Geology of the Lucea Inlier, Western Jamaica

Author

Jack Grippi, University at Albany, State University of New York

Date of Award

1978

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Geology

First Advisor

K.C. Burke

Abstract

The Lucea Inlier exposes a Santonian to Campanian 4 km + thick sequence of shale-siltstone, resedimented volcaniclastics, lenses of shallow-water limestone, micritic limestone, pebbly mudstone and sandy pebble to boulder conglomerate. Clastics were deposited by a variety of gravity flow mechanisms. Petrographically sandstones are lithic or feldspathic arenites and contain only very small amounts of detrital quartz. Structurally the inlier is characterized by simple, open, east-west trending folds. A spaced, vertical axial-planar cleavage is developed in shales and fine siltstones. Two major east-west trending left-lateral fault zones, the Fat Hog Quarter and Maryland faults, cut the inlier into three blocks, northern, central and southern. The basal part of the sequence has been subjected to a prehnite-pumpellyite metamorphism.
The rocks of the Lucea Inlier are interpreted to represent a shelf to basin sequence within an upper slope basin of a Cretaceous intraoceanic arc trench system. Detritus shed from the arc was funneled down submarine canyons feeding a submarine fan complex. Between canyon heads, shoal areas fringing volcanic islands locally accumulated bioclastic, reef-type limestone.
The geology of the northern Caribbean plate boundary records a complex array of Cretaceous to Eocene arc-trench systems that has been modified by Cenozoic left-lateral slip along the Oriente and Swan transforms.
Ridge related north-south lineated topography of the Cayman Trough suggests that a minimum of 720 km of left-lateral movement has occurred between the North American and Caribbean plate since approximately Oligocene times. Presently active northwest, northeast and east-west trending structures within Jamaica are interpreted as being of compressional, extensional and strike-slip origin, respectively, and are thought to be related to Recent left-lateral slip along the northern Caribbean plate boundary.

Comments

Grippi, J., 1978. Geology of the Lucea Inlier, Western Jamaica. Unpublished MSc. thesis, State University of New York at Albany.
183pp., +x.; 6 folded plates (maps)
University at Albany Science Library call number: SCIENCE Oversize (*) QE 224 G63X

Recommended Citation

Grippi, Jack, "Geology of the Lucea Inlier, Western Jamaica" (1978). Geology Theses and Dissertations. 31.
https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/cas_daes_geology_etd/31