Reconstructing the Mesozoic evolution of the Gulf of Mexico Basin: A new
model incorporating optimised and focused lithospheric deformation
Abstract
The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) is one of the most extensively studied offshore
regions, but its Mesozoic evolution remains uncertain. The presence of a
thick sedimentary cover and Jurassic salt poses challenges for
geophysical imaging, hindering our understanding of the Mesozoic
depositional history and crustal architecture evolution. Current
tectonic models with rigid plates fail to capture key aspects of GoM
evolution. This study introduces a new deformable plate model with
optimised focused deformation designed to dynamically adjust stretching
factors (SF) during rift evolution. Our model, which calculates crustal
thickness and tectonic subsidence (TS) through time and accounts for
stretching and thermal subsidence, can explain the depositional history
of the pre-salt section and crustal architecture evolution of the GoM.
Our model produces a predicted present-day crustal thickness with a root
mean square error of 5.6 km with the GEMMA crustal thickness model. The
resultant TS of ~1.5 km before the Yucatán block
drifted, provides routes for the deposition of red beds through the
paleo drainage systems of the northern GoM as successor basin infilling.
The model explains ~40 Myrs of missing sedimentary
strata, which we attribute to rapid subsidence in the central GoM,
shifting red beds deposition beneath the Jurassic salt formations.
Extension rate and SF calculations reveal a transition from a magma-rich
to a hyperextended margin, with possible mantle exhumation. Our model
can be useful in understanding the extent of other Jurassic deposits in
the GoM basin and offers a robust framework for comprehending global
passive rift margin evolution.