Structural Geology and Crustal Evolution of the Sierra Madre Oriental During the Mexican Orogeny

Explore the structural geology and crustal evolution of the Sierra Madre Oriental during the Mexican Orogeny in this 1-hour 9-minute lecture by Dr. Gary Gray, Adjunct Professor at Rice University. Delve into the characteristics of the northern Sierra Madre Oriental's structural geology, including the wide region of detached, folded late Mesozoic carbonate platform strata. Examine the folding process that occurred between 80 and 47 Ma, with a focus on the total contraction of the cover sequence and upper crust. Investigate the crustal thickening that took place during the orogeny and analyze the subsidence and accumulation of overburden from 70-50 Ma. Learn about the subsequent erosion patterns and their implications. Discover how these findings support the theory of flat-slab subduction of oceanic lithosphere beneath the Mexican continent and explore the analogy with the current flat slab beneath central Mexico. Understand the role of the Guerrero Terrane in causing contraction and the subsequent slab rollback. Gain insights into the storage and recycling of sediment delivered from the Laramide and Mexican orogens into the Gulf of Mexico during the early and middle Cenozoic.