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Abstract
Mesozoic sedimentary sequences in northeastern Mexico are dominated by carbonate
successions. However, siliciclastic intercalations are reported in the Late Triassic-Middle Jurassic,
Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous and Late Cretaceous. In the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary,
siliciclastic sequences bordered the paleoelements; Coahuila Block and Tamaulipas Arc paleo–highs,
being deposited in the Monterrey trough, with the La Casita Formation in the south and Sabinas
Basin in the north with the Patula Arkose.
The main goal of this thesis is to document sedimentological, petrographical and
cathodoluminescence, geochemical, and geochronological characteristics, supporting the results
with multivariate statistical methods of compositional data. These methods result in a provenance
analysis understanding and improve depositional models and tectonic history of the region.
La Casita Formation shows ten facies association interpreted as a paleo–deltaic shoreline
influenced/dominated by wave, tides and fluvial systems with 15 ° NW to 10 ° SE trend.
Petrographical, geochemical and cathodoluminescence analysis evidence rhyolitic, dacitic, andesitic,
granitic, granodioritic, tuffaceous, and in minor proportion metafelsític/psamític2-4 source rocks
compositions, deposited within an undissected volcanic rift and dissected rift environments. The
zircon populations point out at the Nazas, Permian-Triassic, and Las Delicias Arcs, Pan-Africanbrasiliana
rocks, and Precambrian basement as the main sources of detritus.
Patula Arkose shows large sequences link to fluvial–alluvial process deposited in the central part of
Sabinas Basin, with andesitic, granitic, rhyolitic, and metapellitic2-3 source rocks, deposited within a
dissected rift setting. The zircon family groups indicate the Permian–Triassic and Las Delicias arcs,
Coahuila–Texas Craton, Pan–African–Brazilian, and Precambrian rock as the main of detritus input.
The classical model, favors that, the tectonostratigraphic development of the northeastern Mexico
during Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous was linked to rift and passive margins. However, the
results of the study show that the main tectonic control was the extensional process related to leftlateral
faults, which led to the development of the pull-apart and strike-slip basins, closely linked to
emplacement or accretion/amalgamation of the Cordilleran arcs and the opening of the Gulf of
Mexico.
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