K–Ar dating and geological significance of clastic sediments of the Paleocene Sepultura Formation, Baja California, México

At its type locality, the Paleocene Sepultura Formation consists of two members: a lower glauconitic-rich clastic section and an upper calcareous section. Three samples of authigenic glauconite pellets from two localities with good clastic sediment exposures were dated using K–Ar. At the type locality of Mesa La Sepultura, pellets from the middle of the clastic section yield a date of 60±1 Ma (weighted average of four experiments), and pellets from the top of the clastic unit give a date of 60±1 Ma (weighted average of two experiments). Pellets from the base of the section at La Mesa, 60 km distant, give a date of 59±1 Ma (one experiment). Dates obtained are in good agreement with those reported by biostratigraphy and confirm a Late Danian age. Our results differ from those reported elsewhere, in which low potassium content glauconites yield younger K–Ar ages than expected. An explanation for our observed agreement in ages could be related to the tectonic setting of forearc basins, where the low geothermal gradient prevents argon loss and reliable dates can be obtained.