Geology, geochronology, and geochemistry of Isla María Madre, Nayarit, Mexico

Islas Marias archipelago is located 110 km NW of San Blas, Nayarit in the mouth of the Gulf of California. The archipelago is formed by San Juanito, Maria Madre, Maria Magdalena, and Maria Cleofas islands. The position of these islands represents a key point for paleogeographic and paleotectonic reconstructions of northwestern Mexico and of the tectonic evolution of Baja California Peninsula. Maria Madre is the largest island and covers an area of 145 km 2 . This study presents the first detailed geological map of the island together with geochemical and geochronological data of its lithological units. Isolated basement rocks are exposed along the western coast in the form of migmatites and orthogneisses of granodioritic to granitic compositions and middle Jurassic ages (163 – 170 Ma). In the west-central part, a metasedimentary sequence, with biotite ± garnet paragneisses and folded calcsilicate rocks with or without garnet bands of unknown ages, is exposed as a roof pendant of the underlying Cretaceous intrusions (80.8 – 83.4 Ma) of tonalitic to granitic compositions. These granitoids are cut by mafic and pegmatitic dikes. We named the overall assemblage of metamorphic and plutonic rocks as “Papelillo Complex” due to the predominant outcrops in the homonymous canyon. The Papelillo Complex is overlain by ignimbrites, volcanic breccias, and lava flows of rhyolitic compositions. 40 Ar/ 39 Ar