Benthic foraminiferal record of the Pleistocene uplift of the sedimentary deposits of the Burica Peninsula (Costa Rica-Panama) as a result of Cocos Ridge subduction beneath the Central American Arc

This study used paleobathymetric interpretations from benthic foraminiferal assemblages to determine the timing of the initial subduction of the Cocos Ridge beneath the Costa Rica-Panama Arc and the associated amount of uplift. Forty-seven samples from four stratigraphic sections of the Burica and the Armuelles formations yielded 217 identified species. Foraminiferal paleoecology and cluster analyses indicated paleobathymetric differences within and between the sections. Maximum and minimum uplift rates were calculated from the biochronology, elevation, paleobathymetry and estimated eustatic changes. Large decreases in paleobathymetry were mainly due to the initial middle Pleistocene subduction of the Cocos Ridge in less than 0.5 Ma. Uplift rates were uneven across the Burica Peninsula, as follows: La Vaca 4.5–0.8 m/ky, Rabo de Puerco 2.8–0.7 m/ky, San Bartolo–Chiquito 2.7–0.8 m/ky, and eastern coast 8.0–1.5 m/ky. These differences probably resulted from Cocos Ridge asymmetry and differential uplift of tectonic blocks.