Evolution of the Late Cretaceous forearc basin, northern and central California

Research Article| September 01, 1979 Evolution of the Late Cretaceous forearc basin, northern and central California RAYMOND V. INGERSOLL RAYMOND V. INGERSOLL 1Department of Geology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information RAYMOND V. INGERSOLL 1Department of Geology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (1979) 90 (9): 813–826. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1979)90<813:EOTLCF>2.0.CO;2 Article history First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation RAYMOND V. INGERSOLL; Evolution of the Late Cretaceous forearc basin, northern and central California. GSA Bulletin 1979;; 90 (9): 813–826. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1979)90<813:EOTLCF>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract The Upper Cretaceous part of the Great Valley Sequence of California provides a unique opportunity to study deep-marine sedimentation, petrologic evolution, and tectonic evolution of a forearc basin. Actualistic models of submarine fan sedimentation and arc-trench evolution provide the basis for unraveling the complex depositional history of the bathyal to abyssal sediment deposited between the Sierra Nevada volcano-plutonic arc to the east and the Franciscan subduction complex to the west. Submarine fan components are lenticular stratigraphic units which can be correlated along strike on the basis of both paleontologic and petrologic data. The following depositional components are present: basin plain, outer fan, midfan, inner fan, slope, and shelf. Vertical successions of fan facies associations constitute retrograding and pro-grading suites that correspond, respectively, to onlapping and offlapping relations in the basin. Sedimentation rates are similar to those of other tectonically active flysch basins. Paleocurrents are predominantly southerly and westerly in the Sacramento Valley, and predominantly westerly in the San Joaquin Valley. Microfossil evidence and the lack of carbonate material suggest deposition below the Late Cretaceous calcite compensation depth.Dimensions and geometries of tectono-stratigraphic components of the Late Cretaceous arc-trench system are similar to those of modern arc-trench systems. The Late Cretaceous arc-trench gap widened by the prograde accretion of the Franciscan Assemblage (subduction complex) and the retrograde migration of the Sierra Nevada volcanic front (arc). Sediment dispersal systems expanded as the basin widened. The Java arc-trench system provides a modern analogue for the Late Cretaceous forearc basin, with sediment fed laterally from the arc and dispersed longitudinally along the basin axis. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.