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Jurassic and Cretaceous tectonic evolution of the Demerara Plateau; implications for South Atlantic opening

Katya Casey, Ana Krueger and Ian Norton
Jurassic and Cretaceous tectonic evolution of the Demerara Plateau; implications for South Atlantic opening (in Petroleum systems in 'rift' basins, Paul J. Post (editor), James Coleman (editor), Norman C. Rosen (editor), David E. Brown (editor), Tina Roberts-Ashby (editor), Peter Kahn (editor) and Mark Rowan (editor))
Papers presented at the Gulf Coast Section, Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists Foundation Annual Bob F. Perkins Research Conference (December 2015) 34: 600-614

Abstract

The Demerara Plateau is located on the northeast South America continental margin between 5 degrees and 10 degrees North, marking the northwest corner of the equatorial segment of the Atlantic Ocean. It is conjugate to the Guinea Plateau on the African margin, which rifted from the Demerara during the Early Cretaceous opening of the Central Atlantic. Published studies of the Demerara Plateau are focused on its Cretaceous history, when the northern edge of the platform was formed by trans-tensional deformation along Atlantic transform faults, and its eastern edge by extensional deformation during rifting. The platform itself is commonly interpreted as a continental block left behind following South Atlantic rifting. Seismic data across the plateau reveal significant compressional deformation beneath an Albian unconformity. We suggest that this deformation is the result of early opening of the South Atlantic, with a rotation pole located close to the present-day Amazon delta. Allowing for this compression in plate reconstructions of the South Atlantic results in restorations which do not require large amounts of intracontinental deformation in South America, and, consequently, in a relatively simple plate model for the South Atlantic.


ISSN: 1544-2462
Serial Title: Papers presented at the Gulf Coast Section, Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists Foundation Annual Bob F. Perkins Research Conference
Serial Volume: 34
Title: Jurassic and Cretaceous tectonic evolution of the Demerara Plateau; implications for South Atlantic opening
Title: Petroleum systems in 'rift' basins
Author(s): Casey, KatyaKrueger, AnaNorton, Ian
Author(s): Post, Paul J.editor
Author(s): Coleman, James, Jr.editor
Author(s): Rosen, Norman C.editor
Author(s): Brown, David E.editor
Author(s): Roberts-Ashby, Tinaeditor
Author(s): Kahn, Petereditor
Author(s): Rowan, Markeditor
Affiliation: Murphy Oil Exploration and Producton Corporation, Houston, TX, United States
Affiliation: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, New Orleans, LA, United States
Pages: 600-614
Published: 20151201
Text Language: English
Publisher: Society of Economic Paleontologists, Gulf Coast Section (GCSSEPM) Foundation, Houston, TX, United States
ISBN: 978-1-944966-00-3
Meeting name: 34th GCSSEPM Foundation Bob F. Perkins-Rosen research conference on Petroleum systems in 'rift' basins
Meeting location: Houston, TX, USA, United States
Meeting date: 20151213Dec. 13-16, 2015
References: 10
Accession Number: 2020-013085
Categories: Solid-earth geophysicsApplied geophysics
Document Type: Serial Conference document
Bibliographic Level: Analytic
Illustration Description: illus. incl. sects., geol. sketch maps
Secondary Affiliation: University of Texas-Austin, USA, United States
Country of Publication: United States
Secondary Affiliation: GeoRef, Copyright 2020, American Geosciences Institute.
Update Code: 202009
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