Mesozoic of the Gulf Rim and Beyond: New Progress in Science and Exploration of the Gulf of Mexico Basin

Detrital Zircon Evidence for Amazonian Provenance of Upper Jurassic Norphlet Formation in North Central Gulf, Mobile Bay: Implications for Paleoriver Systems in South and Central America Available to Purchase
email: [email protected]
-
Published:December 01, 2016
- OpenGeoSci
-
Tools
- View This Citation
- Add to Citation Manager for
CitationGomes Sonnet, Weislogel Amy, Barbeau David, 2016. "Detrital Zircon Evidence for Amazonian Provenance of Upper Jurassic Norphlet Formation in North Central Gulf, Mobile Bay: Implications for Paleoriver Systems in South and Central America", Mesozoic of the Gulf Rim and Beyond: New Progress in Science and Exploration of the Gulf of Mexico Basin, Christopher M. Lowery, John W. Snedden, Norman C. Rosen
Download citation file:
Abstract
Detrital zircon from the Upper Jurassic Norphlet Formation in the vicinity of Mobile Bay, AL reflects a Laurentian provenance, with U-Pb age populations including dominant Paleozoic (265-490 Ma) and Grenville (950-1250 Ma) age. Twenty-three zircon grains from a sandstone sample recovered from the upper part of the Norphlet formation in well permit# 9863-OS-46-B show a population of 850-920 Ma zircon that is not observed in stratigraphically older samples. As there are very few sources for zircon of this age in southeastern United States, we interpret derivation from either the Goiás magmatic arc of Brazil; the conglomeratic sandstone of the eastern Yucatan peninsula; and/or Mixteca terrain of Mexico as probable sources. Previous study of 850-920 Ma zircon grains from the Goiás magmatic arc shows an origin from a depleted mantle without any crustal contamination (Hf(t)= +8 to +12); however, the same age zircons in eastern Yucatan and Mixteca terrain indicate crystallization from magmas having a strong crustal signature (Hf(t)= -3.2 to -3.8). Detrital Neoproterozoic zircon grains in the Norphlet Formation shows a wide Hf(t) range (-5.1 to +11.9) for the 850-920 Ma zircons, indicating sediments influx to the Gulf of Mexico basin during late Norphlet time was a mix of material from all of these sources during the Norphlet deposition. We propose that sediments from the Goiás magmatic arc probably were transported to the Mixteca terrain through a paleo-fluvial system; given the proximity of Mixteca terrain to southern North America during Late-Early Jurassic, we infer that erosion of Mixteca terrane sedimentary rocks supplied sediment to the Norphlet erg in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Alternately, the Neoproterozoic grains may have been derived directly from the Goiás arc and transported to the eastern Gulf of Mexico by a proto-Orinoco river that developed during Jurassic-Early Cretaceous time.
- absolute age
- Alabama
- Atlantic Ocean
- Central America
- dates
- erosion
- Grenvillian Orogeny
- Gulf of Mexico
- Gulf of Mexico Basin
- hafnium
- ICP mass spectra
- Jurassic
- Laurentia
- mass spectra
- Mesozoic
- metals
- Mexico
- Mobile Bay
- Neoproterozoic
- nesosilicates
- Norphlet Formation
- North Atlantic
- orthosilicates
- Paleoproterozoic
- Paleozoic
- Precambrian
- Proterozoic
- provenance
- sediment transport
- silicates
- South America
- spectra
- Transamazonian Orogeny
- transport
- U/Pb
- United States
- Upper Jurassic
- upper Paleozoic
- upper Precambrian
- zircon
- zircon group
- detrital zircon
- Yucatan Block
- Mixteca Terrane
- paleorivers
- Oaxaquia Terrane
- Goias Arc