Alkaline Rocks and Carbonatites of the World

Setup during HiTech AlkCarb: an online database of alkaline rock and carbonatite occurrences

La Breña - El Jaguëy Maar Complex

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Occurrence number: 
108-00-019
Country: 
Mexico
Region: 
Durango
Location: 
Longitude: -104.52957, Latitude: 24.41985
Carbonatite: 
No

The La Breña - El Jaguëy Maar Complex belongs to the Durango Volcanic Field, Durango, Mexico consisting of two near-circular intersecting maars: the larger La Breña maar composing the bulk of the complex with the smaller El Jaguëy maar overlapping the north-eastern quadrant of the former. The complex is located at the north-western corner of the Meseta Central, near the boundary of the Sierra Madre Occidental. La Breña is 1400 m in diameter, with remnants of spatter and lava cones reaching up to 2040 m elevation, whereas El Jaguëy has a diameter of ~700 m with an inclined cone shape. Volcanic rocks in both maars contain 4.9-9.7% normative nepheline and are mostly basanites, with some classifying as hawaiites. Xenoliths are found within vents and flows of both mantle (spinel-lherzolite) and lower-crustal (felsic orthogneiss) origin, with the former up to 30 cm in diameter indicating rapid ascension to the surface from great depth. Stratigraphy of eruptive sequences indicates a transition from phreatic to strombolian activity. A genetic model for the complex can be found in Aranda-Gómez et al. (1992) and geochemical data including whole rock major and trace element, radiogenic isotopic, and mineral chemical can be found in Pier et al. (1992).

Age: 
Probably Holocene (Aranda-Gómez et al., 1992)
References: 

ARANDA-GÓMEZ, J.J., LUHR, J.F. & PIER, J.G., 1992. The La Breña - El Jaguëy Maar Complex, Durango, Mexico: I. Geological evolution. Bulletin of Volcanology 54 pp 393-404. PIER, J.G., LUHR, J.F., PODOSEK, F.A. & ARANDA-GÓMEZ, J.J. The La Breña - El Jaguëy Maar Complex, Durango, Mexico: II. Petrology and Geochemistry. Bulletin of Volcanology 54 pp 405-428

Fig 1. Map and cross sections of La Breña - El Jaguëy Maar Complex (Aranda-Gómez et al., 1992, Fig 2.)
Location: 
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith