STUDIA GEOLOGICA POLONI CA Vol. 105, Krakow 1994, pp. 67 - 90

Geology of Western Cuba Edited by A Pszcz6lkowski

Andrzej PSZCZOLKOWSK11

GEOLOGICAL CROSS-SECTIONS THROUGH THE SIERRA DEL ROSARIO THRUST BELT,

WESTERN CUBA2

(Figs 1 - 9; Pls I, JI)

Abstract. Geological sections across the Sierra del Rosario thrust bel t, Western Cuba, between Sierra de San Vicente and Soroa, are presented. Tectonic contact between the northern and southern structural units is well exposed to the east of Sierra de Cajalbana. To the west and southwest of Sierra de Cajalbana, this contact had been modified by the younger Lorna del Gato ove1-thrust. A pile of thr ust nappes of Sierra del Rosario had formed during the Early Eocene as a result of the overthrust of the ophiolitic complex and associated Cretaceous volcanic a r c from south to nmth.

Key words: Sierra d el Rosario, Cuba, geological cross-sections, thrust belt.

INTRODUCTION

The 140-km long Cordillera de Guaniguanico is the most important megastructure in Western Cuba. The cordillera is located mainly in the Pinar del Rio Province but its eastern extreme reaches the La Habana Province. The thrust nappes of Cordillera de Guaniguanico were formed during the Eocene. At that t ime, tectonic deformation affected Western and Central Cuba and other areas of the northwest­ern part of the Caribbean region. The c-ordillera consists of a number of tectonic units grouped in two belts: the Sierra de los Organos, an the Sierra del Rosario belts (Fig. 1). These belts differ in stratigraphic sequence and, partly, in their tectonic style (Pszcz6lkowski, 1977, 1978).

1 Institute of Geologi cal Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, Al. Zwirlti i Wigury 93, 02-089 Warszawa (Poland).

2 Typescript accepted for publication 13 June 1994.

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Fig. 1 A. Position in Cuba of the area shown in B (black); B. Tectonic scheme of Sierra del Rosario in western Cuba

1 - Jurassic, Cretaceous and Palaeogene rocks of the Cordillera de Guaniguanico (not affected by metamorphism); 2 - Cangre meta­morphic belt in Sierra de los Organos; 3 - serpentirrized ultramafi c rocks in the Bahia Honda terrane; 4 - gabbro and diabases in the Bahia Honda terrane; 5 - Encrucijada Fm. (Aptian - Cenomanian) and the Upper Cretaceous deposits in the southern tectonic unit of the Bahia Honda terrane; 6 - Orozco Fm. (Santorrian - Lower Campanian) in the Bahia Honda terrane; 7 - Vfa Blanca Fm . (Campanian -Middle MaastriclJtian) in the Bahfa Honda teiTane; 8 - Capdevila Fm. (Paleocene -Lower Eocene); 9 - San Diego de los Banos tectonostratigraphic zone; 10 - faults, 11 - overthrusts (thicker line- thrust of the northern t ectonic units over the sout­h ern ones, between Soroa and SieJTa de Cajalbana); 12 - tectonic contact (overthrust) between the Sierra del Rosario and La Espe­ranza belts (in the south) and the Bahia Honda terrane (in the north); 13 -- location of the geological cross-sections. Tectonic units of SieJTa de los Organos (partly after J. Piotrowski and D. Danilewski, in: Pszcz6lkowski et al., 1975): APS - Alturas de Pizarras del Sur (generalized); SG - Sierra de la Guira; V - Vinales; I - Infierno; PG - Pica Grande; A - Anc6n. Southern tectonic units of Sierra del Rosario (west of La Palma, according to D. Darrilewski): LB - Los Bermejal es; PU - Lorna del Puerto; MA(l) - Mameyal (1); MA(2) - Marneyal (2); LP - La Paloma; LL - La Llave; LM - Lorna del Muerto; C - Caimito; T - Taco Taco; Z - La Zarza; CP - Cinco Pesos; LT - Los Turnbos; N P - Niceto P erez; tw - tectonic windows. Northern tectonic units of Sierra del Rosario: BV -Belen Vi goa; N O - Naranjo; D - Dolores; LS - La Serafina; CE - Cangre; CH - SieJTa Chiquita; Q - Quinones; LE - La Espe­ranza belt. GB - Guajaib6n-Sierra Azul tectonic unit

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70 A. PSZCZOLKOWSKI

The aim of this paper is to characterize the structure of the Sierra del Rosario belt along selected geological cross-sections investigated by the present author in the field during 1970-1988. The stratigraphic standard used was presented separately (Pszcz6lkowski, 1978, 1982, 1988, 1994).

TECTONIC UNITS OF SIERRA DEL ROSARIO AND THE BOUNDARY WITH THE SIERRA DE LOS ORGANOS BELT

The tectonic units of Sierra del Rosario consist of Jurassic, Creta­ceous and Paleogene rocks belonging to 13 formations grouped in two stratigraphic sequences, the southern and the northern ones (Tab. 1). In the northern tectonic units (NTU), the oldest rocks belong to the El Sabalo and San Cayetano formations of Jurassic age.

TheEl Sabalo Formation comprises mafic rocks (Pl. I) intercalated with limestones and other sedimentary rocks. The San Cayetano For­mation consists of clastic rocks; it rarely occurs in the northern tec­tonic units. These units contain, moreover, 7 formations of the Jurassic, Cretaceous and Palaeogene age, some of them not developed in the southern units of Sierra del Rosario (Tab. 1). The youngest deposits belong to the Lower Eocene Vieja Member of the Manacas Formation (Pl. II, 1).

The southern tectonic units (STU) are well developed between La P alma and Soroa. In this area, the STU consist of 6- 8 formations of Jurassic through Palaeogene age. The San Cayetano clastics (pre-Late Oxfordian) are the oldest deposits. West of La Palma, the STU form the Alturas de Pizarras del Norte, consisting mainly of the San Cayetano Formation; the younger deposits occur subordinately. The STU continue to the southwest along the northern boundary of the Sierra de los Organos units (Pszcz6lkowski et al., 1975) and are recog­nizable in the whole area of the Alturas de Pizarras del Norte (Marti­nez & Vazquez, 1987; Martinez et al. , 1989). According to Martinez and Vazquez (1987), to southwest of Pons, the Rosario/Organos tec­tonic contact may be traced along the southern boundary of Alturas de Pizarras del Norte as the "frontal fault" (Fig. 2).

The Jurassic deposits of the southwestern part of Alturas de Pizarras del Norte contain coquinas characteri stic for the Sierra de los Organos belt. These coquinas occur as thin intercalations in the San Cayetano Formation, and as thicker beds in the Oxfordian Pan de Azucar Member. 'IWo views were expressed to explain th eir presence in Alturas de Pizarras del Norte: (1) the area of Alturas de Pizan·as del Norte form s "a structural complex derived ti·om a transitory area between the facies typical of Sierra de los Organos a nd Sierra del Rosario" (Piotrowska, 1978, p. 122), and (2) that the tectonic contact of the STU with the Sierra de los Organos units (SOU) which occurs within the Alturas de Pizanas del Norte is difficult to trace because the structural elements are composed mainly of the San Cayetano clastics.

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GEOLOGICAL CROSS-SECTIONS, SIERRA DEL ROSARIO 71

The present author's own e:xperience and the results of the geolo~;,>ical mapping to a 1 : 50 000 scale (Martinez & Vazquez, 1987) suggest the first view as being closer to

truth.

Table 1

Lithostratigraphic scheme of the Jurassic, Cretaceous and P alaeogene deposits in the Sierra del Rosario, Western Cuba

1 - lack of deposits (Maastrichtian erosion); 2 - hiatus (non-deposi tion); 3 - de­posits missing due to tectonic causes

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STAGE

MAASTRICHTIAN

CAMPANIAN

SANTONIAN­·CONIACIAN

TURONIAN

CENOMANIAN

ALBIAN-

SOUTHERN NORTHERN

SEQUENCE SEQUENCE

MANACAS FORMATION

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The NTU are thrust over the STU, and the latter units are thrust over the Sierra de los Organos nappe units (Pszcz6lkowslci, 1977). The Rosario/Organos contact is a low-angle thrust surface clipping to the north. The minimum amplitude of the overthrust as calculated from the geological map is about 12 km; however, as the northernmost SOU

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72 A. PSZCZ6LKOWSKI

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Fig. 2 Tectonic scheme of the Al turas de Pizarras del Norte in the northwestern par t of the Pinar del Rfo Province (after Matti"nez & Vazquez, 1987, fig. 1, partly modified )

Tectonic units of the Alturas de Pi zarras del Norte: BA - Baja; EL - El Junco; LM - Lorna del Muerto; LP - La P aloma; LV - La Vitri na; MA - Mameyal; MS -Merceditas. BH - Bahia Honda terrane. 1 - overthrusts separating Alturas de Pi­zarras del Norte from the Sierra de los Organos and the La Esperanza belts; 2 -thr ust faults between tectonic units of Alturas de Pizarras del Norte; 3 - tectonic contact between the Bahia Honda terrane (BH) and the La Esperanza be1t; 4 - faults observed; 5 - faults supposed; 6 - gabbro and serpentinite of the Jagua (or Cabeza de Hor acia) massif

are covered by the STU, the subsurface extension of the overthrust may be even larger. According to the present author, there is no evidence for a left-lateral strike-slip fault to separate the tectonic units of Sierra de los Organos and Sierra del Rosario, as suggested earlier by Rigassi-Studer (1963). This is an overthrust as is clearly shown by thrust faults between San Diego de los Banos and Pons (Figs 1 and 2). South of Sierra de Cajalbana, two l\TW-SE-orien ted fau lts are shown on the geological map, 1 : 250 000 scale, by Puscha­r ovski et al. (1988). However, these faults do not mark any important displacement between the tectonic units of Sierra del Rosario and Sierra de los Organos.

- - - - - - - · --- - - ·· --- --- --

GEOLOGICAL CROSS-SECTIONS, SIERRA DEL ROSARIO 73

CHARACTERISTICS OF GEOLOGICAL CROSS~SECTIONS

The location of geological cross-sections investigated in the Sierra del Rosario thrust belt between Sierra de San Vicente and Soroa is shown in Figure 1.

The area of Sierra de San Vicente belongs to the Anc6n tectonic unit of Sierra de los Organos (Rigassi-Studer, 1963). North of Sierra de San Vicente, there occurs the La Paloma tectonic unit (LP) which is thrust over the Anc6n unit (Fig. 3). Southwest of La Palma, the La Paloma thrust-nappe is in direct contact with the Pica Grande tectonic unit (PG) of Sierra de los Organos belt (Fig. 1). To the east, the SOU (Anc6n, Pico Grande and Vinales tectonic units) plunge below the STU. The Lorna del Puerto (PU) and Mameyal (M) tectonic units lie horizontally north of Sierra de la Giiira (Fig. 4); they are thrust over the Sierra de la Giiira unit (SG in Fig. 4). The latter unit belongs to the Sierra de los Organos belt, separating the La Paloma and Los Bermejales thrust-nappes (STU) from the Alturas de Pizarras del Sur units (APS).

Structural position of Sierra de la Guira unit is unusual (Figs 1 and 4-D). In the area close to the Pinar fault, massive limestones of the Gunsasa Formation are locally thrust over the San Cayetano Form:>.tion of the APS (Piotrowski, in: Pszcz6lkowski et aL, 1975). The superposition of the SG over APSis an evidence of strong compression in this part of the cordillera. To the west, the structural situation is rever sed: the Sierra de la Guira unit is overthrust by th e APS. This relationsh ip is typical for the contact between tho Alturas de Pizarras del Sur and !lfo~ote zone in th e Si en a de los Organos belt (Piotrowska, 1978, 1988). In the area located to the northwest of San Diego de los Banos, the STU approach metamorphosed units of the Can[,"l·e belt; these units do not con tact with one a nother in Cordillera de Guaniguanico.

In the area to the north of Sierra de la Gi.iira, the Caimito tectonic unit (C) is overthrust by the Mameyal units (Figs 1 and 5). The Caimito unit forms an a nticline, its axial plane clipping steeply to the south. North of this anticline, the NTU are thrust over the Mameyal (2) tectonic unit (STU). The mafic rocks and limestones of the El Sabala Formation (NTU) are thrust over the Manacas Formation deposits of the Mameyal (2) unit (Fig. 5-E). South of Sierra de Cajal­bana, the Sierra Chiquita tectonic unit (CH) is composed main- ly of the Polier Formation deposits (Lower Cretaceous). These deposits are thrust over serpentinized ultramafic rocks of the Cajalbana massif (Fig. 5-E; see also Pszcz6lkowski, 1977).

The contact between the STU and NTU may be also analysed in the cross-sections situated in the eastern part of Sierra del Rosario (F and G in Fig. 5). The rocks of the El Sabala Formation (NTU) are thrust over the deposi~s of the Manacas Formation (Palaeogene) be-

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1 - San Cayetano Fm.; 2 - Jagua Fm.; 3 - Francisco Fm.; 4 - Guasasa Fm. (San Vicente Mbr); 5 - Guasasa Fm. (EI Americana, 'fumbadero and 'fumbitas mbrs); 6 - Artemisa Fm.; 7 - An con Fm.; 8 - Manacas Fm.; 9 - overthrusts. Tectonic units of the Sien·a de los Organos belt: V - Vinales; PG - Pi co Grande; A - Anc6n. Southern tectonic units of Sierra del Rosali o: LP - La P aloma; LM - Lorna del Muerto

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1 - serpentinite olistoli ths in chaotic deposits, Man acas Frn.; 2 - San Cayetano Frn .; 3 - Guasasa Fm. (San Vicente Mbr); 4 -Guasasa Fm. (El Americana, 'fumbadero and 'fumbitas mbs); .5 - Artemisa Fm.; 6 - Santa Teresa Frn.; 7 - Anc6n Fm.; 8 - .Mana­cas Fm. Tectonic units of Sierra de los Organos: V - Vinales; PG - Pico Grande; SG - Sierra de la Guira; APS - Alturas de Pizarras del Sur. South ern tectonic units of Sierra del Rosario: LP - La Paloma; PU - Lorna del Puerto; MA(l), MA(2) - Mameyal

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N

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Sierra del Rosario belt: 1 - San Cayetano Frn.; 2 - El Sabala Frn.; S - Artemisa Frn.; 4 - P olier Frn.; .'i - Santa Teresa, Carmita and Moreno fms; 6 - Cacarajicara Fm.; 7 - Anc6n Fm.; 8 - Manacas Fm.; 9 - Cretaceous deposi t s, Quinones tectonic unit (below the Sierra de Cajalbana ultramafic rocks - cross-section E); 10 - Guajaib6n Fm. (Albi an - Cenomaroan). Bahia Honda terrane: 1 I -ultramafic rocks; 12 - Encrucijada Frn.; 13 - overthrust s (LG - Lorna del Gato overthrust). Southern tectonic units of Sierra del Rosario: C - Caimito; MA(l), MA(2) - :Mameyal; Z - La Zarza; T - Taco Taco; CP - Cinco Pesos; LT - Los Tumbos. Northern tectonic units of Sierra del Rosario: BV - Belen Vigoa; NO - Naranjo; CE - Cangre; CH - Sierra Chiquita

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1 - terrigenous deposits, San Cayetano Fm.; 2 - El Sabala Fm. (basalts and diabases); 3 - Artemi sa Fm., lower part (massive dolo-mitized lim estones); 4 - Artemisa Fm., upper part (bedded lim estones); 5 - Polier Fm.; 6 - Santa Teresa and Cacarajicara fms; 7 - Manacas Fm. (with ser pentinite olistoli ths in the ch aotic deposits); 8 - Palaeogene deposits of the Los Palacios basin (south of the Pinar fault); 9 - location of mapping wells; 10 - tectonic contacts (faults and overthrusts). Tectonic units: LT - Los Thmbos, NO

- Naranjo o..l o..l

·-- ----- ·----- - - ·----·--

78 A. PSZCZ6LKOWSKI

longing to the Cinco Pesos and Los 'fumbos tectonic units (STU). The STU!NTU contact may be traced to the Pinar fault near Soroa (Fig. 1).

In this area, the thrust-nappes dip both to the north and to the south (Fig. 6). At the El Mirador de Soroa hill, the thickness of mafic rocks of the El Sabalo Formation (Naranjo tectonic unit) is only 70 m. It grows to 400 m near the tourist camping site "La Caridad", about 3 km north of the El Mirador de Soroa, in the PE-12 mapping well (well No. 1 in Fig. 6). These thickness changes are caused by the presence of a thrust-fault at the base of the Naranjo tect onic unit. To the south of the tourist camping si te, there are outcrops of the sandsto nes of the San Cayetano Formation which occur between the El Sabalo mafic rocks and the Artemisa Formation lime­stones (SC on Flg. 6).

Table 2 Scheme showi ng stratigraphic column of tectonic units of Sierra del Rosario

I FORMATIONS i SOUTHERN FORMATIONS NORTHERN , OCCURRING IN OCCURRING IN THE SOUTHERN j TECTONIC UNITS THE NORTHERN TECTONIC UNITS SEQUENCE OF 1P0- TP .. - I • • NP. SEQUENCE OF : ·---· "'(s";· I

THE SIERRA DEL & & i T I Z CP MA l & THE SIERRA DEL BVI NO i & 1 CE I CH Q 1

ROSARIO LB c L T I ROSARIO I D ' i

MANACAS

ANCON

CACARAJICARA

•. '. 1 lih~ 2 li 3 ~--i 4 - .--· .. ··=,s

Formations: 1 - present; 2 - present, but r educed due to intra-formational erosion; 3 - present, wedging out la terally; 4 - absent; 5 - missi ng (probably du e to tec­tonic causes). Southern tect onic units (STU): PU & PB - Lorna del Puerto and Los Bermejales; LP & C - La Paloma and Cai mito; T - Taco Taco; Z - La Zarzn; CP -Cinco Pesos; MA - Mameyal; NP & LT - Ni ceto Perez and Los Thmbos. Northern tectonic units (NTU): BV - Belen Vigoa; NO - Naranjo; LS & D - La S eraf]na and Dolores; CE - Cangre; CH - Sierra Chiquita; Q - Quinones

The Los Tumbos tectonic unit (LT), exposed in tectonic windows near Soroa (Fig. 1), is characterized by a reduced thickness of its

1." \.•

s N

m 150 I

Sierra de Cajalbana 50 m

(]) 100

50 50 ~ ~~~ -~~

m 150 San Marcos 150 m

200 m I J 100 100([)

50 50

-1 ~2 CJ3 DJJ4 KSJ 5 Gs 1~~--1 7 We ~9 ...... 10 ~ ..........

Fig. 7 Geolo~;ical cross-sections I and i (for location see Fig. 1)

1 - radiolarian cherts, Sant a Teresa and Encrucijada fms; 2 - shales, Moreno and Encrucijada fms; 3 - sandstones, Moreno Fm.; 4 - mic1itic limestones, Encrucijada F m.; 5 - massive limestones, Guajaib6n Fm. (Albian - Cenomaruan); 6 - breccia and calcarenite, Cacarajfcara Fm. (Upper 1\'Iaastrichtian); 7 - serpenti ruzed ultramafic rocks; 8 - basalts, Encr ucijada Fm.; 9 - Cretaceous volcanic rocks and teJTigenous deposits of the Bahia Honda terrane; 10 - overthrusts; CH - Sierra Chiquita tectonic unit (Sien·a del Rosario belt) composed of the Santa Teresa, Moreno and Cacarajicara fms; GB - Guajaib6n - Sierra Azul tectonic unit; BH - Bahia Honda terrane (its southern part is composed mainly of the E ncrucijada Fm. and ultramafics of Sierra de Cajalbana)

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1 - El Sabalo Fm.; 2 - P olier Fm.; 3 - Lucas Fm.; 4 - Santa Teresa Fm.; 5 - Pinalilla Fm.; 6 - Moreno Fm.; 7 - Cacarajfcara Fm. (Los Cayos Mbr); 8 - Cacarajfcara Fm. (calcarenite); 9 - Manacas Fm.; 10 - Guaj aib6n F m.; 11 - Cret aceous rocks, Bahfa Honda terrane; 12 - overthru sts. Tectonic units: CE - Cangre; Ch - Sierra Chiqui ta; Q - Quinones; BH - Bahia Honda terrane

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82 A. PSZCZ6LKOWSKJ

changes to a north-dipping thrust, with the La Esperanza strati­graphic sequence steeply overriding the STU (Martinez & Va zquez, 1987; see also Fig. 2).

The Lorna del Gato overthrust postdates other thrust-faults in the Sierra del Rosario; it displaces northwards both the southern and northern tectonic units. This overthrust formed after the main phase of thrusting as a result of a N-S compression, during a . la te stage of tectonic evolution of Cordillera de Guaniguanico. The Lorna del Gato overthrust is not a prolongation of the NTU/STU tectonic contact, or of the thrust-fault separating the Bahfa Honda terrane from the Sierra del Rosario belt.

RELATION BETWEEN SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN TECTONIC UNITS OF SIERRA DEL ROSARIO

Between Sierra de Cajalbana and Soroa, the NTU are thrust over the STU, at a distance of at least 14 km (Fig. 1). Along this overthrust, the northern units come in direct contact with 3 or 4 different south­ern tectonic units (Fig. 4 and 5). The NTU occupy a high structural position in the whole pile of nappes of Cordillera de Guaniguanico. These nappes underlie the Guajaib6n-Sierra Azul tectonic unit (Pl. II : 2) and/or the Bahia Honda terrane (Pszcz6lkowski, 1977, 1990).

The NTU/STU tectonic contact continues to the east of Sierra de Cajalbana. To the west and southwest of the Cajalbana ultramafic massif, the geometry of the NTU/STU (or La Esperanza/Alturas de Pizarras del Norte) contact had been modified by the younger Lorna del Gato overthrust. No t ectonic units or slivers belonging to continen­tal basement, ophiolitic complex, and/or Cretaceous volcanic arc have been recognized along the NTU/STU contact. Fragments of rocks derived from the ophiolitic complex and from the Cretaceous volcanic arc appear exclusively as olistoliths and clasts in the Palaeogene Manacas Formation (Pszcz6lkowski, 1994). The metamorphic rocks of the Cangre belt (Piotrowski, 1977; Piotrowska, 1978; Somin & Millan , 1981; Pszcz6lkowsk.i, 1985), occur in the southwestern part of the Sierra de los Organos, far away from the NTU/S'l'U contact.

The Jurassic deposits of Sierra de los Organos and the sou thern sequence of the Sierra del Rosario are similar (Pszcz6lkowsk.i, 1978); they probably belonged to the same palaeogeographic domain. Such similarity has led some authors (Mossakovski et al., 1987; Puscharov­sk.i et al. , 1989) to conclude that both sequences, together with the Escarnbray and Isla de Pinos (now: Isla de la Juventud) sequences , were laid down on the margin of South America. In their opinion, in the western segment of Cuba, a direct collision of a fragment of South

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GEOLOGICAL CROSS-SECTIONS, SIERRA DEL ROSARIO 81

lithostratigraphic column. The mapping well No. 2 (Fig. 6) passed through the limestones of the Artemisa Formation and terminated in the serpentinite. The Paleocene Anc6n Formation is absent in this tectonic unit at Soroa (Tab. 2).

Ultramafic rocks of the Sierra de Cajalbana are thrust over the basalts, limestones and cherts of the Encrucijada Formation (Aptian -Cenomanian); the latter rocks overthrust massive limestones of the Guajaib6n Formation (Albian-Cenomanian- Fig. 7). To the east, these limestones form a narrow ridge of Sierra Azul separating the Sierra del Rosario units from the Bahia Honda terrane. In this area, the NTU consist of three thrust-nappes, namely the Cangre, Sierra Chi­quita and Quinones ones (Fig. 8). The Quinones thrust-nappe is char­acterized by the presence of Cretaceous deposits, mainly thick-bedded to massive limestones of the Pinalilla Formation and marly limestones and calcarenites of the Moreno Formation (Tab. 2). Detrital limestones of the Cacarajfcara Formation (Upper Maastrichtian) are prominent in the Sierra Chiquita thrust-nappe. The latter tectonic unit extends to the eastern extreme of Sierra del Rosario (Fig. 1).

LOMA DEL GATO OVERTHRUST

The Lorna del Gato overthrust begins near the eastern margin of the ultramafic massif of Sierra de CajaJbana from where it continues to the west (Fig. 1-B). The overthrust is clearly marked at the Lorna del Gato hill along the contact of radiolarian cherts (above) with serpentinized ultramafic rocks (below). Some features of the Lorna del Gato overthrust are anomalous for the Sierra del Rosario belt struc­ture. The surface of this overthrust is inclined to the south, while all other thrust surfaces in the northern part of this belt dip to the north (Fig. 5, E-G). East of Sierra de Cajalbana, the Bahia Honda ter­rane/Sierra del Rosario belt contact is also dipping to the north; the Bahfa Honda terrane overthrusts the NTU and the Guajaib6n-Sierra Azul unit (Fig. 1; Pl. II: 2). At the southwestern margin of Sierra de Cajalbana, the San Cayetano Formation of the Mameyal tectonic unit is thrust over ophiolitic complex and deposits of the Via Blanca For­mation (Campanian - Maastrichtian). This is the only place in the Pinar del Rio Province where the San Cayetano Formation contacts with the Via Blanca F ormation.

The Lorna del Gato overthrust continues to the west and southwest along the contact between the STU and the La Esperanza belt. The ophiolitic complex enters the Gulf of Mexico north of this overthrust and west of Sierra de Cajalbana (Fig. 1). Thus, these rocks do not follow the contact of the STU with the La Esperanza belt. Northwest of La Palma, the Lorna del Gato overthrust becomes vertical and even

6 - Stw.lia (i(..'(Jlogica PoL, \'<ll. l 05

· - · ·------

GEOLOGICAL CROSS-SECTIONS, SIERRA DEL ROSARIO 83

America with the margin of North America occurred during Late Paleocene - Early E ocene time.

According to the present author, there is no direct evidence that the NTU/STU contact is a suture within the collision zone separating different lithospheric blocks or terranes. The Cacaraj icara F ormation (Late Maastrichtian ) occurs in both stratigraphic sequences of the Sierra del Rosario , but is missing in Sierra de los Organos. The Anc6n Formation (Paleocene) is present in Sierra de los Organos and the southern t ectonic units of Sierra del Rosario, its outcr ops being scarce in the northern units (Tab. 2). In the northern sequence, biomicrites of the Anc6n Formation pass laterally into ter rigenous deposits (mainly shales) of the Pica Pica Member, Manacas Formation (Fig. 9). Appar­ently, the southern a nd northern sequences of Sierra del Rosario were located not far away from one another, during Late Maastr ichtian time. There are no arguments to assume that both sequences of Sierra del Rosario were far apart from one another during Late Maastrich­tian to Middle E ocene times. If there was any "direct collision" invol­ving the Sierra del Rosar io stratigraphic sequences (as proposed by Puscharovski et al. , 1989), it should have occurred during the Maas­trichtian, before deposition of the Cacaraj icar a Formation. However, the nappe structure of Sierra del Rosario had been completed as late as Early Eocene, after deposition of the Manacas F ormation (Fig. 9). Ther e is also no evidence tha t the Maastrichtian tectonic event was the most important deformation in the Cordillera de Guaniguanico, contrary to earlier opinions of some authors (Rigassi-Studer, 1963; Pardo, 1975).

SIERRA DEL ROSARIO THRUST BELT AS PART OF THE OROGEN OF WESTERN CUBA

The tectonic units of the Sierr a del Rosario are thrus t-nappes formed as a r esult of shearin g. Thrust-faults cut ting through the stra­tigraphic column diagonally (up-section ) occur both in the STU and NTU (Fig. 4 - 6, 8). Similar thrust-faults are also present in the Sierra de los Organos (Fig. 3). The thrust-nappes pile of Sierra del Rosario is a result of strong compression , acting a t the t ime of overth rust of the ophiolitic complex and the Cretaceous volcanic arc from south to north (Meyerhoff in: Khudoley & Meyerhoff, 1971; Pszczolkowski , 1977, 1978, 1988, 1990; Pszcz6lkowski & Albear, 1982). The present location of metamorphic rock sequences of the Cangre belt in the Sierra de los Organos (Piotrowski, 1977; Pszcz6lkowski, 1985) and of the Isla de Pinos metamorphic massif (Somin & Millan, 1981), indicate that al­lochthonous ophiolitic and island-ar c volcanic sequences were thrust from the south over the Sierra del Rosario and Sierra de los Organos

1- .... . -- --------

I

AGE

t ---NORTHERN -r S-OUTHERN - ··- -- - -1 SEQUENCE OF SEQUENCE OF SIERRA DE LOS 1 ' THE SIERRA DEL THE SIERRA DEL I ORGANOS

1--- -- .. ---· I w 1 Middle · z w ----· I o I

I 0 I Lower . w

I ---

I w I Upper

. z

ROSARIO i ROSARIO 1 SEQUENCE ~--. - ---- I --· - .. - --

I

~~~,~~~:: . ---~ ~-=~ -~~ •. - - ~ : ~ --

w . g l Middle ~~-~ .... ~ ~:~: _- ~ _. -- - --

w ~ t- - ----- ..: - A. ~

Lower a..

I - -- 1.¢ill!i!· .... ::n:~'·>lJl·,lftlllllHr ·:... ;uol~iif¢'~}· "' ~llli~~~ .; . ."j¢lJ

Cf) I upper; . --- ... . -- ..... 1

_. .. . ... __ _

5. Maastrichtian I 1 ffi UJ I lower . a.. (.) . .. -- --- .--a.. ~ - u

' :::::l I­I ~ I Campanian

I 0 I --- _ _L

1 r~<·t:~:2 .. _ .... .. :._. -.... ........ . .if,~::-~ -~1 3 4 L:· ~j 5

1~~ 6 :~~~~~~1 7 re ··l s ,. j9 l'_;-~-- 110 l~~ l~--'=<=-= ·' : __ - -- ~- --· -

, , /o

,,

Fig. 9 Scheme showing distribu­t ion of volcaniclastic detritus in the Upper Cretaceous and Palaeogene deposits of Cordillera de Guanigu­anico

1 - pelagic limestones of the More­no, P efias and Anc6n fms; 2 - ter­rigenous deposits, Moreno Fm.; 3 -breccia and calcarenite, Cacarajfcar a Fm.; 4 - breccias, Anc6n Fm.; 5 - shales, Manacas Fm. (Pica Pica Mbr); 6 - sandsto­nes and conglomerates (turbidites), Manacas Fm. (Pica Pica Mbr); 7 -chaotic deposits, Manacas Fm. (Vie­ja Mbr ); 8 - limest one olistoliths; 9 - serpenti nite olistoli t hs; 10 -olistoli th s compos ed of volcanic rocks; solid triangles denote volca­niclastic detritus

"

00 ~

~

'"d Ul N

~ 0 t""

6 ~ Ul

i:S

GEOLOGICAL CROSS-SECTIONS, SIERRA DEL ROSARIO 85

thrust belts. The ophiolite & island-arc allochthone was the dominant thrust sheet in the Guaniguanico-Bahfa Honda thrust system, its displacement being much larger than those of the underlying Sierra del Rosario and Sierra de los Organos thrust-units. The Guan iguanico and Bahfa Honda tectonic units may thus be interpreted as a duplex thrust system (Boyer & Elliott, 1982; Mitra, 1986).

Pardo (1975) suggested that the geolo~:,>ical structure of Pinar del Rfo Province may be explained by northward sliding of ultramafic and volcanic rocks; .this could cause large-scale imbrications in the thick sequence of Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks of Sierra de los Organos and Sierra del Rosario. According to Gealey (1980) Cuba was involved in an arc-continent collision. This would be in accordance with some plate­tectonic models of the Caribbean region (Pindell & Dewey, 1982; Burke, 1988; Ross & Scotese, 1988; Lewis & Draper, 1990; Pindell & Barrett, 1990). However, the tectonic deformation in Western Cuba was contemporaneous with the formation of the Yuca­tan basin oceanic crust during the Paleocene - Middle Eocene (Rosencrantz, 1990).

Recently, lturralde-Vinent (1994) publi shed his new plate-tectonic synthesis for the whole Cuban area. Hi s early Tertiary tectonic scheme (op. cit. , fig. 11) is partly based on Rosencrantz's (1990) conclusions, and accepts the Bahfa Honda allochthone being thrust from the south over the Cordillera de Guani guanico structural units.

The timing of events in the northwestern part of the Proto-Carib­bean basin during the Late Cretaceous through Early Eocene arc-con­tinental margin tectonic convergence may be inferred from Figure 9. The volcanic detritus appeared first during the Campanian in the northern sequence of Sierra del Rosario. In the southern sequence, a local influx of volcaniclastics is recorded from Middle Paleocene strata of the Anc6n Formation. In Siena de los Organos, deposits containing volcanic detritus are known from the Manacas Formation of latest Paleocene and Early Eocene age. The first influx of volcaniclastic material to the Siena de los Organos sequence was thus delayed by about 20- 23 Main comparison with the northern sequence of Sierra del Rosario. This diachronism suggests a southernmost palaeogeo­graphic position of the latter sequence during Late Cretaceous and Paleocene - Early Eocene times.

REFERENCES

BOYER, S. E. & D. ELLIOTT, 1982. Thrust systems. Amer. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull., 66 (9): 1196 - 1230.

BURKE, K., 1988. Tectonic evolution of the Caribbean. A nn. R ev. Earth Planet. Sci., 16: 201 - 230.

GEALEY, W. K., 1980. Ophiolite obduction mechanism. In: A. Panayiotou (ed.), Ophio­lites, Proc. Intern. Ophiolite Symp. (Cypru.~ 1979): 228 - 243.

ITURRALDE-VINENT, M. A., 1994. Cuban geology: a new plate-tectonic synthesis. J. Petrol. Geol., 17 (1): 39 - 70.

KHUDOLEY, K. M. & A. A. MEYERHOFF, 1971. P aleogeog1aphy and geologi cal h isto­ry of Greater Antilles. Cool. Soc. Amer. Mem., 129: 1- 199.

86 A. PSZCZOLKOWSKI

LEWIS, J. F. & G. DRAPER, 1990. Geology and tectonic evolution of the northern Caribbean margin. In: D. Dengo & J. E. Case (eds.), The Caribbean region. The Geology of North America, Geol. Soc. Am., H: 77-140.

MARTINEZ, D. & M. VAZQUEZ, 1987. Alturas Pizarrosas del Norte, extrema occiden­tal de la subzona "Sierra del Rosario». In: Mem. III Encuentro Cient.-Tecn. de Geologia, Pinar del R£o (Octubre 24, 1987): 57- 69.

MARTINEZ, D., M. VAZQUEZ TORRES & J. C. CHANG CARVAJAL, 1989. Estratigrafi'a, tect6nica y magmatismo de la zona estructuro-facial Guaniguanico (Cuba occidental). Prim. Congr. Cubano Geol., (La Ha.bana, 1989), Progr. Reswn.: 105-106.

MITRA, S., 1986. Duplex structures and imbricate thrust systems: geometry, structural position, and hydrocarbon potential. Amer. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull., 70 (9): 1087 -1112.

MOSSAKOVSKI, A. A., G. J. NEKRASOV & S.D. SOKOLOV, 1987. Tektonika Kuby. Raboty Geol. lnst. Akad. Nauk (Moskva), 425: 113-153.

MYCZYNSKI, R. & A. PSZCZOLKOWSKI, 1994. Tithonian stratigraphy and microfa­cies in the Sierra del Rosario, Western Cuba. Stuclia Geol. Pol., 105: 7- 34.

PARDO, G., 1975. Geology of Cuba. In: A. E. M. Nairn & F. G. Stehli (eds), The Ocean Basins a.nd Margins. 3 The Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. Plenum Press, New York - London: 553- 615.

PINDELL, J. & J. F. DEWEY, 1982. Permo-Triassic reconstruction of Western Pangea and the evolution of the Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean region. Tectonics, 1 (2): 179-211.

PINDELL, J. L. & S. F. BARRETI, 1990. Geological evolution of the Caribbean region; a plate-tectonic perspective. In: G. Dengo & J. E. Case (eds.), The Caribbe(m region. The Geology of North America, Geol. Soc. Am., H: 405 - 432.

PIOTROWSKA, K., 1978. Nappe structures in the Siena de los Organos, western Cuba. Acta Geol. Polan., 28 (1): 97- 170.

PIOTROWSKA, K., 1988. Las estructuras de nappe en la Sierra de los Organos. In: Contribuci6n ala geologia de la provincia de Pinar del Rio, Edit. Cient.-Tecn., La Habana: 85- 156.

PIOTROWSKI, J., 1977. First manifestations of volcanism in the Cuban geosyncline. Bull. Acad. Polon. Sci., Ser. Sci. Terre, 24 (3-4): 227- 234.

PSZCZOLKOWSKI, A., 1977. Nappe structure of Sierra del Rosario (Cuba). Bull. Acad. Polon. Sci., Ser. Sci. Terre, 24 (3-4); 205 -215.

PSZCZOLKOWSK.l, A., 1978. Geosynclinal sequences of the Cordillera de Guaniguani­co in western Cuba: their lithostratif,rraphy, facies development, and paleogeogTa­phy. Acta Geol. Polan., 28 (1): 1-96.

PSZCZOLKOWSKI, A., 1985. Sabre la edad del metamorfismo y Ia estructura tectonica de la faja Cant,rre, Provincia de Pinar del Rio, Cuba. Cien. Tierra Esp., 10: 31- 36.

PSZCZOLKOWSKI, A., 1988. Secuencias miogeosinclinales de la cordillera de Guani­guanico. Litoestratigratla, desarrollo de facies y paleogeogTaffa. In: Contribuci6n ala geologia de la provincia de Pinar del Rfo, Edit. Cient.-Tecn., La Habana: 5-84.

PSZCZOLKOWSKI, A., 1990. Late Cretaceous volcanic arc in the Bahia Honda terrane, Western Cuba. Geol. Soc. Amer. Ann. A-feet. (Dallas, 1.990), Abstr. Progr., T. 23: A338.

PSZCZOLKOWSKI, A., 1994. Lithostratigraphy ofthe Mesozoic and Palaeogene rocks of Sierra del Rosario, Western Cuba. Studia Geol. Pol., 105: 39- 64.

PSZCZOLKOWSKI, A. & J. F. ALBEAR, DE, 1982. Subzona estructuro-facial de Bahia Honda, Pinar del Rfo; su tect6nica y datos sabre ]a sedimentaci6n y paleogeogTafla del Cretacico Superior y del Pale6geno. Cien. Tierra Esp., 5: 3- 24.

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GEOLOGICAL CROSS-SECTIONS, SIERRA DEL ROSARIO 87

PSZCZ6LKOWSKI, A., K. PIOTROWSKA, R. MYCZYNSKI, J. PIOTROWSKI, A. SKUPINSKI, J. GRODZICKI, D. DANILEWSKI & G. HACZEWSKI, 1975. Texto explicativo al mapa geologico a escala 1 : 250 000 de la provincia de Pinar del Rio. Arch. IGP-MINBAS (antes Acad. Cien. Cuba) y Fondo Geol. Nac., La Habana.

PUSCHAROVSKI, Y. M. et al. , 1988. Mapa geol6gico de Cuba, escala 1 : 250 000. Academia de Ciencias de Cuba.

PUSCHAROVSKI, Y. M., A. A. MOSSAKOVSKI, G. E. NEKRASOV, S. D. SOKOLOV, R. M. FLORES, F. A. FORMELL, R. CABRERA, 1989. Problemas de Ia geodimimica de Cuba. Prim. Congr. Cubmw Geol. (La Habana, 1989), Progr. R eswn.: 108- 109.

RIGASSI-STUDER, D., 1963. Sur ]a geologie de ]a Siena de los Organos, Cuba. Arch. Sci. Soc. Phys. Hist. Nat. Gendve, 16 (2): 339- 350.

ROSENCRANTZ, E., 1990. Structure and tectonics of the Yucatan basin, Cm·ibbean Sea, as determined from seismic reflection studies. Tectonics, 9 (5): 1037 - 1059.

ROSS, M. I. & C. R. SCOTESE, 1988. A hierarchical tectonic model of the Gulf of Meld co and Caribbean re~:,>ion. Tectmwphysics, 155: 139- 168.

SOMIN, .M. L. & G. MILLAN, 1981. Geologia metamorficeskich kompleksov Kuby. lzd. Nauka, Moskva, 29 1 p.

Andrzej Pszcz6tlwwski

PRZEKROJE GEOLOGICZNE PRZEZ SIERRA DEL ROSARIO, W ZACHODNIEJ CZESCI KUBY

Streszczenie

W pracy przedstawiono przekroje geologiczne przez Sierra del -Rosmio w zachod­niej cz~sci Kuby. To pasmo gorskie jest zbudowane z szeregu jednostek tektonicznych oddzielonych nasuni~ciami. Kontakt tektoniczny mi~dzy jednostkami polnocnymi i poludniowymi zachowal swoj pierwotny charakter stJ·ukturalny na wschod od masywu serpentynitowego Si en-a de Cajalbana. Na zachod i poludniowy zachod od tego masy­wu, wspomniany kontakt zostal cz~sciowo zmodyfikowany wzdluz mlodszeg·o nasuni~­cia Lorna del Gato. Zespol jednostek plaszczowinowych Sierra del Rosario zostal utworzony we wczesnym eocenie w wyniku nasuni~cia z poludnia kompleksu ofioli­towego i kredowego luku wulkanicznego.

lnstytut Nauk Geologicznych Polskiej Akademii Nauk Al. Zwirki i Wigury 93 02-089 Warszawa

88 A. PSZCZ6LKOWSKI

EXPLANATIONS OF PLATES

Plate I Contact of the Lower Cretaceous limestones (lower left) with the overlying mafic rocks of the El Sabalo Formation (upper right), along a north-dipping thrust plane. Road from Soroa to Cinco P esos, east of the San Cristobal River, Sierra del Rosario

P late II 1 - Olistostrome of the Vieja Member (Lower Eocene), Manacas Formation, exposed

on the east side of the road from San CristObal to Bahia Honda (Lorna Caldoso, Sierra del Rosario). Olistoliths consists of metamorphic rocks (prasi ni te -at left), and sedimentary rocks (white marl -at right)

2 - Massive limestone of the GuajaibOn Formation (Albian - Cenomanian). Guajai- . bon-Sierra Azul tectonic unit near the northern boundary of the Sierra del Rosario thrust belt

STUD !A GEOLOGICA POLONlCA VOL. 105 PLATE (TABLICA) I

.'

A. Pszcz6lkowski - Geological cross-sections through the Sierra del Rosario ...

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STlJDIA GEOLOGICA POLONICA VOL. 105 PLATE (TABLICA) II

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A. Pszczolkowski - Geolo1,rical cross-sections through the Sierra del Rosario ...