Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-nr4z6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-01T15:19:50.925Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Geomorphology, Deformation, and Chronology of Marine Terraces along the Pacific Coast of Central Baja California, Mexico

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Alan J. Woods
Alan J. Woods*
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Three emergent marine terraces are prominent between Playa El Marron and Arroyo El Salinito and comprise the most extensive Pleistocene planation surfaces in central Baja California, Mexico. The deposits of the lowest terrace, the Tomatal, are 120,000 ± 20,000 yr old (Sangamonian?) while the absolute ages of the two higher and older terraces, the Andrés and Aeropuerto, are unknown. The Tomatal terrace is particularly well developed and comprises degraded sea cliffs, paleodunes, and lagoonal sequences. Shingle paleobeach ridges also occur locally and reflect shore progradation and tombolo formation. The Tomatal shoreline is nearly horizontal at 7 ± 1 m above present mean sea level, whereas the older Aeropuerto terrace has been tilted so that it decreases in elevation toward the southeast. Nonetheless, coastal tilting is not nearly as great as at many other localities in California and Baja California. This is despite the fact that the entire Baja California peninsula has been assumed to be tectonically unstable during the Pleistocene, primarily because of the forces generated by plate motion.

Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 13 , Issue 3 , May 1980 , pp. 346 - 364
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alexander, C.S., (1953). The marine and stream terraces of Capitola-Watsonville area. University of California Publications in Geography 10 1 44 Google Scholar
Anderson, D.L., (1966). Geology of the El Rosarito Region, Baja California, Mexico. Undergraduate Research Reports Vol. 10 San Diego State University Google Scholar
Anderson, D.L., (1971). The San Andreas Fault. Scientific American 225 53 68 Google Scholar
Arnold, B.A., (1957). Late Pleistocene and recent changes in land forms, climate, and archaeology in central Baja California. University of California Publications in Geography 10 201 318 Google Scholar
Beal, C.H., (1948). Reconnaissance of the geology and oil possibilities of Baja California, Mexico. Geological Society of America Memoir 31 Google Scholar
Birkeland, P.W., (1972). Late Quaternary eustatic sea level changes along the Malibu coast, Los Angeles County, California. Journal of Geology 80 432 448 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bradley, W.C., (1957). Origin of marine-terrace deposits in the Santa Cruz area, California. Geological Society of America Bulletin 68 421 444 Google Scholar
Bradley, W.C. Griggs, G.B., (1976). Form, genesis, and deformation of central California wave cut platforms. Geological Society of America Bulletin 87 433 449 Google Scholar
Comisión de Estudios del Territorio Nacional (CETENAL) (1974). Topographic maps. Quadrangles: José Maria Morelos y Pavón (H11D79) Punta El Diablo (H11D58), Punta Prieta (H11D59), Rosarito (H11D69), San Borja (H12C61), San Jeronimo (H12C71). Scale: 1:50,000 Google Scholar
Comisión de Estudios del Territorio Nacional (CETENAL) (1973). Black and white aerial photographs Zone: 44B. Lines (and photograph numbers): 6(51–53), 7(13–17), 10(1–5), 12(51–53), 13(1–4), 14(39–43), 15(1–4), 16(39–42), and 17(1–4). Nominal Scale: 1:25,000. Google Scholar
Curray, J.R., (1970). Quaternary influence, coast and continental shelf of western U.S.A. and Mexico. Quaternaria 12 19 34 Google Scholar
Emerson, W.K. Hertlein, L.G., (1960). Pliocene and Pleistocene invertebrates from Punta Rosalia, Baja California, Mexico. American Museum of Natural History Novitates 2004 1 8 Google Scholar
Fife, D.L., (1968). Geology of the Bahía Santa Rosalia quadrangle, Baja California, Mexico. Unpublished M.S. thesis San Diego State University Google Scholar
Fife, D.L., (1974). Reconnaissance geology of the Bahía de Santa Rosalia quadrangle, Estado de Baja California, Mexico Guidebook to the Geology of Peninsular California, Pacific Sections, AAPG, SEPM, and SEG 91 103 Google Scholar
Gastil, R.G. Phillips, R.P. Allison, E.C., (1975). Reconnaissance geology of the state of Baja California. Geological Society of America Memoir 140 Google Scholar
Grant, U.S. IV Hertlein, L.G., (1938). West American Cenozoic echinoidea. University of California at Los Angeles Publications in Mathematical and Physical Sciences Vol. 2 Google Scholar
Hamilton, W., (1971). Recognition on Space Photographs of Structural Elements of Baja California United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 718 Google Scholar
Kern, J.P., (1977). Origin and history of upper Pleistocene marine terraces, San Diego, California. Geological Society of America Bulletin 88 1553 1566 Google Scholar
Ku, T.L. Kern, J.P., (1974). Uranium-series age of the upper Pleistocene Nestor Terrace, San Diego, California. Geological Society of America Bulletin 85 1713 1716 Google Scholar
Mina Uhink, F., (1957). Bosquejo geológico del Territorio Sur de la Baja California. Asociación Mexicana de Geologos Petroleros Boletin 9 139 269 Google Scholar
Moore, D.G., (1973). Plate edge deformation and crustal growth, Gulf of California structural province. Geological Society of America Bulletin 84 1883 1906 2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moore, D.G. Buffington, E.C., (1968). Transform faulting and growth of the Gulf of California since the late Pliocene. Science 161 1238 1241 Google Scholar
Omura, A. Emerson, W.K. Ku, T.L., (1979). Uranium-series ages of echinoids and corals from the upper Pleistocene Magdalena Terrace, Baja California Sur, Mexico. The Nautilus 94 184 189 Google Scholar
Orme, A.R., (1972). Quaternary deformation of western Baja California, Mexico, as indicated by marine terraces and associated deposits International Geological Congress, 24th, Section 3—Tectonics Harpell's Press Co-operative Gardenvale, Quebec 627 634 Google Scholar
Orme, A.R., (1974). Quaternary deformation of marine terraces between Ensenada and El Rosario. Geology of Peninsular California, Pacific Sections AAPG, SEPM, and SEG 67 79 Google Scholar
Ortlieb, L., (1977). Neotectonics from marine terraces along the Gulf of California, preliminary observations Earth Rheology and Late Cenozoic Isostatic Movements Symposium Stockholm 109 110 (Abstracts Volume) Google Scholar
Palmer, L.A., (1967). Marine Terraces of California, Oregon, and Washington. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation University of California Los Angeles Google Scholar
Putnam, W.C., (1942). Geomorphology of the Ventura region, California. Geological Society of America 53 691 754 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shackleton, N.J. Opdyke, N.D., (1973). Oxygen isotope and paleomagnetic stratigraphy of equatorial Pacific core V-28-238: Oxygen isotope temperatures and ice volume of a 105 year and 106 year scale. Quaternary Research 3 39 55 Google Scholar
Steinen, R.P. Harrison, R.S. Matthews, R.K., (1973). Eustatic low stand of sea level between 125,000 and 105,000 B.P.: Evidence from the subsurface of Barbados, West Indies. Geological Society of America Bulletin 84 63 70 Google Scholar
Szabo, B.J. Rosholt, J.N., (1969). Uranium-series dating of Pleistocene molluscan shells from southern California—an open system model. Journal of Geophysical Research 74 3253 3260 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Szabo, B.J. Vedder, J.G., (1971). Uranium-series dating of some Pleistocene marine deposits in southern California. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 11 283 290 Google Scholar
Vedder, J.G. Norris, R.M., (1963). Geology of San Nicholas Island United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 369 Google Scholar
Wehmiller, J.F. Peterson, E. Kvenvolden, K.A. Lajoie, K.R. Wright, R.W., (1974). Amino acid enantiomeric ratios as correlative and chronological tools in the study of California marine terraces. American Geophysical Union Transactions 56 1139 Google Scholar
Wehmiller, J.F. Lajoie, K.R. Kvenvolden, K.A. Peterson, E. Belknap, D.F. Kennedy, G.L. Addicott, W.O. Vedder, J.G. Wright, R.W., (1977). Correlation and chronology of Pacific coast marine terrace deposits of continental United States by fossil amino acid stereochemistry—technique. evaluation. relative ages, kinetic model ages, and geologic implications. United States Geological Survey Open File Report 77 680 Google Scholar
Woodring, W.P. Bramlette, M.N. Kew, W.S.W., (1946). Geology and Paleontology of Palos Verdes Hills, California United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 207 Google Scholar
Woods, A.J., (1978). Marine Terraces between Playa El Marron and Morro Santo Domingo, Central Baja California, Mexico. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation University of California Los Angeles Google Scholar