Montgomery, Homer and Kerr, Andrew C. (2009): Rethinking the origins of the red chert at La Desirade, French West Indies

Leg/Site/Hole:
ODP 144
ODP 129 801
ODP 185 801
Identifier:
2010-035029
georefid

10.1144/SP328.18
doi

Creator:
Montgomery, Homer
University of Texas at Dallas, Science and Mathematics Education, Dallas, TX, United States
author

Kerr, Andrew C.
Central University of Venezuela, Venezuela
author

Identification:
Rethinking the origins of the red chert at La Desirade, French West Indies
2009
In: James, Keith H. (editor), Lorente, M. A. (editor), Pindell, James L. (editor), The origin and evolution of the Caribbean Plate
Geological Society of London, London, United Kingdom
328
457-467
La Desirade in the Lesser Antilles contains one of the rare fragments of Jurassic oceanic crust known on Caribbean islands. Others in the northeastern Caribbean occur on Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. These fragments each include radiolarian-bearing chert that has been linked to an origin in the Pacific Ocean. Of these, a fragment in Sierra Bermeja, Puerto Rico is clearly of Pacific origin as it contains Lower Jurassic radiolarians that predate the opening between North and South America. Red ribbon chert at El Aguacate, Dominican Republic is essentially identical to widespread radiolarites found in accreted material of the Pacific Basin and from Pacific Ocean ODP Site 801. Extensive sampling in the Atlantic Basin has produced no Jurassic radiolarites. Thus, based on age (the older of the Sierra Bermeja outcrops) and lithology (El Aguacate), two of these fragments are definitely of Pacific origin. Re-evaluation of the chert/pillow lava sequence on La Desirade in light of recent discoveries at spreading ridges has resulted in a revised interpretation of their probable origin. A wide range of features of these cherts indicate pelagic and hydrothermal sedimentation at an Upper Jurassic spreading ridge, one that almost assuredly existed in the eastern Pacific realm. These features include: the types of chert found on the island, lack of argillaceous partings, small outcrop size, discontinuous chert bodies, presence of limestone squeeze-ups into pillow lavas and indications of hydrothermal activity, including epidotization of basalt migrating outward from pillow margins with chert rinds that record pelagic and hydrothermal sedimentation at an Upper Jurassic spreading ridge, one that almost assuredly existed in the extreme eastern Pacific realm.
English
Coverage:Geographic coordinates:
North:18.3835
West:-61.0500East: 156.2136
South:16.2000

Sedimentary petrology; Stratigraphy; Antilles; basin analysis; basins; Caribbean Plate; Caribbean region; chemically precipitated rocks; chert; clastic rocks; depositional environment; Dominican Republic; El Aguacate Dominican Republic; French West Indies; Greater Antilles; Hispaniola; hydrothermal conditions; igneous rocks; Invertebrata; island arcs; Jurassic; La Desirade Island; Leg 144; Lower Jurassic; marine sedimentation; Mesozoic; microfossils; North Pacific; Northwest Pacific; Ocean Drilling Program; ODP Site 801; Pacific Ocean; paleo-oceanography; paleoenvironment; pelagic sedimentation; Pigafetta Basin; plate tectonics; Protista; Puerto Rico; Radiolaria; radiolarite; sedimentary basins; sedimentary petrology; sedimentary rocks; sedimentation; Sierra Bermeja; volcanic rocks; West Indies; West Pacific;

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