Geology and Structure of the Tip of Baja California, Mexico

Research Article| November 01, 1968 Geology and Structure of the Tip of Baja California, Mexico WILLIAM R NORMARK; WILLIAM R NORMARK Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar JOSEPH R CURRAY JOSEPH R CURRAY Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information WILLIAM R NORMARK Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California JOSEPH R CURRAY Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 29 Jan 1968 Revision Received: 29 Apr 1968 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Copyright © 1968, The Geological Society of America, Inc. Copyright is not claimed on any material prepared by U.S. government employees within the scope of their employment. GSA Bulletin (1968) 79 (11): 1589–1600. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1968)79[1589:GASOTT]2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 29 Jan 1968 Revision Received: 29 Apr 1968 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation WILLIAM R NORMARK, JOSEPH R CURRAY; Geology and Structure of the Tip of Baja California, Mexico. GSA Bulletin 1968;; 79 (11): 1589–1600. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1968)79[1589:GASOTT]2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract The submarine geology of the continental margin at the tip of the peninsula of Baja California, Mexico, has been mapped through the use of continuous reflection profiling. A sequence of folded and faulted sediments, correlated with the Pliocene Salada Formation, unconformably overlies the volcanics and pyroclastics of the Comondú Formation and the granitic rocks of the Baja California pluton. Thirty-five dredge hauls, collected by Shepard from submarine canyons in the region, have substantiated these correlations. The structure of the continental terrace is dominated by normal faulting, trending northeast-southwest, which suggests uplift of the southern part of the peninsula. Cabrillo Seamount, lying to the southeast, is a detached granitic fault block. The fault pattern controls the trends of the submarine canyons, which have supplied up to a kilometer of probable Quaternary sediments to the San Lucas Fan system at the foot of the continental slope.The La Paz fault is a major structural break at the western side of the Cape Region. Uplift of the region with associated normal faulting and strike-slip movement along the La Paz fault are related to formation of the Gulf as the continent overrode the East Pacific Rise since the late Miocene. The northern part of the Gulf appears to have opened in the late Miocene or early Pliocene, while the mouth did not open until late Pliocene. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.