Ricardo a Valls

Geology and Geochemical Evolution of the Ophiolitic Belts in Guatemala. Ricardo a Valls

This publication is the result of over three years of field exploration and it represents the most current knowledge about the regional geology, petrology, and geochemistry of the ophiolitic belts in Guatemala which are located within the Motagua Suture Zone in Central Guatemala. While my main objective was to study the Ni-bearing laterites in the area, I also wanted to study the geological evolution of the ophiolitic belts that host these laterite deposits. This publication incorporates information previously disclosed in other field guides written by me. It also includes a more complete stratigraphic section and updated geological information. All field names of the units have been changed to proper petrographic-identified terminology, and I also included new description points for the field guide. As always, I would like to acknowledge the influence that this publication had from the field trip guidebook prepared by G. Giunta et al. (2002), as well as from The Preliminary Stratigraphic Lexicon for North and Central Guatemala compiled by S. A. Millan (1985). I combined information from these milestone works with my personal experiences in the mapping of the area and that of Oscar Pinzón, Julio Roberto Pérez, and other geologists from the Guatemalan Ministry of Energy and Mines. This publication has also benefit from discussions with several geologists and consultants that have visited the area over the last three years, like Velasquez Spring, Gorden Glenn, Michael Hitch, Jim Steel, Rob Callander, John Redstone, Lineu Saboia, Petronila Ronze, Marcelo Albuquerque, Divino Fernando Fleury, and Cesar Ferreiro, just to mention a few.