The case for persistent southwest-dipping Cretaceous convergence in the northeast Antilles: Geochemistry, melting models, and tectonic implicationsCretaceous convergence in the northeast Antilles

Constraints on the polarity of Cretaceous subduction in the Greater Antilles are provided through geochemical comparison between the erupted island arc lavas in central Puerto Rico and potential pelagic sediment reservoirs in the flanking ocean basins. Early Jurassic to mid-Cretaceous (185- to 65-Ma) sediment from the open Pacific on the southwest is dominated by pelagic chert, which is highly refractory and depleted with respect to …