich sandstone and shale turbidites that made up the matrix within which blocks of variable composition are embedded. These turbidites in the accreted terranes contain fossils of the same age as those from turbidites deposited at the continental slope of Oaxaquia. Detrital zircon ages obtained from turbidites from all the localities of the CarnianNorian turbidites, from Oaxaquia to basal accretionary complexes of the Central and Zihuatanejo Terranes, show the same populations, which suggest that the fan turbidites spread into a marginal oceanic basin that was later accreted to the continental margin. These siliciclastic rocks are grouped as the Potosi Fan (Centeno-Garca, 2005) and are important because they can be traced from Oaxaquia to the present Pacic Coast of Mexico, and they tie together the Central Terrane, the westernmost part of the Guerrero Composite Terrane (Zihuatanejo Terrane), and the continental margin of southern North America (Oaxaquia) during Late Triassic time. Thus, the Potosi Submarine Fan may have been a large sedimentary feature, probably close to the dimensions of the present Bengal Fan. There is no evidence of Triassic magmatism in continental Mexico, and detrital zircon geochronology of the fan turbidites show that the youngest age populations are much older than depositional ages in all the studied localities of the Potosi Fan (Fig.3; Centeno-Garca et al., 2005; Centeno-Garca, 2005). Therefore, the Potosi Fan probably was deposited across a passive margin, or at least a margin that had no active subduction along the length of the fan at the time of deposition. Stage III: Accretion of the Potosi Fan to the Continental Margin via SubductionBasement of the Central and Zihuatanejo Terranes All the Triassic units of central and western Mexico are strongly deformed and partially metamorphosed, indicating that a major compressional event occurred during latest TriassicEarly Jurassic time. This event is characterized by tight folding, shearing, and axial cleavage in the continent-slope deposits of the Potosi Fan in Oaxaquia (La Ballena Formation), and blockin-matrix texture in the Taray Formation (Central Terrane),

in the Zacatecas Formation, and in the Arteaga and Las Ollas Complexes (Zihuatanejo Terrane). These last three units formed in the distal ocean-oor zone of the Potosi Fan. The presence of mlanges (Arteaga Complex and Taray Formation) as well as blueschist in the Las Ollas Complex (Zihuatanejo Terrane) indicates that deformation occurred in a subduction zone. During this deformational event the turbidites of the Potosi Submarine Fan, with slivers of the oceanic crust and its sedimentary cover, were accreted to the continent. This accretionary prism apparently was very wide, as suggested by the large areas that are oored by it. Whether the subducting slab was dipping toward the west (under an oceanic arc) or the east (under continental Mexico) has not been constrained. There are two isolated reports of dated Early Jurassic volcanic rocks in Oaxaquia (Barboza-Gudio et al., 2004; Fastovsky et al., 2005), but whether they are part of a continental arc or not is not known. Evidence of contemporaneous oceanic-arc magmatism is exposed in the Vizcano Peninsula of Baja California (Kimbrough and Moore, 2003), where TriassicJurassic volcanic rocks have geochemical signatures of primitive arc afnity. It is possible that the rocks in the Vizcano Peninsula represent a displaced fragment of an oceanic arc that accreted to the Arteaga and Las Ollas Complexes of the western Guerrero Composite Terrane, which in turn accreted to the Taray, Zacatecas, and La Ballena Formations, but this model needs to be supported by more evidence. Stage IV: Late Jurassic Continental ArcOverlapping Assemblage for Guerrero Composite Terrane, Central Terrane, Oaxaquia, and Mixteca Terrane Subaerial volcanic and sedimentary rocks, as well as shallow porphyritic intrusives, dikes, and sills, overlie or cut previously deformed Triassic sedimentary rocks in Oaxaquia and rocks of the accretionary prism in the Central Terrane. These rocks range in age from 174 to 158Ma (Jones et al., 1995; Barboza-Gudio et al., 2004). A common attribute of all the outcrops of these rocks is that they are mostly rhyolitic in composition, with minor dacitic-andesitic lava ows and tuffs, and show evolved-arc geochemical signatures (Centeno-Garca and Silva-Romo, 1997; Centeno-Garca, 2002; Centeno-Garca and Daz-Salgado, 2002). Coeval volcanic rocks have been reported in the Mixteca Terrane as well, suggesting that arc volcanism was widespread in continental Mexico at that time (Garca-Daz et al., 2004). Rocks of similar age range and similar evolved-arc geochemical signatures are exposed in the western Zihuatanejo Terrane of the Guerrero Composite Terrane (Bissig et al., 2003; Centeno-Garca et al., 2003). This suggests that the Guerrero Composite Terrane may have been incorporated into the continental margin by that time. Summarizing the data described above: (1) Triassic basement rocks of the Zihuatanejo Terrane (Guerrero Composite Terrane) share a provenance linkage with rocks of the same age in Oaxaquia and the Central Terrane; (2) all Triassic rocks, from those deposited on the paleo-continents margin of Mexico to those within the accreted terranes, were deformed previous to the

288

Centeno-Garca et al. compositions of most of the Upper JurassicCretaceous igneous rocks of the different arc assemblages of the Guerrero Composite Terrane suggest primitive sources, with little or no inuence on an evolved continental crust (e.g., Ortiz-Hernandez et al., 1991; Lapierre et al., 1992; Centeno-Garca et al., 1993a; Freydier et al., 1995; Gastil et al., 1999; Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995; Mendoza and Suastegui, 2000, among others). Basalts with oceanisland (OI) and mid-oceanic-ridge basalt (MORB) signatures of the Arcelia and Guanajuato terranes (Lapierre et al., 1992; OrtizHernandez et al., 2003; Mendoza and Suastegui, 2000) suggest the inuence of a mantle source for the magmatism. Regional differences in the strata suggest abrupt lateral changes in the depositional environments from shallow marine to deep marine. Also, lateral differences in thickness of the successions suggest that they may have been deposited in alternate subsiding basins and basement highs where the deposits draped thinly or were absent. These major geological differences suggest that intra-arc rifting was considerable and was probably associated with a complex paleogeography of marginal arc and backarc systems in western Mexico. Whether or not the different terranes of the Guerrero Composite Terrane were formed in a single arc has not been constrained. Some authors proposed that the Guerrero Terrane formed from a complex system of two or three arcs (Ramrez-Espinosa et al., 1991; Mendoza and Suastegui, 2000). However, no Cretaceous subduction-related accretionary prisms have been identied within any of the terranes of the Guerrero Composite Terrane. Stage VI: Final Accretion of the Guerrero Composite Terrane, and Development of a New Continental Arc A major Late Cretaceousearly Paleogene orogenic phase is recorded throughout Mexico, coeval to the Sevier and Laramide orogenies in western North America.This event is associated with the Mexican Fold and Thrust Belt of the Sierra Madre Oriental. Apparently, nal amalgamation of the Guerrero Composite Terrane occurred during this orogenic event, and volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the Teloloapan, Guanajuato, Zihuatanejo, and Tahue Terranes were thrust over the calcareous platform rocks of Oaxaquia and the Central, Cortes, and Mixteca Terranes. The amount of tectonic transport apparently is signicant, as xenoliths of Precambrian continental crust were found in Cenozoic volcanic rocks that erupted onto accreted rocks of the Guanajuato Terrane (Urrutia-Fucugauchi and Uribe-Cifuentes, 1999). Signicant tectonic transport is also suggested by the amount of shortening that produced tight folding and major thrusting within the northern Zihuatanejo Terrane and the Arcelia and Teloloapan Terranes (Salinas-Prieto et al., 2000). In contrast, deformation of Cretaceous rocks in the southern parts of the Zihuatanejo Terrane formed wide regional anticlines, and some overturned folds and minor thrust faults locally. The structures generally trend NWSE, although locally some structures trend N-S and E-W. Santonian terrestrial sedimentation covers unconformably the previously deformed arc assemblages of the Zihuatanejo

development of a Late Jurassic continental arc; and (3) evolved Upper Jurassic continental-arc volcanism was widespread among continental Mexico and accreted terranes (Central and Zihuatanejo Terranes). On the basis of these facts, we propose in this paper that the rst accretion of the Guerrero Terrane occurred during latest TriassicEarly Jurassic time instead of near the end of the Cretaceous, as previously proposed by other authors. Therefore, the Late Jurassic magmatic event represents an overlapping assemblage that stitches all the terranes of central and western Mexico for that period. Stage V: Late JurassicEarly Cretaceous Intra-Arc Strike Slip(?)Rifting of the Continental ArcDrifting of the Guerrero Composite Terrane It has been proposed that major lateral displacements occurred during the activity of the Jurassic continental arc of stage IV (Anderson and Silver, 2005). Therefore, the arc was originally in a more northerly position, and it was displaced, via the Mojave-Sonora Megashear, to its present position in central Mexico prior to, or at, the early stage of development of the calcareous platform (Anderson and Silver, 2005). Whether this major strike-slip system existed or not has been widely discussed (see GSA Special Paper 393). We consider that extensive geological evidence of major tectonism during and after arc volcanism exists (see following discussion). The cessation of magmatism in the Central Terrane and Oaxaquia suggests a change in the location of the subduction zone. Then, a major regional calcareous platform developed over the arc and other older rocks. This major transgression initiated the deposition of limestone on Oaxaquia, and on the Mixteca and Central Terranes. Calcareous sedimentation in central and eastern Mexico was characterized by high subsidence rates (Goldhammer, 1999). Arc magmatism continued only in a small area in the western Mixteca Terrane and became widespread in the Guerrero Composite Terrane. Although there is some overlap in age ranges of arc volcanism among the terranes that form the Guerrero Composite Terrane, there is a general trend from older ages in eastern Oaxaquia and the Central Terrane to younger ages in the western Guerrero Composite Terrane (Fig.3). This suggests a possible W-SW migration of the subduction zone. We propose that during and after the continental arc activity (Late JurassicEarly Cretaceous time), large amounts of extension and lateral translations may have occurred (see inferred faults in Fig.1). This extensional-transtensional(?) event split the continental arc, initiating the drifting of parts of previously accreted oceanic rocks (basements of the Tahue and Zihuatanejo Terranes) and the generation of new oceanic crust (Guanajuato and Arcelia Terranes). With the data available, it seems that volcanic activity at the northern Zihuatanejo Terrane and at the Guanajuato and Teloloapan Terranes was restricted to latest JurassicEarly Cretaceous time (Fig.3). In contrast, in the Arcelia, Tahue, and southern Zihuatanejo Terranes, arc volcanism apparently continued up to AlbianCenomanian time (Fig.3). Geochemical and isotopic

Guerrero Composite Terrane of western Mexico

289

Terrane (Benammi et al., 2005). Synorogenic sedimentary basins (Caracol Formation in Oaxaquia, and Mexcala Formation in the Mixteca Terrane) containing clasts derived from the Guerrero Composite Terrane suggest that these terranes were deformed and exhumed by that time. In addition, synorogenic sedimentation overlaps the Arcelia and Teloloapan terranes (Miahuatepec Formation), which suggests that these two terranes were also amalgamated during the same orogenic event (Mendoza and Suastegui, 2000; Guerrero-Suastegui, 2004). All these synorogenic basins range in age from Turonian to Maastrichtian. In addition, Paleocene granitoids along the coast cut the previously folded units of the Zihuatanejo Terrane and suggest a Late Cretaceous early Paleogene deformation. Therefore, nal amalgamation of the Guerrero Composite Terrane occurred between Santonian and TuronianMaastrichtian time. DISCUSSION This section summarizes the stratigraphic, structural, and geochemical data that support the proposed stages for the tectonic evolution of western Mexico. Stage I: Origin of the Basement of the Tahue Terrane Exposures of pre-Cretaceous rocks in northwest Mexico are scattered; thus contact relationships among them can only be indirectly inferred (Figs.1 and 4). Approximate distribution of the contacts among the terranes of western Mexico (Caborca, Cortes, and Tahue; Figs.1 and 4) was outlined on the basis of the geographic distribution of pre-Cretaceous outcrops and lateral changes in the isotopic signatures of CretaceousPaleogene granitoids (Valencia-Moreno et al., 2001). Thus the nature of the contacts and the amount of displacement among different basements are unknown. In this section the main stratigraphic units that dene the terranes are described following a NW to SE transect throughout the Paleozoic rocks of the Caborca, Cortes, and Tahue Terranes (Guerrero Composite Terrane). At the southern margin of the Caborca Terrane a thick shelfal limestone succession is exposed that contains Carboniferous Permian fusulinids and other shallow-marine fossil fauna (Stewart et al., 1990). These rocks are overridden by a north-verging major thrust fault that places deeper marine sedimentary rocks of the Cortes Terrane on the shelfal rocks of the Caborca Terrane (Fig.1; Coney and Campa, 1987; Poole and Madrid, 1988; Stewart et al., 1990). Basal metamorphic rocks are not exposed in the Cortes Terrane, but its basement has been interpreted as thinned Proterozoic rocks, perhaps the same as in the Caborca Terrane, or else Proterozoic metamorphic rocks different from those of the Caborca Terrane (McDowell et al., 1999; Valencia-Moreno et al., 1999; Valencia-Moreno et al., 2001). The deep-marine sedimentary rocks of the Cortes Terrane are sandstone and shale turbidites, graptolitic shale, chert, and layered barite that range in age from

Ordovician to DevonianEarly Mississippian and were deformed during the Mississippian (Poole and Madrid, 1988; Stewart et al., 1990). These rocks are in turn overlain by Upper Carboniferous and Permian turbidites (Fig.5; Poole and Madrid, 1988; Stewart et al., 1990; Poole et al., 2005). They all were deposited in a deep-marine environment and are interpreted to be part of the Paleozoic continental slope-rise deposits of western North America (Poole and Madrid, 1988; Stewart et al., 1990). All these units of the Cortes Terrane were deformed and thrust over the Caborca Terrane by Late Permian to Early Triassic time, and they are unconformably covered by Upper Triassic terrestrial and marine sedimentary rocks (Stewart et al., 1990). Therefore, the Caborca and Cortes Terranes were assembled by early Mesozoic time. The nature of the contact between the Cortes and Tahue Terranes (the latter belonging to the Guerrero Composite Terrane) has not been mapped in detail. It is inferred to be a thrust that verges toward the north, and it is probably north of El Fuerte town in Sinaloa State (Fig.5), based on the northernmost exposures of Cretaceous marine volcanic rocks of the Guerrero Terrane (Servais et al., 1982; Henry and Fredrikson, 1987; RoldnQuintana et al., 1993; Freydier et al., 1995). The oldest Paleozoic rocks of the Tahue Terrane (Guerrero Composite Terrane) are exposed in the area of El Fuerte (El Fuerte Complex; Figs.4 and 5). The El Fuerte Complex is formed by marine rhyolitic to andesitic lava ows and volcaniclastic rocks, interbedded with quartz-rich sandstone, shale, and thin-bedded limestone (Mullan, 1978; Roldn-Quintana et al., 1993; Poole and Perry, 1998). All these various components are deformed and metamorphosed to greenschist facies (Mullan, 1978; Roldn-Quintana et al., 1993). Sedimentary rocks of the El Fuerte Complex contain Ordovician conodonts (Poole and Perry, 1998). Preliminary geochemical analyses indicate a calc-alkaline island-arc afnity for the volcanic rocks of the El Fuerte Complex, and are similar to those from coeval Paleozoic arc rocks in the Klamath Mountains of Northern California (Lapierre et al., 1987). However, more detailed geochemical and geochronological work needs to be done to constrain their origin and relationships. Upper Paleozoic deep-marine sedimentary rocks areexposed south of El Fuerte, in San Jos de Gracia town, Mazatln City, and other scattered localities in Sinaloa State (Figs.4 and 5). These rocks belong to the San Jos de Gracia Formation (Carrillo-Martnez, 1971; Gastil et al., 1991; Arredondo-Guerrero and Centeno-Garca, 2003) and are made up of quartz-rich sandstone and shale turbidites, thin-bedded calcareous debris ows, black shale, and chert. The turbidites contain olistoliths of limestone with chert nodules, which in turn contain Middle Pennsylvanian to Early Permian fossils at the San Jos de Gracia locality (Carrillo-Martnez, 1971; Gastil et al., 1991). The San Jos de Gracia Formation has been interpreted as deposits in a deepmarine environment (Gastil et al., 1991). The contact between the El Fuerte Complex and the San Jos de Gracia Formation is not exposed. However, major differences in deformation and metamorphism (turbidites of the San Jos de Gracia Formation

Hermosillo

e a Terran Caborc e n a rr e Cortes T

Ciudad Obregn Navojoa

S O N O R A

Caborca Terrane Limestone (Lower Cretaceous) Shallow marine limestone and shale (Paleozoic) Cortes Terrane Terrestrial and marine sedimentary rocks (Triassic) Deep Marine turbidites, chert and barite (Paleozoic)

27

ne rra e e s T rran rte Te Co ue h a T

Sonobari

El Fuerte
C

San Jose de Gracia

26

N
H U A

H I H U A

Sinaloa de Leyva-Porohui

D U R

25

Overlapping units
Recent sediments Recent basalts Miocene-Pliocene Volcanic and sedimentary (conglomerate-sandstone) Granitoids (Paleocene-Oligocene) Upper Cretaceous-Oligocene Tarahumara Formation and Lower and Upper 24 Volcanic Supergroup
CULIACN

N G O

Tahue Terrane (Guerrero Composite Terrane) Granitoids (Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous) Cretaceous Guerrero Arc Marine volcanic and sedimentary rocks San Francisco Gneiss (Triassic) 23 San Jose de Gracia Fm. (Carboniferous) El Fuerte Complex (Ordovician)
0

MAZATLN

25

50

100

km

109

108

107

106

Figure4. Geologic map of Sinaloa and the southern Sonora states, showing the geology of Caborca, Cortes, and Tahue Terranes (after Carrillo-Martnez, 1971; Mullan, 1978; Gastil et al., 1978; Henry and Fredrikson, 1987; Stewart and Roldn-Quintana, 1991; Ortega et al., 1992; and our own work).

WEST EAST

Maastrichtian

Campanian

western Oaxaquia Caracol Fm.

GUERRERO COMPOSITE TERRANE
shale and sandstone foreland-basin fill

Santonian

Coniacian

Turonian

Cenomanian

Tahue Terrane Zihuatanejo Terrane

Limestone Titonian to Aptian La Borda, El Saucito and ChilitosFms. Lower Cretaceous Aptian?
Tuna Mansa diorite Cerro Pelon tonalite Santa Ana
Esperanza Fm.
dike swarm

Guanajuato Terrane Central Terrane

Albian

Aptian

Barremian

Limestone Tithonian to Aptian

Hauterivian

Valanginian

Berriasian

volcanic turbidites limestone, tuff and chert, pillowed lavas and dikes deformed and in part metamorphosed volcanic turbidites calcareous debris flows, tuff and chert pillowed lavas and dikes deformed and in part metamorphosed
limestone, chert, volcaniclastic turbidites felsic lavas 146 Ma
La Luz basaltic flows La Perlita and tuff limestone

Transitional from continental to marine shale, sandstone, evaporites, limestone Kimmeridgian-Tithonian

Tithonian

Kimmeridgian

felsic and basic lavas

Oxfordian

150-147 Ma
unconformity

Callovian

Bathonian Bajocian

unconformity
Arperos Fm.

Albian-Aptian massive limestone, black limestone shales and sanstone

Aalenian

felsic lavas and volcaniclastics continental Oxfordian

Toarcian

Pliensbachian

unconformity

Sinemurian

Hauterivian-Tithonian? deep marine volcaniclastic turbidites,chert, limestone

Transitional from continental to marine shale, sandstone, evaporites, limestone Oxfordian-Tithonian felsic lavas and volcaniclastic rocks continental unknown age Felsic lavas and volcaniclastic rocks 189-172 Ma

Hettangian

unconformity
Taray Fm. Paleozoic-Triassic?

unconformity
La Ballena Fm. Carnian-Norian

Rhaetian

Norian

Francisco gneiss Upper Triassic Zacatecas Fm. Norian-Carnian

Carnian

migmatized gneisses and amphibolites matrix is quartz-rich turbidites blocks of pillow lavas accretionary complex

Ladinian Early Triassic

El Fuerte Complex Ordovician

matrix is quartz-rich turbidites blocks of pillow lavas, chert, serpentinite and limestone accretionary complex

deformed quartz-rich turbidites continent-slope facies

Paleozoic

metamorphosed volcanic and quartz-rich turbidites, limestone, chert, basalts and rhyolites

linked by provenance (Potos Fan)

Figure5. Simplied stratigraphic columns for Oaxaquia and terranes north of the Transmexican Volcanic Belt. The columns are in an east-west order. They include the Tahue Terrane, which is part of the Guerrero Composite Terrane. Vertical scale shows the age range (inMa).

292

Centeno-Garca et al. Sonobari (Figs.4 and 5; Mullan, 1978; Keppie et al., 2006). The Francisco Gneiss is made up of migmatized gneisses and amphibolites that have within-plate and continental tholeiite geochemical signatures (Keppie et al., 2006). This suggests that the Tahue and Cortes terranes may have been geographically separated by that time. La Ballena Formation Triassic rocks of Oaxaquia crop out on its western margin, near its boundary with the Guerrero Composite Terrane (Figs.1 and 6). They are grouped as the La Ballena Formation (SilvaRomo, 1993; Silva-Romo et al., 2000), and their largest exposures are in the Pen Blanco, Charcas, and Real de Catorce areas (Fig.6; Silva-Romo, 1993; Tristn-Gonzlez and TorresHernndez, 1994; Barboza-Gudio et al., 2004). The La Ballena Formation is made up of quartz-rich sandstone and shale, and scarce conglomerates deposited as small channel-ll lenses. The sedimentary structures of these Triassic rocks indicate deposition mostly by turbidity currents, although some debris ows and large slumps are present. This sequence contains abundant trace fossils and ammonites and bivalves of Late Triassic (Carnian) age at the Pen Blanco and Charcas areas (Cantu-Chapa, 1969; Silva-Romo et al., 2000; Bartolini et al., 2002). Sedimentary structures and fossil fauna suggest that the deposition of this unit occurred in a submarine fan that developed on an external platform or continental slope setting. These rocks form part of the Potosi Submarine Fan (Centeno-Garca, 2005). The original thickness is unknown, but up to 4640m was penetrated by exploration drilling without reaching the base of the succession (Lpez-Infanzn, 1986). Taray Formation Similar marine siliciclastic rocks crop out at the Pico de Teyra region in the Central Terrane (Figs.5 and 6). They belong to the Taray Formation, made up of highly deformed quartz-rich turbidites (sandstone and shale) interbedded with some black chert and scarce detrital limestone that contains fragments of crinoids, gastropods, corals, bivalves, and bryozoans (Diaz-Salgado et al., 2003). The Taray siliciclastic turbidites form a matrix within which blocks of black and green chert, pillow basalts, serpentinite, and crystallized limestone can be found (Figs.5 and 6; Diaz-Salgado et al., 2003). The age of this unit remains undetermined; however, there are reports of fusulinids from one of the limestone blocks (Anderson et al., 1990). The youngest detrital zircons collected from the sedimentary matrix are Late Permian in age (Diaz-Salgado et al., 2003). There is also a report of molds of bivalves of possible Carnian age (Barboza-Gudio et al., 1999; Bartolini et al., 2002). Thus deposition of the sedimentary matrix should have occurred between the Late Permian to the Late Triassic. The Taray Formation has a block-in-matrix structural style, formed by centimeter-size blocks to blocks of hundreds of meters in size, all in a highly sheared sedimentary matrix. This characteristic is typical of a subduction accretionary complex (Anderson et al., 1990, 2005; Diaz-Salgado et al., 2003).

are strongly deformed but not metamorphosed) indicate that the contact is probably an angular unconformity. Both units of the Tahue Terrane (El Fuerte Complex and San Jos de Gracia Formation) are important because they can constrain the paleogeography of the northern Guerrero Terrane. Preliminary single-grain, detrital zircon geochronology from the quartz-rich sandstone from the turbidites of the San Jos de Gracia Formation shows populations that have a North American afnity (Centeno-Garca et al., unpublished data) and are similar to those from Paleozoic rocks in Baja California, in the Cortes Terrane, and in Nevada (Gehrels et al., 2002). The stratigraphy, geochemistry, and provenance of the Paleozoic rocks suggest that the Tahue Terrane (Guerrero Composite Terrane) was linked to the tectonic evolution of the western continental margin of North America, probably up to PermianTriassic time. After that, there were major differences in the composition of the Mesozoic sedimentary cover of the Caborca-Cortes Terranes with respect to that of the Tahue Terrane. Therefore, it is likely that a fragment of previously accreted island-arc and continent-margin assemblages drifted from the continental margin sometime in the early Mesozoic. Contact relationships between the Paleozoic sedimentary rocks of the San Jos de Gracia Formation (Tahue Terrane) and the Triassic subduction-related complex of the Zihuatanejo Terrane are unknown because the contact is covered by younger rocks. However, the Tahue and Zihuatanejo Terranes share similar Cretaceous volcanic and sedimentary cover. Stages II and III: Triassic Potosi Fan and Its Accretion to the Continental Margin There are few exposures of Triassic rocks in Mexico, and they are limited to the Caborca and Cortes Terranes, western Oaxaquia, the Central and Zihuatanejo Terranes, and a small outcrop in the Vizcano Peninsula in Baja California. Triassic rocks have not been found in the Mixteca Terrane or in other terranes of Mexico. In this section we briey describe Triassic rocks of the Cortes and Tahue Terranes (Barranca Group and Francisco Gneiss) and focus on the marine Triassic rocks of Oaxaquia (La Ballena Formation), the Central Terrane (Taray Formation), and the Guerrero Composite Terrane (Zacatecas Formation, and the Arteaga and Las Ollas Complexes). Barranca Group and Francisco Gneiss Triassic (CarnianNorian) sedimentary rocks of the Cortes Terrane are made up of uvial sandstone and shale that contain abundant coal layers (Barranca Group; Stewart and RoldnQuintana, 1991). These sediments were deposited unconformably on previously deformed Paleozoic deep-marine rocks. The Triassic uvial deposits change transitionally up the column to shallow-marine siliciclastic deposits. These rocks have no evidence of contemporaneous volcanism. In contrast, Triassic rocks of the Tahue Terrane (Guerrero Composite Terrane) are made up of metamorphosed igneous rocks of the Francisco Gneiss near


102

Guerrero Composite Terrane of western Mexico

101 100 Cenozoic cover

293

Caopas U/Pb 158 Ma Pico de Teyra

24

Concepcin del Oro

Oaxaquia and Central Terrane Ju-K Calcareous Platform Ju felsic and intermediate lava flows, epiclastic rocks and redbeds Tr Quartz-rich shale and sandstone turbidites (Potos Fan) Tr(?) Accretionary complex blocks of pillow basalt, ultramafic, chert, and marble in a sedimentary quartz-rich matrix Proterozoic and Paleozoic metamorphic and sedimentary rocks Guanajuato Terrane Ju-K pillow basalts, deep marine volcanic turbidites, chert, and mafic and ultramafic plutons Zihuatanejo Terrane Ju-K pillow basalts, volcanic turbidites, detrital limestone Tr Accretionary complex blocks of pillow basalt, in a sedimentary quartz-rich matrix

Huiznopala Granjeno

Central terrane
23

Real de Catorce

Matehuala

U/Pb190 Ma

Huizachal

Charcas

Zacatecas U/Pb 147-150 Ma

Oaxaquia
Pen Blanco San Luis Potos

22

o at aju e an ran Gu ter

U/Pb146 Ma Guanajuato

Zihuatanejo terrane

100 km

Figure6. Geologic map of central Mexico, showing main stratigraphic units of Oaxaquia and the Central, Zihuatanejo, and Guanajuato Terranes (modied from Ortega et al., 1992). TrTriassic; JuJurassic; KCretaceous.

Zacatecas Formation The oldest rocks of the Zihuatanejo Terrane in its northernmost exposure are Triassic in age as well (Fig.6). They make up the Zacatecas Formation, which crops out in a small tectonic window at the western margin of Zacatecas City (Fig.6; Burckhardt and Scalia, 1906; Ranson et al., 1982; Cuevas-Prez, 1983; Monod and Calvet, 1991). This formation is made up of quartzrich turbidites (sandstone and shale) that contain blocks of pillow basalts that have MORB geochemical signatures (Fig.7; Centeno-Garca and Silva-Romo, 1997). The Zacatecas Formation contains fossil ammonites and bivalves of Late Triassic (Carnian) age (Burckhardt and Scalia, 1906; Bartolini et al., 2002). Its contact with the La Borda Formation of Late Jurassic(?)Cretaceous age is inferred to have been originally an unconformity, but it was sheared and detached during Late Cretaceous thrusting and folding (Fig.3). Rocks of the Zacatecas Formation show

structures associated with two distinct deformational events, one of them prior to the deformation that is recorded in the Cretaceous rocks as well. The small size of the outcrop prohibits constraints on the tectonic origin of the Zacatecas Formation, but its lava ows and siliciclastic turbidites are similar to those from the Arteaga Accretionary Complex, which is exposed in the southern part of the Zihuatanejo Terrane. Arteaga Complex More exposures of Triassic(?) rocks are found in the southern part of the Zihuatanejo Terrane (Fig.7). Their largest outcrops are located in the Arteaga, Placeres del Oro, and Tiquicheo areas (Arteaga Complex) and near Zihuatanejo City (Las Ollas Complex) (Fig.8; Centeno-Garca et al., 1993a, 1993b; Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995; Mendoza and Suastegui, 2000). The Arteaga Complex is made up of quartz-rich turbidites (sandstone and shale),

WEST

GUERRERO COMPOSITE TERRANE

Mixteca Terrane (western Continent-margin)

shale and sandstone foreland-basin fill
Mexcala Fm.

EAST

Maastrichtian

Campanian

Zihuatanejo Terrane TeloloapanTerrane

Huetamo region
Comburindio and Mal Paso Fms.

Arcelia Terrane

Santonian

Coniacian

Coastal region

Turonian

Cenomanian

Albian

Aptian

subaerial to marine shale, sandstone, evaporites, limestone, basaltic-andesitic lava flows Limestone Aptian-Albian

Cuautla and Morelos Fms.

Barremian

Limestone Aptian-Albian

Hauterivian

Albian-Cenomanian subaerial few marine volcaniclastic rocks, felsic lavas Aptian

Valanginian

Berriasian

unconformity Taxco Schist, Zicapa and Chapolapa

Tithonian

Kimmeridgian

Oxfordian

volcaniclastic rocks and limestone age not well constrained unconformity

Callovian

shallow marine limestone,volcaniclastic rocks, few andesitic-basaltic lava flows Villa de Ayala Fm. Aptian Albian MORB basaltic pillow lavas, IA lavas and Angao and San Lucas Fms. dikes, chert, deep volcanic turbidites, chert marine volcaniclastic felsic and basic lavas turbidites shallowing upward Early Cretaceous Neocomian felsic and andesitic lavas and volcaniclastics shallow marine in the east, deep marine in the west 145-137 Ma

Bathonian Bajocian

Aalenian

Cuale felsic lavas and Tumbscato granitoids

Toarcian

163-155 Ma

Pliensbachian

unconformity

felsic lavas and volcaniclastics continental affinity 127-133 Ma Las Lluvias Ignimbrite 168-179 Ma

Sinemurian

Hettangian

Rhaetian

Norian

Arteaga Complex Norian-Carnian matrix is quartz-rich turbidites blocks of pillow lavas, chert, serpentinite and limestone accretionary complex Acatlan Complex mid-Paleozoic

Carnian

Ladinian Early Triassic

poly deformed sedimentary and volcanic rocks continent-continent collision

Paleozoic

Figure7. Simplied stratigraphic columns for the terranes described in the text that are south of the Transmexican Volcanic Belt, except for the Guanajuato Terrane, and include the Mixteca Terrane and the Teloloapan, Arcelia, and Zihuatanejo Terranes (Guerrero Composite Terrane). Vertical scale shows the age range (inMa). MORBmid-oceanic-ridge basalt; IAisland arc.

Zihuatanejo Terrane Teloloapan Terrane Mixteca Terrane Overlapping assemblages

Aptian-Albian Calcareous Platform Lower Cretaceous continental arc assemblages, marine and terrestrial rhyolite to andesite lava flows and epiclastic rocks, quartz-rich clastic rocks Paleozoic Acatln Complex CutzamalaFormation Santonian-Maastrichtian red beds (overlaps Zihuatanejo and Arcelia terranes) Upper Cretaceous to Paleogene granitoids Cenozoic volcanic and sedimentary rocks Observed terrane boundary (thrust fault)
Zitcuaro
Jilotln Pijuamo Tepalcatepec Nueva Italia Tejupilco 19

Huetamo area, Cretaceous arc assemblage, mostly marine volcaniclastic rocks, limestone and some pryroclastic and lava flows Lower Cretaceous arc assemblages shallow marine andesitic to basaltic lava flows and volcaniclastic rocks, massive and reefal limestone (east) deep marine lava flows, calcareous debris flows and volcanic turbidites (west)

Arcelia Terrane
Cretaceous IAB pillow lavas, fine-grained volcanic turbidites and chert (deep marine) Cretaceous MORB pillow lavas, fine-grained volcanic turbidites and chert (deep marine) Jurassic to Cretaceous migmatites, gneisses, and plutons
102 101

Miahuatepec Formation Upper Cretaceous clastic rocks foreland basin-fill (overlaps Arcelia and Teloloapan terranes) Mexcala Formation Turonian-Maastrichtian clastic rocks foreland basin-fill (overlaps Mixteco and Teloloapan terranes)

Coastal Cretaceous arc assemblage shallow marine and terrestrial rhyolite, andesite and some basalt, limestone, volcaniclastic and basement-derived clastic rocks Middle to Upper Jurassic plutons Las Ollas Subduction Complex (age unknown)

Xolapa Terrane

Arteaga Subduction Complex (Triassic)

103

104
Tecalitln

Zapotitln

Nevado de Colima

Minatitln

inferred terrane boundary (thrust fault) inferred terrane boundary (strike-slip fault) Rivers State limit
100 Taxco

Colima

Manzanillo

Roads

Tecoman

Z I H U ATA N E J O T E R R A N E
Coalcoman Aguililla

U/Pb 163+3 Ma
Infiernillo Dam

Aquila

Huetamo
Balsas River

Tumbiscato

TERRANE

Ar/Ar 152-158 Ma Arteaga

RRANE

shallow

PA CIF IC OC EA N
Playa Azul
Lzaro Crdenas
a Bals er s Riv

deep marin

marine

Teloloapan Arcelia

Iguala

ARCELIA

MIXTECO TERRANE
Zicapa

10 40

20

km

Zihuatanejo

TELOLOAPAN TE

18

Chilpancingo

XOLAPA TERRANE

Chapolapa

Figure8. Geologic map of southwestern Mexico, showing the simplied geology of the Mixteca, Teloloapan, Arcelia, and Zihuatanejo Terranes (after Campa and Ramirez, 1979; Ortega et al., 1992; Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995; Corona-Chvez and Israde-Alcntara, 1999; Mendoza and Suastegui, 2000; Centeno-Garca et al., 2003). IABisland-arc basalt; MORBmid-oceanic-ridge basalt.

296

Centeno-Garca et al. and Cortes Terranes (Gonzlez-Len et al., 2005) but are similar to those from Triassic uvial sedimentary rocks of Arizona (Anderson, 2006). This suggests that at the end of the Triassic the terranes of central and western Mexico may have been to the north of their present locations. Based on this evidence, we propose that the margin of the western paleo-continent of Mexico was passive or rifting at the end of the Triassic. This passive margin received abundant clastic sedimentation, forming the large Potosi Fan. Sediments of this fan were deposited on oceanic crust (Arteaga Basin in Fig.3). When subduction started, slivers of the ocean oor were tectonically mixed with the already existing passive-margin quartz-rich turbidites that were forming the Taray and Zacatecas Formations as well as the Arteaga and Las Ollas Complexes. Whether the ocean basin that was covered by sediments of the Potosi Fan was an active marginal oceanic basin, a marginal backarc basin, or an open oceancontinent ank is still uncertain. The only potential evidence of association of the Potosi Fan sediments with tholeiitic oceanic volcanism is the volcaniclastic rocks interbedded with the siliciclastic turbidites in the Arteaga Complex, as the volcaniclastic rocks have geochemical signatures between primitive island arc and MORB (Centeno-Garca et al., 2003). At least two phases of deformation are found in all the Triassic rocks of Oaxaquia and the Central and Zihuatanejo Terranes. The rst event comprised strong shearing and tight folding, and the block-in-matrix structures. A second event was recorded only in the Arteaga Complex. This event deformed the Jurassic granitoids as well, and it is characterized by a mylonitic fabric. The third event was common to all the Triassic units and is also recorded in the Jurassic and Cretaceous cover sediments, and it is characterized by axial cleavage, open to tight folding, reverse faulting, and thrusting. The time of accretion of the Central Terrane with Oaxaquia is assumed to have been prior to the Middle Jurassic, because the La Ballena Formation of Oaxaquia and the Taray Formation of the Central Terrane were deformed and locally metamorphosed prior to deposition of Upper Jurassic terrestrial volcanic and clastic formations (Tristn-Gonzlez and Torres-Hernndez, 1994; Jones et al., 1995; Silva-Romo et al., 2000). The Zihuatanejo Terrane (Guerrero Composite Terrane) was also accreted at that time, because the Arteaga Complex is cut by granitoids of Middle Jurassic age as well (Centeno-Garca et al., 2003). The subduction zone that formed the Taray and Zacatecas Formations, and the Arteaga and Las Ollas Complexes, was probably constructed along the continental margin of Oaxaquia in Early Jurassic time. Whether the subducting slab was dipping to the east or to the west has not been determined. Stage IV: Jurassic Continental Arc of Western Mexico Erosion and exhumation of the accreted continental slope sediments and the accretionary complexes occurred prior to the initiation of Middle to Late Jurassic magmatism. This is indicated by the major angular unconformity that separates the Jurassic arc

black and green chert, and mac tuff that form a matrix that contains blocks and slabs of pillow basalts, diabase, banded gabbros, chert, and limestone, all deformed in a block-in-matrix structural style (Centeno-Garca et al., 2003). Chert layers contain radiolarians of Triassic (LadinianCarnian) age (Campa et al., 1982). Pillow basalts and gabbros have oceanic geochemical signatures (MORB; Centeno-Garca et al., 1993a; Centeno-Garca et al., 2003). Sedimentary structures preserved in some exposures of unmetamorphosed turbidites, along with the afnity of the few fossils found in the sedimentary rocks of the matrix, suggest that the sequence was deposited in a deep-ocean environment. Apparently the quartz-rich turbidites were contemporaneous with oceanic magmatic activity, as they are interbedded with volcaniclastic rocks (Centeno-Garca et al., 2003). The block-in-matrix style of deformation of the Arteaga Complex, as well as its lithological associations, indicate that it was formed in a subduction accretionary prism. Metamorphism ranges from none to amphibolite facies; blueschist facies has not been found in the area. Las Ollas Complex The Las Ollas Complex forms part of the Zihuatanejo Terrane and is exposed near Zihuatanejo City (Figs.7 and 8; Talavera-Mendoza, 2000). This complex is a tectonic mlange formed by highly sheared blocks of metabasalt, banded and massive gabbro, metadolerite, ultramac rocks, and shale and quartzrich sandstone (Talavera-Mendoza, 2000). These blocks are enveloped in a highly sheared clastic (quartz-rich sandstone) or serpentinitic matrix (Talavera-Mendoza, 2000). Blueschist facies were reported by Talavera-Mendoza (1993, 2000). Geochemical compositions of the basalts are typical of MORB and primitive oceanic-arc magmas (Talavera-Mendoza, 2000). 40Ar/39Ar and K/Ar ages obtained from amphibole from several metagabbro blocks range from 223Ma to 96Ma (Permian to early Cenomanian) (Delgado, 1982; A. Iriondo, 2003, personal commun.). This has been interpreted to be the subduction complex of the Cretaceous arc (Vidal-Serratos, 1991; Talavera-Mendoza, 1993); however, its contact relationships with Cretaceous arc-related rocks, and similarities with the Arteaga Complex, suggest an earlier origin. Quartz-rich turbidites from the La Ballena Formation of Oaxaquia (continental Mexico), the matrix of the Taray Formation of the Central Terrane, and the Arteaga and Las Ollas Complexes and the Zacatecas Formation of the Zihuatanejo Terrane (Guerrero Composite Terrane) have similar and distinctive compositions and detrital-zircon age populations (Centeno-Garca et al., 2005; Talavera-Mendoza et al., 2007). Therefore, Triassic sedimentation of the central and western terranes of Mexico is linked by provenance. The youngest zircon age populations from all the samples (latest Permian) are much older than the depositional ages of the turbidites (CarnianNorian), which means that there was no active volcanism at that time. In other words, there is no evidence of Late Triassic continental arc volcanism in Mexico. Zircon age populations of the Potosi Fan are different from those of Triassic quartz-rich sandstone from the Caborca

Guerrero Composite Terrane of western Mexico

297

succession from the deformed Triassic rocks of Oaxaquia and the Central and Zihuatanejo Terranes. Jurassic arc magmatism has also been identied in the Mixteca Terrane. The Jurassic arc rocks have different names at different locations; they are hereby described by their occurrence in different terranes: Nazas, Huizachal, and La Joya Formations in Oaxaquia The La Ballena Formation (Oaxaquia) is unconformably overlain by the volcanic rocks and red beds of the Nazas Formation in the Pen Blanco, Charcas, and Real de Catorce areas (Figs.5 and 6; Silva-Romo, 1993; Tristn-Gonzlez and TorresHernndez, 1994; Barboza-Gudio et al., 2004). The Nazas Formation is made up of dacitic and minor rhyolitic and andesitic lava ows and pyroclastic ows, dikes, and porphyritic shallow intrusives. The volcanic rocks are interbedded with conglomerate, sandstone, and scarce paleosols. Conglomerate is formed mostly by volcanic clasts and a few clasts of sandstone and shale derived from the underlying La Ballena Formation. The volcaniclastic conglomerate and sandstone form lens-shaped bedding with low-angle cross-bedding, interbedded with some debris ows, suggesting that they were deposited in a terrestrial (uvial and alluvial fan) environment. Although their age has not been well constrained at all the exposures, there is a report of U/Pb ages as old as 189Ma at a subaerial volcanic-sedimentary succession in Huizachal (Huizachal Formation; Fastovsky et al., 2005), which might not belong to the same volcanic arc event (Figs.5 and 6). Rocks of the Nazas Formation at Real de Catorce yielded U/Pb ages of 172 5Ma (Barboza-Gudio et al., 2004). The Nazas Formation changes transitionally upward to shallow-marine volcaniclastic rocks, some evaporites, and thin-bedded limestone, which in turn become a thick limestone succession in the Pen Blanco and Charcas areas (Fig.6). The basal part of this limestone succession contains late OxfordianKimmeridgian fossil faunas (Centeno-Garca and Silva-Romo, 1997). In contrast, there is an internal angular unconformity in the Real de Catorce locality (Fig.6), which separates in two units, the terrestrial volcanic and sedimentary successions (Nazas and La Joya Formations; Barboza-Gudio et al., 2004). The upper La Joya Formation changes transitionally upward to shallow-marine volcanic sandstone and shale interbedded with thin limestone strata. The oldest fossils reported from the base of the limestone succession in Real de Catorce are Oxfordian in age (Barboza-Gudio et al., 2004). Caopas, Rodeo, and Nazas Formations of the Central Terrane The volcanic cover of the Taray Formation (Central Terrane; Figs.5 and 6) belongs to the Caopas, Rodeo, and Nazas Formations (Crdoba-Mndez, 1964; Lpez-Infanzn, 1986; Jones et al., 1995). The Rodeo and Nazas Formations are lateral equivalents of the same rocks but named differently in separate outcrops (Daz-Salgado, 2004). Both units are made up of rhyolitic to andesitic lava ows and dikes, and pyroclastic deposits that are interbedded with uvial sedimentary rocks, mostly sandstone and conglomerate (Anderson et al., 1990, 1991; Jones et al., 1995;

Daz-Salgado, 2004). The Caopas Formation was formed by shallow porphyritic intrusives. Felsic volcanic rocks of the Rodeo Formation yielded a K-Ar age of 183Ma (Lpez-Infanzn, 1986), and the Caopas Formation a U/Pb age of 158Ma (Jones et al., 1995). Terrestrial volcaniclastic rocks of the Rodeo Formation are interpreted to have been deformed previous to the deposition of late Oxfordian limestone (Anderson et al., 1991; Bartolini et al., 2002). However, in another locality nearby the Nazas Formation changes transitionally upward to shallow-marine calcareous rocks that range in age from Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous (Crdoba-Mndez, 1964; Daz-Salgado, 2004). All these volcanic-sedimentary units are interpreted in this work as the rst overlapping succession that stitches the Central Terrane with Oaxaquia. The Caopas and Rodeo Formations, as well as the Nazas Formation, are interpreted as continental intraarc assemblages (Jones et al., 1995). Las Lluvias Ignimbrite of the Mixteca Terrane Jurassic arc volcanism was also recorded in the Mixteca Terrane in which ignimbrites, interbedded with uvial and shallow-marine siliciclastic deposits, yielded U/Pb ages of 168.2 1.2Ma, 177.3 1.5Ma, and 179.1 1.5Ma (Campa and Iriondo, 2003). Cuale Assemblage and Tumbiscatio Granitoids of the Zihuatanejo Terrane Evidence of coeval Jurassic magmatism has been found in two localities in the Zihuatanejo Terrane (Guerrero Composite Terrane). One of the exposures is NE of Puerto Vallarta City, in the Cuale mining district, and the other locality is in the Tumbiscatio region, both along the Pacic Coast (Figs.7 and 8). Rocks at Cuale contain volcanogenic massive sulde (VMS) deposits and are composed of submarine rhyolitic lavas and tuffs, volcanic sandstone with evolved-arc geochemical afnity (Bissig et al., 2003), and shale that yielded U/Pb ages of 162.4 and 155.9Ma (Bissig et al., 2003). These rocks are strongly deformed and partially metamorphosed, and their contact with Cretaceous unmetamorphosed marine volcanic and sedimentary successions has not been determined. Two Jurassic granitoids crop out in the Tumbiscatio region. They were emplaced in previously deformed sedimentary rocks of the Arteaga Complex, and vary in composition from granodiorite to granite to quartz monzonite. Their geochemical compositions are typical of calc-alkaline subduction-related granites, which are more evolved than granitoids of Cretaceous and Cenozoic ages from the same area. Both granitoids show intense shearing and internal deformation. Grajales and Lpez (1984) obtained one K/Ar date of Late Jurassic age (158Ma). U/Pb isotopic analysis yielded a 163Ma age, and Ar/Ar ages are 158 and 152.4Ma (Centeno-Garca et al., 2003). The igneous rocks of the Cuale and Tumbiscatio regions have strong similarities in geochemical composition and age with volcanic rocks of the Central Terrane (Caopas, Rodeo, and Nazas); thus we suggest that they probably originated in the same volcanic arc. Therefore,

298

Centeno-Garca et al. Although much detailed work needs to be done in order to reconstruct the paleogeography of western Mexico during the Cretaceous, the available evidence indicates three important features: 1. Magmatism prograded generally east to west through time, from the oldest ages in the Oaxaquia and Mixteca Terranes to the youngest ages in the coastal Zihuatanejo Terrane. There is some overlap of age ranges for the volcanism among the different terranes, e.g., volcanism of the Mixteca Terrane overlaps in age with part of the volcanism of the Teloloapan Terrane (Guerrero Composite Terrane). However, on a large scale, AlbianCenomanian volcanism is absent in the Mixteca and the Teloloapan Terranes, and it is widespread in the coastal region of the Zihuatanejo and Arcelia Terranes. 2. Magma chemistry changed through time toward a more primitive melt. The Middle Jurassic volcanic and intrusive rocks in all the terranes show mostly felsic-evolved continental-arc geochemical signatures, including the Mixteca Terrane and Oaxaquia. In contrast the Cretaceous volcanic rocks of the Guerrero Composite Terrane range from tholeiitic basalts to andesites, with few rhyolites. They show more primitive island-arc (IA) geochemical signatures overall, and some even have MORB to oceanicisland basalt (OIB) signatures. The Mixteca Terrane is the exception to this trend; its magmatism remained evolved, with continental arc signatures, into the Cretaceous. 3. Within different assemblages of the Guerrero Composite Terrane there are major differences in the stratigraphy, sediment composition, and depositional environments. And the Guerrero Composite Terrane overall is different from the volcanic-sedimentary rocks of the Mixteca Terrane to the east. In their present distribution, areas with shallow-marine and terrestrial volcanic-sedimentary successions alternate with areas with deep-marine volcanicsedimentary successions, and suggest a complex paleogeography for that time. These three features are hereby interpreted as evidence of intra-arc rifting-translation. We propose, as a hypothesis to be tested, that the subduction zone might have migrated to the west. This would have produced thinning of the crust, which in turn would have originated more primitive IA geochemical signatures of the magmas and promoted the development of deep basins. Whether the amount of extension was large enough to develop oceanic basins and several parallel subduction zones has not been determined. The stratigraphy, depositional environments, age, and geochemical afnities of the main units are summarized by terrane. First, those of southern Mexico are described, following a section from east to west. Next, Cretaceous rocks of the northern terranes are described from east to west as well. Mixteca Terrane Three localities with Early Cretaceous volcanism have been identied in the western Mixteca Terrane near the contact with

the Arteaga Complex was probably accreted to the continental margin, either near or along the strike from central Mexico. The Jurassic volcanic event did not produce a thick stratigraphic column and apparently did not have large volumes of volcanic products. The column changes transitionally upward to shallow-marine calcareous rocks. Therefore, the lithologic associations and vertical facies changes of this volcanic-sedimentary event are similar to those of a continental rift. However, the scarce geochemical analyses from its volcanic rocks suggest an arc setting (Jones et al., 1995). These rocks have been interpreted as the southern continuation of the Jurassic continental arc that developed along the southwestern margin of North America (Jones et al., 1995). It has been proposed that major strike-slip faults were probably active during the arc activity (Mojave-Sonora Megashear; Jones et al., 1995). This could explain the fact that the Potosi Fan is south of its possible continental uvial correlative in Arizona, as well as the southward displacement of the Tahue Terrane. Whether or not the Jurassic volcanic event was coeval with a major transform fault has not been well documented. The evidence in favor of an important synsedimentary deformation involving major extension is as follows: (1) Minor synsedimentary normal faults and local angular unconformities are present within the Jurassic arc volcanic and sedimentary successions, and pre-Cretaceous mylonitic shearing is recorded in the Jurassic granitoids of the Tumbiscatio region (Zihuatanejo Terrane). (2) Arc magmatism suddenly ceased in the Central Terrane and Oaxaquia, followed by a rapid transgression recorded in a few meters of transitional sedimentation. (3) Subsidence rates apparently were signicant during the early stages of the OxfordianKimmeridgian marine sedimentation, because the calcareous rocks show evidence of deeper sedimentation at higher stratigraphic levels as well as overall rapid sedimentation. (4) Although fault planes have been obliterated by younger deformational events, they have been inferred by the rapid lateral changes in thickness and facies of the calcareous succession through the interval from the end of the Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. (5) In addition, major regional lineaments have been identied in central and eastern Oaxaquia, including the San Marcos and La Babia Faults (Fig.1) (Goldhammer, 1999; Chvez-Cabello et al., 2005). Stage V: Rifting of the Guerrero Terranes and Formation of a Complex Arc System In this section we list the main stratigraphic features of the volcanic-sedimentary successions of the Guerrero Composite Terrane and the Mixteca Terrane. Arc volcanism was absent in Oaxaquia and the Central Terrane through the end of the Jurassic and the Cretaceous. During this period, oceanic crust was emplaced toward the east of Oaxaquia in the Gulf of Mexico, and continuous subsidence prevailed throughout the Early Cretaceous, resulting in a thick calcareous platform that covered all the Central Terrane and Oaxaquia.

Guerrero Composite Terrane of western Mexico

299

the Guerrero Composite Terrane: the Taxco Schist and the Chapolapa and Zicapa Formations (Fries, 1960; de Cserna and Fries, 1981; Talavera-Mendoza, 1993; Campa and Iriondo, 2003; Fitz et al., 2002). The Taxco Schist is made up of submarine andesitic to rhyolitic lava ows and tuffs interbedded with epiclastic rocks and quartz-rich sandstone and shale (de Cserna and Fries, 1981; Talavera-Mendoza, 1993). Its volcanic rocks have a continentalarc geochemical afnity, more evolved than contemporaneous magmatism from the Guerrero Composite Terrane (TalaveraMendoza; 1993; Centeno-Garca et al., 1993a). The Zicapa Formation is made up of dacitic to rhyolitic lava ows interbedded with uvial deposits (Fitz et al., 2002). The Chapolapa Formation is composed mostly of marine lava ows and epiclastic rocks. The abundance of quartzites within the volcanic-sedimentary successions of the Taxco Schist and Zicapa Formation suggests that a crystalline basement was exposed during the arc activity. U/Pb dating of lavas from the Taxco Schist by sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) methods yielded 130131Ma ages (Campa and Iriondo, 2004), and from the volcanic-volcaniclastic rocks of the Zicapa Formation, 127Ma (Fitz et al., 2002). Lava ows from the Chapolapa Formation have 129133Ma SHRIMP U/Pb ages. The Taxco Schist shows one phase of deformation and metamorphism prior to the deposition of AptianAlbian carbonates. Thus, Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks of the Mixteca Terrane are unconformably covered by a carbonate platform that ranges in age from Early to middle Cretaceous (Fries, 1960). The limestone succession in the western Mixteca Terrane changes upward to a thick clastic succession (Mexcala Formation) of Turonian to Maastrichtian age (Guerrero-Suastegui, 2004). The Mexcala Formation is made up of alternating sandstone, shale, and conglomerate, deposited in deltaic and submarine-fan environments (Figs.7 and 8). It is a synorogenic deposit (foreland basin-ll) associated with regional thrusting and folding of both the Guerrero Composite and Mixteca Terranes at the end of the Cretaceous. Therefore, the Mexcala Formation is the rst overlapping assemblage that stitches the Guerrero Composite Terrane and the Mixteca Terrane, and marks the nal amalgamation of the Guerrero Composite Terrane to continental Mexico. Teloloapan Terrane The Teloloapan Terrane (Figs.1 and 8) is exposed in the easternmost parts of the Guerrero Composite Terrane. This terrane is characterized structurally by a complex east-vergent thrust-fault system. Its rocks are severely deformed and metamorphosed to low-grade greenschist facies. The Teloloapan Terrane overrides either Cretaceous platform carbonates or Upper Cretaceous siliciclastic rocks that belong to the Mixteca Terrane (Figs.7 and 8; Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995). The nature of the basement of the Teloloapan Terrane remains unknown. Metamorphic rocks of the Tejupilco area (Fig.8) were interpreted as a possible basement for the Teloloapan Terrane by Elas-Herrera and Snchez-Zavala (1990), and Sanchez-Zavala (1993). These authors suggested that the

Tejupilco volcanic-sedimentary sequence might represent an arc assemblage older than the rest of the Guerrero Terrane magmatism. They based this conclusion on U-Pb dates from associated sulde deposits. The ages they obtained vary broadly from Carnian (227Ma) to Oxfordian (156Ma). However, the same volcanic-sedimentary rocks were considered a part of the Cretaceous arc assemblage by other authors (Campa and Ramirez, 1979; Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995). The arc assemblage of the Teloloapan Terrane consists of two distinct regions with different volcanic and sedimentary rocks. The eastern region is characterized by shallow-marine deposits, and the western region is composed of deeper facies (Guerrero-Suastegui et al., 1991; Ramrez-Espinoza et al., 1991; Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995; Mendoza and Suastegui, 2000; Guerrero-Suastegui, 2004).The stratigraphy of the eastern region, from base to top, is made up of basaltic to andesitic pillow and massive lava ows, volcanic breccias, and pyroclastic ow deposits (Villa de Ayala Formation; Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995). These deposits are interbedded with epiclastic sandstone and conglomerate. Primary structures in the volcaniclastic rocks suggest a marine depositional environment (Guerrero-Suastegui et al., 1991; Guerrero-Suastegui, 2004). Storm deposits, coral fragments, and other fossils suggest shallow and warm waters. This unit contains fossil gastropods and bivalves that range in age from Hauterivian to Aptian (Guerrero-Suastegui et al., 1991; RamrezEspinoza et al., 1991; Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995). Geochemical analyses of volcanic rocks of the Villa de Ayala Formation of the Teloloapan Terrane indicate that the magmatism is calc-alkaline and similar to that of active intraoceanic arcs (Talavera-Mendoza, 1993; Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995; Lapierre et al., 1992; Mendoza and Suastegui, 2000; Centeno-Garca et al., 1993a). The base of the Villa de Ayala Formation is not exposed. The maximum thickness is considered to be ~3000m (Guerrero-Suastegui, 2004). The volcanic succession of this formation changes transitionally upward to thick, massive reefal limestone of the Teloloapan Formation. At the base the Teloloapan Formation is composed of intertidal limestone interbedded with volcaniclastic rocks containing rudists and nerineas of late Aptianearly Albian age (Guerrero-Suastegui et al., 1991, 1993; Guerrero-Suastegui, 2004). Thus magmatism ceased prior to the late Aptian (Guerrero-Suastegui et al., 1991; Mendoza and Suastegui, 2000; Guerrero-Suastegui, 2004). The Teloloapan Formation grades upward into the Pachivia Formation of Turonian age, which is made up of shale and ne-grained sandstone and shale. The Pachivia Formation is the western equivalent of the Mexcala Formation of the Mixteca Terrane and indicates that the Teloloapan and Mixteca Terranes were already in close proximity (Guerrero-Suastegui et al., 1991; Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995; Guerrero-Suastegui, 2004). The stratigraphy of the western part of the Teloloapan Terrane comprises submarine basaltic, andesitic, and felsic lava ows and volcaniclastic rocks (Villa de Ayala Formation) deposited in deeper water conditions than the sediments of the eastern Teloloapan Terrane. It is in transitional contact upsection with

300

Centeno-Garca et al. The arc volcanism of the Mixteca and Teloloapan Terranes has been interpreted as part of a single arc-backarc system in which volcanism of the Mixteca Terrane would be the backarc basin (Cabral-Cano et al., 2000; Monod et al., 1994). An alternative interpretation is that these two terranes belong to different arcs, separated by a double-dipping subduction of an oceanic basin (Guerrero-Suastegui, 2004). Arcelia Terrane Thrust over the Teloloapan Terrane is the Arcelia Terrane (Guerrero Composite Terrane), which shows deeper marine facies and less evolved magmatism than the rest of the arc successions of the Guerrero Composite Terrane (Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995; Mendoza and Suastegui, 2000). This terrane is made up of basaltic pillow lavas and ultramac bodies, black shale and chert, and ne-grained volcanic turbidites (Fig.7), all intensively deformed and partly metamorphosed (Ramrez-Espinoza et al., 1991; Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995). The chert layers contain radiolarians reported as AlbianCenomanian in age (Dvila and Guerrero, 1990; Ramrez-Espinoza et al., 1991). Ar/Ar and K/Ar ages (93.4105Ma; Delgado et al., 1990; Ortiz and Lapierre, 1991; Elas-Herrera, 1993) are compatible with biochronology, but detrital zircon ages from volcanic turbidites are older (mean age, 130Ma; Talavera-Mendoza et al., 2007). Geochemical signatures of the Arcelia magmas are similar to those in recent primitive IAs and oceanic basins (MORB) (Talavera-Mendoza, 1993; Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995; Mendoza and Suastegui, 2000). There are no exposures of older rocks in the Arcelia Terrane, and no clasts of older metamorphic or sedimentary rocks have been found in its sedimentary strata. Mendoza and Suastegui (2000) suggest that this terrane is entirely oceanic, that it may have originated as an independent oceanic arc and backarc basin, and that it represents partly developed oceanic crust. An alternative interpretation is that the Arcelia Terrane could also be a backarc basin of the Zihuatanejo Terrane (Centeno-Garca et al., 2003a). Southern Part of the Zihuatanejo Terrane Uppermost JurassicCretaceous volcanic-sedimentary assemblages of the Zihuatanejo Terrane can be grouped in three main regions: northern Zihuatanejo Terrane (Zacatecas area), Huetamo area, and coastal Zihuatanejo-Colima region (Figs.7 and 8). The uppermost Jurassic to Cretaceous strata of the southern Zihuatanejo Terrane are not as strongly deformed as those in other terranes, and original contact relationships and complete stratigraphic columns are well preserved. The strata are characterized by numerous lateral facies changes and internal erosional and angular unconformities. The geographic distribution of the facies is highly irregular, and it has not yet been determined in detail. Therefore, compiling, correlating, and synthesizing the stratigraphy of the area is difcult because it varies considerably from one locality to another. The stratigraphy of the northern Zihuatanejo Terrane (Zacatecas area) is described later. The stratigraphic column of the southern Zihuatanejo Terrane in the Huetamo area is made up of Triassic basement rocks

the Acapetlahuaya Formation, composed of thin-bedded volcanic shale and sandstone at the base, at some localities interbedded with dark, thinly laminated limestone. It changes transitionally upward to shale, with little or no volcanic material at the top (Campa and Ramirez, 1979; Guerrero-Suastegui, 2004). This unit has been highly tectonized, making it difcult to calculate its original thickness and contact relationships. Apparently, the Acapetlahuaya Formation changes laterally toward the west and overlies transitionally the volcaniclastic deposits of the Villa de Ayala Formation. Its upper contact with the Amatepec Formation is highly tectonized. The Acapetlahuaya Formation contains ammonoids, and radiolarians that are late Aptian in age (Campa et al., 1974; Guerrero-Suastegui et al., 1993; Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995; Guerrero-Suastegui, 2004). The Amatepec Formation is made up of thin-bedded black detrital limestone and is devoid of volcanic material. It is interpreted as deep-basinslope deposits. This formation is tightly folded and overlies either the Villa de Ayala or the Acapetlahuaya Formation. It is late Albian to early Cenomanian in age, based on calcispherulids, planktonic foraminifers, and radiolarians (Campa and Ramirez, 1979; Guerrero-Suastegui et al., 1991, 1993; Talavera-Mendoza, 1993; Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995). The deep-marine limestone is overlain by turbiditic sandstone-shale successions of the Miahuatepec Formation (Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995). Fossils have not been found, but it is at least postearly Cenomanian because of its stratigraphic position. The Miahuatepec Formation was deposited, during the amalgamation of the Zihuatanejo, Arcelia, and Teloloapan Terranes, in a thrust-related basin (Guerrero-Suastegui et al., 1991; Ramrez-Espinoza et al., 1991; Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995; Mendoza and Suastegui, 2000; Guerrero-Suastegui, 2004). The ages of magmatism of the Teloloapan Terrane have been poorly constrained by the limited fossils found in the volcaniclastic levels. A few U/Pb isotopic ages from felsic lavas at the base of the succession range in age from 137.4 to 145.9Ma (TithonianHauterivian; Mortensen et al., 2003). Thus, magmatism of the Teloloapan Terrane is in part contemporaneous with that of the Mixteca, Guanajuato, and Zihuatanejo Terranes. There are three distinctive differences in the Cretaceous stratigraphy between the Mixteca and Teloloapan Terranes: (1) Volcanism of the Mixteca Terrane is more evolved, and its isotopic signatures show inuence of old continental crust in the magma generation. In contrast, volcanism of the Teloloapan Terrane is more primitive and has no traces of contamination by old continental crust (Centeno-Garca et al., 1993a; Talavera-Mendoza et al., 1995; Mendoza and Suastegui, 2000). (2) Metamorphic and quartz clasts are abundant (up to 70%) in the sandstones that are interbedded with volcanic rocks in the Mixteca Terrane but are absent throughout the stratigraphic column of the Teloloapan Terrane. (3) Magmatism ceased in the Mixteca Terrane before the Aptian, and part of the volcanic-sedimentary succession was deformed and metamorphosed (Taxco Schist). In contrast, volcanism continued in the Teloloapan Terrane until AptianAlbian time, and no internal deformation has been identied.

Guerrero Composite Terrane of western Mexico

301

of the Arteaga Complex, overlain by uppermost Jurassic to Cretaceous volcanic and sedimentary cover. These rocks are thrust over the Arcelia Terrane (Figs.7 and 8). Arc-related rocks of the Huetamo region (Figs.7 and 8) overall have been formed by a thick succession of alternating shale, sandstone, and conglomerate, with scattered basaltic pillow lavas, submarine ignimbrite ows, and other intermediate pyroclastic and epiclastic ows in the lower parts of the succession (Angao and San Lucas Formations; Pantoja, 1959; Guerrero-Suastegui, 1997). These arcrelated rocks lie unconformably on the Arteaga Complex (Figs.7 and 8). Fossils of Late Jurassic age have been reported from the Angao Formation (Pantoja, 1959), although the major exposures of volcaniclastic rhythmic sedimentary rocks are Berriasian to upper Aptian (Guerrero-Suastegui, 1997). Their depositional environment changes upsection from deep to shallow marine. The volcaniclastic rocks of the San Lucas Formation change toward the top to thick limestone zones with fossil ammonites, orbitolinids, and rudists of late Aptianearly Albian age (El Cajon and Mal Paso Formations; Guerrero-Suastegui, 1997; Pantoja-Alor and Caballero, 2003). This sequence alternates with or changes laterally into marine and terrestrial volcanic sandstone and conglomerate (Comburindio Formation; Guerrero-Suastegui, 1997; Pantoja-Alor and Caballero, 2003). The conglomerate is covered by massive, thick packets of limestone (Huetamo Formation) that contain fossils of late AlbianCenomanian age. This unit is found only in the central parts of the Huetamo region (Pantoja, 1990). The arc succession of the Zihuatanejo Terrane in the Huetamo area was deformed prior to the deposition of a thick, subaerial red-bed succession that is interbedded with volcanic rocks (Cutzamala Formation of Campa and Ramirez, 1979) and is related to a continental arc of SantonianMaastrichtian age (AltamiraAreyn, 2002; Benammi et al., 2005). The oldest Cretaceous rocks of the Zihuatanejo Terrane in the Zihuatanejo-Colima region of coastal Mexico that have been penetrated by drilling are BerriasianHauterivian in age (Alberca Formation; Cuevas, 1981). The lower member of the Alberca Formation is made up of interbedded black shale, sandstone, and limestone, and some tuff. The upper member is composed mostly of andesitic-basaltic lava ows interbedded with limestone and shale. The Alberca Formation changes transitionally upward to andesitic and basaltic lava ows, with some rhyolitic ows, interbedded with pyroclastic (intermediate tuffs and ignimbrites) and epiclastic deposits. It contains limestone packets interbedded with subaerial conglomerate and sandstone, red siltstone, and some evaporites, and continues into limestone with scarce basaltic pillow lavas at the top (Tecalitln, Tepalcatepec, and Madrid Formations). The age range of these units, based on their fossil content, is Barremian to Cenomanian (Grajales and Lpez, 1984). Along the west coast between the cities of Colima and Zihuatanejo are exposures of an important succession of red beds, alternating with lesser amounts of limestone in comparison with other areas of the Guerrero Composite Terrane. The assemblage is made up of rhyolitic lavas (lava ows, breccias,

and ignimbrites) and minor andesitic and dacitic lavas (Tecalitln Formation, Titzupa-La Unin assemblage, Playitas Formation, etc.; Ferrusqua et al., 1978; Grajales and Lpez, 1984; Pantoja and Estrada, 1986; Centeno-Garca et al., 2003). These units are interbedded with epiclastic deposits such as tuff, volcanic shale, and sandstone, and some conglomerate. The assemblage also contains thin beds of limestone containing orbitolinids, gastropods, and some pelecypods of late AlbianCenomanian age (Ferrusqua et al., 1978; Grajales and Lpez, 1984). Raindrop marks, desiccation polygons, and dinosaur footprints can be found in this succession (Ferrusqua et al., 1978). The lower parts of the Cretaceous succession are missing in the Arteaga region, where nonmarine and shallow-marine volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks of AptianAlbian age rest unconformably on the Arteaga Complex. Overall, Cretaceous volcanic rocks of the southern Zihuatanejo Terrane show geochemical and isotopic signatures that suggest a transitional composition between oceanic island arcs and active continental margins (Centeno-Garca, 1994; Freydier et al., 1997; Mendoza and Suastegui, 2000). The high potassium content, abundance of felsic lavas, and trace element abundances of these volcanic rocks are similar to those observed in IAs where the crust is thick (>~20km), allowing magmatic differentiation (Centeno-Garca, 1994). Rocks of the southern Zihuatanejo Terrane are distinctive from the rest of the terranes because they were deposited in shallow-marine and uvial environments, contain fossil vertebrates, and show calc-alkaline volcanism more evolved than that of the Teloloapan and Arcelia Terranes. Sedimentary rocks interbedded with the volcanic ows contain clasts of their basement rocks, made up of sandstone, quartz, and mylonitic granite. Thus its stratigraphy is similar to that of arcs constructed on intermediate crust with a previous history of accretions. The presence of fossil vertebrates suggests proximity to the continent. Northern Guerrero Terrane Following a section from east to west in the northern part of the Guerrero Terrane, the main stratigraphic characteristic is an absence of rocks similar to those of the Mixteca or Teloloapan Terrane. Instead, deep-marine volcanic-sedimentary successions of the Guanajuato Terrane were thrust directly over limestone of the calcareous platform of Oaxaquia. Contact relationships between the Guanajuato Terrane and the northern Zihuatanejo Terrane are unconstrained because the contact is covered by younger units. It is inferred that the Guanajuato Terrane is overthrust by the Zihuatanejo Terrane on the basis of regional vergence of the structures. Contact relationships between the Tahue and Zihuatanejo Terranes are unknown because the contact is covered by overlapping Cenozoic assemblages. Guanajuato Terrane The succession at the Guanajuato Terrane has been described as a complete stratigraphic column of an accreted volcanic arc, as its assemblages vary from the roots of the arc (gabbros and

302

Centeno-Garca et al. unconformably on the Arperos Formation and suggests that sedimentation and at least one phase of deformation occurred prior to the AptianAlbian (Ortiz-Hernandez et al., 2003). Whether or not this deformation is related to the accretion of the Guanajuato Terrane to the continental margin has not been determined. At present the Guanajuato Terrane is thrust over the calcareous platform of Oaxaquia in the San Miguel de Allende area (OrtizHernndez et al., 2002). Rocks of the Guanajuato Terrane have been correlated with the Arcelia Terrane, and both were interpreted as having formed part of an oceanic arc independent of the Zihuatanejo and other arc terranes (Ortiz-Hernandez et al., 1992). Also, these rocks are considered relicts of an oceanic basin consumed by subduction related to the arc of the Zihuatanejo Terrane (Lapierre et al., 1992; Tardy et al., 1994). An alternative preliminary interpretation, based on provenance and stratigraphy, is that the Guanajuato Terrane may have been the backarc basin of the Zihuatanejo Terrane (Centeno-Garca et al., 2003). Zihuatanejo Terrane The Upper JurassicCretaceous stratigraphy of the Zacatecas area in the northern Zihuatanejo Terrane is very different than the stratigraphy of the neighboring Central Terrane and Oaxaquia (Figs.57). Whereas the strata in the northern Zihuatanejo Terrane are mostly composed of volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks, northern Oaxaquia and the Central Terrane were covered by a thick, shallow-marine calcareous platform during the Late JurassicCretaceous (Centeno-Garca and Silva-Romo, 1997). This suggests that the Zihuatanejo Terrane was probably undergoing dislocation from the continental margin during that time. The arc stratigraphy of the Zacatecas area is formed by the La Borda, Chilitos, and El Saucito Formations (de Cserna, 1976; Yta et al., 1990; Olvera-Carranza et al., 2001; Olvera-Carranza, 2002). These three formations are made up of pillow basalts and volcanic breccias, interbedded with thin-bedded siltstone, shale, chert, and volcanic sandstone and conglomerate, with scarce felsic tuff beds and detrital limestone (Centeno-Garca and SilvaRomo, 1997; Olvera-Carranza, 2002). The chert layers contain radiolarian fossils of Neocomian(?) to AptianAlbian(?) age (Yta et al., 1990; Olvera-Carranza, 2002). However, older U/Pb ages have been reported (150148Ma) from the base of the succession (Danielson, 2000; Mortensen et al., 2003). Lapierre et al. (1992) and Freydier et al. (1995) characterized this magmatism as primitive IA and OI basalts. Sedimentary structures and fossil content suggest that the La Borda, El Saucito, and Chilitos Formations were deposited as distal turbidites and grain ows in a volcaniclastic submarine apron (Centeno-Garca et al., 2003). These JurassicCretaceous arc successions contain important volcanogenic, massive sulde ore deposits (Yta et al., 1990; Danielson, 2000; Mortensen et al., 2003). Tahue Terane Cretaceous successions of the Tahue Terrane are exposed mostly in the Sinaloa de LeyvaPorohui region (Fig.4). They

diabases, and dike swarms) to pillow basalts, interbedded with thin-bedded siltstone, shale, chert, and ne-grained volcanic sandstone (Figs.6 and 7; Ortiz-Hernandez et al., 1991; OrtizHernandez, 1992). However, all the different stratigraphic levels are in the form of tectonic slivers (Fig.7), with the deepest mac levels (gabbro, tonalite, serpentinite, wehrlite, dike swarms) thrust over the upper stratigraphic levels (pillow basalt and volcanic turbidites). The uppermost thrust sheet is made up of ultramac-mac rocks of the Cerro Peln tonalite and the Tuna Mansa diorite. These ultramac rocks are thrust over a succession incorporating a diabasic feeder dike swarm, basaltic pillow lavas (La Luz basalts), rhyolitic tuffs (Cubilete Tuff), and a deep-marine volcaniclastic succession made up of sandstone and shale turbidites, chert, and black detrital limestone (Esperanza Formation; Quintero-Legorreta, 1992; Ortiz-Hernandez et al., 1992; OrtizHernandez et al., 2003). Basalts of this assemblage show geochemical signatures similar to present primitive volcanic island arcs (Ortiz-Hernandez, 1992). The third and lowermost structural level (Fig.7) is composed of a thick turbidite succession of volcanic graywackes, quartzites, micritic limestone, radiolarian chert, black shale, and rare conglomerate resting on basaltic pillow lavas (Arperos Formation; Ortiz-Hernandez et al., 1992; Lapierre et al., 1992; Quintero-Legorreta, 1992; Monod et al., 1990; Martnez-Reyes, 1992; Ortiz-Hernandez et al., 2003). Pillow basalts at the base of the Arperos Formation are more alkaline than the La Luz basalts and show OI geochemical signatures (Ortiz-Hernandez et al., 2003). The Arperos Formation is unconformably overlain by the AptianAlbian La Perlita Limestone (Ortiz-Hernandez et al., 2003). It is difcult to reconstruct the role of the Guanajuato Terrane in the tectonic evolution of western Mexico because of the lack of enough geochronological data. The only U/Pb zircon age reported from the area comes from the El Gordo volcanogenic massive sulde ore deposit (Hall and Mortensen, 2003), which is considered part of the lowermost succession by Hall and Mortensen, (2003), but it is at the stratigraphic level of the second thrust sheet (Cubilete tuff?) in the stratigraphy proposed by Ortiz-Hernandez et al. (1992). The age of a rhyolite from El Gordo volcanogenic massive sulde ore deposit reported by Hall and Mortensen (2003) yielded a 146.1Ma U/Pb age. There are also reports of badly preserved radiolarians from the Arperos Formation that are not in good enough condition to be age indicators (possibly ValanginianTuronian in age), but a report of nannofossils suggests a TithonianHauterivian age (Ortiz-Hernandez et al., 2003). Other ages reported from the Guanajuato area are from K/Ar analyses and seem to have been reset by later thermal events (Ortiz-Hernandez et al., 1992, 2003). The sedimentary rocks of the La Luz and Arperos Formations seem to be distal volcanic turbidite deposits, but the abundance of limestone associated with the pillow lavas suggests that deposition occurred above the carbonate compensation depth (Ortiz-Hernandez et al., 2003). AptianAlbian limestone of the La Perlita Formation rests

Guerrero Composite Terrane of western Mexico

303

were formed by submarine pillow lavas, volcaniclastic rocks, shale, and limestone. They contain Albian ammonites (OrtegaGutirrez et al., 1979; Freydier et al., 1995; Gastil et al., 1999), but Ar/Ar ages from the lavas are younger (86Ma; Gastil et al., 1999), suggesting resetting. The basaltic lavas show MORB and OIB geochemical afnities, but the volcaniclastic rocks are more evolved and show IA geochemical signatures (Freydier et al., 1995; Gastil et al., 1999). Although this volcanic succession has been interpreted as the northern continuation of the Arperos Formation of the Guanajuato Terrane, and part of a major oceanic basin that originally lay between the Guerrero arc and the continent (Tardy et al., 1994; Lapierre, et. al., 1992; Dickinson and Lawton, 2001), the stratigraphy does not support such a tectonic scenario because (1) the Cretaceous volcanic rocks rest unconformably on a Paleozoic basement, (2) the stratigraphy and facies associations are not indicative of deep-pelagic sedimentation and oceanic-ridge volcanism, and (3) the Guanajuato successions apparently are older than the arc assemblages of the Tahue and other parts of the Guerrero Composite Terrane. SUMMARY The stratigraphy of the Guerrero Composite Terrane of western Mexico is characterized by a series of terranes whose basements were formed by Paleozoic to Triassic fragments of oceanic arcs, continental slope sediments, and ocean oor assemblages that were accreted to the continent and consecutively rifted and translated. Metamorphosed Ordovician volcanic and marine sedimentary rocks and a thick succession of deep-marine turbidites of the NW Guerrero Composite Terrane (Tahue Terrane) make up the record of a middle Paleozoic collision and development of a Carboniferous to Permian passive margin. These rocks might be equivalent to the early Paleozoic Antler Arc and eugeoclinal sedimentation in the SW Cordillera of North America. The continental margin during the early Mesozoic was located in the middle of Mexico, approximately along the boundary between Oaxaquia and the CentralGuerrero Composite Terranes. This continental margin was active during the PermianCarboniferous, when a continental arc developed in Oaxaquia. PermianCarboniferous arc-related magmatism ceased, and a passive or rifted margin developed along the western continental margin of Mexico, extending throughout the Triassic. This development is suggested by the thick submarine siliciclastic turbidite succession that accumulated on the western paleo-continental shelfslope region (Potosi Submarine Fan). The siliciclastic fan turbidites are mostly continent-derived, quartz-rich sandstone, siltstone, and shale, containing fossils of CarnianNorian age. The Potosi Fan is interpreted as passive-margin deposits, as there is no evidence of contemporaneous magmatism either in the stratigraphy or in the provenance.

The siliciclastic rocks of the Potosi Fan extended to the west in a marginal oceanic basin (Arteaga Basin) that at present forms the basement of the Zihuatanejo Terrane of the Guerrero Composite Terrane. The rst compressional event that deformed the Triassic rocks originated tight folding, shearing, and axial cleavage in the La Ballena Formation, and block-in-matrix texture in the Taray and Zacatecas Formations and the Arteaga Complex. This deformation was related to subduction along the early Mesozoic continental margin. It may have started sometime between the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic, accreting the turbidites of the Potosi Submarine Fan, with slivers of the oceanic crust, to the continent. Whether the subducting slab was dipping toward the west or the east is not well constrained, but the accretionary prism apparently was very wide. Evidence of contemporaneous oceanic arc magmatism is found in the Vizcano Peninsula, where a volcanic sequence of primitive arc afnity is exposed. It is possible that the rocks in the Vizcaino Peninsula represent a displaced fragment of an oceanic arc that accreted to the Arteaga Complex of the Guerrero Composite Terrane, but this model needs more evidence. Arc-related volcanic and sedimentary rocks unconformably overlie the deformed Triassic rocks of Oaxaquia and the Central and Guerrero Composite Terranes. They are characterized by continental rhyolitic to andesitic lava ows, interbedded with uvial and alluvial deposits. The succession shows minor angular unconformities, probably related to tilting. These rocks have been interpreted as the southern continuation of the Jurassic continental arc that developed along the southwestern margin of the United States. Magmatism was active from ca.163 to 155Ma (CallovianOxfordian), although older volcanic rocks have been reported for eastern Mexico (189Ma). The Jurassic arc shows more evolved geochemical signatures than the subsequent volcanic events. During and after the continental arc activity (Late JurassicEarly Cretaceous), large amounts of extension and lateral translations probably occurred, as suggested by the changes in the stratigraphy. It has been proposed that major strike-slip faults were probably active during the arc activity (Mojave-Sonora Megashear). Arc magmatism ceased in central Mexico, and considerable subsidence and extension is evidenced by the fast deepening of the calcareous platform that developed over the arc rocks. Major stratigraphic, geochemical, and isotopic differences are evident in the different Cretaceous stratigraphic assemblages among the Guerrero terranes. They are, from east to west: Andesitic-basaltic submarine lava ows and tuff (IA geochemical signatures), interbedded with limestone and shallow-marine volcaniclastics (Teloloapan Terrane) that were thrust over contemporaneous but more evolved arc successions and the calcareous platform of southern continental Mexico (Mixteca Terrane). Ophiolite successions,

304

Centeno-Garca et al. with deep-marine volcanic and sedimentary rocks with MORB, OIB, and IA signatures (Guanajuato and Arcelia Terranes), are placed between the continent and the more evolved arc in the north (Zihuatanejo Terrane) and between the two shallow-marine arcs (Teloloapan and Zihuatanejo Terranes) in the south. These major geological differences suggest that intra-arc rifting was considerable and originated a series of marginal arc-backarc systems in western Mexico, with complex paleogeography. Two possible scenarios can be proposed for the Cretaceous paleogeography of western Mexico: (1)that there was one single rifting arc, with westward migration of the magmatism and development of deep-marine intraarc and backarc basins (Guanajuato and Arcelia Terranes); and (2) that rifting during the end of the Jurassic was large enough to allow the formation of multiple marginal island arcs, separated by oceanic backarc basins. The proposed timing of the nal amalgamation of the Guerrero terranes to the margin of older terranes that form the eastern part of Mexico is Turonian to Maastrichtian, as suggested by the age span of foreland basins associated with the deformation of the arc. Overlapping the previously deformed Arcelia and Zihuatanejo Terranes, a new arc developed along the coast by Santonian time.
Anderson, T.H., McKee, J.W., and Jones, N.W., 1991, A northwest trending, Jurassic fold nappe, northernmost Zacatecas, Mexico: Tectonics, v.10, p.383401. Anderson, T.H., Jones, N.W., and McKee, J.W., 2005, The Taray Formation: Jurassic(?) mlange in northern MexicoTectonic implications, in Anderson, T.H., et al., eds., The Mojave-Sonora Megashear Hypothesis: Development, Assessment, and Alternatives: Geological Society of America Special Paper 393, p. 427455. Araujo, M.J., and Arenas, P.R., 1986, Estudio tectonico-sedimentario, en el mar mexicano Estados de Chihuahua y Durango: Boletn Sociedad Geolgica Mexicana, v. 472, p. 4371. Arredondo-Guerrero, P., and Centeno-Garca, E., 2003, Geology of the Mazatln region, southern Sinaloa state, Mexico: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 35, no. 4, p. 71. Barboza-Gudio, J.R., Tristan-Gonzalez, M., and Torres-Hernandez, J.R., 1998, The Late TriassicEarly Jurassic active continental margin of western North America in northeastern Mexico: Geosica Internacional, v.37, p.283292. Barboza-Gudio, J.R., Tristan-Gonzalez, M., and Torres-Hernandez, J.R., 1999, Tectonic setting of pre-Oxfordian units from central and northeastern Mexico: A review, in Bartolini, C., et al., eds., Mesozoic Sedimentary and Tectonic History of North-Central Mexico: Geological Society of America Special Paper 340, p. 197210. Barboza-Gudio, J.R., Hoppe, M., Gmez-Anguiano, M., and MartnezMacas, P.R., 2004, Aportaciones para la interpretacin estratigrca y estructural de la porcin noroccidental de la Sierra de Catorce, San Luis Potos, Mxico: Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Instituto de Geologa: Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geolgicas, v.21, p.299319. Bartolini, C., Cant-Chapa, A., Lang, H., and Barboza-Gudio, R., 2002, The Triassic Zacatecas Formation in Central Mexico, paleotectonic, paleogeographic and paleobiogeographic implications, in Bartolini C., et al., eds., The Western Gulf of Mexico Basin: Tectonics, Sedimentary Basins and Petroleum Systems: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Memoir 75, p. 295315. Benammi, M., Centeno-Garca, E., Martinez-Hernandez, E., Morales-Gamez, M., Urrutia-Fucugauchi, J., and Tolson, G., 2005, Presencia de dinosaurios en la Barranca Los Bonetes en el sur de Mxico (Regin de Tiquicheo, Estado de Michoacn) y sus implicaciones cronoestratigrcas: Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Instituto de Geologa: Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geolgicas, v.22, p.429435. Bissig, T., Mortensen, J.K., and Hall, B., 2003, The volcano-sedimentary setting of the Kuroko type Vhms District of Cuale, Jalisco, Mexico: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 35, no. 4, p. 61. Burchel, B.C., Cowan, D.S., and Davis, G.A., 1992, Tectonic overview of the Cordilleran orogen in the western United States, in Burchel, B.C. et al., eds., The Cordilleran Orogen, Conterminous United States: Boulder, Colorado, Geological Society of America, The Geology of North America, v. G-3, p. 407479. Burckhardt, C., and Scalia, S., 1906, Gologie des environs de Zacatecas: Mexico, International Geological Congress, 10th, Excursion Guidebook 16, 26 p. Cabral-Cano, E., Lang, H.R., and Harrison, C.G.A., 2000, Stratigraphic assessment of the ArceliaTeloloapan area, southern Mexico: Implications for southern Mexicos post-Neocomian tectonic evolution: Journal of South American Earth Sciences, v.13, p.443457. Campa, M.F., and Coney, P.J., 1983, Tectono-stratigraphic terranes and mineral resource distributions in Mexico: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, v.20, p.10401051. Campa, M.F., and Iriondo, A., 2003, Early Cretaceous protolith ages for metavolcanic rocks from Taxco and Taxco Viejo in southern Mexico: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 35, no. 4, p. 71. Campa, M.F., and Iriondo, A., 2004, Signicado de dataciones Cretcicas de los arcos volcnicos de Taxco, Taxco Viejo y Chapolapa, en la evolucin de la plataforma Guerrero-Morelos: Unin Geofsica Mexicana: Reunin Nacional de Ciencias de la Tierra, GEOS, v.24, p.173. Campa, M.F., and Ramirez, J., 1979, La Evolucin Geolgica y la Metalognesis de Guerrero: Universidad Autnoma de Guerrero, Ser. Tcnico-Cientca, v. 1, 84 p. Campa, M.F., Campos, M., Flores, R., and Oviedo, R., 1974, La sequencia Mesozoca volcanico-sedimentaria metamorzada de Ixtapan de la Sal, Mex.-Teloloapan, Gro.: Soc. Geol. Mex. Bull., v. 35, p. 728.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This paper is a contribution to PAPIIT projects IN1096053 and IN116599, funded by the Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico (UNAM), and to projects UC-MEXUS Exotic versus Fringing Arc Models: Implications for the Growth of Continents, and SEP/2003 C02 42642. Special thanks are due J. Stock, C. Busby, C. Vita-Finzi, and A.E. Draut for their reviews and comments, which greatly improved the paper. REFERENCES CITED
Altamira Areyn, A., 2002, Las litofacies y sus implicaciones de la cuenca sedimentaria Cutzamala-Tiquicheo, Estado de Guerrero y Michoacn, Mxico [M.S. thesis]: Mxico, Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Instituto de Geologa, 79 p. Anderson, C.E., 2006, U-Pb ages of detrital zircons in the Holbrook Member of the Moenkopi Formation near Winslow, Arizona: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v.38, no.5, p.10. Anderson, T.H., and Silver, L.T., 1979, The role of the Mojave-Sonora megashear in the tectonic evolution of northern Sonora, in Anderson, T.H., and Roldn-Quintana, J., eds., Geology of Northern Sonora: San Diego, California, Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, Guidebook, Field Trip 27, p. 5968. Anderson, T.H., and Silver, L.T., 1981, An overview of Precambrian rocks in Sonora, Mxico: Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Instituto de Geologa: Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geolgicas, v.5, p.131139. Anderson, T.H., and Silver, L.T., 2005, The Mojave-Sonora megashearField and analytical studies leading to the conception and evolution of the hypothesis, in Anderson, T.H., et al., eds., The Mojave-Sonora Megashear Hypothesis: Development, Assessment, and Alternatives: Geological Society of America Special Paper 393, p. 150. Anderson, T.H., McKee, J.W., and Jones, N.W., 1990, Jurassic(?) melange in north-central Mexico: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v.22, no.3, p.3.

Guerrero Composite Terrane of western Mexico

305

Campa, M.F., Ramirez, J., and Bloome, C., 1982, La secuencia volcanico-sedimentaria metamorzada del Triasico (Ladiniano-Carnico) de la region de Tumbiscatio, Michoacan: Sociedad Geolgica Mexicana, VI Convencin Geolgica Nacional, 6 Resmenes, 48 p. Cantu-Chapa, A., 1969, Una nueva localidad Trisico Superior en Mxico: Revista Instituto Mexicano del Petrleo, v.1, p.7172. Carrillo-Martnez, 1971, Geologa de la Hoja San Jos de Gracia, Sinaloa [senior thesis]: Mexico City, Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Facultad de Ingeniera, 154 p. Centeno-Garca, E., 1994, Tectonic evolution of the Guerrero Terrane, western Mexico [Ph.D. thesis]: Tucson, University of Arizona, 220 p. Centeno-Garca, E., 2002, Overview of Mesozoic subduction-related magmatic events of Mexico and their relationship with the rest of the cordillera: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs v. 34, no. 5, p. A-97. Centeno-Garca, E., 2005, Review of Upper Paleozoic and Lower Mesozoic stratigraphy and depositional environments of central and west Mexico: Constraints on terrane analysis and paleogeography, in Anderson, T.H., et al., eds., The Mojave-Sonora Megashear Hypothesis: Development, Assessment, and Alternatives: Geological Society of America Special Paper 393, p. 233258. Centeno-Garca, E., and Daz-Salgado, C., 2002, Estratigrafa y Geoqumica de las rocas volcnicas de la Formacin Huizachal en la Regin de Aramberri, Estado de Nuevo Len, III Reunin Nacional de Ciencias de la Tierra, Puerto Vallarta: Actas INAGEQ, v.8, p.244. Centeno-Garcia, E., and Silva-Romo, G., 1997, Petrogenesis and tectonic evolution of central Mxico during Triassic-Jurrasic time: Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Instituto de Geologa: Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geolgicas, v. 14, p. 244260. Centeno-Garca, E., Ruz, J., Coney, P., Patchett, J.P., and Ortega, G.F., 1993a, Guerrero Terrane of Mexico: Its role in the Southern Cordillera from new geochemical data: Geology, v. 21, p. 419422. Centeno-Garca, E., Garca-Daz, J.L., Guerrero-Suastegui, M., Ramrez-Espinoza, J., Salinas-Prieto, J.C., and Talavera-Mendoza, O., 1993b, Geology of the southern part of the Guerrero Terrane, Ciudad Altamirano-Teloloapan area, in Ortega, G.F., et al., eds., Terrane Geology of Southern Mxico: Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Instituto de Geologa, First Circum-Pacic and Circum-Atlantic Terrane Conference, Gto. Mexico: Guidebook of Field Trip B, p. 2233. Centeno-Garca, E., Olvera-Carranza, K., Corona-Esquivel, R., Camprub, A., Tritlla, J., and Sanchez-Martinez, S., 2003a, Depositional environment and paleogeographic distribution of the Jurassic-cretaceous arc in the western and northern Guerrero Terrane, Mexico: GSA 99th Cordilleran Section Annual Meeting Abstracts with Programs, v. 35, n. 4, p. 76. Centeno-Garca, E., Corona-Chavez, P., Talavera-Mendoza, O., and Iriondo, A., 2003b, Geology and tectonic evolution of the Western Guerrero terraneA transect from Puerto Vallarta to Zihuatanejo, Mxico, in Geologic Transects across Cordilleran Mxico: Guidebook for Field Trips of the 99th GSA Cordilleran Section Meeting, UNAM Instituto de Geologia Publicacin Especial no. 1, p. 201228. Centeno-Garca, E., Gehrels, G., Diaz-Salgado, C., and Talavera-Mendoza, O., 2005, Zircon provenance of Triassic (Paleozoic?) turbidites from central and western Mexico: Implications for the early evolution of the Guerrero Arc: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 37, no. 4, p. 12. Chvez-Cabello, G., Aranda-Gmez, J.J., Molina-Garza, R.S., Cosso-Torres, T., Irving, R., Arvizu-Gutirrez I.R., and Gonzlez-Naranjo, G.A., 2005, La falla San Marcos: Una estructura jursica de basamento multirreactivada del noreste de Mxico, in Alaniz-lvarez, S.A., and NietoSamaniego, A.F., eds., Boletn de la Sociedad Geolgica Mexicana, Volumen Conmemorativo Del Centenario, Grandes Fronteras Tectnicas De Mxico, v. 57, p. 2752. Coney, P.J., and Campa, M.F., 1987, Lithotectonic terrane map of Mxico (west of the 91st meridian): U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map and Report MF-1874-D, scale 1:10,000,000, 1 sheet. Contreras-Montero, B., Martnez-Cortes, A., and Gmez-Luna, M.A., 1988, Bioestratigrafa y sedimentologa del Jursico Superior en San Pedro del Gallo, Durango, Mxico: Revista del Instituto Mexicano del Petrleo, v. 20, p. 529. Crdoba-Mndez, D.A., 1964, Geology of Apizolaya Quadrangle (east half), Northern Zacatecas, Mxico [M.A. thesis]: University of Texas at Austin, 111 p.

Corona-Chvez, P., and Israde-Alcntara, I., 1999, Carta Geolgica del Estado de Michoacn: Map, scale 1:250,000. Cuevas, S.F., 1981, Prospecto Tpalcatepec: Mxico, D.F., Petrleos Mexicanos, IGPR-164, Internal report (unpublished). Cuevas-Prez, E., 1983, The geological evolution of the Mesozoic in the State of Zacatecas Mexico: Zentralblatt fr Geologie und Palaeontologie, Teil I: Allgemeine, Angewandte: Regionale und Historische Geologie, v.1, p.190201. Danielson, T.J., 2000, Age, paleotectonic setting, and common Pb isotope signature of the volcanogenic massive sulde deposit, southeastern Zacatecas State, central Mexico [M.S. thesis]: Vancouver, University of British Columbia, 120 p. Dvila, V.M., and Guerrero, M., 1990, Una edad basada en radiolarios para la secuencia volcnica-sedimentaria de Arcelia, Estado de Guerrero: Sociedad Geolgica Mexicana, 10th Convencin Geolgica Nacional, Libro de Resmenes, p. 83. De Cserna, Z., 1976, Geology of the Fresnillo area, Zacatecas, Mxico: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v.87, p.11911199. De Cserna, Z., 1978, Notas sobre la geologa de la regin comprendida entre Iguala, Ciudad Altamirano y Temascaltepec, Estados de Guerrero y Mxico: Sociedad Geolgica Mexicana, Libro Gua de la Excursin geolgica a Tierra Caliente, p. 125. De Cserna, Z., and Fries, C., Jr., 1981, Hoja Taxco 14Q-h(7), and Resumen de la Geologa de la Hoja Taxco, Estados de Guerrero, Mxico y Morelos: Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Insituto de Geologa, Carta Geologica de Mexico: Map Ser., scale 1:100,000, and 47 p. text. Delgado, A.L., Lpez, M.M., York, D., and Hall, C.M., 1990, Geology and geochronology of ultramac localities in the Cuicateco and Tierra Caliente Complexes, southern Mexico: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs v. 22, no. 7, p. 326. Delgado, L.A., 1982, Descripcin preliminar de la geologa y mecnica de emplazamiento del complejo ultrabsico de Loma Baya, Guerrero, Mxico: Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Instituto de Geofsica: Geofsica Internacional, v. 25, p. 537558. Daz Salgado, C., 2004, Caracterizacin tectnica y procedencia de la formacin Taray, regin de Pico de Teyra, estado de Zacatecas [M.S. thesis]: Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Posgrado en Ciencias de la Tierra, Instituto de Geologa, 95 p. Diaz-Salgado, C., Centeno-Garca, E., and Gehrels, G., 2003, Stratigraphy, depositional environments, and tectonic signicance of the Taray Formation, northern Zacatecas state, Mexico: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 35, no. 4, p. 71. Dickinson, W., 2004, Evolution of the North American Cordillera: Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, v.32, p.1345, doi: 10.1146/ annurev.earth.32.101802.120257. Dickinson, W.R., and Lawton, T.F., 2001, Carboniferous to Cretaceous assembly and fragmentation of Mexico: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v.113, p.11421160. Eguiluz, A.S., and Campa, M.F., 1982, Problemas tectnicos del sector de San Pedro El Gallo, en los Estados de Chihuahua y Durango: Boletn Asociacin Mexicana de Gelogos Petroleros, v.34, p.542. Elas-Herrera, M., 1993, Geology of the Valle de Bravo and Zacazonapan areas, south-central Mexico, in Ortega-Gutirrez, F., et al., eds., Proceedings of the First Circum-Pacic and Circum-Atlantic Terrane Conference: Guanajuato, Mexico, p. 1221. Elas-Herrera, M., and Snchez-Zavala, J.L., 1992, Tectonic implications of a mylonitic granite in the lower structural levels of the Tierra Caliente Complex (Guerrero Terrane), Southern Mxico: Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Instituto de Geologa: Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geolgicas, v.9, p.113125. Fastovsky, D.E., Hermes, O.D., Strater, N.H., Bowring, S.A., Clark, J.M., Montellano, M., and Hernandez R., 2005, PreLate Jurassic, fossil-bearing volcanic and sedimentary red beds of Huizachal Canyon, Tamaulipas, Mexico, in Anderson, T.H., et al., eds., The Mojave-Sonora Megashear Hypothesis: Development, Assessment, and Alternatives: Geological Society of America Special Paper 393, p. 259282. Ferrusqua, I., Applegate, S.P., and Espinosa, L., 1978, Rocas volcanosedimentarias mesozoicas y huellas de dinosaurios en la regin suroccidental pacca de Mxico: Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Instituto de Geologa: Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geolgicas, v.2, p.150162.

306

Centeno-Garca et al.
Convencin sobre la evolucin Geolgica Mexicana, 1er Congreso Mexicano de Mineraloga, Pachuca, Memoir, p. 6770. Guerrero-Suastegui, M., Ramrez Espinosa, J., Gmez Luna, M.E., Gonzlez Casildo, V., and Martnez Cortes, A., 1993, Depsitos de tormenta y fauna fsil asociada del Albiano Superior (Formacin Teloloapan) Noroeste del Estado de Guerrero: Sociedad Mexicana de Paleontologa, IV Congreso Nacional de Paleontologa, Memorias, p. 9397. Hall, B.V., and Mortensen, J.K., 2003, Bimodal-siliciclastic massive sulde deposits of the Leon-Guanajuato District, Central Mexico: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 35, no. 4, p. 61. Henry, C.D., and Fredrikson, G., 1987, Geology of part of southern Sinaloa, Mexico, adjacent to the Gulf of California: Geological Society of America Map and Chart Ser., v.MCH063, p.114. Jones, N.W., McKee, J.W., Anderson, T.H., and Silver, L.T., 1995, Jurassic volcanic rocks in northeastern Mexico: A possible remnant of a Cordilleran magmatic arc, in Jaques-Ayala, C., et al., eds., Studies on the Mesozoic of Sonora and Adjacent Areas: Geological Society of America Special Paper 301, p. 179190. Keppie, J.D., Dostal, J., Cameron, K.L., Solari, L.A., Ortega-Gutirrez, F., and Lopez, R., 2003, Geochronology and geochemistry of Grenvillian igneous suites in the northern Oaxacan Complex, southern Mexico: Tectonic implications: Precambrian Research, v.120, p.365389. Keppie, J.D., Dostal, J., Miller, B.V., Ortega-Rivera, A., Roldn-Quintana, J., and Lee, J.W.K., 2006, Geochronology and geochemistry of the Francisco Gneiss: Triassic continental rift tholeiites on the Mexican margin of Pangea metamorphosed and exhumed in a Tertiary core complex: International Geology Review, v.48, p.116. Kimbrough, D.L., and Moore, T.E., 2003, Ophiolite and volcanic arc assemblages on the Vizcaino Peninsula and Cedros Island, Baja California Sur, Mexico: Mesozoic forearc lithosphere of the Cordilleran magmatic arc, in Johnson, S.E., et al., eds., Tectonic Evolution of Northwestern Mexico and the Southwestern USA, A Volume in Honor of R. Gordon Gastil: Geological Society of America Special Paper 374, p. 4371. Labarthe, G., Tristn, M., and Aguilln, R.A., 1982, Estudio geolgico-minero del rea de Pen Blanco, estados de San Luis Potos y Zacatecas: Instituto de Geologa y Metalurgia, Universidad Autnoma de San Luis Potos, Folleto Tcnico no. 76, 80 p. Lapierre, H., Brouxel, M., Albarde, F., Coulon, C., Lecuyer, C., Martin, P., Mascle, G., and Rouer, O., 1987, Paleozoic and Lower Mesozoic magmas from the eastern Klamath Mountains (North California) and the geodynamic evolution of northwestern America: Tectonophysics, v.140, p.155177. Lapierre, H., Ortiz, L.E., Abouchami, W., Monod, O., Coulon, C., and Zimmermann, J.L., 1992, A crustal section of an intra-oceanic island arc: The Late JurassicEarly Cretaceous Guanajuato magmatic sequence, central Mexico: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 108, p. 6177. Lawlor, P.J., Ortega-Gutirrez, F., Cameron, K.L., Ochoa-Camarillo, H., Lopez, R., and Sampson, D.E., 1999, UPb geochronology, geochemistry, and provenance of the Grenvillian Huiznopala Gneiss of Eastern Mexico: Precambrian Research, v.94, p.7399. Lpez-Infanzn, M., 1986, Petrologia y radiometria de rocas igneas y metamorcas de Mexico: Boletin de la Asociacion Mexicana de Geologos Petroleros, v.38, p.5998. Martnez-Reyes, J., 1992, Mapa geolgico de la sierra de Guanajuato, escala 1:100,000, con Resumen de la geologa de la sierra de Guanajuato [map]: Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Instituto de Geologa, Carta Geolgica de Mxico Ser., scale 1:100,000. McDowell, F.W., Housh, T.B., and Wark, D.A., 1999, Nature of the crust beneath west-central Chihuahua, Mexico, based upon Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic compositions at the Tomochic volcanic center: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v.111, p.823830, doi: 10.1130/00167606(1999)111<0823: NOTCBW>2.3.CO;2. McKee, J.W., Jones, N.W., and Anderson, T.H., 1999, Late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic history of the Las Delicias terrane, Coahuila, Mexico, in Bartolini, C., et al., eds., Mesozoic Sedimentary and Tectonic History of North-Central Mexico: Geological Society of America Special Paper 340, p. 161189. Mendoza, O.T., and Suastegui, M.G., 2000, Geochemistry and isotopic composition of the Guerrero Terrane (western Mxico): Implications for the tectonomagmatic evolution of southwestern North America during the Late Mesozoic: Journal of South American Earth Sciences, v.13, p.297324.

Fitz, D.E., Campa, M.F., and Lpez, M.M., 2002, Fechamiento de lavas andesticas de la Formacin Zicapa, en el lmite oriental de la Plataforma Guerrero Morelos: Actas INAGEQ, v.8, p.178. Freydier, C., Lapierre, H., Tardy, M., Coulon, C., Martinez-Reyes, J., and Orsini, J.B., 1995, Les formations magmatiques de Porohui (Sinaloa); temoins de levolution godynamique mesozoique et tertiaire des Cordilleres mexicaines: Comptes Rendus de lAcadmie des Sciences, Ser. 2: Sciences de la Terre et des Plantes, v.321, p.529536. Freydier, C., Lapierre, H., Briqueu, L., Tardy, M., Coulon, Ch., and Martnez, J., 1997, Volcaniclastic sequences with continental afnities within the Late JurassicEarly Cretaceous intraoceanic Arc terrane (western Mexico): Journal of Geology, v.105, p.483502. Freydier, C., Lapierre, H., Ruiz, J., Tardy, M., Martinez-R.J., and Coulon, C., 2000, The Early Cretaceous Arperos basin: An oceanic domain dividing the Guerrero arc from nuclear Mexico evidenced by the geochemistry of the lavas and sediments: Journal of South American Earth Sciences, v.13, p.325336. Fries, C., Jr., 1960, Geologa del Estado de Morelos y de partes adyacentes de Mxico y Guerrero, regin central meridional de Mxico: Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Instituto de Geologa, Boletn, no. 60, 236 p. Garca-Daz, J.L., Tardy, M., Campa Uranga, M.F., and Lapierre H., 2004, Geologa de la Sierra Madre del Sur en la regin de Chilpancingo y Olinal, Guerrero, una contribucin al conocimiento de la evolucin geodinmica del margen Pacco mexicano a partir del Jursico: Unin Geofsica Mexicana, Reunin Nacional de Ciencias de la Tierra, GEOS, v. 24, p. 173. Gastil, G., Miller, R., Anderson, P., Crocker, J., Campbell, M., Buch, P., Lothringer, C., Leier-Engelhardt, P., DeLattre, M., Hoobs, J., and RoldnQuintana, J., 1991, The relation between the Paleozoic strata on opposite sides of the Gulf of California, in Prez-Segura, E., and Jacques-Ayala, C., eds., Studies of Sonoran Geology: Geological Society of America Special Paper 254, p. 17. Gastil, G., Rector, R., Hazelton, G., Al-Riyami, R., Hanes, J., Farrar, E., Boehnel, H., Ortega-Rivera, A., and Guzman, J.G., 1999, Late Cretaceous pillow basalt, siliceous tuff and calc-turbidite near Porohui, northern Sinaloa, Mexico, in Bartolini, C., et al., eds., Mesozoic sedimentary and tectonic history of north-central Mexico: Geological Society of America Special Paper 340, p. 145150. Gastil, R.G., Morgan, G.J., Krummenacher, D., 1978, Mesozoic history of peninsular California and related areas east of the Gulf of California, in Howell, D.G., McDougall, K.A., eds., Mesozoic Paleogeography of the western United States: Los Angeles, California, Pacic Section, Society of the Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists, p. 107115. Gehrels, G.E., Stewart, J.H., and Ketner, K.B., 2002, Cordilleran-margin quartzites in Baja CaliforniaImplications for tectonic transport: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 199, p. 202210. Goldhammer, R.K., 1999, Mesozoic sequence stratigraphy and paleogeographic evolution of northeast Mexico, in Bartolini, C., et al., eds., Mesozoic Sedimentary and Tectonic History of North-Central Mexico: Geological Society of America Special Paper 340, p. 197210. Gonzlez-Len, C., Stanley, G.D., Gehrels, G., and Centeno-Garcia, E., 2005, New data on the lithostratigraphy, zircon and isotope provenance, and paleogeographic setting of the El Antimonio Group, Sonora, Mexico, in Anderson, T.H., et al., eds., The Mojave-Sonora Megashear Hypothesis: Development, Assessment, and Alternatives: Geological Society of America Special Paper 393, p. 259282. Grajales, M., and Lpez, M., 1984, Estudio petrogentico de las rocas gneas y metamorcas en el Prospecto Tomatlan-Guerrero-Jalisco: Instituto Mexicano del Petrleo, Subdireccin de Tecnologa y Exploracin, Proyecto C-1160 (unpublished). Guerrero-Suastegui, M., 1997, Depositional history and sedimentary petrology of the Huetamo sequence, Southwestern Mexico [M.S. thesis]: University of Texas at El Paso, 95 p. Guerrero-Suastegui, M., 2004, Depositional and tectonic history of the Guerrero Terrane, Sierra Madre de Sur; with emphasis on sedimentary successions of the Teloloapan area, southwestern Mexico [Ph.D. thesis]: St. Johns, Newfoundland, Memorial University, 600 p. Guerrero-Suastegui, M., Ramrez-Espinosa, J., Talavera-Mendoza, O., and Campa-Uranga, M.F., 1991, El desarrollo carbonatado del Cretcico Inferior asociado al arco de Teloloapan, Noroccidente del Estado de Guerrero:

Guerrero Composite Terrane of western Mexico

307

Monod, O., and Calvet, P., 1991, Structural and stratigraphic reinterpretation of the Triassic units near Zacatecas, Zac., Central Mexico: Evidence of a Laramide nappe pile: Zentralblatt fr Geologie und Palaeontologie, Teil I: Allgemeine, Angewandte: Regionale und Historische Geologie, v.1, p.15331544. Monod, O., Lapierre, H., Chiodi, M., Martnez-Reyes, J., Calvet, Ph., OrtizHernndez, E., and Zimmermann, J.L., 1990, Rconstitution dun arc insulaire intra-ocanique au Mexique central: La squence volcanoplutonique de Guanajuato (Crtac infrieur): Comptes Rendus de lAcadmie des Sciences de Paris, Sr. 2, v. 310, p. 4551. Monod, O., Faure, M., and Salinas, J.C., 1994, Intra-arc opening and closure of a marginal sea: The case of the Guerrero Terrane (SW Mexico): Island Arc, v. 3, p. 2534, doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1738.1994.tb00002.x. Mortensen, J.K., Hall, B.V., Bissig, T., Friedman, R.M., Danielson, T., Oliver, J., Rhys, D.A., and Ross, K.V., 2003, U-Pb zircon age and Pb isotopic constraints on the age and origin of volcanogenic massive sulde deposits in the Guerrero Terrane of central Mexico: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 35, no. 4, p. 61. Mullan, H.S., 1978, Evolution of part of the Nevadan Orogen in northwestern Mexico: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v.89, p.11751188, doi: 10.1130/0016-7606(1978)89<1175:EOPOTN>2.0.CO;2. Olvera-Carranza, K., 2002, Estudio estratigrco-estructural del sector central de la Sierra de Zacatecas, Mxico [B.E. thesis]: Universidad Autnoma de Nuevo Len, Facultad de Ciencias de la Tierra, 70 p. Olvera-Carranza, K., Centeno, E., and Camprub, A., 2001, Deformation and distribution of massive sulphide deposits in Zacatecas, Mexico, in Pietrzynski, A., et al., eds., Mineral Deposits at the Beginning of the 21st Century: Lisse, Swets and Zeitlinger, p. 313316. Ortega, G.F., Mitre, S.L.M., Roldn, Q.J., Aranda, G.J., Morn, Z.D., Alanz, A.S., and Nieto, S.A., 1992, Carta Geolgica de la Repblica Mexicana: Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Instituto de Geologa: Map, scale 1:2,000,000, 5th edition. Ortega-Gutirrez, F., 1981, Metamorphic belts of southern Mexico and their tectonic signicance: Geofsica Internacional, v.20, p.177202. Ortega-Gutirrez, F., Elas-Herrera, M., Reyes-Salas, M., Ortega-Gutirrez, F., Prieto-Vlez, R., Ziga, Y., and Flores, S., 1979, Una secuencia volcanoplutnica-sedimentaria cretcica en el norte de Sinaloa; un complejo ooltico?: Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Instituto de Geologa: Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geolgicas, v.3, p.18. Ortega-Gutirrez, F., Ruz, J., and Centeno-Garca, E., 1995, OaxaquiaA Proterozoic microcontinent accreted to North America during the Late Paleozoic: Geology, v. 23, p. 11271130, doi: 10.1130/00917613(1995)023<1127:OAPMAT>2.3.CO;2. Ortega-Gutirrez, F., Elias-Herrera, M., Reyes-Salas, M., Macias-Romo, C., and Lopez, R., 1999, Late OrdovicianEarly Silurian continental collisional orogeny in southern Mexico and its bearing on GondwanaLaurentia connections: Geology, v.27, p.719722. Ortiz, E., and Lapierre, H., 1991, Las secuencias toleticas de Guanajuato y Arcelia, Mxico centro-meridional: Remanentes de un arco insular intraocenico del Jursico superiorCretcico inferior: Zentralblatt fr Geologie und Palaeontologie, Teil I: Allgemeine, Angewandte: Regionale und Historische Geologie, v. 6, p. 15031517. Ortiz-Hernandez, E.L., 1992, Larc intra-ocanique allocthone Jurassique suprieurCrtac infrieur du domaine Cordillerain Mexicain (Guerrero Terrane): Ptrographie, gochimie et mineralisations associes des segments de Guanajuato et de Palmar ChicoArcelia consequences paleogographiques [thesis]: Universit Joseph Fourier-Grenoble, France, 109 p. Ortiz-Hernandez, E.L., Yta, M., Talavera, O., Lapierre, H., Monod, O., and Tardy, M., 1991, Origine intra-ocanique des formations volcano-plutoniques darc du Jurassique suprieurCrtac infrieur du Mexique centro-mridional: Comptes Rendus de lAcadmie des Sciences (Paris) (Ser. 2), v.305, p.10931098. Ortiz-Hernandez, E.L., Chiodi, M., Lapierre, H., Monod, O., and Calvet, P., 1992, El arco intraocenico alctono (Cretcico Inferior) de Guanajuatocaractersticas petrogrcas, geoqumicas, estructurales e isotpicas del complejo lonianao y de las lavas baslticas asociadas, implicaciones geodinmicas: Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Instituto de Geologa: Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geolgicas, v.9, p.126145. Ortiz-Hernndez, E.L., Flores-Castro, K., and Acevedo-Sandoval, O.A., 2002, Petrographic and geochemical characteristics of upper Aptian calc-alkaline volcanism in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato state, Mexico: Uni-

versidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Instituto de Geologa: Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geolgicas, v. 19, p. 8190. Ortiz-Hernandez, E.L., Acevedo-Sandoval, O.A., and Flores-Castro, K., 2003, Early Cretaceous intraplate seamounts from Guanajuato, central Mxico, geochemical and mineralogical data: Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Instituto de Geologa: Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geolgicas, v.20, p.2740. Pacheco, G.C., Castro, M.R., and Gmez, M.A., 1984, Conuencia de terrenos estratotectnicos en Santa Mara del Oro, Durango, Mxico: Revista del Instituto Mexicano del Petrleo, v.16, p.720. Pantoja, A.J., 1959, Estudio Geolgico de Reconocimiento de la regin de Huetamo, Estado de Michoacn: Consejo de Recursos Naturales no renovables: Boletin (Instituto de Estudios de Poblacion y Desarrollo [Dominican Republic]), v.50, p.133. Pantoja, A.J., 1990, Redenicin de las unidades estratigrcas de la secuencia Mesozoica de la regin de Huetamo-Altamirano, Estados de Michoacn y Guerrero: Convencin Geolgica Nacional, Resmenes, p. 66. Pantoja, A.J., and Estrada, B.S., 1986, Estratigrafa de los alrededores de la mina de erro de El Encino, Jalisco: Sociedad Geolgica Mexicana: Boletin (Instituto de Estudios de Poblacion y Desarrollo [Dominican Republic]), v.47, p.115. Pantoja-Alor, J., 1963, Hoja Biseca 13R-k(3), con resumen de la geologa de la Hoja San Pedro del Gallo, Estado de Durango: Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Instituto de Geologa: Carta Geolgica de Mxico Ser., scale 1:100,000. Pantoja-Alor, J. and Gmez-Caballero, J.A., 2003, Main geologic and biostratigraphic features of the Cretaceous of southwestern Mexico (Guerrero terrane), guidebook for eld trips of the 99th GSA Cordilleran Section Meeting: UNAM Instituto de Geologia Publicacin Especial, no. 1, p. 229260. Patchett, P.J., and Ruz, J., 1987, Nd isotopic ages of crust formation and metamorphism in the Precambrian of eastern and southern Mxico: Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, v.96, p.523528, doi: 10.1007/ BF01166697. Poole, F.G., and Madrid, R.J., 1988, Allochthonous Paleozoic eugeoclinal rocks of the Barita de Sonora mine area, central Sonora, Mxico, in RodrguezTorres, ed., El Paleozoico de la regin central del Estado de Sonora: Libreto Gua de la Excursin Geolgica para el Segundo Simposio sobre la Geologa y Minera del Estado de Sonora, Excursiones de Campo, Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Hermosillo, Sonora, p. 3241. Poole, F.G., and Perry, W.J., Jr., 1998, Laurentia-Gondwana continental margins in Northern Mexico, and their late Paleozoic collision, IGCP Project 376 annual meeting: Instituto de Geologa, Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Mxico City, Mxico, Laurentia-Gondwanan connections before Pangea, Program and Abstracts, p. 27. Poole, F.G., Perry, W.J., Madrid, R.J., and Amaya-Martnez, R., 2005, Tectonic synthesis of the Ouachita-Marathon-Sonora orogenic margin of southern Laurentia: Stratigraphic and structural implications for timing of deformational events and plate-tectonic model, in Anderson, T.H., et al., eds., The Mojave-Sonora Megashear Hypothesis: Development, Assessment, and Alternatives: Geological Society of America Special Paper 393, p. 543596. Quintero-Legorreta, O., 1992, Geologa de la regin de Comanja, Estados de Guanajuato y Jalisco: Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Instituto de Geologa: Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geolgicas, v.10, p.625. Ramrez-Espinosa, J., Campa, M.F., Talavera, O., and Guerrero, M., 1991, Caracterizacin de los arcos insulares de la Sierra Madre del Sur y sus implicaciones tectnicas: Convencin sobre la evolucin Geolgica Mexicana, 1er Congreso Mexicano de Mineraloga, Pachuca, Memoir, p. 163166. Ramrez-Ramrez, C., 1992, Pre-Mesozoic geology of Huizachal-Peregrina Anticlinorium, Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, and adjacent parts of eastern Mexico [Ph.D. thesis]: University of Texas at Austin, 450 p. Ranson, W.A., Fernandez, L.A., Simmons, W.B., Jr., and de la Vega, E.S., 1982, Petrology of the metamorphic rocks of Zacatecas, Mxico: Sociedad Geolgica Mexicana, v.43, p.3759. Roldn-Quintana, J., Gonzalez-Leon, C.M., and Amaya-Martinez, R., 1993, Geologic constraints on the northern limit of the Guerrero Terrane in northwestern Mexico, in Ortega Gutirrez, F., et al., eds., First CircumPacic and Circum-Atlantic Terrane Conference: Guanajuato, Mxico, Proceedings, p. 124127.

308

Centeno-Garca et al.
lvolution godynamique des cordillres mexicaines [Ph.D. thesis]: Universit Joseph Fourier-Grenoble I, France, 462 p. Talavera-Mendoza, M.O., 2000, Mlanges in southern Mxico: Geochemistry and metamorphism of Las Ollas complex (Guerrero Terrane): Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, v.37, p.13091320. Talavera-Mendoza, O., Ramirez-Espinosa, J., and Guerrero-Sustegui, M., 1995, Petrology and geochemistry of the Teloloapan subterrane, a Lower Cretaceous evolved intra-oceanic island-arc: Geofsica Internacional, v.34, p.322. Talavera-Mendoza, O., Ruiz, J., Gehrels, G., Valencia, V., and Centeno-Garca, E., 2007, Detrital zircon U/Pb geochronology of southern Guerrero and western Mixteca arc successions (southern Mexico): new insights for the tectonic evolution of southwestern North America during Late Mesozoic: Geolgical Society of America Bulletin, v. 119, no. 9/10, p. 10521065, doi: 10.1130/B26016.1. Tardy, M., Lapierre, H., Freydier, C., Coulon, C., Gill, J.B., Mercier de Lepinay, B., Beck, C., Martinez, J., Talavera, M., Ortiz, E., Stein, G., Bourdier, J.L., and Yta, M., 1994, The Guerrero suspect terrane (western Mexico) and coeval arc terranes (the Greater Antilles and the Western Cordillera of Colombia): A late Mesozoic intra-oceanic arc accreted to cratonal America during the Cretaceous: Tectonophysics, v.234, p.4973. Tristn-Gonzlez, M., and Torres-Hernndez, J.R., 1994, Geologa del rea de Charcas, Estado de San Luis Potos, 1994: Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Instituto de Geologa: Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geolgicas, v.11, p.117138. Urrutia-Fucugauchi, J., and Uribe-Cifuentes, R.M., 1999, Lower crustal xenoliths from the Valle de Santiago Maar Field, Michoacan-Guanajuato Volcanic Field, Central Mexico: International Geology Review, v.41, p.10671081. Valencia-Moreno, M., Ruz, J., and Roldn-Quintana, J., 1999, Geochemistry of Laramide granitic rocks across the southern margin of the Paleozoic North American continent, Central Sonora, Mexico: International Geology Review, v.41, p.845857. Valencia-Moreno, M., Ruz, J., Barton, M.D., Patchett, P.J., Zrcher, L., Hodkinson, D., and Roldn-Quintana, J., 2001, A chemical and isotopic study of the Laramide granitic belt of northwestern Mexico: Identication of the southern edge of the North American Precambrian basement: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v.113, p.14091422, doi: 10.1130/0016 7606(2001)113<1409:ACAISO>2.0.CO;2. Vidal-Serratos, R., 1991, Estratigrafa y tectnica de la regin de Zihuatanejo, Estado de Guerrero, Sierra Madre del Sur: Convencin sobre la evolucin Geolgica Mexicana, 1er Congreso Mexicano de Mineraloga, Pachuca, Memoir, p. 231233. Yaez, P., Ruiz, J., Patchett, P.J., Ortega-Gutirrez, F., and Gehrels, G., 1991, Isotopic studies of the Acatlan Complex, southern Mexico: Implications for Paleozoic North American tectonics: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v.103, p.817828. Yta, M., Lapierre, H., Monod, O., and Wever, P., 1990, Magmatic and structural characteristics of the Lower Cretaceous arc-volcano-sedimentary sequence of Saucito-Zacatecas-Fresnillo (central Mexico), geodynamic implications: Munich, Geowisenschaftliches Lateinamerika, Kolloquium, Memoir, p. 21.1123.11. Zaldivar, R.J., and Garduo, M.V.H., 1984, Estudio estratigrco y estructural de las rocas del Paleozoico Superior de Santa Maria del Oro, Durango, y sus implicaciones tectnicas [abstract]: Reunin Anual, Sociedad Geolgica de Mxico, p. 3738.

Rosales-Lagarde, L., Centeno-Garca, E., Dostal, J., Sour-Tovar, F., OchoaCamarillo, H., and Quiroz-Barroso, S., 2005, The Tuzancoa Formation of Hidalgo State: Evidence of a CarboniferousPermian submarine arc built on continental crust in eastern Mexico: International Geology Review, v.47, p.901919. Ruz, J., Patchett, P.J., and Ortega-Gutirrez, F., 1988, Proterozoic and Phanerozoic basement terranes of Mxico from Nd isotopic studies: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v.100, p.274281, doi: 10.1130/0016 7606(1988)100<0274:PAPBTO>2.3.CO;2. Salinas-Prieto, J.C., Monod, O., and Faure, M., 2000, Ductile deformations of opposite vergence in the eastern part of the Guerrero Terrane (SW Mexico): Journal of South American Earth Sciences, v.13, p.389402. Sanchez-Zavala, J.L., 1993, Secuencia volcanosedimentaria Jursico SuperiorCretcico Arcelia Otzoloapan (Terreno Guerrero), area Valle de BravoZacazonapan, Estado de Mxico: Petrografa, Geoqumica, Metamorsmo e Interpretacin Tectnica [M.S. thesis]: Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Facultad de Ciencias, Mexico, 91 p. Snchez-Zavala, J.L., Centeno-Garca, E., and Ortega-Gutirrez, F., 1999, Review of Paleozoic stratigraphy of Mexico and its role in the GondwanaLaurentia connections, in Ramos, V.A., and Keppie, J.D., eds., LaurentiaGondwana Connections before Pangea: Geological Society of America Special Paper 336, p. 211226. Schaaf, P., Bhnel, H., and Prez-Venzor, P.A., 2000, Pre-Miocene palaeogeography of the Los Cabos Block, Baja California Sur: Geochronological and palaeomagnetic constraints: Tectonophysics, v.318, p.5369. Sedlock, R.L., Ortega-Gutirrez, F., and Speed, R.C., 1993, Tectonostratigraphic Terranes and Tectonic Evolution of Mexico: Geological Society of America Special Paper 278, 153 p. Servais, M., Rojo, Y.R., and Colorado, L.D., 1982, Estudio de las rocas basicas y ultrabasicas de Sinaloa y Guanajuato; postulacion de un paleogolfo de Baja California y de una digitacion tethysiana en Mexico central: Geomimet, v.3, p.5371. Silva-Romo, G., 1993, Estudio de la Estratigrafa y Estructuras Tectnicas de la Sierra de Salinas, Estados de San Luis Potos y Zacatecas [M.S. thesis]: Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Facultad de Ciencias, Mxico, 111 p. Silva-Romo, G., Arellano Gil, J., Mendoza Rosales, C., and Nieto Obregon, J., 2000, A submarine fan in the Mesa Central, Mexico: Journal of South American Earth Sciences, v.13, p.429442. Solari, L.A., Keppie, J.D., Ortega-Gutirrez, F., Cameron, K.L., Lopez, R., and Hames, W.E., 2003, ~990 and ~1,100 Grenvillian tectonothermal events in the northern Oaxacan Complex, southern Mexico: Roots of an orogen: Tectonophysics, v.365, p.257282. Stewart, J.H., and Roldn-Quintana, J., 1991, Upper Triassic Barranca Group: Nonmarine and shallow-marine rift-basin deposits of northwestern Mexico, in Prez-Segura, E., and Jacques-Ayala, C., eds., Studies of Sonoran Geology: Geological Society of America Special Paper 254, p. 1936. Stewart, J.H., Poole, F.G., Ketner, K.B., Madrid, R.J., Roldn-Quintana, J., and Amaya-Martnez, R., 1990, Tectonics and stratigraphy of the Paleozoic and Triassic southern margin of North America, Sonora, Mxico, in Gehrels, G.E., and Spencer, J.E., eds., Geologic Excursions through the Sonoran Desert Region, Arizona and Sonora: Arizona Geological Survey Special Paper 7, p. 183202. Stewart, J.H., Blodgett, R.B., Boucot, A.J., Carter, J.L., and Lopez, R., 1999, Exotic Paleozoic strata of Gondwanan provenance near Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico, in Ramos, V.A., and Keppie, J.D., eds., LaurentiaGondwana Connections before Pangea: Geological Society of America Special Paper 336, p. 227252. Talavera-Mendoza, O., 1993, Les formations orogniques msozoques du Guerrero (Mexique mridional): Contribution la connaissance de

MANUSCRIPT ACCEPTED BY THE SOCIETY 24 APRIL 2007

Printed in the USA