nerc.ac.uk

Origin of the Aves Ridge and Dutch–Venezuelan Antilles : interaction of the Cretaceous ‘Great Arc' and Caribbean–Colombian Oceanic Plateau?

Neill, Iain; Kerr, Andrew C.; Hastie, Alan R.; Stanek, Klaus-Peter; Millar, Ian L.. 2011 Origin of the Aves Ridge and Dutch–Venezuelan Antilles : interaction of the Cretaceous ‘Great Arc' and Caribbean–Colombian Oceanic Plateau? Journal of the Geological Society, 168 (2). 333-348. 10.1144/0016-76492010-067

Before downloading, please read NORA policies.
[thumbnail of Abstract only]
Preview
Text (Abstract only)
Antilles.pdf

Download (21kB) | Preview

Abstract/Summary

In this paper we reassess the geochronology and geochemistry of three dredge hauls from the SE corner of the Aves Ridge (Caribbean Sea) originally sampled in 1968 by Duke University's R. V. Eastward. Two hauls consist of light rare earth element-enriched granitoids with a U-Pb zircon emplacement age of 75.9 +/- 0.7 Ma. A further haul contains mostly calc-alkaline island arc basaltic andesites of uncertain age. Petrological, trace element and isotopic constraints indicate that the granitoids have an oceanic crustal source and were formed by melting of the lower arc, oceanic or oceanic plateau crust. The mafic rocks formed by partial melting of an incompatible trace element-enriched mantle wedge, which was probably composed of mantle plume material. Both the dredged rocks and data from the Dutch-Venezuelan Antilles indicate a period of west-dipping underthrusting and subduction beneath, or close to, the Caribbean-Colombian Oceanic Plateau between c. 88 and c. 59 Ma, concurrent with collision of part of the plateau with northwestern South America. Constraints from the geochemistry and geochronology of offshore southern Caribbean arc and plateau rocks suggest that in the southern Caribbean there was no pre-existing west-dipping subduction system during formation of the Caribbean-Colombian Oceanic Plateau, whereas long-lived SW-dipping subduction in the northern Greater Antilles is more probable.

Item Type: Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.1144/0016-76492010-067
Programmes: BGS Programmes 2010 > NERC Isotope Geoscience Laboratory
ISSN: 0016-7649
Date made live: 19 Apr 2011 13:57 +0 (UTC)
URI: https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/14080

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item

Document Downloads

Downloads for past 30 days

Downloads per month over past year

More statistics for this item...