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Heat Flow and Continuous Seismic Profiles in the Cayman Trough and Yucatan Basin

1972; Geological Society of America; Volume: 83; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1130/0016-7606(1972)83[1241

1943-2674

A. J. Erickson, Charles E. Helsley, Gene Simmons,

Reservoir Engineering and Simulation Methods

Research Article| May 01, 1972 Heat Flow and Continuous Seismic Profiles in the Cayman Trough and Yucatan Basin A. J ERICKSON; A. J ERICKSON Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 AUTHOR'S PRESENT ADDRESS: DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS, WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION, WOODS HOLE, MASSACHUSETTS 02543 (ERICKSON) Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar C. E HELSLEY; C. E HELSLEY Geosciences Division, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, Texas 75221 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar GENE SIMMONS GENE SIMMONS Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information A. J ERICKSON AUTHOR'S PRESENT ADDRESS: DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS, WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION, WOODS HOLE, MASSACHUSETTS 02543 (ERICKSON) Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 C. E HELSLEY Geosciences Division, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, Texas 75221 GENE SIMMONS Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 23 Jun 1971 Revision Received: 26 Oct 1971 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Copyright © 1972, 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 (1972) 83 (5): 1241–1260. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1972)83[1241:HFACSP]2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 23 Jun 1971 Revision Received: 26 Oct 1971 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation A. J ERICKSON, C. E HELSLEY, GENE SIMMONS; Heat Flow and Continuous Seismic Profiles in the Cayman Trough and Yucatan Basin. GSA Bulletin 1972;; 83 (5): 1241–1260. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1972)83[1241:HFACSP]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 average of 8 heat-flow measurements in the western half of the Cayman Trough is 2.07 ± 0.25 HFU, markedly higher than the averages of 1.46 ± 0.19 HFU (n = 9) and 1.38 ± 0.19 HFU (n = 3) obtained on the Yucatan Basin and Cayman Ridge, respectively. There is a tendency for the highest heat-flow values to be situated in the deepest areas of the trough. No systematic variation of heat flow with distance along the trough was observed. The existence of a long, narrow zone of uniformly high heat flow along the floor of the Cayman Trough, along with other geophysical data, suggest a tectonic origin for the trough by extension normal to the axis of the trough and/or by strike-slip faulting related to the eastward movement of the Caribbean lithospheric plate relative to the Atlantic plate. The mean heat flows through the Yucatan Basin and Cayman Ridge are nearly equal to the average world heat flow. Seismic profiler data and piston cores from the Cayman Trough and Ridge and in the Yucatan Basin show that the Cayman Trough is a geologically young feature, probably having originated since the early Tertiary, when the trough and adjacent ridge developed simultaneously. Subsequently, the western end of the trough has received terrigenous sediment from a source located near the Gulf of Honduras, rather than from the Yucatan Basin or Honduras. The central and eastern parts of the trough have been and remain isolated from any major sediment sources. Tectonic activity in the trough has been largely restricted to the margins, as evidenced by the location of the deepest basins, fault structures, and seismicity along the southern margin of the trough west of 83° W. and along the base of the Cayman Ridge east of 81° W. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. 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.