Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 118 (2002) 1^14

www.elsevier.com/locate/jvolgeores

Rhyolitic volcanism in extension zone associated with

strike-slip tectonics in the Taxco region, southern Mexico
Ł lvarez a; , A.F. Nieto-Samaniego a , D.J. Mora¤n-Zenteno b ,
S.A. Alaniz-A
L. Alba-Aldave b
a
Universidad Nacional Auto¤noma de Me¤xico, Instituto de Geolog|¤a, Unidad de Investigacio¤n en Ciencias de la Tierra,
Campus Juriquilla, Quere¤taro, Qro. 76230, Mexico
b
Universidad Nacional Auto¤noma de Me¤xico, Instituto de Geolog|¤a, Ciudad Universitaria, Me¤xico D.F. 04510, Mexico
Received 15 January 2001; accepted 8 January 2002

Abstract

The Taxco Volcanic Field (TVF) is part of a broad magmatic province in southern Mexico. It constitutes an
isolated zone of deeply dissected volcanic rocks encircled by outcrops of Mesozoic sedimentary and volcano-
sedimentary units. A thick unit of rhyolitic lava flows associated with domes and at least two ignimbrite units forms
the TVF. This volcanic sequence is distributed within a well defined zone, it overlies and is in part contemporaneous
with continental sedimentary beds limited by major faults. Geochronologic data indicate that most rhyolitic volcanism
in the area is Oligocene in age and synchronous with episodes of strike-slip faulting. We document two successive
phases of strike-slip faulting for the late Eocene^early Oligocene interval, the first with NNW extension and the
second with NE extension. In both cases pre-existing structures were reactivated and sedimentary basins were
developed in response to displacement along major faults. The stratigraphic sequence gives evidence that the TVF is
located in an extensional basin associated to strike-slip faults. The evolution of the basin underwent a change from
sedimentary deposition with subsidence to piling up by volcanism. The result of this change was the development of a
volcanic pile with elevations higher than the surrounding Mesozoic rocks. According to the fault kinematics,
stratigraphy and the volume of volcanic rocks, the rhyolitic volcanism was emplaced in the area of maximum
extension, showing that magma flowed into low pressure zones. The small number of faults within the Oligocene
volcanic sequence suggests that volcanism inhibited normal faulting and that magma partially filled the space
generated in the extended zone produced by the strike-slip faulting.
: 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: magma emplacement; rhyolite; strike-slip faulting; Mexico

1. Introduction and stress ¢eld have been widely discussed (e.g.

Nakamura, 1977; Takada, 1989; Clemens and
Relationships between magma emplacement Mawer, 1992). Kinematic and dynamic analyses
of deformation provide valuable information in
addressing the problem of the mechanics of mag-
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +52-442-238-1116 (ext. 128);
Fax: +52-442-238-1100.
ma ascent and distribution patterns. Analysis of
E-mail address: alaniz@servidor.unam.mx the extensional deformation should consider not
Ł lvarez).
(S.A. Alaniz-A only the amount of extension calculated from the

0377-0273 / 02 / $ ^ see front matter : 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 3 7 7 - 0 2 7 3 ( 0 2 ) 0 0 2 4 7 - 0

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S.A. Alaniz-A

fault displacement but also the increase in crustal

Fig. 1. Location map of the Taxco region in relation to the
main magmatic provinces of south-central Mexico. Areas
covered by Figs. 2 and 3 are indicated. TMVB: Trans-Mexi-
can Volcanic Belt. SMS: Sierra Madre del Sur.
volume produced by magma emplacement.
There is a considerable volume of magma that
remains under the surface during a volcanism
pulse (e.g. Crisp, 1984). Parsons and Thompson
(1991) and Parsons et al. (1998) proposed that
this magma could inhibit faulting due to the
changes in the stress ¢eld. It is known that silicic
magmatism and strike-slip tectonics are spatially
related in many regions (e.g. Petford et al., 1993),
but there are few studies documenting how the
magmatism a¡ects the fault pattern in strike-slip
regime.
The distribution of volcanic rocks in southern
Mexico (Fig. 1) has been widely studied in the last
5 yr (e.g. Mora¤n-Zenteno et al., 1999; Martiny et
al., 2000). In regional maps, the Taxco volcanic
¢eld (TVF) appears as an isolated outcrop en-
closed by Mesozoic sedimentary rocks (e.g. Riv-
era et al., 1998; Fig. 2). There are a small number
of studies about Cenozoic faulting. Structural
works mainly focus on normal faulting and do

Fig. 2. Regional tectonic map of the Taxco region showing the main Mesozoic and Tertiary structures. This map was modi¢ed
from Rivera et al. (1998).

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 Ł lvarez et al. / Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 118 (2002) 1^14
S.A. Alaniz-A 3

Fig. 3. Faults and major volcanoes along the Taxco^San Miguel de Allende fault system. Ages were obtained from: (1) Nieto-Sa-
maniego and Alaniz-Alvarez (1994), (2) Pe¤rez-Venzor et al. (1996), (3) Reyes-Zaragoza (2001), (4) Zu¤n‹iga et al. (1998),
(5) Aguirre-D|¤az (1996), (6) Garc|¤a-Palomo et al. (2000), (7) this work, (8) Valdez-Moreno et al. (1998), (9) Aguirre-D|¤az, written
communication, (10) Ferrari, written communication.

not document the relationships between volcan-
ism and faulting or volcanism and tectonics (Nie-
to-Samaniego et al., 1995; Jansma and Lang,
1997). In this paper, we present evidence of two
phases of Cenozoic strike-slip faulting in the Tax-
co region. The sedimentary record provides evi-
dence of a basin formed by NW extension in the
late Eocene, whereas Oligocene NE extension is
deduced from the kinematics of faults and the
distribution of synchronous rhyolitic domes. We
propose that the TVF is isolated because it was
emplaced in an extensional zone during strike-slip
tectonics.
2. Geological setting
The Sierra Madre del Sur is a physiographic
province characterized by a widespread arc-mag-
matic record that includes plutonic and volcanic
rocks ranging in age from Paleocene to Miocene
(Fig. 1). Granodioritic to tonalitic batholiths form

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S.A. Alaniz-A
an almost continuous WNW-trending belt along
the present-day coast of southern Mexico. Vol-
canic rocks are discontinuously exposed inland
up to the northern part of the Sierra Madre del
Sur, displaying compositional variations from an-
desite to rhyolite (Mora¤n-Zenteno et al., 1999).
A mosaic of metamorphic segments, with well
de¢ned di¡erences in age and petrotectonic fea-
tures, constitutes the basement in the region.
The origin of these segments has been interpreted
in terms of accretionary and deformation episodes
that occurred from the Late Proterozoic to Meso-
zoic time (e.g. Ortega-Gutie¤rrez, 1981; Campa
and Coney, 1983). Pre-Mesozoic terranes are cov-
ered by continental and marine sequences de-
formed by E^W shortening during the Laramide
Orogeny, probably at the end of the Cretaceous.
The TVF is located at the southern termination
of a long NNW^SSE fault system (Fig. 3), known
as the Taxco^San Miguel de Allende lineament
(Demant, 1978), which crosses three di¡erent Ce-
nozoic geological provinces of central Mexico.
The lineament is about 500 km long and is con-
stituted by a zone of subparallel faults that, in
some places, reaches 50 km wide. There is evi-
dence of a complex kinematic history, character-
ized by reactivation of distinct segments of the
lineament at di¡erent times. Timing of volcanic
activity along the structure shows that emplace-
ment occurred synchronously with fault activity
(Fig. 3).
3. Tertiary stratigraphy
The Tertiary sequence of the Taxco region cov-
ers folded Mesozoic rocks of marine sedimentary
and volcano-sedimentary units. Lateral variations
of the Cretaceous sequences indicate a transition
from a volcanic arc domain in the west to a shal-
low marine platform in the east (Campa, 1978;
Campa and Ram|¤rez, 1979). The platform marine
beds are represented by mid-Cretaceous lime-
stones of the Morelos Formation that are overlain
by terrigenous beds of the Late Cretaceous Mex-
cala Formation (Fries, 1960; De Cserna and
Fries, 1981). The volcano-sedimentary sequences
of the western domain include some low-grade
VOLGEO 2483 21-10-02
metamorphic units (Taxco Schist and Taxco Viejo
Formation) that crop out near Taxco City. The
complete age range of these sequences has not
been well constrained, but it includes Jurassic to
Lower Cretaceous units (Campa and Ram|¤rez,
1979). Rocks of both domains are involved in a
series of N^S-trending regional folds and over-
thrusts originated during Laramide Orogeny of
Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary times.
3.1. Red conglomerate
The basal unit of the Tertiary sequence is com-
posed of conglomerates and sandstones that crop
out in the Acamixtla area, east of Taxco City, and
in the southern part of the TVF, near Atzala (Fig.
4). At a regional scale, similar sequences of early
Tertiary age have been considered under the ge-
neric denomination of Balsas Group (Fries, 1960;
De Cserna and Fries, 1981). In the study area, the
conglomerates contain pebbles of limestone, silt-
stone and shale with minor quantities of andesite,
polycrystalline quartz and calcite. The composi-
tion of the clasts corresponds to the rocks under-
lying the conglomerate, although there are no
clasts of the Taxco Viejo schist. According to Ed-
wards (1955) ma¢c lavas are interbedded with the
lower conglomerate beds and a rhyolite tu¡ tops
the unit. This author reported 425 m of red con-
glomerates for the Acamixtla outcrop ; however,
in the Atzala outcrop the conglomerate has a
maximum thickness of 30 m. This unit uncon-
formably overlies the Mesozoic rocks and we
did not observe any features that indicate defor-
mation by shortening. The age of this unit is con-
strained by its stratigraphic relationship between
the Upper Cretaceous Mexcala Formation and
the overlying Eocene Acamixtla Ignimbrite.
3.2. Acamixtla Ignimbrite
The name Acamixtla Ignimbrite is applied to a
sequence of silicic volcanic layers that crop out in
the eastern part of the Taxco region and cover the
red conglomerate (Fig. 4). It constitutes up to 100
m of crystal-rich ignimbrites, welded breccias and
layers of vitrophyre. The crystal-rich layer is char-
acterized by abundant phenocrysts of sanidine
 Ł lvarez et al. / Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 118 (2002) 1^14
S.A. Alaniz-A 5

Fig. 4. Geologic map and stratigraphic column of the Taxco area. Solid lines enhance major fault structures. Localities of dated
samples are indicated with white stars. Outline of the Mesozoic unit is based on the map by Rivera et al., (1998). Unit leveled
Qlh represents lahars derived from the Plio^Quaternary volcanic activity of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt.

and quartz and the breccia is composed of frag-
ments of rhyolite altered to zeolite (Alba-Aldave
Ł ngeles-Garc|¤a et al., 1997). The unit
et al., 1996; A
is well exposed along highway 95 at the eastern
access to Taxco City where it is cut by pyroclastic
and vitrophyre dikes, as well as subvolcanic rhyo-
lites. K^Ar determinations of whole rock and
mineral concentrates carried out in one vitrophyre
and three samples of crystal-bearing ignimbrites
have yielded dates ranging from 36.5 to 38 Ma
(De Cserna and Fries, 1981; Alba-Aldave et al.,
1996; Mora¤n-Zenteno et al., 1999) (Fig. 4, Table
1).
3.3. Andesites
This unit consists of porphyritic andesite lava
£ows and autobreccias containing phenocrysts of
plagioclase, hornblende and pyroxene. Outcrops
of this unit are distributed in restricted areas
along the Chontalcuatla¤n and San Jose¤ rivers to
the north of the TVF and in the southern area,
near Atzala. In the northern outcrops there are
remnants of volcanic necks. In the Atzala locality
the unit unconformably overlies the red conglom-
erate. Andesites underlie sedimentary deposits of
the Atzala and Chontalcuatla¤n formations.
3.4. Chontalcuatla¤n Formation
The Chontalcuatla¤n Formation constitutes a se-
quence up to 350 m thick that is broadly exposed
to the north of the TVF. Its distribution de¢nes a
sedimentary basin 10 km wide and 18 km long
that is bounded to the east and to the west by
two major strike-slip faults and to the north by
highlands of Mesozoic rocks (Figs. 2 and 4). The
lithology of the sequence comprises beds of sand-

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Table 1
Age determinations for the Tertiary magmatic rocks of Taxco area
40 40
Sample Long. Lat. Mineral Rock type Ar* K Ar rad. Age
(W) (N) (ppb) (%) (%) (Ma)
TX4a 99‡34P36Q 18‡33P28Q WR vitrophyre 9.415 3.52 10.6 38.2 R 1.0
TX-DM1 99‡35P05Q 18‡34P15Q hbl diorite 0.882 0.34 13.5 36.6 R 1.9
TX-JL06 99‡37P58Q 18‡41P42Q sanidine ignimbrite 21.310 9.22 81.5 33.1 R 0.8
TX21a 99‡38P55Q 18‡37P50Q biotite tu¡ 15.880 7.01 40.1 32.4 R 0.8
TX16a 99‡36P15Q 18‡35P50Q WR vitrophyre 10.810 4.77 39.5 32.4 R 0.9
TX25!!a 99‡37P17Q 18‡33P50Q WR vitrophyre 8.059 3.62 46.9 31.9 R 0.8
TX10a 99‡38P50Q 18‡34P58Q plg rhyolite 1.259 0.57 29.9 31.6 R 1.2
TX3M 99‡36P18Q 18‡32P02Q hbl gabbro 51.8 47.6 R 3.6b
TX10M 99‡36P24Q 18‡32P13Q hbl gabbro 70.5 52.3 R 1.1b
40
Ar* refers to radiogenic 40 Ar.
a
Alba-Aldave et al. (1996).
b
Total gas ages, considered as minimum ages, obtained by the furnace incremental heating age spectrum 40 Ar/39 Ar in horn-
blendes from a dike with hydrothermal alteration. A minimum age of 54 Ma was estimated from the highest temperature pla-
teaus.

stone as the major component, as well as subor- 3.6. Atzala Formation

dinate interbedded layers of conglomerate and
shale. The coarse-grained facies dominate towards
the margins of the basin, whereas ¢ner sediments
with some lacustrine layers appear in the central
part. The clastic nature of the sequence indicates a
local sedimentary source with a conspicuous dom-
inance of limestone fragments in the conglomer-
ate.
The Eocene age is inferred from the strati-
graphic position of this sequence, underlying the
San Gregorio Ignimbrite and overlying andesites
that regionally have yielded ages older than 36.6
Ma. In the northern part of the basin the Chon-
talcuatla¤n Formation is unconformably overlain
by Plio^Quaternary lahar deposits derived from
the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt.
3.5. San Gregorio Ignimbrite
Near San Gregorio, an ignimbrite is widely dis-
tributed and has abundant phenocrysts of sani-
dine, plagioclase, quartz and biotite in a vitric
matrix. It rests over the Chontalcoatla¤n Forma-
tion and is covered by pyroclastic deposits from
the Huixteco Formation. This ignimbrite also
crops out near Tetipac, where it is covered by a
conglomerate of the Atzala Formation described
below (Fig. 4). A sanidine concentrate obtained
from the base of the sequence yielded a K^Ar
age of 33.1 R 0.8 (Table 1).
The Atzala Formation is a sedimentary unit
interbedded with the lower part of the Oligocene
rhyolitic sequence of the TVF. The Atzala For-
mation is constituted by about 150 m of £uvial
deposits dominated by beds of sandstone and
conglomerates. In contrast with the Chontalcuat-
la¤n Formation, these beds include clastic frag-
ments of silicic volcanic rocks in addition to the
limestone fragments. Sediments of this formation
are exposed at Tetipac and in the southern margin
of the Oligocene rhyolites. At Tetipac they under-
lie the lower member of the Tener|¤a Formation
and overlie the San Gregorio Ignimbrite. This re-
lationship with the Oligocene volcanic rocks sug-
gests that it is a younger sedimentary sequence
than the Chontalcuatla¤n Formation.
As with the Chontalcuatla¤n Formation, the
coarse-grained mainly limestone beds are present
at the edge of the basin. The tectonic limits of this
depositional basin are inferred from the linear
contacts of the Atzala Formation with Mesozoic
rocks, because these contacts are nearly parallel to
the fault systems. The SW boundary of the Atzala
Formation outcrop area coincides with the NW-
trending strike-slip Chichila fault, whereas the SE
boundary parallels the NE fault system (Figs. 4
and 5).
In the Atzala area we measure strata attitudes
from the top to the bottom of the sedimentary

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S.A. Alaniz-A 7

Fig. 5. Structural map of the Taxco area showing the sites of detailed structural analysis and corresponding equal-area nets, low-
er hemisphere. Dots on girdles show the slickenside lineations. Arrows indicate the sense of movement of the hanging wall. Note
that in some cases, two faults with the same strike have opposite senses of movement. See text for the explanation. Stars indicate
the points of data acquisition for paleostress analysis.

sequence. The dip direction of the strata changes
gradually from NNW in the upper contact to ESE
in the lower contact (Fig. 4). This change indi-
cates an incremental clockwise rotation of the
block containing the sedimentary beds.
3.7. Taxco Volcanic Field (TVF)
The Tener|¤a Formation is one of the thickest
volcanic units in the region (V600 m) and con-
sists predominantly of rhyolitic lava £ows with
phenocrysts of sanidine and quartz, as well as
some interlayered ignimbrites with phenocrysts
of sanidine, quartz, biotite and hornblende. These
rhyolites are associated with some small-scale
domes aligned along fractures. Alba-Aldave et
al. (1996) obtained K^Ar dates from rhyolites
and intermediate ignimbrites that are compatible
with the stratigraphic position of the unit. These
dates range from 31 to 32 Ma (Fig. 3, Table 1).
The Huixteco Formation is the youngest silicic
Tertiary unit of the area and is formed by a 300-
m-thick pile of slightly to densely welded ignim-
brites that top the high ranges formed by the
Tener|¤a Formation (Fig. 4). Volcanic layers with-
in the sequence display in general a subhorizontal
attitude. They include pumice bearing ignimbrites,
slightly welded breccias, layers of vitrophyre and
some ash fall tu¡s. A K^Ar whole rock age ob-
tained from the top of the sequence yielded an age
of 32.4 R 0.8 (Mora¤n-Zenteno et al., 1998) which,
within error, is compatible with dates obtained
from the underlying Tener|¤a Formation.
4. Tertiary structures
Several Tertiary kilometer-scale strike-slip
faults are recognized in the Taxco region and sur-
rounding areas (Fig. 5). The sense of movement
was determined by using asymmetric structures
formed on fault surfaces; these structures are

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S.A. Alaniz-A

Fig. 6. Schematic blocks showing the kinematic conditions of deformation during late Eocene and early Oligocene in the Taxco
region. E1 and E3 indicate the principal horizontal stretching and shortening directions.

known as kinematic indicators. Three types of ki-
nematic indicators were used in the studied area:
crystal ¢bers, grain grooves and related fractures
(Doblas, 1998). The crystal ¢bers are neoformed
quartz that grew congruously in the shadow pres-
sure zones. The grain grooves are conic-shaped
features left by the movement of rigid grains
which ¢nally are indented on the fault surface.
We used two types of fractures related to the
faults: open fractures dipping in opposite direc-
tion of the fault surface known as Tension gashes,
and synthetic faults with angles between 30 and
60‡ with respect to the fault surface. In order to
determine the shear sense unambiguously, we
used at least two types of kinematic indicators
on the same fault plane.
The major faults described below, Tetipac, Chi-
chila, Acamixtla, El Muerto, San Gregorio, Coa-
pango, and Taxco faults, are visible lineaments
represented by fault zones wider than 50 m, in-
cluding associated segments or minor faults.
The Acamixtla fault is a 15-km-long, N10‡E-
trending, steeply dipping structure located east
of the TVF (Fig. 5). It de¢nes the contact of the
Acamixtla Ignimbrite or the Chontalcuatla¤n For-
mation with the eastern Mesozoic rocks and has a
well de¢ned linear geomorphic expression (Fig. 4).
In the northern segment of the Acamixtla fault,
some ENE-trending faults cross the lineament
zone and there are indications (mentioned below)
that both systems moved synchronously. In the
southern termination of the Acamixtla fault (lo-

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S.A. Alaniz-A 9

Table 2 spaced, in some places with a frequency of about

Fault data used in the computed paleostress tensor for the
two faults per meter. Most of the structures mea-
Oligocene event
sured in the ¢eld trend in general N^S and are
Fault Dip Dip Trend Plunge Movement high angle left-lateral faults. There are some
direction
NW-trending faults with dip-slip displacement.
Taxco 80 73 350 3 Left The faults cut ignimbrites of the Acamixtla Ignim-
San Gregorio 90 90 0 10 Left
San Gregorio 70 85 160 1 Left
brite and rhyolite lava £ows of the Tener|¤a For-
San Gregorio 272 90 2 5 Left mation. Several faults host pyroclastic dikes that
Tetipac 230 80 140 1 Right presumably fed the Huixteco Formation, which is
NW 55 90 325 1 Right the only pyroclastic deposit overlying the Tener|¤a
NW 37 80 127 2 Right Formation.
NW 65 55 90 52 Right-normal
The Tetipac fault is located in the northwestern
zone of the TVF and extends about 50 km farther
cation Cst1, Fig. 4) there is a wide deformation NW (Rivera et al., 1998). It trends VN45‡W and
zone that probably resulted from the convergence de¢nes the western boundary of the Chontalcuat-
of the Acamixtla fault with the Coapango fault. la¤n Formation. The fault cuts the volcanic rocks
The Coapango fault trends N^S and is 9 km of the TVF and the Mesozoic volcano-sedimenta-
long, extending from Acamixtla to Coapango. ry unit, which extends to the west of the fault,
There are good exposures of the fault zone on forming a highland area. Two phases of faulting
highway 95 (Cst1, Fig. 5). There are many asso- can be inferred from the ¢eld relationships. Kine-
ciated faults that have a spacing of about 15 m. matic indicators record a phase of faulting with
Most of the measured N^S faults are left-lateral left-lateral displacement. This phase included a
and the main fault is oriented N13‡W/80E‡, show- normal component, as is indicated by the subsi-
ing horizontal slickenside lineations. Within the dence that enabled the accumulation of the Chon-
fault zone there are also many right-lateral and talcuatla¤n Formation. The second phase seems to
some dip-slip faults, commonly oriented N^NW. be subsequent and was inferred from kinematic
The faults cut the Acamixtla Ignimbrite. indicators and local displacements of ignimbrite
The San Gregorio fault trends N^S and extends layers.
for about 20 km in the eastern zone of the TVF. The El Muerto fault is located at the southeast-
It is located to the west of the Coapango and ern limit of the TVF and extends from north of
Acamixtla faults. The trace of this structure can Taxco City to San Juan de Dios. It trends WNW
be followed nearly to Chontalcuatla¤n, but there and is 10 km long, de¢ning the contact of the
are geomorphologic indications of its continua- Taxco Schist with the red conglomerate and the
tion to the north. The fault zone is well exposed Acamixtla Ignimbrite (Fig. 4). The main fault
on highway 95 and on the road to San Gregorio trends N65‡W/48‡NE and is characterized by 6 m
(Fig. 5). In the highway exposures the fault zone of fault breccia. Several conjugated faults dipping
is 130 m wide and includes a main fault zone with to the south are observed in the hanging wall
20 m of breccia. This fault is vertical and oriented block. These faults have a moderate dip angle
N^S. The slip vector was horizontal with left-lat- and the observed kinematic indicators suggest
eral movement. There are some NW-trending oblique movement with normal and right-lateral
faults crossing the N^S system that contains kine- components (Fig. 5).
matic indicators that show both right-lateral and The Chichila fault trends NW and is located 13
left-lateral movement. Some NNW- and NW- km south of the Tetipac fault. It de¢nes the
trending faults are ¢lled with pyroclastic material. southwestern boundary of the Atzala Formation
The Taxco fault is 9 km long, trends N10‡W and its contact with the Mesozoic rocks (Fig. 5).
and is well exposed along highway 95, 1 km east This structure extends for about 70 km to the
of Taxco City. The fault zone is 160 m wide and is southeast. Rivera et al. (1998) mapped this fault
formed by several discrete faults that are narrowly as part of a set of regional strike-slip parallel

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S.A. Alaniz-A
faults. The right-lateral movement is deduced
from the large-scale displacements observed in
the Mesozoic rocks (Fig. 2) and is consistent
with the clockwise rotation of the block contain-
ing the Atzala Formation (Fig. 4).
Several minor ENE-trending faults cut volcanic
rocks within the TVF. The relative age of the
ENE faults with respect to the NW and N^S
faults is equivocal. At an outcrop scale we docu-
mented ENE faults that moved before, after and
synchronously with the N^S and NW faults at
localities P10, P6, and CH1, respectively. Rocks
of the Huixteco Formation are cut by ENE, NW
and N^S faults (locations P10, P11, P12, S1, S2,
and S3 in Fig. 5), showing that multiple faults
with multiple striae sets a¡ected the youngest
rocks of the TVF. Because there are no strati-
graphic indications of any other signi¢cant defor-
mation phase postdating the TVF, we inferred
that these faults moved synchronously.
There are some indications suggesting that N^S
and NW structures predate the documented
phases of Cenozoic deformation in the Taxco re-
gion. The VN^S Acamixtla, San Gregorio and
Taxco faults are located at the southern termina-
tion of the Taxco^San Miguel de Allende linea-
ment. This major structure has been interpreted as
a boundary of crustal blocks, that separates re-
gional structural domains and, in some areas,
controls the distribution of di¡erent Mesozoic
rocks (Nieto-Samaniego et al., 1999). Folds and
thrusts a¡ecting Mesozoic sequences in the Taxco
region are N^S-trending, suggesting that Cenozoic
faults inherited this structural trend (Fig. 2).
Indications of the pre-Eocene age of the NW-
trending faults are provided by Ar^Ar ages of
ma¢c dikes accompanying the Ag^Pb^Zn veins
hosted in faults with this orientation in the Taxco
mining district (Fig. 5). The analysis of the Ar^Ar
spectra of two samples obtained from these dikes
indicates a minimum age of V54 Ma (Table 1).
5. Phases of faulting
At least two phases of strike-slip faulting that
are associated with the development of sedimen-
tary basins can be documented in the Taxco re-
VOLGEO 2483 21-10-02
gion. Late Eocene deformation is inferred mainly
from the stratigraphic characteristics of the area
and the distribution of the Eocene sediments with
respect to major lineaments and the surrounding
Mesozoic rocks. Oligocene deformation can be
documented from the relationship between fault
kinematics and distribution of the volcanism.
5.1. Late Eocene NW extension
The Chontalcuatla¤n Formation, a sedimentary
sequence more than 350 m thick, is bounded by
steeply dipping strike-slip faults and is topograph-
ically lower than the surrounding Mesozoic rocks.
The sediments are restricted to a narrow, deep
and sharply de¢ned structural basin. Early Oligo-
cene ignimbrites (sample JL06, Table 1) lie con-
formably above this sequence. These features in-
dicate that the Chontalcuatla¤n Formation was
deposited in a basin formed by extension before
33 Ma and after the extrusion of the andesite that
lies at the bottom of the sequence.
The extension required to form the basin ¢lled
by the Chontalcuatla¤n Formation is more com-
patible with right-lateral movement of the VN^
S-trending Acamixtla, San Gregorio and Taxco
faults and with a left-lateral displacement of the
VNW-trending Tetipac fault (Fig. 6). In Tetipac,
ignimbrites of the Tener|¤a Formation are cut by
NW faults showing both left- and right-lateral
displacement. Also, the N^S faults that cut the
Acamixtla Ignimbrite display kinematic indicators
showing both senses. Coherent kinematic indica-
tors are present in both systems but were later
masked by the Oligocene deformation.
Fig. 6 shows that these kinematics produced
extension that was oriented circa NNW. It is no-
table that c1 bisects the obtuse angle between the
faults instead of the acute angle, as is predicted
for Andersonian fault systems. We think that the
orientation of the faults in Taxco was imposed by
the Mesozoic structural trend.
The occurrence of widespread Paleogene defor-
mation associated with NNW extension in south-
ern Mexico is suggested by the kinematics of fault
systems documented in di¡erent regions (Gonza¤-
lez-Torres, 1987; Tolson, 1998; Silva-Romo et al.,
1999).
 Ł lvarez et al. / Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 118 (2002) 1^14
S.A. Alaniz-A
5.2. Oligocene NE extension
Oligocene volcanism in the TVF was synchro-
nous with strike-slip faulting as is inferred from
the alignments of rhyolitic domes, the presence of
pyroclastic material ¢lling N^S-trending left-later-
al faults, and faults with the same kinematics cut-
ting the ‘pyroclastic dikes’. Although faulting af-
fects the Oligocene volcanic rocks, major faults
are more conspicuous outside of the outcrop
area of volcanic rocks.
As is indicated in Fig. 5, N^S faults cutting the
Oligocene Tener|¤a Formation show only left-lat-
eral kinematic indicators, whereas right-lateral
displacement indicators prevail on the NW faults.
Taking this into account, the zone between the
Acamixtla and Tetipac faults is expected to have
been a¡ected by shortening in Oligocene time.
The same zone was a¡ected by extension during
the Eocene phase of deformation.
The rhyolitic domes of the Tener|¤a Formation
are distributed between the Chichila and the Te-
tipac faults within the area de¢ned by the right-
handed stepover. These NW faults had right-lat-
eral movement during the Oligocene.
The direction of maximum extension associated
with the emplacement of the Oligocene volcanism
can be obtained from the kinematic analysis of
fault-slip data. A reasonable assumption is that
the minimum principal stress (c3 ) parallels the
maximum extension (E1). In order to use slicken-
side lineations to obtain the stress tensor it is nec-
essary to verify that the fault-slip data used satisfy
the assumption of parallelism between the slicken-
side lineations and the maximum shear stress on
the fault plane. Since there are kinematic incom-
patibilities among slip-fault data of the same
phase of deformation that must be eliminated,
we removed fault data of the Eocene deformation,
minor faults and those slickenside lineations that
seem to have been produced by interaction with
other fault planes.
Most of the minor faults located in the central
part of the TVF display indications of movements
incompatible with the kinematics of the major
faults and do not correspond to a unique stress
tensor. Figs. 2 and 5 show that the TVF is located
VOLGEO 2483 21-10-02
11
near the tip of several major faults (Acamixtla,
Coapango, San Gregorio, and Tetipac). It is
known that the stress ¢eld is disturbed near the
tips of faults (e.g. Segall and Pollard, 1980) or by
the dynamic interaction between neighboring
faults (e.g. Cashman and Ellis, 1994). Thus, with-
in a basin associated with strike-slip faults, the
movement of minor faults is produced by local
stress tensors, which do not necessarily corre-
spond to the regional stress ¢eld.
Nieto-Samaniego and Alaniz-Alvarez (1997)
proposed that two faults interact kinematically if
the slip of one fault depends on the movement of
another fault, and therefore both have to move
simultaneously. The resulting movement direction
of the block bounded by the faults is parallel to
their intersection. We documented only three
cases within the TVF where the N^S fault system
appears to have been reactivated simultaneously
with the ENE^WSW system (Fig. 5). The coeval
activation of two major faults is not common in
the TVF because the intersection of faults, and
thus the movement of the block between them,
is nearly vertical. Nevertheless, our structural
data suggest that the ENE^WSW, N^S and NW
faults were activated independently during the
same phase of deformation.
We used the method described by Reches
(1987) to calculate the directions and relative
magnitudes of a stress tensor that could satisfy
the Oligocene fault-slip data. Reches’ method as-
sumes that the slip occurs in the direction of max-
imum shear stress along the fault and considers
that slip direction satis¢es the Coulomb yield cri-
terion. The fault-slip data used were major faults
with more than 2 m of gouge and breccia (Table
2, Fig. 5). We used eight faults for the inversion,
four correspond to the N^S striking faults and the
other four to the NW striking faults. We obtain
c1 = 154‡/4‡ (trend/dip), c2 = 353‡/85‡, c3 = 244‡/
1‡, and stress ratio R = (c2 3c3 /c1 3c3 ) = 0.77.
Considering the two phases of deformation de-
scribed above, we interpret a change in the c3
direction from NNW to N64‡E that took place
about 33 Ma. This age corresponds to that of
the ignimbrite located between the sediments of
Chontalcuatla¤n and Atzala formations.
12 Ł lvarez et al. / Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 118 (2002) 1^14
S.A. Alaniz-A
6. Relationships between volcanism and strike-slip
faulting
6.1. Theoretical considerations
Stress ¢eld, magmatic input (Takada, 1989,
1994), buoyancy and rheology contrast (Wata-
nabe et al., 1999) have been proposed as the fac-
tors that determine magma transport and em-
placement. The type of volcanism (monogenetic
or polygenetic) can be determined by the magma
trajectory across the lithosphere, induced by the
tectonic stress ¢eld plus the e¡ect of the magma
pressure at di¡erent levels of the crust.
It is expected that magma migrates toward the
direction of minimum pressure. According to Se-
cor and Pollard (1975), excess magmatic pressure
is de¢ned as Pe = P3c3 , where P is magma pres-
sure and c3 the minimum principal compressive
stress. The direction of magma migration is con-
trolled by the maximum gradient of excess mag-
matic pressure, whose value increases as c3 dimin-
ishes. With c3 horizontal and varying greater than
P with depth, the maximum gradient of excess
magmatic pressure is upward (Secor and Pollard,
1975; Takada, 1989).
The most e¡ective mechanism of magma migra-
tion is through dikes. The low viscosity of basaltic
magma has been considered the cause of melt in-
trusion as relatively narrow tabular bodies (Emer-
man and Marrett, 1990). Nevertheless, felsic mag-
ma could migrate by dikes under the appropriate
conditions (e.g. Weinberg, 1996; Clemens and
Mawer, 1992). The migration of magma as dikes
could occur along pre-existing fractures as well as
by forming a new fracture (resembling hydraulic
fractures, e.g. Anderson, 1951). In the ¢rst case
dikes grow when magmatic pressure exceeds the
regional normal stress on the dike. If the magma
propagates by new fracture, dikes are formed in
the plane normal to c3 . Delaney et al. (1986) pro-
posed that magma preferentially invaded pre-ex-
isting fractures oriented at angles 6 40‡ to c3 .
According to those arguments the following
conditions are necessary for magma ascent and
volcanism: (1) upward orientation of the maxi-
mum value of Pe , (2) dPe /dZ 6 0 and (3) c3 hor-
izontal. Given these conditions, volcanism would
VOLGEO 2483 21-10-02
be expected to occur in normal and strike-slip
faulting regimes.
It has been established that for each unit of
volcanic rock there could exist an important
amount of intrusive rocks as dikes, plutons and
other intrusions (Takada, 1989; Parsons and
Thompson, 1991). The ratios of intrusive to ex-
trusive volumes of silicic magmas has been esti-
mated between one and 10 (Crisp, 1984 and refer-
ences therein). Therefore, by each volumetric unit
of volcanic rocks there are between one and 10
units of plutonic or subvolcanic rocks. In zones
with a large volume of volcanic rocks this ratio
could imply an important change in crustal vol-
ume and therefore should be considered in strain
analysis. Parsons and Thompson (1991) and Par-
sons et al. (1998) proposed that magmatism inhib-
its normal and strike-slip faulting when the vol-
ume occupied by dikes accommodates all the
tectonic extension.
6.2. Volcanism and faulting in the TVF
In a strike-slip regime the maximum extension
is located in the pull-apart zones which, at the
time of movement, has a di¡erent local stress ¢eld
with c1 vertical (e.g. Segall and Pollard, 1980;
Bertoluzza and Perotti, 1997). For the late Eocene
deformation in Taxco, the maximum extension
zone should have been near the southwestern tip
of the Acamixtla fault (Fig. 6). The source of the
Acamixtla ignimbrites is unknown, but the lack of
pyroclastic dikes in the Eocene conglomerates
(Edwards, 1955 and this work) suggests that the
ignimbrites could have been generated outside of
the TVF area. The extensional strain recorded by
the Chontalcuatla¤n basin ¢ll and the lack of vol-
canic rocks suggest that subsurface magmatism
was scarce at this time.
The Oligocene rhyolitic volcanism is located
within an extensional basin formed in the right-
handed stepover between the Chichila and Tetipac
dextral faults. The Atzala sequence, at the bot-
tom, indicates that subsidence began prior to the
volcanism. Subsidence ceased at the time of vol-
canism, nevertheless there is evidence of synchro-
nous faulting. The result of these events is that
instead of a basin, a relatively high topographic
 Ł lvarez et al. / Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 118 (2002) 1^14
S.A. Alaniz-A
feature consisting of rhyolitic domes was formed
(Fig. 4). The absence of a related caldera indicates
that the volume expulsed was emitted without
forming an empty space near the surface that
could collapse. These features suggest that the
volume occupied by magma inhibited normal
faulting during extension.
7. Conclusions
From the analysis of the Tertiary stratigraphy,
the distribution of the rock units and the charac-
teristics of the faults, we documented two exten-
sional basins, associated with strike-slip faults,
formed successively during the Eocene^Oligocene
interval. The oldest phase of faulting was related
to NNW extension and occurred in the late Eo-
cene. The younger phase took place in the early
Oligocene and was related to NE extension. The
transition between both regimes occurred about
33 Ma.
The voluminous Oligocene volcanism of the
Taxco region occurred synchronous with strike-
slip faulting within zones under extension. The
volcanic rocks overlie the sediments that ¢lled
the younger basin. Extension allowed rhyolitic
magma to rise to the surface. The positive relief
formed by the volcanic rocks indicates that the
volume of magma exceeded the stretching within
the extended zone and prevented subsidence.
Acknowledgements
We thank to Barbara Martiny for useful dis-
cussions and revision of the manuscript. We also
thank Juan Va¤zquez and Crescencio Gardun‹o for
technical assistance. The comments and sugges-
tions of Mike Hall and Ray Cas greatly improved
the manuscript. This research was supported by
UNAM, PAPIIT-IN113198.
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