Consag Basin
Encyclopedia
The Consag Basin is a submarine depression in the far northern part of the Gulf of California
associated with the East Pacific Rise
. It lies south of the Wagner Basin
with which it is closely linked. The depression is a result of subsidence caused by the extensional forces probably imparted by the same spreading center which has produced the Wagner Basin. Both basins are bounded on their eastern side by the Wagner Fault, a primarily normal (vertical motion) fault which dips approximately 60 degrees to the northwest. The western side of the basin is bounded by another normal fault, the Consag Fault which dips in a direction opposite the Wagner Fault. The seabed between these faults is sinking.
The Consag Basin is linked to the Delfin Basin
located to its south by a poorly-understood deformation zone which further research may eventually define as a transform fault
.
The basin is named for a rocky outcrop in its vicinity, the Roca Consag
.
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland...
associated with the East Pacific Rise
East Pacific Rise
The East Pacific Rise is a mid-oceanic ridge, a divergent tectonic plate boundary located along the floor of the Pacific Ocean. It separates the Pacific Plate to the west from the North American Plate, the Rivera Plate, the Cocos Plate, the Nazca Plate, and the Antarctic Plate...
. It lies south of the Wagner Basin
Wagner Basin
The Wagner Basin is a submarine depression in the far northern part of the Gulf of California. It is the northernmost underwater depression associated with the East Pacific Rise. The depression is a result of subsidence caused by the extensional forces imparted by a spreading center...
with which it is closely linked. The depression is a result of subsidence caused by the extensional forces probably imparted by the same spreading center which has produced the Wagner Basin. Both basins are bounded on their eastern side by the Wagner Fault, a primarily normal (vertical motion) fault which dips approximately 60 degrees to the northwest. The western side of the basin is bounded by another normal fault, the Consag Fault which dips in a direction opposite the Wagner Fault. The seabed between these faults is sinking.
The Consag Basin is linked to the Delfin Basin
Delfin Basin
The Delfin Basin is a pair of interconnected submarine depressions located on the seabed of the northern Gulf of California. The northernmost of these is called the Upper Delfin Basin while the southernmost is called the Lower Delfin Basin...
located to its south by a poorly-understood deformation zone which further research may eventually define as a transform fault
Transform fault
A transform fault or transform boundary, also known as conservative plate boundary since these faults neither create nor destroy lithosphere, is a type of fault whose relative motion is predominantly horizontal in either sinistral or dextral direction. Furthermore, transform faults end abruptly...
.
The basin is named for a rocky outcrop in its vicinity, the Roca Consag
Roca Consag
Roca Consag is a granitic outcrop located in the northern Gulf of California about 17 miles ENE of the town of San Felipe. The outcrop stands about 286 feet above the sea, and is named for the Jesuit missionary Ferdinand Konščak who was active in the early exploration and missionary work in Baja...
.