RUI: Field Study in Northeastern Mexico of the Southern Edge of North America During the Late Paleozoic

为了了解古生代后期北美大陆南缘的历史，将在墨西哥东北部进行地质实地研究。现在对这段历史知之甚少，因为只有少数几个地方露出了适当年龄的岩石，而且还没有研究包括收集和整合所有这些地方的野外数据。这个项目是一个广泛的，系统的研究一些剩余的相对未知的领域；由此获得的知识将与我们以前在墨西哥北部的工作所得的知识相结合。在古生代后期，墨西哥北部有两个或更多的岩石圈板块交汇，这一说法得到了科阿韦拉南部钙碱性火山岩和相关盆地沉积物的证实。本研究的一个主要目标是寻找墨西哥其他州的信息，这些信息将有助于确定趋同的方向、地理环境和时间。也有间接证据表明，在中生代时期，沿边界形成的岩石可能被沿一条或多条NNW向大断层的横向运动所破坏。因此，第二个目标是比较沿假定断层带的岩石，以了解破坏的性质。这个项目的主要贡献将是知识、解释和数据，这些是地质学家们所必需的，他们一直在努力把泛大陆之谜的最后一块拼凑起来。此外，了解岩石的地质情况符合美国和墨西哥的国家利益，因为岩石可能具有石油和金属矿产资源的巨大潜力。

Geological field studies will be undertaken in northeastern Mexico in order to learn the history of the southern margin of the North American continent during the latter part of the Paleozoic Era. This history is now very poorly known because there are only a few places where rocks of the appropriate age are exposed and there have been no studies which include both collection and integration of field data from all of these localities. This project is a broad, systematic study of some of the remaining relatively unknown areas; knowledge thus gained will be integrated with that derived from our previous work in northern Mexico. That two or more lithospheric plates converged in northern Mexico in the latter part of the Paleozoic Era is proven by the presence of calcalkaline volcanic rocks and associated basinal sediments in southern Coahuila. A principal objective of this study is to seek the kinds of information in other Mexican states which will help determine the orientation, geographic setting, and timing of convergence. There is also indirect evidence that rocks formed along the boundary may have been disrupted by lateral movement along one or more large, NNW- trending faults during the Mesozoic Era. Therefore, a second objective is to compare rocks along the zone of postulated faulting to learn about the nature of the disruptions. The principal contributions of this project will be knowledge, interpretations, and data which are necessary to those geologists who have been trying to fit one of the last pieces into the Pangaea puzzle. Further, it is in the national interests of both the U.S. and Mexico to understand the geology of rocks which may have substantial potential as bearers of both petroleum and metallic mineral resources.