Sigurdsson, Haraldur; Kelley, S.; Leckie, R. Mark; Carey, Steven N.; Bralower, Timothy J.; King, John W. (2000): History of circum-Caribbean explosive volcanism; (super 40) Ar/ (super 39) Ar dating of tephra layers. Texas A & M University, Ocean Drilling Program, College Station, TX, United States, In: Leckie, R. Mark, Sigurdsson, Haraldur, Acton, Gary D., Abrams, Lewis J., Bralower, Timothy J., Carey, Steven N., Chaisson, William P., Cotillon, Pierre, Cunningham, Andrew D., D'Hondt, Steven L., Droxler, Andre W., Galbrun, Bruno, Gonzalez, Juan, Haug, Gerald H., Kameo, Koji, King, John W., Lind, Ida L., Louvel, Veronique, Lyons, Timothy W., Murray, Richard W., Mutti, Maria, Myers, Greg, Pearce, Richard B., Pearson, D. Graham, Peterson, Larry C., Roehl, Ursula, Garman, Phyllis (editor), Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, scientific results, Caribbean Ocean history and the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary event; covering Leg 165 of the cruises of the drilling vessel JOIDES Resolution, Miami, Florida, to San Juan Puerto Rico, sites 998-1002, 19 December 1995-17 February 1996, 165, 299-314, georefid:2000-062898

Abstract:
Drilling in the Caribbean Sea during Ocean Drilling Program Leg 165 has recovered a large number of silicic tephra layers and led to the discovery of three major episodes of explosive volcanism that occurred during the last 55 m.y. on the margins of this evolving ocean basin. The earliest episode is marked by Paleocene to early Eocene explosive volcanism on the Cayman Rise, associated with activity of the Cayman arc, an island arc that was the westward extension of the Sierra Maestra volcanic arc in southern Cuba. Caribbean sediments also document a major mid-to late Eocene explosive volcanic episode that is attributed to ignimbrite-forming eruptions on the Chortis Block in Central America to the west. This event is contemporaneous with the first phase of activity of the Sierra Madre volcanic episode in Mexico, the largest ignimbrite province on Earth. In the Caribbean sediments, a Miocene episode of explosive volcanism is comparable to the Eocene event, and also attributed to sources in the Central American arc to the west. Radiometric (super 40) Ar/ (super 39) Ar dates have been obtained for biotites and sanidines from 27 tephra layers, providing absolute ages for the volcanic episodes and further constraining the geochronology of Caribbean sediments. Volcanic activity of the Cayman arc is attributed to the northward subduction of the leading edge of the oceanic plate that carried the Caribbean oceanic plateau. Although the factors generating the large episodes of Central American explosive volcanism are unclear, we propose that they are related to contemporary major readjustments of plate tectonic configuration in the Pacific.
Coverage:
West: -82.5610 East: -65.1011 North: 19.2923 South: 10.4222
Relations:
Expedition: 165
Site: 165-1000
Site: 165-1001
Site: 165-1002
Site: 165-998
Site: 165-999
Data access:
Provider: SEDIS Publication Catalogue
Data set link: http://sedis.iodp.org/pub-catalogue/index.php?id=10.2973/odp.proc.sr.165.021.2000 (c.f. for more detailed metadata)
Data download: application/pdf
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