Print this pageCharacterization and
controls on halokinetic sequence style within the Upper Mudstone Member,
Portrerillos Formation, La Popa Basin, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
Jordayna J. Druke,
New Mexico State University Department of Geological Sciences,
Originally defined in La Popa Basin, halokinetic sequences are successions of growth strata related to passive diapiric rise and form in response to variations in sediment accumulation rate relative to diapiric rise rate. How halokinetic sequences relate to variations in regional and local sediment accumulation rates and the time scale at which they form are currently poorly understood concepts. The purpose of this project is to: (1) determine the thickness variation of the Upper Mudstone member from up-dip to down-dip margins as compared between two different diapirs within the La Popa Basin, (2) determine a relative temporal rate for halokinetic sequence formation, (3) relate the temporal rate to controls on sequence formation by comparing the up-dip and down-dip sections of two diapirs, and (4) relate halokinetic sequences to the depositional sequence stratigraphy of the Upper Mudstone Member. The Upper Mudstone Member will be interpreted within a sequence stratigraphic framework by measurement of a series of sections that are aligned on a dip profile that contain both diapir proximal and distal positions. The closely spaced diapir proximal sections will aid in the comparison of halokinetic sequence development on the up-dip sides of diapirs to the down-dip sides. The duration of halokinetic sequence development will be determined by tying the measured sections to previously collected biostratigraphy of the Upper Mudstone Member adjacent to the two diapirs.