The Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean pp 283-323 | Cite as
Paleozoic and Mesozoic Tectonic Belts in Mexico and Central America
Abstract
The purpose of this synthesis is to present the structural framework which developed during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic on the western side of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. As defined by King (1969, p. 84), a foldbelt is “a linear belt that has been subjected to folding and other deformation during the orogenic phase of a tectonic cycle. Each foldbelt evolved during a time span different from that of any others, and details of their histories differ, although they can be grouped broadly, according to worldwide time of orogeny.” King cites as synonyms mobile belt, orogenic belt, mountain belt (less properly) and the French term region de plissement. The area under discussion falls mainly within King’s Cordilleran foldbelt and Antillean fold-belt (King, 1969, and Tectonic Map of North America).
Keywords
Sedimentary Rock Metamorphic Rock Yucatan Peninsula Tectonic Belt Paleozoic RockPreview
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