Plio-Quaternary tectonics of the Central Mexican Volcanic Belt and some constraints on its rifting mode
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Abstract
Stratigraphy and structure of the central sector of the Mexican Volcanic Belt and adjoining areas were investigated in order to evaluate its Plio-Quaternary tectonic evolution, the stress directions, and their relative values. Three main periods, characterized by different mechanisms of deformation limited to the MVB area, may be grouped in a single deformation cycle. The Late Pliocene period was characterized by strike-slip faulting induced by a horizontal ENE-WSW maximum principal stress (d) and NNW-SSE least principal stress (r3). In Early-Middle Pleistocene left-lateral normal faulting occurred with the same r3 and a ENE-WSW intermediate principal stress (r2). During Late Pleistocene-Holocene, normal faulting with a slight clockwise rotation of r3 developed. These structures correspond to the surface expression of E-W left-lateral wrenching which was initially parallel and later divergent. The kinematics and the uniformity of the stress trajectories during Plio-Quaternary times suggest plate tectonic control and a passive mode of rifting. In this framework the large amount of magma extruded is believed to be produced by a thermal anomaly induced by the rifting and affecting also the subducted slab.
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References
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