Central America and the North Caribbean: Resource Implications Inferred from Paleomagnetic Data and Plate Tectonic History

Abstract

Jurassic paleomagnetic latitudes for northern South America are consistent with a post-Jurassic southward displacement of South America of about 15{\textdegree} relative to North America. This tectonic displacement allowed the development of the Caribbean Sea. It also had important consequences for the subsequent development of plate margins and all associated mineral and energy resources in the circum-Caribbean region. As an example of how plate tectonics can be incorporated into resource exploration strategies, the consequences of this post-Jurassic displacement are explored in terms of the disruption of Jurassic drainage systems of northern South America. It is hypothesized that this disruption may have resulted in the abandonment of an important Jurassic delta, a potential hydrocarbon reservoir. The possible sites for such a delta could be in widely scattered regions such as present-day Bahamas, south Florida-Yucatan, southern Gulf of Mexico-Chiapas, or the Nicaragua Rise-Honduras zone. Thus it is shown that geologic studies in South America can be important to exploration strategies in North America, the Greater Antilles, and Central America. The integration of a wider body of data, incorporating plate tectonic displacements, leads to a wider diversity of exploration possibilities.