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During the Mexican fold-and-thrust belt tectonics, the inboard migration of long-term cordilleran magmatism typifies the geological setting during the Cretaceous–Paleogene period. The Concepción del Oro Igneous Complex (COIC) represents one of the most internal and isolated magmatic pulses that occurred during this magmatic activity. In this work, plutonic rocks from the COIC were studied using petrography, U–Pb geochronology, whole rock and zircon geochemistry, and Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd isotopes. Petrographic observations reveal mainly fine-to-coarse-grained granodioritic composition for most plutonic masses. U–Pb zircon analyzes of four samples from the largest plutonic center of the COIC yielded ages ranging from 42.6 ± 0.2 Ma to 41.8 ± 0.1 Ma. The granodiorites exhibit geochemical features typical of I-type, high-K calc-alkaline, Magnesian rocks. The chondrite-normalized REE diagram summarizes enrichment of LREE ([La/Yb]N = 5.94–19.19) and moderate to slightly negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.63–0.94). In addition, the mantle-normalized spider diagram shows enrichment of LILE, such as Rb and Ba, and depletion of HFSE, such as Nb, Ta, Ti, and P. Whole-rock and zircon geochemistry indicate a post-collisional setting with an inherited magmatic arc fingerprint. Ti-in-zircon temperatures and zircon saturation thermometry suggest a magmatic origin from evolved and relatively cold melts (~ 700 °C). Moreover, the systematic variations in the ratios of highly incompatible elements, such as La/Sm (6.54–3.79) and Rb/Sr (0.32–0.10), and relatively narrow ranges in Zr/Hf (36.25–48.84) and 147Sm/144Nd (0.0941–0.1261), suggest fractional crystallization as the main petrogenetic process involved in the formation of the COIC rocks. Whole-rock isotopic data suggest a magma source mixing juvenile material with older continental crust, as indicated by 87Sr/86Sr(t = 40) ratios between 0.704583 and 0.707783, 143Nd/144Nd(t = 40) ratios varying in the ranges of 0.512478–0.512702 (εNd(t = 40) = from + 2.18 to − 2.10), and TDM(Nd) ranging from 1.03 to 0.62 Ga. We conclude that the parental source of the COIC was derived from partial melting of the lower crust triggered by emplacement of an underplated magma at the base of the crust during the end of an orogenic cycle.

In this study, we present apatite fission-track results obtained for ten rock samples collected from three different areas across the Sierra Madre del Sur, southern Mexico. The central objective of our study is the timing of the exhumation event that took place in southern Mexico during Late Cretaceous–Palaeogene time. The thermochronometric data obtained during this work indicate that a Late Cretaceous–Eocene cooling is recorded within the Sierra Madre del Sur, and this is interpreted as resulting from exhumation, an orogenic event that is contemporaneous with the Laramide sensu lato (or the Mexican Orogeny). The fission-track ages become younger from west to east across the Sierra Madre del Sur, whereas the cooling rates also increased in the same direction approximately during Campanian–middle Eocene time. Here, we suggest that the activity of the major fault systems of southern Mexico, such as the Caltepec and the Oaxaca faults, played a primary role in the development of geological structures and the exhumation of the Sierra Madre del Sur. Active magmatism during the evolution of the Mexican Orogen implicates the subducted Farallon slab as the main driver of crustal thickening. Moreover, the possible influence of the eastward movement of the Chortis Block on the deformation of the Sierra Madre del Sur cannot be ruled out.

The Sierra de Juárez Complex (SJC) of southern Mexico contains an extensive geological record from Precambrian to Cenozoic, involving Rodinia, NW Gondwana, western equatorial Pangaea, and eastern peninsular Mexico. It is thus critical for palinspastic reconstructions and lithotectonic correlations, mainly between the Mexican and NW South America terranes. In this contribution, we investigate the tectonic evolution of the northern SJC from Silurian to the Lower Cretaceous on the basis of fieldwork, petrography, and zircon U–Pb geochronology by laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Our results allow us to constrain five main geological events: (1) Middle Paleozoic sedimentation along NW Gondwana during transtensional tectonics; (2) volcanosedimentary activity between 292 and 281 Ma in NW Gondwana during Rheic Ocean closure; (3) early-middle Permian metamorphism related to flat-slab subduction postdating Pangaea assembly; (4) Lower–Middle Jurassic anatexis and magmatism coeval with regional shearing at c. 175 Ma influenced by transtensional tectonics along eastern peninsular Mexico during Pangaea tenure; and (5) intermediate to acid magmatism between c. 136 and 129 Ma, correlated with the Zongolica continental arc in southern Mexico, followed by deep-crustal shearing related to either the formation of the extensional Chivillas basin or the Upper Cretaceous–Cenozoic contractional episode documented in the Cuicateco Terrane.

The margin off northwestern Morocco is a classic area for the study of the Atlantic style passive continental margins and evolution of the Central Atlantic Ocean. The margin was formed during the opening of the Central Atlantic around 180–200 Ma. Granitic rocks were discovered at depth along the margin edge of the Mazagan Plateau during the Deep Sea Drilling Program Leg 79 and were assumed to represent the Paleozoic basement of the Moroccan continental margin. The granites are peraluminous two mica granodiorites and yielded a zircon U–Pb age of ~ 34 Ma. The geochemistry of the granites suggests they were generated by partial melting of psammitic sedimentary rocks that also contained zircons with Paleocene–Cretaceous (~ 60–100 Ma), Late Triassic–Early Jurassic (~ 200 Ma) and Neoproterozoic (570–600 Ma) ages. After partial solidification, the granitic melt was squeezed/emplaced as a diapiric intrusion. This starved passive continental margin underwent Paleogene geodynamic rejuvenation which included extension, crustal thinning and crustal recycling.

During Pangea breakup, several Jurassic extensional to transtensional basins were developed all around the world. The boundaries of these basins are major structures that accommodated continental extension during Jurassic time. Therefore, reconstructing the geometry of Jurassic basins is a key factor in identifying the major faults that produced continental attenuation during Pangea breakup. We reconstruct the tectono-sedimentary evolution of the Jurassic Tlaxiaco Basin in southern Mexico using sedimentologic, petrographic, and U-Pb geochronologic data. We show that the northern boundary of the Tlaxiaco Basin was an area of high relief composed of the Paleozoic Acatlán Complex, which was drained to the south by a set of alluvial fans. The WNW-trending Salado River–Axutla fault is exposed directly to the north of the northernmost fan exposures, and it is interpreted as the Jurassic structure that controlled the tectono-sedimentary evolution of the Tlaxiaco Basin at its northern boundary. The eastern boundary is represented by a topographic high composed of the Proterozoic Oaxacan Complex, which was exhumed along the NNW-trending Caltepec fault and was drained to the west by a major meandering river called the Tlaxiaco River. Data presented in this work suggest that continental extension during Pangea breakup was accommodated in Mexico not only by NNW-trending faults associated with the development of the Tamaulipas–Chiapas transform and the opening of the Gulf of Mexico, but also by WNW-trending structures. Our work offers a new perspective for future studies that aim to reconstruct the breakup evolution of western equatorial Pangea.

The same unetched and chemically etched apatite crystals from five rock samples were dated by the U–Pb method via laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA–ICP-MS). The objective of this study is to test whether chemical etching required for apatite fission track analysis impacts the precision and accuracy of apatite U–Pb geochronology. The results of this experiment suggest that etching has insignificant effects on the accuracy of apatite U–Pb ages obtained by LA–ICP-MS. Therefore, LA–ICP-MS is reliable for U–Pb analysis as part of apatite fission track and U–Pb double dating.

Proterozoic to lower Palaeozoic metamorphic sequences are exposed in southern Mexico providing an important geological record for Rodinia and northwestern Gondwana reconstructions. The Sierra de Ju...

Rutile (TiO2) is a heavy mineral, commonly found as accessory in many lithologies, such as basic igneous rocks, high-grade metamorphic units, as well as a detritus in sedimentary clastic rocks. Its chemical composition is sensitive to the crystallization environment, allowing a characterization of either metabasic or metasedimentary protoliths in metamorphic rocks. Thanks to the capability to accept U in its crystalline network, at least in metasedimentary, high-grade protoliths, rutile can be dated by U-Pb geochronology. Furthermore, its closure temperature of ca. 600 °C for the U-Pb system makes rutile a suitable chronometer, complementary to zircon, to unravel provenance and exhumation paths in both sedimentary siliciclastic cover and basement units. Besides, the Zr-in thermometer allows for a very precise calculation of the rutile crystallization temperature. In the example case presented here, focused on granulite facies units of the Grenvillian Oaxacan Complex (OC), rutile crystallisation took place in the range 808–873 °C. Data for different localities indicate that cooling and exhumation after the Zapotecan granulite facies event (ca. 990 Ma) was heterogeneous among the different tectonic slices that constitute the OC. Cooling occurred in the central sector (Nochixtlán-Oaxaca) right after the granulite peak, with fast cooling rates of ca. 40 °C/Ma. To the north and south, the cooling to ca. 600 °C was much slower, with calculated cooling rates of ca. 3 °C/Ma for the northern OC outcrops in Coatepec (Puebla) to ca. 6 °C/Ma south of Ejutla (Oaxaca). This can be related to a combination of factors, such as an early collapse of some sectors of the orogen, a change of conditions in the subducing plate, or more in general, to a sudden change in the geodynamic conditions during the Zapotecan orogeny and Amazonia-Baltica amalgamation. This application example to some metasedimentary lithologies belonging to the OC demonstrates how the exhumation after the Zapotecan granulite facies event (ca. 990 Ma) was heterogeneous among the different tectonic slices that compose the OC, having occurred in the central sector (Nochixtlán-Oaxaca) right after the granulite peak, with fast cooling rates of ca. 40 ºC/M.y., whereas to the North and South the cooling to ca. 600 ºC was much slower, with calculated cooling rates of ca. 3 ºC/M.y. (north, OC outcrops in Coatepec, Puebla) to ca. 5.5 ºC/M.y. south of Ejutla (Oaxaca). This can be related to a combination of factors, such as an early collapse of some sectors of the orogen, change of conditions in the subjecting plate, or more in general, to a sudden change in the geodynamic conditions during the early stages of the Rodinia amalgamation. This example sharply illustrates the advantage of employing microanalytical techniques, able to resolve restricted crystal-domain chemical variations, to obtain accurate and precise temperature and age values. Furthermore, it is paramount to combine several mineral species with different closure temperatures, and collected in well-defined, recognized tectonic slices, to understand their behavior and construct meaningful cooling curves through geologic time, capable to better characterize and interpret their tectonic evolution.

Mexico is an attractive place for provenance studies focused on reconstructing the tectonic evolution of North America. This is because Mexico hosts a well-preserved clastic record associated with some of the major Mesozoic and Cenozoic tectonic processes that shaped the face of this continent. However, the available information on Mexican pre-Mesozoic source terranes is presently insufficient for provenance analysis. With the aim of drawing the guidelines for provenance determination, we present here detrital modes, geochemical data, and zircon U-Pb ages for detritus derived from pre-Jurassic basement complexes of Mexico. Our data show that the various basement complexes produce distinctive detrital modes and supply diagnostic and compositionally different detrital heavy minerals that represent powerful provenance tracers. The Oaxacan Complex, Ayú Complex, and East Mexico Arc are the main sources of quartzo-feldspathic and feldspatho-quartzose detritus. Quartz with rutile needles, mesoperthitic K-feldspar, orthopyroxene, augitic to diopsidic clinopyroxene, and Mg- to Ca-rich almandine (Alm71–52Grs7–3Prp43–23Sps3–1Alm74–56Grs21–19Prp23–2Sps5–2) are common minerals in detritus from the Oaxacan Complex. The Ayú Complex supplies detritus marked by the occurrence of sagenitic biotite and white mica, as well as Mn-rich almandine (Alm69–66Grs4–3Prp18–11Sps19–10). Detritus from the East Mexico Arc contains any of these mineral phases ubiquitous in the Oaxacan and Ayú complexes. The Acatlán Complex is the main source of detritus dominated by metamorphic lithic grains and quartz, with minor amounts of feldspar. Lithic grains are rank 2–4 metabasitic, metapelitic, and metapsammitic–metafelsitic fragments. Diagnostic mineral phases are schorl–dravitic tourmaline, Na-amphibole, and helycitic garnet varying from a Ca- to Mn-rich almandine (Alm74–55Grs34–15Prp16–3Sps12–1-Alm70–46Grs20–15Prp3–1Sps32–12). Zircon U-Pb geochronology proves to have some virtues but also major limitations because: 1) the zircon U-Pb age signature of many different sources in Mexico is similar and 2) zircon documents a limited number of sources because of variations in zircon fertility.

The supercontinent of Pangea formed through the diachronous collision of Laurussia and Gondwana during the late Paleozoic. While magmatism associated with its formation is well documented in the Variscan orogeny of Europe and Alleghanian orogeny of the United States, little is known about the Sonora orogeny of northern Mexico. This paper reports geochronology (U-Pb zircon), whole-rock geochemistry, and Lu-Hf zircon isotope data on basement cores from the western Gulf of Mexico, which were used to develop a tectonomagmatic model for pre- to post-Pangea amalgamation. Our results suggest the existence of three distinct phases of magmatism, produced during different stages of continental assembly and disassembly. The first phase consists of Early Permian (294–274 Ma; n = 3) granitoids with geochemical signatures indicative of a continental arc tectonic setting. This phase formed on the margins of Gondwana during the closure of the Rheic Ocean, prior to the final amalgamation of Pangea. It likely represents a lateral analogue of late Carboniferous–Early Permian granitoids that intrude the Acatlán and Oaxacan Complexes. The second phase of magmatism includes Late Permian–Early Triassic (263–243 Ma; n = 13) granitoids with suprasubduction geochemical affinities. However, Lu-Hf isotope data indicate that these granitoids formed from crustal anatexis, with εHf values and two-step Hf depleted mantle model ages (TDM[Hf]) comparable to the Oaxaquia continental crust into which they intrude. This phase of magmatism is likely related to coeval granitoids in the Oaxaca area and Chiapas Massif. We interpret it to reflect late- to postcollisional magmatism along the margin of Gondwana following the assembly of Pangea. Finally, the third phase of magmatism includes Early–Middle Jurassic (189–164 Ma; n = 2) mafic porphyries, which could be related to the synchronous suprasubduction magmatism associated with the Nazas arc. Overall, our results are consistent with Pangea assembly through diachronous collision of Laurussia and Gondwana during subduction of the Rheic Ocean. They suggest that postorogenic magmatism in the western termination of the Rheic suture occurred under the influence of a Panthalassan subduction zone, before opening of the Gulf of Mexico.

Two main tectonic scenarios have been proposed for the area corresponding to the Guerrero terrane in western Mexico. The first model suggests that the Guerrero terrane was an allochthonous volcanic arc developed over oceanic substrate, which was accreted to nuclear Mexico. The second tectonic model proposes that the Guerrero terrane was a para-autochthonous volcanic arc developed over continental crust, which was rifted during the extensional phase of the Arperos back-arc basin and then tectonically attached to nuclear Mexico. Based on U-Pb geochronology and Hf isotope analyses of detrital zircon grains extracted from Mesozoic sedimentary successions of the Guerrero terrane and western nuclear Mexico, this study provides new evidence to support the interpretation that the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous Guerrero terrane was built above a pre–Late Jurassic continentally sourced basement. Hf isotopic signatures of detrital zircon from Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous sedimentary rocks of the Guerrero terrane range from –14 to +13 and display depleted mantle model ages (TDMc, using a mean crustal value of 176Lu/177Hf = 0.015) between ca. 2.0 and 0.3 Ga, indicating provenance from both pre–Late Jurassic basement and juvenile crustal components. The most juvenile magmas were formed during the earliest Cretaceous extensional phase, which resulted in the formation of the Arperos basin. Additionally, the negative εHf(t) values are consistent with recycling of Proterozoic and Paleozoic continental materials in Mesozoic magmas.

This study presents the first apatite fission-track results from the Tolimán area, which is located in the western portion of the southern Sierra Madre Oriental, central Mexico. In total, six rock samples from different lithostratigraphic units were dated, adding new results to the thermochronological data set of the Sierra de los Cuarzos–San Joaquín–Tamazunchale transect in the Mexican fold-and-thrust belt. The apatite fission-track ages vary from 84 ± 4 Ma to 52 ± 2 Ma, indicating that the main denudation period of the Tolimán area lasted until the Eocene. Combining our results with previous geological data, we suggest that the western part of the southern Sierra Madre Oriental was uplifted and undergoing erosion during the whole period of development of the Campanian–Ypresian Mexican orogenic system. Therefore, the Tolimán area may be considered as one of the source areas from which clastic materials of the Campanian–Maastrichtian Méndez and Paleocene–Eocene Velasco and Chicontepec Formations were partially derived. Older cooling ages recording the latest Aptian accretion of the Guerrero terrane with the Mexican continental interior were not detected in samples from the Tolimán area.

This study documented the stratigraphy and provenance of the El Salto Formation in southern Baja California, Mexico, which represents an early Oligocene–early Miocene forearc basin developed during the subduction of the Farallon plate, in the immediate vicinity of La Reforma caldera, central part of Baja California Sur, Mexico. In the study area, El Salto Formation consists of three stratigraphic members. The lower member is characterized by intercalations of sandstones and conglomeratic sandstones that exhibit eolian large-scale cross-stratification. U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology implies maximum depositional ages of ca. 33–31 Ma. The middle member is characterized by successions of conglomeratic sandstones and sandstones with eolian and tidal large-scale cross-stratification. The member also contains ignimbrites, tuff, and andesite deposits, and its maximum deposition age is ca. 30–28 Ma. The ignimbrite collected at the top of this member has a crystallization age of ca. 28 Ma. The upper member is characterized by conglomerates, sandstones, and shales, with maximum depositional ages ranging from 28 to 23 Ma. Petrographically, sandstones of the El Salto Formation are composed of three petrofacies. Petrofacies A is rich in quartz with a greater contribution of felsitic volcanic lithic grains (Q55F21L24; recycled orogenic provenance). Petrofacies B is rich in lathwork and microlitic volcanic lithic fragments with minor contributions of quartz and feldspar (Q39F12L42; recycled orogenic and dissected arc), while petrofacies C is rich in microlitic volcanic fragments and lathwork with subordinate quartz and feldspar (Q21F25L54; transitional arc setting). U-Pb ages of >600 zircon grains from nine samples contained three populations: (1) 35–23 Ma (early and late Oligocene; 22% of all grains), (2) 120–60 Ma (Cretaceous; 32%), and (3) 170–140 Ma (Middle Jurassic–Early Cretaceous; 46%). Detrital zircon grains with ages of ca. 40–20 Ma showed rare earth element patterns and trace-element ratios similar to those formed in a continental arc. Volcanic rocks sampled in this work contained chemical signatures, including Nb, Pb, and Rb anomalies, that indicate their magmas were created in a subduction zone. In addition, high concentrations of heavy rare earth elements (La/Yb = 14–19) suggest that the magmas contain a component of partial melting of the mantle wedge and crust, probably as a result of asthenospheric upwelling. These features support a model in which the El Salto Formation was developed due to the rollback of the Farallon plate in the period 50–25 Ma.

The Oaxacan Complex is the largest outcrop of Grenville-age rocks in Mexico, constituting the main crustal fragment in the backbone of Oaxaquia. It is mainly composed of scarce metasediments, intruded by arc, alkalic, and tholeiitic magmas (ca. 1.3 to ca. 1.01 Ga) and later affected (ca. 0.99 Ga) by granulite-facies metamorphism. A detailed study, combining U-Pb geochronology by laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry, with in situ Hf isotopes in zircon grains, allowed comparison of the age and isotopic patterns of the Oaxacan Complex granulite rocks with those from other similar outcrops in Mexico (Huiznopala and Novillo Gneisses, Guichicovi Complex) and with the neighboring orogens such as the Grenville Province of the eastern United States and Canada, the Sveconorwegian orogen of SW Baltica, and some of the localities in which Mesoproterozoic rocks border the Amazonian craton of South America (Colombia, Peru, Brazil). Detrital zircon ages show that most metasedimentary rocks are younger than 1.4 Ga (only three samples contained zircon grains between 1.6 and 1.4 Ga), whereas U-Pb dating of igneous rocks (1245–1161 Ma) confirmed previous findings. Hf isotopes of dated zircon grains show that few crystals have negative εHf(t) values, indicating a recycling component from an older crust, but most of them are moderately primitive, with εHf(t) values of up to +12, and linear arrays parallel to the 176Lu/177Hf average crustal evolution model. Those Hf values are indicative of partial assimilation of an older crustal component, with Hf model ages of ca. 1.65–1.50 Ga. Comparison of these data helps to constrain possible Mesoproterozoic conjugate margins of Oaxaquia and propose a paleogeographic model in which Oaxaquia acted as the leading edge of Amazonia, together with the Colombian terranes, and received sedimentary input from different sources such as the southern Sveconorwegian orogen, the U.S.–Canada eastern Grenville Province, and some of the Mesoproterozoic belts bordering the Amazon craton.

Exposures of Ordovician to Silurian magmatic rock in southern Mexico and Central America constitute dismembered parts of an early Paleozoic belt related to the interaction of terranes of northwestern Gondwana with southern Laurentia. Convergent and extensional tectonic scenarios have been proposed to explain the origin of the magmatic activity along this belt. New U–Pb geochronological data, as well as Hf and Nd isotopic analyses were performed on five representative granitoids from southern Mexico and Central America to evaluate the timing and environment of emplacement. Samples from the Acatlan Complex in southern Mexico, as well as from the Altos Cuchumatanes, Rabinal and Chuacus areas along the southern Maya block yield Ordovician (470.9 Ma) to Silurian (427.1 Ma) crystallization ages. These samples have ɛHf values ranging from −6.4 to +1.0 and extraction ages (TDM) between 1.15 and 1.53 Ga, which match with ɛNd whole rock values ranging from −2.4 to −5.3 and TDM between 1.20 and 1.53 Ga. The Hf and Nd isotope compositions suggest incorporation of an evolved crustal reservoir, probably an Oaxaquia-type basement. Our data would better support a convergent tectonic scenario for the origin of the lower Paleozoic granitoids, possibly comprising an extension of the Famatinian arc of northwestern south America.

A new geological map at 1:50,000 scale of La Reforma Caldera Complex has been produced applying modern survey methodologies to volcanic areas. This map aims to represent a reliable and objective tool to understand the geological evolution of the region. La Reforma Caldera Complex is a Pleistocene nested caldera located in the central part of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico. The twelve formations defined within the Quaternary volcanic record were grouped into three phases (pre-caldera, caldera, and post-caldera). The pre-caldera phase (>1.35 Ma) is characterized by scattered eruptions, mostly occurred in submarine environment. The caldera phase (1.35–0.96 Ma) groups several distinct explosive and effusive eruptions that formed the present-day caldera depression. The post caldera phase includes scattered effusive eruptions (ended at 0.28 Ma) and resurgence, characterized by several hundred meters of uplift of the central block within the caldera depression.

The origin of the Oligocene turbidites from the Cerro Pelon area in south Gulf Mexico proposed by Ortega-Flores et al. (2018) is in disagree with the interpretations made by Molina-Garza et...

The Late Cretaceous-Paleogene Mexican foreland basin (MFB), defined herein, represents the southern continuation of the late Mesozoic Cordilleran foreland basin. Sandstone petrography, new detrital...

Structural data and cross-cutting relationships in the Xolapa Complex around Puerto Escondido, southern Mexico, indicate the development of two pre-Cenozoic folding systems recorded, in part, by migmatites. The older system is defined by gently SW-plunging, vertical open folds (FS1), related to a southwestward extension. A subsequent FS2 folding system is defined in turn by slightly SE-plunging, northwest-facing asymmetric folds, related to a northeastward transpression. The comparison between our structural data and those available in the literature indicate that both FS1 and FS2 are pervasive in the whole Xolapa Complex. In addition to the reciprocal link between orientation, lineation distribution, and kinematics between folding systems, higher strain components of FS2 and FS1 yield a strikingly similar direction but opposite sense, suggesting a paired tectonic cycle of opening (FS1) and closure (FS2) of a Xolapa Complex basin. From the comparison between crosscutting relationships in the study area and a compilation of U-Pb zircon data from the literature, we deduce that the opening of the Xolapa basin occurred sometime between 158 and 129 Ma; this is between the termination of the continental Nazas arc and the early stages of the extensional Guerrero arc. On the other hand, the closure of the Xolapa basin (FS2) took place between 94 and 72 Ma.

The same unetched and chemically etched apatites from five rock samples were dated with U–Pb using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The objective of this study is to demonstrate whether or not the etching, needed for the apatite fission track analysis, impact on the obtaining of apatite U–Pb ages. The results of this experiment indicate that the etching has no effect on the determination of apatite U–Pb ages by the laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry technique. Thus, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry may be used safely for simultaneous apatite fission track in-situ and U–Pb double dating.

The metamorphic basement of the Merida Andes in western Venezuela is constituted of paragneiss, orthogneiss, amphibolite, and metagranitoid of the Iglesias Complex. In this paper, U–Pb zircon geoch...

During the last decades, authors dealing with the reconstruction of Pangea recognized that restoration of Gondwana to its early Mesozoic position relative to Laurentia produces a continental overlap encompassing most of the Mexican territory. To avoid such a continental misfit, some authors suggested that, during early Mesozoic time, southern and central Mexico were originally located farther to the NW of its present position, and that they were emplaced to its current location by lithospheric-scale, NW-trending, sinistral faults during Jurassic time. However, there are currently few reports of NW-trending sinistral faults that were active in Mexico during Jurassic time. In this work, we present sedimentological and petrological data that document a major provenance change within the Jurassic stratigraphic record exposed in the Tezoatlan basin, southern Mexico. We interpret this provenance change as the result of exhumation of Paleozoic metamorphic rocks of the Acatlan Complex along the Salado River fault, which is a WNW-trending sinistral normal fault that bounds the Tezoatlan basin to the north. Our U-Pb detrital zircon ages integrated with previous biostratigraphic data bracket the age of the Salado River fault between ∼179 and ∼170 Ma. Therefore, we reaffirm that sinistral normal block motion along WNW-trending faults took place in southern Mexico during Jurassic time as predicted by some previous geodynamic reconstructions of Pangea breakup.

In southern Mexico, the Sierra Madre del Sur (SMS) preserves the record of a long-lived magmatic arc that vanished diachronically during Paleogene-early Miocene time, decreasing in age to the southeast. The magmatic record consists of a coastal plutonic belt dominated by granites and granodiorites with minor mafic and intermediate intrusions and an inland volcanic belt dominated by intermediate and silicic volcanic centers. The juxtaposition of the plutonic belt with the trench indicates the removal of most of the Paleogene forearc during the Oligocene. Abundant evidence indicates that subduction erosion played a significant role in the reconfiguration of the continental margin of southern Mexico following cessation of magmatism. This is evident in the subsidence of continental segments contiguous to the present trench and the loss of lower continental crust as inferred from the present shape of the wedge, as well as in the estimations of the former crustal thickness based on geobarometry of the exposed levels of plutonic complexes. The Late Cretaceous-Cenozoic decreasing age trend in the SMS shows three time intervals in which magmatism ceased at different rates. The general southeastward younging trend of magmatism, as well as the left-lateral shear zones of the central and coastal zones of the Sierra Madre del Sur, in combination with constraints imposed by the prevalent model of the Caribbean plate evolution have been invoked to consider the Chortis block as the removed segment during margin truncation. The main drawbacks of this model are the mismatch in the chronology of migmatitic complexes of northern Chortis and the Xolapa terrane in the continental margin of southern Mexico, and the presence of the Late Cretaceous to present unperturbed marine sequence in the Gulf of Tehuantepec in the assumed trajectory of the Chortis block. These considerations and the subduction erosion evidence suggest a more complex scenario than having Chortis juxtaposed immediately adjacent to the present-day margin. There are alternative possibilities to explain removal of the forearc, ranging from a western provenance for the Chortis block, as has been suggested in other models, to intermediate positions for Chortis with a more southern trajectory with respect to the present-day trench. Such a trajectory would leave a broad zone with shear strain structures more susceptible to removal by subduction erosion after the passage of the trench-trench transform triple junction. This would reconcile the evidence of subduction erosion and the indications of the northwestern provenance of the Chortis block.

In southeastern Mexico, Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks are buried beneath voluminous Palaeogenesedimentary successions, the origin of which is still under debate. Some authors proposed that ...

The Chiapas Massif Complex, which represents the crystalline basement of the southern Maya block within the North American plate, records numerous thermo-tectonic and magmatic events that occurred in southern Mexico at least since the late Mesoproterozoic. The present study was performed across the northern Chiapas Massif region to reconstruct its complex thermo-tectonic history from Mesozoic to present times. Basement samples and sandstones of the San Ricardo Formation derived from the Chiapas Massif Complex source area were analyzed by in situ apatite fission-track dating. The new fission-track results obtained in this study, together with previously published data, indicate that the Chiapas Massif Complex, or rather the whole Maya terrane, have experienced a complex long-term geodynamic evolution with at least five post-Permian tectonic and magmatic events: (1) a Late Triassic cooling event, likely related to the initial breakup of Pangea; (2) Early Jurassic volcanism that can be linked to the Nazas volcanic arc; (3) a Middle Jurassic tectonic event that was triggered by continental rifting at the beginning of the opening of the Gulf of Mexico; (4) a Late Cretaceous to Paleocene orogeny that may actually represent the southernmost continuation of the Laramide sensu lato which affected central and northern Mexico; and (5) the middle–late Miocene Chiapanecan event that is tectonically controlled by the interaction of the North American, Caribbean, and Cocos plates. This interpretation could be useful towards a better understanding of the geological history of southern North America. Some recommendations on sampling and analytical strategies are also given for consideration in further thermochronological studies in Chiapas.

In this paper, U-Pb zircon geochronology, Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd isotope systematics, geochemistry and geothermobarometry of metaigneous basement rocks exposed in the southeastern Chiapas Massif Complex are presented. Geologic mapping of the newly defined “El Triunfo Complex” located at the southeastern edge of the Chiapas Massif reveals (1) partial melting of a metamorphic basement mainly constituted by mafic metaigneous rocks (Candelaria unit), (2) an Ediacaran metasedimentary sequence (Jocote unit), and (3) occurrence of massif-type anorthosite. All these units are intruded by undeformed Ordovician plutonic rocks of the Motozintla suite. Pressure and temperature estimates using Ca-amphiboles, plagioclase and phengite revealed prograde metamorphism that reached peak conditions at ~ 650 °C and ~ 6 kbar, sufficient for partial melting under water saturated conditions. Relict rutile in titanite and clinopyroxene in amphibolite further indicate a previous metamorphic event at higher P-T conditions. U-Pb zircon ages from felsic orthogneiss boudins hosted in deformed amphibolite and migmatite yield crystallization ages of ~ 1.0 Ga, indicating that dry granitic protoliths represent remnants of Rodinia-type basement. Additionally, a mid-Tonian (~ 920 Ma) metamorphic overprint is suggested by recrystallized zircon from a banded gneiss. Zircon from folded amphibolite samples yield mainly Ordovician ages ranging from ~ 457 to ~ 444 Ma that are indistinguishable from the age of the undeformed Motozintla plutonic suite. Similar ages between igneous- and metamorphic- zircon suggest a coeval formation during a high-grade metamorphic event, in which textural discrepancies are explained in terms of differing zircon formation mechanisms such as sub-solidus recrystallization and precipitation from anatectic melts. In addition, some amphibolite samples contain inherited zircon yielding Stenian-Tonian ages around 1.0 Ga. Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd isotopes and geochemical data indicate that the protoliths of the amphibolite have E-MORB characteristics and were derived from a depleted mantle source younger than the Rodinia-type basement. Inasmuch as similar amphibolites also occur in the Ediacaran metasedimentary rocks as dykes or lenses, Late Neoproterozoic magmatism in a rift setting is suggested. Hence, the geologic record of the El Triunfo Complex includes evidences for Rodinia assemblage, Tonian circum-Rodinia subduction, and breakup during the Late Neoproterozoic. Metamorphism, and partial melting are interpreted in terms of a convergent margin setting during the Ordovician. The results place the southern Chiapas Massif along with Oaxaquia and similar Northern Andes terranes on the NW margin of Gondwana interpreted as the extension of the Famatinian orogen that evolved during the closure of the Iapetus Ocean.

The Juchatengo complex (JC) suite is located between the Proterozoic Oaxacan complex to the north and the Xolapa complex to the south, and was amalgamated by late Paleozoic magmatism. It consists of mafic and sedimentary rocks that have oceanic affinities, with internal pseudostratigraphic, structural and metamorphic characteristics, which resemble a typical upper-level ophiolite assemblage. New U–Pb zircon and previous hornblende K–Ar analyses yield ages of ca. 291–313 Ma (U–Pb) for plagiogranites and ca. 282–277 Ma for tonalites intruding the entire sequence, including pelagic sediments at the top, with a maximum deposition age of ca. 278 Ma and noteworthy local provenance. These data constrain the age of the JC to the Late Pennsylvanian–Early Permian period. Hf isotopic analyses obtained from zircons in the JC plagiogranite and tonalite show that they come from a similar primitive mantle source (176Hf/177Hf: 0.282539–0.283091; ƐHf(t): + 3.2 to + 15.0). ƐHf(t) values from near 0 to − 2.8 in the tonalites indicate a contribution from the continental crust. Trace elements and REE patterns in whole rock and zircons point to a primitive mantle source for differentiated mafic, plagiogranite dykes and tonalitic plutons. Geochronological and geochemical data address the generation of new oceanic crust above the subduction zone, probably in a backarc setting. In this tectonic scenario, the JC ophiolite originated due to the convergence of the paleo-Pacific plate below the already integrated Oaxacan and Acatlan complexes in western Pangea. The dextral displacement places the deformation in a transtensional regime during the late Paleozoic age.

U–Pb geochronology on detrital zircons from the Neogene sediments of San Carlos Basin in Costa Rica, yielded a wide range of ages, from Paleoproterozoic to Cenozoic. The most representative is the Miocene population, constrained to a maximum depositional age of 6.9 ± 0.2 Ma. It reflects the local volcanic activity of the evolving island arc and late Miocene to Pliocene basin sedimentation. Cenozoic ages vary from ca. 5.8–56.1 Ma and Mesozoic ages from ca. 68.9–243 Ma. Other zircon grains yielded a variety of older ages: Paleozoic (ca. 264.9–536.5 Ma) and Proterozoic (ca. 552–1910 Ma). Such ages previously undiscovered in Costa Rica bring new insights on provenance and indicate multistage zircon recycling from a variety of sources. The presence of pre-Mesozoic detrital zircons indicates the influx of recycled sediments from older units (continental and sedimentary rocks), possibly from exhumed Precambrian and Paleozoic continental terranes or blocks from the north of Central America (Chortis and Patuca) in Guatemala, Honduras, north of Nicaragua, and probably from southern Mexico.

During the last decades, provenance studies have proven to be an invaluable tool to evaluate modern and ancient sedimentary environments and to reconstruct the paleogeography and evolution of different tectonic settings. Whereas in the past provenance studies were mainly based on qualitative comparisons of whole-rock sandstone detrital modes, the advance and implementation of microanalytical techniques driven by the community during the last ~15 years permit the quantification of detrital-mineral ages and the isotopic characterization by in situ analysis. The combination of ages, isotopes, and mineral chemistry of individual detrital components provides a better understanding and reconstruction of source-to-sink systems. However, the introduction of these largely accessible microanalytical techniques has produced a large amount of data that requires proper management to be objectively interpreted. While a quantitative comparison between the age distributions of detrital sample pairs can be easily performed by Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K–S) statistics, comparing multi-samples data sets requires a more complex statistical approach. One of those is Multidimensional Scaling analysis (MDS), which allows, by using K–S statistics, to compare the dissimilarity between two or more samples. To compare among samples, a dissimilarities matrix, based on the stress from the ideal fit, is constructed. Dissimilarities are graphically represented in a “map” that tends to group more similar samples, pulling apart those that are more dissimilar. We contribute with three examples from the Mexican geology, showing how MDS can be used to evaluate in a more objective way the provenance of clastic rocks. We show that the MDS is more suitable than the visual comparison of probability density plots and kernel density estimations in marking the similarities and differences between the available samples; thus, it is a more suitable approach to reconstruct more rigorously the evolution of source-to-sink systems. Particularly, we examine fluvial to deep-marine Triassic strata, Paleozoic–lower Mesozoic metasedimentary rocks of the Ayu and Acatlan complexes, and Upper Jurassic–Cretaceous successions of the Pacific continental margin. The MDS challenges the scenario in which all Triassic submarine fan deposits of Mexico were part of a giant single fan developed along the Mexican Pacific margin, and supports the idea that the western margin of Pangea was drained by different fluvial systems that supplied distinct submarine fans. Applied to the Paleozoic–lower Mesozoic metasedimentary rocks of southern Mexico, this approach shows major dissimilarities between the Ayu and the Acatlan complexes, supporting the idea that these are likely two different tectonic complexes. Finally, the MDS suggests that two distinct and independent provenance domains were established in Mexico during the development of the Upper Jurassic–Early Cretaceous Arperos back-arc basin, and that such a detrital signature compartmentalization was lost by the end of Early Cretaceous time with the advent of compressive tectonics and the development of orogenic belts.

Three successive strain regimes spanning up to ~16 million years were identified from the field, structural and geochronological analyses in Upper Eocene-Oligocene migmatites of the Xolapa Complex around the Puerto Escondido longitude (~97°W), in southern Mexico. A west-facing asymmetric folding affecting diatexites at ca. 38–31 Mad defines Regime A. Regimes B and C affected younger metatexites. Regime B recorded an outward extension at ca. 31–25 Ma, whereas Regime C occurred at ca. 25–22 Ma as NE-directed thrusting. By coupling the Upper Cretaceous-Oligocene tectonic framework of southern Mexico with the dynamics and timing of the identified strain regimes, we interpret that Regimes A to C recorded distinct stages of the separation and eastward migration of the Chortis Block, viewed as a continuous geodynamic episode. According to our proposal, the upper and lower crust of Chortis adjacent to nuclear Mexico were vertically decoupled before its separation by the presence of pre-Eocene crustal anisotropies. Regime A occurred when the Chortis Block rode over the Xolapa Complex during its initial eastward escape. Since this episode, the Chortis Block (upper crust) was captured by the Caribbean plate, whereas the Xolapa Complex (lower crust) remained as the southernmost North America plate. Chortis eastward migration and the consequent unloading of its decoupled lower crust triggered anatexis, isostatic adjustments, and diachronous uplift of the Xolapa Complex (Regime B). The progressive substitution of Chortis by its thinner lower crust in the tectonic configuration next to nuclear Mexico gradually enhanced the local convergence rate between the Farallon/Cocos plate and just-severed North America. The Farallon/Cocos plate was accreted to North America (Regime C) after a critical lengthening of the uprising lower crust along the southern Mexican margin. The local increase of the convergence rate promoted the landward consumption of the Xolapa Complex by subduction erosion since 22 Ma.

Southern Mexico is a key area for unraveling the tectonic evolution of North America because it contains the stratigraphic and structural record of the major tectonic events that shaped this continental mass, such as the breakup of Pangea and the growth of the North America Cordilleran Orogeny. However, multiple reactivations of faults and erosion of the stratigraphic record do not permit to adequately assess the timing of these tectonic events. Although most authors suggested that lithospheric extension and exhumation of continental blocks during Pangea breakup started in Mexico by Early Jurassic time, works published in the last decade provide an increasing number of thermo-tectonic evidence of an earlier phase of continental thinning. In this work, we present detrital apatite thermochronological and geochemical data (trace elements including rare earth elements) from fluvial deposits of the Tianguistengo formation, which is the oldest stratigraphic unit of the Otlaltepec Basin, a major basin in southern Mexico that has been linked to Pangea breakup. Our data show that at least a part of the Tianguistengo formation was derived from the adjacent Pennsylvanian–Cisuralian Totoltepec pluton. Apatite fission-track-based time–temperature modelling for unreset apatite populations suggests that the main exhumation of the Totoltepec pluton, which prompted the deposition of a part of the Tianguistengo formation, took place during Late Triassic time. Thus, our results suggest that Pangea breakup in southern Mexico started at least by Middle–Late Triassic time (240–230 Ma), as it is recorded in the Otlaltepec Basin.

This work reports on the geology and U–Pb LA-ICPMS zircon geochronology of a crustal section that is part of the Jurassic magmatic arc in the Magdalena quadrangle of north-central Sonora, Mexico. This rock succession is variably metamorphosed and strained as it was affected by Late Cretaceous shortening, intruded by early Tertiary granitoids, and further exhumed in the lower plate of the early Miocene Magdalena metamorphic core complex. The older and more extensively exposed Jurassic unit is the >3.5 km thick Sierra Guacomea rhyolite that is composed of massive to poorly bedded rhyolite, bedded quartz-phyric rhyolitic ignimbrite and interbedded ash-fall tuffs and quartz-rich sandstone beds. Three rhyolite samples collected at different localities of its outcrops yielded concordia ages of 175.2 ± 0.9, 171.7 ± 0.6, and 171.4 ± 0.7 Ma. The quartz-phyric Rancho La Vibora, Los Vallecitos, and the Agua Caliente rhyolitic domes that are associated with the Sierra Guacomea rhyolite yield concordia ages of 176 ± 0.8, 174.4 ± 0.9 and 173.1 ± 0.8 Ma, respectively. The Rancho Los Pozos unit composed of interbedded rhyolitic ash-fall tuff and flows, sandstone, siltstone and subordinate limestone beds has an estimated thickness of 600 m and yielded a crystallization concordia age of 170.7 ± 0.6 Ma from a rhyolite bed. The porphyritic El Rincon granite that intrudes into the Sierra Guacomea rhyolite yields crystallization ages of 167.43 ± 0.42 and 164.4 ± 0.7 in samples from different localities. The La Jojoba metasandstone that consists of foliated, quartz-rich to arkosic strata of fluvial origin is at least 900 m thick; detrital zircon grains dated from three sandstone samples yielded dominantly Jurassic ages with peaks at 172, 170, and 163.7 Ma, and a combined maximum depositional age of ca. 163 Ma. The younger plutons are the porphyritic El Nopalito granite that has an interpreted crystallization age of 160.8 ± 0.6 Ma, and the leucocratic, two-mica, garnet-bearing La Cebolla granite that yielded a concordia age of 158.1 ± 1 Ma. These granitic intrusions record the waning magmatic pulses of the arc, in the study quadrangle, but their volcanic equivalents were not identified. Inherited zircon grains in the reported volcanic and plutonic units are only of Jurassic age, except by two Proterozoic zircon grains yielded by the El Nopalito granite. The El Salto granite augen gneiss is a xenolith dated at 1071.9 ± 5 Ma that indicates the presence of Grenvillian basement in the study area. Major- and trace-element geochemical data indicate that the volcanic and plutonic units are silica-rich, mostly high K calc-alkaline to shoshonitic rocks associated with a continental margin arc setting. The plutons are mostly peraluminous, and in conjunction with trace element geochemistry data, they suggest crustal assimilation of magmas emplaced in a probably thickened continental crust. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns and primitive mantle-normalized trace element diagrams also suggest partial melting and fractional crystallization processes. The ages obtained indicate that the arc in the study area developed from ca. 176 to 158 Ma, encompassing a 17 m.y. interval of magmatism and associated sedimentation. Regional correlation and geochronologic published data indicate that the arc crustal section of the Magdalena quadrangle is part of the Jurassic magmatic arc that regionally lasted from ca. 190 to 158 Ma.

As is common in suture zones, widespread high-pressure rocks in the Caribbean region reached eclogite-facies conditions close to ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism. Besides eclogite lenses, abundant metapelitic rocks in the Chuacus complex (Guatemala Suture Zone) also preserve evidence for high-pressure metamorphism. A comprehensive petrological and geochronological study was undertaken to constrain the tectono-metamorphic evolution of eclogite and associated metapelite from this area in central Guatemala. The integration of field and petrological data allows the reconstruction of a previously unknown segment of the prograde P-T path and shows that these contrasting rock types share a common high-pressure evolution. An early stage of high-pressure/low-temperature metamorphism at 18-20 kbar and 530-580 °C is indicated by garnet core compositions as well as the nature and composition of mineral inclusions in garnet, including kyanite-jadeite-paragonite in an eclogite, and chloritoid-paragonite-rutile in a pelitic schist. Peak high-pressure conditions are constrained at 23-25 kbar and 620-690 °C by combining mineral assemblages, isopleth thermobarometry, and Zr-in-rutile thermometry. A garnet/whole-rock Lu-Hf date of 101.8 ± 3.1 Ma in the kyanite-bearing eclogite indicates the timing of final garnet growth at eclogite-facies conditions, while a Lu-Hf date of 95.5 ± 2.1 Ma in the pelitic schist reflects the average age of garnet growth spanning from an early eclogite-facies evolution to a final amphibolite-facies stage. Concordant U-Pb LA-ICP-MS zircon data from the pelitic schist, in contrast, yield a mean age of 74.0 ± 0.5 Ma, which is equivalent to a U-Pb monazite lower-intercept age of 73.6 ± 2.0 Ma in the same sample, and comparable within errors with a less precise U-Pb lower-intercept age of 80 ± 13 Ma obtained in post-eclogitic titanite from the kyanite-bearing eclogite. These U-Pb metamorphic ages are interpreted as dating an amphibolite-facies overprint. Protolith U-Pb zircon ages of 167.1 ± 4.2 Ma and 424.6 ± 5.0 Ma from two eclogite samples reveal that mafic precursors in the Chuacus complex originated in multiple tectono-temporal settings from the Silurian to Jurassic. The integration of petrological and geochronological data suggests that subduction of the continental margin of the North American plate (Chuacus complex) beneath the Greater Antilles arc occurred during an Albian-Cenomanian pre-collisional stage, and that a subsequent Campanian collisional stage is probably responsible of the amphibolite-facies overprint and late syncollisional exhumation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Two meta-anorthosite inliers (∼20 km 2 each) were discovered on each side of the Polochic-Tonala fault system within the Chiapas Massif Complex (CMC) in southeastern Mexico. The anorthosites occur commonly associated to subordinate hornblendite, rutile-bearing ilmenitite, oxide-apatite-rich amphibolite and nelsonite. An absolute crystallization age for the anorthosite could not be precisely constrained due to the paucity and apparent resetting of the magmatic zircon. However, they are interpreted as remnants of a Proterozoic massif-type anorthosite complex older than 909 ± 27 Ma as suggested by U-Pb data and the striking geochemical similitudes (major, trace and REE, Sr-Nd isotopes; T DM = 1.39–1.45 Ga) to Stenian-Tonian massif-type anorthosites found elsewhere. A complex tectono-thermal history for the anorthosite suite is inferred from the discovery of abundant metamorphic zircon in all samples. Ubiquitous petrographic evidence suggests formation of secondary zircon from reactions involving baddeleyite and srilankite (ZrTi2O 6 ) breakdown at different stages of the anorthosite suite evolution. Two generations of baddeleyite are recognized: (1) exsolution from igneous ilmenite and hogbomite ([Mg,Fe 2+ ] 2 [Al,Ti] 5 O 10 ) during cooling, and (2) exsolution product from metamorphic rutile and hogbomite during retrogression. U-Pb zircon data (LA-MC-ICPMS) of three comagmatic rocks, including one anorthosite sample, reflect the complex polymetamorphic nature observed in the petrographical evidence; concordant to sub-concordant ages spread in a range from ∼909 Ma to ∼242 Ma. Most U-Pb ages cluster around known regional metamorphic events at ≃450 Ma and ≃250 Ma. In addition, an age cluster at ∼600 Ma suggests a Neoproterozoic event, interpreted in terms of reheating of anorthosite during mafic intrusions associated to intra-plate rifting.

Field and laboratory studies including textural, petrological and geochronological analysis of migmatites of the Xolapa Complex affected by the same deformational event suggests that the deformation occurred during crystallization of neosome. The deformation represents sub-horizontal spreading of middle to lower crust according to structural data, and occurred during the Paleocene as inferred from U-Pb laser ablation dating of zircon. According to a compilation of stratigraphic, magmatic and deformational data reported in southern Mexico, the sub-horizontal spreading occurred after the culmination of the Upper Cretaceous Laramide orogeny. Compiled regional data indicate (a) coast-to-coast mass transfer in the upper crust from Zihuatanejo to Veracruz from the Cretaceous–Tertiary boundary until the mid-Eocene; (b) contemporaneous adakite-like magmatism; and (c) extension in the Mixteco and Oaxaca terranes of southern Mexico coeval to compression in the surrounding crust. Because all these observations are spatially associated to areas of the Mixteco and Oaxaca terranes, we propose that these areas experienced a post-orogenic gravitational collapse since the Cretaceous–Tertiary boundary until the mid-Eocene. This proposal implies that the gravitational collapse was recorded in the Xolapa Complex by migmatite formation in response to ascent of the brittle-ductile transition, decompression of the orogenic root, and/or shear-driven asthenospheric upwelling. Gravitational collapse deformation was accommodated by the subsequent flow of the migmatites towards the foreland, preceding the eastward escape of the Chortis Block.