Gulf of Mexico basin

USGS Geologic Map of the Gulf of Mexico
USGS Geologic Map of the Gulf of Mexico

The formation of the Gulf of Mexico, an oceanic rift basin located between North America and the Yucatan Block, was preceded by the breakup of the Supercontinent Pangaea in the Late-Triassic, weakening the lithosphere. Rifting between the North and South American plates continued in the Early-Jurassic, approximately 160 million years ago, and formation of the Gulf of Mexico, including subsidence due to crustal thinning, was complete by 140 Ma.[1] Stratigraphy of the basin, which can be split into several regions, includes sediments deposited from the Jurassic through the Holocene, currently totaling a thickness between 15 and 20 kilometers.[2]

  1. ^ Bird, Dale E.; Burke, Kevin; Hall, Stuart A.; Casey, John F.; Buster, Noreen A. (30 May 2011). Gulf of Mexico Origin, Waters and Biota Volume 3: Geology; Tectonic Evolution of the Gulf of Mexico Basin (1 ed.). Corpus Christi: Texas A&M University Press. pp. 3–14. ISBN 978-1-60344-290-9.
  2. ^ Galloway, William E.; Buster, Noreen A. (30 May 2011). Gulf of Mexico Origin, Waters and Biota Volume 3: Geology; Pre-Holocene Geological Evolution of the Northern Gulf of Mexico Basin (1 ed.). Corpus Christi: Texan A&M University Press. pp. 33–48. ISBN 978-1-60344-290-9.