Polyphase Deformation in San Miguel Las Minas, Northern Acatlan Complex, Southern Mexico

by Barley, Brent J.

Mapping in the northern part of the Acatlán Complex (southern Mexico) has distinguished two lithological units: a high-grade unit assigned to the Piaxtla Suite, and a low-grade unit assigned to the Cosoltepec Formation. Two major Paleozoic tectonothermal events have been identified in these rocks. The first event produced a penetrative deformational fabric (SPS1) parallel to a compositional banding during blueschist and amphibolite facies metamorphism, which has recently been dated as ~346 Ma in a neighboring area, and a greenschist overprint during exhumation. The second event, which is recorded in both the Piaxtla Suite and Cosoltepec Formation, produced two penetrative deformational fabrics under subgreenschist metamorphic conditions. The first, high-grade tectonothermal event accompanied closure of the Rheic Ocean and tectonic juxtapositioning of the two units during exhumation of the high-grade unit in the Devono-Carboniferous. The second event records convergence along the paleo-Pacific margin of Pangea in the Permo-Triassic.