Abstract

RODRIGUEZ, Joel Rosales. Nuevas observaciones en la corteza continental transicional del sur del Golfo de México y sus implicaciones en los modelos de margen continental. Geofís. Intl [online]. 2024, vol.63, n.4, pp.1147-1164.  Epub July 29, 2025. ISSN 2954-436X.  https://doi.org/10.22201/igeof.2954436xe.2024.63.4.1780.

The interpretation of physical properties of crust and mantle is commonly done from the relationship between seismic velocities with mineralogy of igneous rocks that constitute them, mainly due to scarce outcrops of exhumed crust or mantle, and wells that cut continental or oceanic basement. The oceanic crust of the Gulf of Mexico is characterized by seismic velocities of 6.1-6.9 km/s, associated with gabbro. Differences in the range of seismic velocities are observed, between the eastern and western portion of the crust, both at the crustal and mantle level. In areas close to the oceanic-continental crust boundary, anomalies of seismic velocities are distinguished overlying the mantle, associated with mafic intrusions occurred during the Gulf of Mexico opening. These intrusions are also interpreted at the base of continental crust from the magnetic modeling 2D in the southern Gulf of Mexico. Over this profile serpentinized mantle is interpreted around Campeche Magnetic Anomaly. Two periods of tectonic evolution of the Gulf of Mexico are interpreted, the first one is associated with a non-volcanic continental margin, in which exhumation and serpentinization of the mantle occur, the second period is associated with a volcanic continental margin, the intrusion of mafic rocks occurs, mainly close to the oceanic-continental crust boundary, and the Yucatan rotation also occurs.

Keywords : Seismic velocity; oceanic crust; serpentinite; intrusion; continental margin.

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