28 Recent Advances in the Gulf of California Oblique Rift: Offshore and Onshore Studies // Avances Recientes en el Rift Oblicuo del Golfo de California: Estudios Marinos y Terrestres (Part I)
This session highlights recent research on the Gulf of California–Salton Trough plate boundary from ~12 Ma to today. We welcome terrestrial and marine studies involving tectonics, basin analysis, volcanology, sedimentology, and more. English or Spanish.
Thursday, 23 April 2026
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
LMH, Fiesta Terrace Salon
Rifting and Magmatism Within the Gulf of California
Paper number: 28-1
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 1:40 PM – 2:10 PM
Authors
Abstract
The PESCADOR seismic experiment in 2002 was a joint US/Mexico endeavor that provided substantial insight into processes of continental rifting and rich detail into the rifted structure of the Gulf of California. Over short lateral distances, we observed large differences in rifting style and magmatism—from wide rifting with minor magmatism to narrow, magmatically robust rifting. We inferred that mantle fertility and sedimentary insulation, rather than mantle temperature, were dominant factors producing these rifting styles. This work motivated subsequent studies, including seafloor imaging, ROV dives, and IODP drilling, that have focused on widespread active magmatism within Guaymas Basin – mostly in the form of igneous sill intrusion into sediments, and its impact on biogeochemical fluxes. We will describe some of this collective effort, including a detailed study of carbon export due to a single magmatic sill intrusion based on drill core and logging data.
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 3
doi: 10.1130/abs/2026CD-410833
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