Provenance significance of quartz grain microtextures in the Salina Cruz and Puerto Angel beaches, Oaxaca State, Mexican Pacific

• Published in: Arabian journal of geosciences Vol. 16; no. 2
• Main Authors: Ramos-Vázquez, Mayla A., Verma, Sanjeet K., Armstrong-Altrin, John S., James, Rathinam Arthur
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Beaches; Diagenesis; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth science; Earth Sciences; Fractures; Globules; Grains; Meandering; Microtexture; Original Paper; Percussion; Provenance; Quartz; Ridges; Shear zone; Silica; Silicon dioxide; Striations; Mechanical features; Slickenside surfaces; Littoral current; Tectonic setting; Shock-melted grains
• ISSN: 1866-7511; 1866-7538
• DOI: 10.1007/s12517-023-11185-8

We studied the microtextures of quartz grains recovered from the Salina Cruz and Puerto Angel beaches in the Oaxaca State, Mexican Pacific coast. Quartz grains in both beaches are angular to sub-rounded in shape, revealed short and long transport with heterogeneous source. The mechanical features like conchoidal fractures, parallel striations/ridges, percussion marks, shock-melted grains, and meandering ridges were abundant, which indicates high energy in the beach environment. Rare microtexture slickenside surface suggested shear zones adjacent to fault. We identified microtextures of chemical origin such as silica globules, solution pits, and crystal overgrowth that indicated the diagenetic environment in a silica-saturated zone. The elongated depression, adhering particles, and medium relief revealed high influence of mechanical/chemical origin.