Bol. Soc. Geol. Mexicana, Tomo XLI, Nos. 1 y 2, 1980

Estudio sedimentologico en el area Tulum-Cancún-Isla Mujeres, Estado de Quintana Roo, México

http://dx.doi.org/10.18268/BSGM1980v41n1a2

J. E. Aguayo C.*, R. Bello M.*, M. A. del Vecchio C.*, J. Araujo M.*, M. A. Basáñez L. *

*lnstituto Mexicano del Petróleo

Abstract

Tulum-Cancun-Isla Mujeres area, at the Quintana Roo state of eastern Mexico, is a province formed by calcereous sediments, due to the lacking of fluvial systems supplying terrigenous sediments from the continent; and because the tropical climate, proper of this Caribbean region.

The studied area is inactive tectonically, and it is affected by the permanent littoral currents, waves, tides and for the southest winds; all of them control the different calcareous sediments distributed in five major sedimentary environments and subenvironments, these ones are: 1) A reef complex, developed from the southernmost part of Islas Cancun toward the south of this province. 2) A hign energy beach in open sea, forming a large amount of oolites, which area deposited along Isla Cancun. 3) Bottom megaripple marks, between the continent and Isla Mujeres. 4) Littoral dunes or eolinites, conforming the two islands, Cancun and Isla Mujeres. 5) Restricted lagoons formed during Late Pleistocene and Holocene by the deposit of spits at the eastern and northern portions of Isla Cancun.

From the analysis of this sedimentary province, are obtained critena about the erosion, transportation, and depositation procceses, aplicables to their ancient analogous, which are hard to distinguish by the traditional petrographic methods, due to the alteration of the rocks during their lithification or later on.