SILICIC TO BIMODAL OLIGOCENE VOLCANISM IN THE ZIMAPAN AREA, MEXICO: STRATIGRAPHY, AGE AND DEFORMATION

*Violeta Mirthala Reyes-Orozco2, Teresa Orozco-Esquivel1, Luca Ferrari Pedraglio1, Fernando Velasco-Tapia2, Margarita Lpez-Martnez3 1Centro de Geociencias, UNAM 2Facultad de Ciencias de la Tierra, UANL 3CICESE * reyvi11_11@hotmail.com

GEOCHEMISTRY
A)

D)

INTRODUCTION
We report new field, petrographic and geochronological data for a voluminous sequence of rhyolitic tuffs and domes associated with basaltic to andesitic lavas exposed southwest of Zimapn, state of Hidalgo. The scare geologic studies in the area assigned this sequence to the initial activity of the Transmexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB) in the late Miocene. Based on this age, normal faults affecting the western part of the study rea (Aljibes half-graben) were considered part of the TMVB intra-arc extension (Suter et al., 1995). The oldest volcanic unit of the Zimapan sequence consists of unconsolidated, partly reworked rhyolitic tuffs dated at 31.5 Ma (U-Pb, zircon; with a significant antecryst population from 37 to 30 Ma). This succession is intruded and partly overlain by mafic laccoliths, sills and dikes that in some places reached the surface forming lava flows that cover both the tuffs and the Cretaceous basement. This mafic unit is undated but can be constrained by the overlying silicic unit. This consists of an ignimbrites succession up to 250 m in thickness, probably emplaced through fissures as indicated by the presence of WNW- ESE striking pyroclastic dikes. A series of partly aligned rhyolitic domes cap the succession. The ignimbrites yielded UPb ages of 32.9 and 32.8 Ma (with individual ages ranging from 37 to 28 Ma). Four ages obtained for the rhyolitic domes and dikes range between 28.3 Ma and 31.6 Ma.
99 37' W 20 44' N 99 36' W 99 35' W 99 34' W 99 33' W 99 32' W
IZA L
00 21

STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY
A) Tilted basaltic-andesitic laccolith intruding
a rhyolitic tuff sequence

B)

ii

99 31' W

99 30' W
0 200

99 29' W
FALLABOTH

99 28' W
IA

99 27' W

99 26' W
FA
El Rodeo

99 25' W

99 24' W

99 23' W

99 22' W
Plutarco Elias Calles (Santiago)

99 21' W
C. LINDAS

99 20' W Santiago 20 44' N

C. MECHO

C)

AR R

KLIPPE PICACHO

C. SAN ANTONIO
Carrizal

F LA ALL ME A SA

FA LL A

ZIM - 46

EL C

ZIM - Bothia 28
X A JH A
1900

Mesa Santa Ines

ILLO

FA LL A

San Antonio

ZIMAPN
Cazay

LL A SA N AN

CAR

LA FA S P LL RE A SA S

20 43' N
Carricillo
CABALGADURA SANTA INS

Xajha Cuesta Blanca

18 00

Puerto del Efe

FAL LA E L

Las Pilas

C.EL LEN

12

15
CABALGADURA MESA DE LEN

00

ZIM - 48
15

20 00

El Yeso

LITOLOGA

SIMBOLOGA
FALLA NORMAL

Mesa de Len

FAL LA LM ITE

20 41' N

NEGENO COLUVIN Y ALUVIN MIOCENO TARDO BASALTO SAUCILLO CONGLOMERADO POLIMCTICO OLIGOCENO RIOLITA PONTIHU TOBA RIOLTICA YETHAY/ IGNIMBRITA RIOLTICA CARRIZAL
KLIPPE

Yethay

2000

C. CHINFI
FALLA NORMAL CON COMPONENTE LATERAL

C. P El Arbolito FALLA

O RIET

XINDH FALLA

Z-IAM - 38 B
Xindh Saucillo
19 00

2100

C. LAS PILETAS

00 21

La Lajita
0 19
CABALGADURA

2100

ZIM - 30
0

PERODO

ERA

POCA PISO
N E G E N O
HOLOCENO PLEISTOCENO PLIOCENO

20 40' N
COLUMNA
COLUVIN Y ALUVIN

C. PARDO

El Plan
160 0
1800

Ma

32

ZIM - 45
Botha 20

20
210

43

0.01 1.68
5.1

35

La Loma

EL

B-A

O I

MIOC ENO

SUPERIOR
INFERIOR

BASALTO SAUCILLO CONGLOMERADO POLMICTICO RIOLITA PONTIHU

DIQUE BASLTICOANDESTICO

FALLA LOMA

Aguas Blancas

Tzijay
210

GU A
JE

C.BLANCO DEL AGUACATILLO

C. EL GUAJE

24.0

20 39' N
El Charco

ANDESITA BASLTICA XINDH PALECENO EOCENO

19 0

200

SEUDOESTRATIFICACIN

20

DIQUE RIOLTICO

N O

PA L E G EN O

ES OT A

CARRETERA

OLIGOCENO

eQ ue r tar o

FA LL A

36.0 55.0 67.0 71.5 83.0 86.0

LA

IGNIMBRITA RIOLTICA CARRIZAL ANDESITA-BASLTICA XINDH TOBA RIOLTICA YETHAY

FANGLOMERADO FM EL MORRO CRETCICO Loma Bonita SUPERIOR

CURVAS DE NIVEL

F A L L

ZIM -Saucillo 50
16

Llano Segundo

LA

EOCENO PALEOCENO

lgo

do d

INFERIOR CALIZA FM EL DOCTOR

S E N O N IA N O

de

22

MAASTRICHTIANO

Es ta

00

ZIMAPN

REA URBANA

Hi da

20 38' N

MUESTRA

27

LUTITA FM SOYATAL

ZIM-22

ZIM - 44

PON

TIU

30

CAMPANIANO SANTONI ANO CONIACIANO

20

ROCA GNEA INTRUSIVA

MONZONITA

Es tad o

20

S UP E R IOR

Pontihu

M E S OZ OI C O

C R E T C IC O

FM. SOYATAL
TURONIANO

89.0

20 37' N
91.0

Tzibanza

Aljibes
1800

CENOMANI NO A
97.5

ESCALA:
La Sabina

San Pedro

ZIM - 43
FA
AN A S LL
L FA

I N F ER I O R

ALBIANO

FM. EL DOCTOR
108.5

20 36' N 99 37' W

3
99 35' W

5 Km
99 34' W 99 33' W 99 32' W 99 31' W 99 30' W

0 18

1700

99 36' W

99 29' W

99 28' W

99 27' W

99 26' W

99 25' W

99 24' W

99 23' W

LOCAL GEOLOGY
RHYOLITIC TUFFS B) A)

BASALTIC TO ANDESITIC LAVAS B)

RHYOLITIC IGNIMBRITE SEQUENCE A)

A)

rhyolitic tuff

A)

C)
C)
Mafic dike

B)
C)

Rhyolitic tuff outcropping to the east of Cerro El Varal (ZIM-35) with quartz hypidiomorphic to xenomorphic quartz crystals (400 to 850 microns), biotite with a fibrous habit (230 microns) and plagioclase (450 microns) in a glassy matrix.

D)

Basalt andesite (ZIM-33) with porphyritic texture containig xenomorphic olivine (400-800 microns) in a mircolithic matrix of albite, augite and opaque. CERRO EL VARAL

C)
Rhyolitic ignimbrite (ZIM-33) to the NE of Zimapn dam. Contain xenomorphic quartz (50 to 460microns),xenomorphic albite with polysynthetic twinning(820 microns) and biotite with fibrous habit (320 to 580 microns) in a glassy matrix.

Figure 1. a) Outcrop of tilted rhyolitic ignimbrite (40) at the base of Cerro El Varal with aphanitic fine volcanic lithic and sediment to the ground of Varal Hill (ZIM-40, 20 37. 268' N / 99 21,963' W), b) Rhyolitic tuff hand sample from same outcrop, c) Thin section of rhyolitic tuff .

Figure 2. a) The tuffs are cut by mafic dikes of basalticandesitic composition, which in part conducted the magma to the surface to from lava flow sequences like that found at the top of Cerro El Varal (Fig. 2d), c)Hand sample showing aphanitic texture, and the presence altered olivine crystals. d) Cerro El Varal is formed by massive tilted basalticandesitic laccoliths, wish intrude greenish rhyolitic tuffs that are seen at the bottom right of the image.

Figure 3. a) Ignimbrite, b) Hand sample of a rhyolitic ignimbrite, c) Thin section of cristal-rich rhyolitic ignimbrite.

2100

FLANGLOMERADO EL MORRO

PRESA

V E G A

FA L

LA

1900

20 00

2200

ZIM - 35 ZIM - 37 ZIM - 34 33 S ZIM - 33 I

FALLA SIJAI
0 170

20

00

20 42' N

Bella Vista del Ro

18

ZIM - 36 18
14

33

21

00

ZIM - 47
190 0

La Estanzuela

21

00

00 22

ZIM - 31

A LL FA
170 0

S LA

ZIM - 29

S ZA TU

FALLA CUE STA

C. CUESTA BLANCA
BLA NCA

CAB A LG

Cruz Pinta

Llano Blanco El Salitre

20 43' N
C. ADHO

Titlted basaltic-andesitic lava flow and rhyolitic ignimhorizontal basalt brite sequence plateau

RIC

pseudo-stratification Fault

iii

iv

E) Figure 7. a) TAS classification diagram Na2O + K2O vs SiO2 (Le Bas et al., 1986), which includes the line between alkaline and subalkaline fields of Irvine and Baragar (1971), b) classification diagram based on altered rocks Zr/TiO2 vs SiO2 (Winchester and Floyd, 1977), c) Harker diagrams for major elements, e) REE patterns normalized to chondrites (Anders and Grevesse, 1989) for zircons analyzed by LA-ICP-MS, d) multi-element diagram normalized to primitive mantle (Sun & McDonough, 1989).

TO NI O

AD UR A

SA NA

lvaro Obregn (Temuthe)

NT
IO ON

190

N
18 00
C. EL TECOLOTE

Lzaro Crdenas (Remedios)

FA
A LL
N TA ES
EL ZU

A
21 00

20 42' N

C. EL BOU

A
L
170 0

El Cuarto Tathi

9932'

9920'

20 41' N
La Tinaja
AS ABIN LA S FAL

2044'

ZIMAPN C. SAN ANTONIO

GEOCHRONOLOGY
N

Yoxc

ZIM - 49

15

La Sabina

B)
Tinthe
20 00
C. TINTHE

A)

DOMOS RIOLTICOS

20 40' N
El Aguacatito

Rhyolitic Domes

A
I
Puetzey
0

FA

LL A

C.EL VIOLN (EL ENCINO)

MESA DE LEN

C. LAS PILETAS
AGUAS BLANCAS
BASCULAMIENTO 43

C. EL VARAL

ZIM - 23 Doxthi ZIM - 22 C. SONTHE ZIM - 25 ZIM - 24

I XT H DO LA FAL

20 39' N

C.SONTHE C. EL VARAL

ZIM-38 RHYOLITE

ZIM-49 RHYOLITIC TUFF B)

2100

1900

18 00

210

00

B-A

C. BLANCO

20 38' N
2036'
BASCULAMIENTO 42

170 0 170 0

ZIM - 39 10 Taxtho ZIM - 40 ZIM - 41 ZIM - 42

10

Xitha Primero (El Rodeo)

Vicente Guerrero (El Tabln)

00 19

1800

20 37' N

ZIM-46 RHYOLITIC IGNIMBRITE

C)
Figure 6. a) Stereographic projection showing NW-SE pseudo-stratification of a tilted ignimbrite sequence dipping 15- 35, with the same orientation measured normal faults, b) Digital elevation model of the study area showing the alignment of rhyolite domes related to its emplacement through listric normal growth faults.

ZIM-28 RHYOLITIC IGNIMBRITE

180

99 22' W

T IX

CA

99 21' W

20 36' N 99 20' W

ZIM-48 RHYOLITIC TUFF

ZIM-31 RHYOLITE

RHYOLITIC DOMES B) Rhyolitic dike

B)

OL-BASALT LAVA FLOWS A)

Rhyolitic dome

Ignimbrite

Basalt

Figure 8. a) U / Pb dating of samples ZIM-38, ZIM-46, ZIM-48 and ZIM-49 plotted in Tera-Wasserburg concordia diagram and 206Pb/238U weighted average diagram, b) results of Ar / Ar analysis of plagioclase from sample ZIM-28 age spectra with plateau age of 28.27 0.27Ma and isochron diagram with an isochron age of 27.82 0.22Ma, c) results of Ar / Ar analysis of sanidine from sample ZIM-31: sanidine age spectra with a plateau age 31.60 0.22Ma and to ZIM-31sample: sanidine age spectra with a plateau age 31.60 0.22Ma and isochron diagram yielding an isochron age of 31.6 0.23Ma isochronous (Tp = plateau age, Tc= isochron age . The numbers close to the ellipses in the diagrams correspond to each measured fraction).

CONCLUSIONS
The Oligocene succession exposed southwest of Zimapn, state of Hidalgo is affected by WNW striking, SSE-dipping normal faults, with displacements up to 150 m and up to 40 tilting. Rhyolitic domes and dikes are also aligned in a WNW direction, suggesting a common extensional regime. Growth faults and decreasing tilting upsection indicate that faulting was synchronous with volcanism and entirely bracketed within the Oligocene. The youngest unit in the area are untilted Ol-basaltic lava flows of Late Miocene age, affected by small extensional faults with less than 50 m of displacement. Our new data show that the volcanic sequence in the area was emplaced in a short time span during the Oligocene as a part of the Sierra Madre Occidental volcanism. Although small E-W striking faults do affect late Miocene and younger rocks, most of the deformation previously ascribed to the Aljibes half-graben is older and cannot be part of the TMVB intra-arc extension.

D)
D) C)
Rhyolite (ZIM-37) to the NE of the Zimapn dam. Porphyritic texture. with hypidiomorphic quartz (760m) and xenomorphic plagioclase (600m),phenocrysts porphyritic in a microlithic matrix. .

Figure 4. a) Rhyolitic dike intruding the ignimbrite sequence, and are considered as feeders of rhyolitic domes (ZIM 38, 20. 67729 N/99. 47381 W), b) rhyolite dome to the west of Coaxithi village (20 40.406' N / 99 24.523' W), c) rhyolitic rock sample with flow banding taken from Cerro San Antonio (20 43.237' N / 99 30.873' W ),d) Thin section of a rhyolitic lava sample with phenocrysts of quartz and plagioclase.

Basalt (ZIM-44) of the Mesa Llano Segundo containing xenomorphic olivine phenocrysts (~ 1315 microns). With iddingsitic rims, serial porphyritic texture and matrix composed by plagioclase microlites, feldspar, olivine, cliopiroxene and opaque.

REFERENCES
Anders, E., Grevesse, N., 1989. Abundances of the elements: meteoritic and solar. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 53. pags. 197-214. Irvine T.N. and Baraga r W.R.A., 1971. A guide to the chemical classification of the common volcanic rock: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 8, 523-548. Le Bas, M.J., La Maitre, R.W., Streckeisen, A. and Zanettin, B.(1986). A Chemical classification of volcanic rocks based on the total alkali-silica diagram. Journal of Petrology 27, 745-750. Sun, S., McDonough, W., 1989. Chemical and isotopic systematics of oceanic basalts: implications for mantle composition and processes. Geological Society of London. Special Publication. 42. pags. 313-345. Suter M., Carrillo, M. M., Lopz, M. M. y Farrar, E., 1995. The Aljibes half-graben- active extension at the boundary between the trasmexican volcanic belt and the basin and range Province, Mexico. GSA bulletin; V. 107 No 6 p.p. 627-641; 13 figures; 3 tables. Tera, F., Wasserburg, G., 1972. U-Th-Pb systematics in lunar highland samples from the Luna 20 and Apollo 16 missions. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 17 (1). pags. 36-51. Wetherill, G., 1956. Discordant uranium-lead ages, I. Transactions - American Geophysical Union. 37. pags. 320-326. Winchester J.A. and Floyd P.A., 1977. Geochemical discrimination of different magma series and their differentiation products using immobile elements. Chem. Geol., 20, 325-343.

Figure 5. a) Tilted ignimbrite package discordantly covered by a horizontal basalt plateau, b) light gray basalt with aphanitic texture and fresh olivine, plagioclase and pyroxene (20 38.580' N / 99 27.442' W), overlying lacustrine tuffaceous deposits c) Hand sample of ol-basalt,d)Thin section of ol-basalt lava with aphanitic texture abd fresh olivine, plagioclase and pyroxene.