Cimitarra Fault

The Cimitarra Fault (Spanish: Falla de Cimitarra) is a sinistral oblique thrust fault in the departments of Antioquia, Bolívar and Santander in central Colombia. The fault has a total length of 136.5 kilometres (84.8 mi) and runs along an average northeast to southwest strike of 323 ± 3 in the Middle Magdalena Valley and Central Ranges of the Colombian Andes.

Cimitarra Fault
Falla de Cimitarra
EtymologyCimitarra River
Coordinates07°20′12″N 73°55′23″W
Country Colombia
RegionAndean
StateAntioquia, Bolívar, Santander
CitiesCantagallo, Puerto Wilches
Characteristics
RangeCentral Ranges, Andes
Part ofAndean oblique faults
Length136.5 km (84.8 mi)
Strike323 ± 3
Dipunknown
Dip angleunknown
Displacement0.1–1 mm (0.0039–0.0394 in)/yr
Tectonics
PlateNorth Andean
StatusInactive
TypeOblique thrust fault
MovementSinistral reverse
AgeQuaternary
OrogenyAndean

Etymology

The fault is named after the Cimitarra River, Antioquia, a left tributary of the Magdalena River.[1]

Description

The Cimitarra Fault splays from the Palestina Fault in a northeasterly direction on the eastern border of the Central Ranges of the Colombian Andes,[1] passes north of Barrancabermeja,[2] and possibly connects to the Bucaramanga-Santa Marta Fault in the northeast.[3] The fault displaces Jurassic to Cretaceous volcanic rocks, Mesozoic igneous rocks, a Tertiary erosion surface in the Central Ranges, and late Quaternary sediments. Portions of the fault are pre-Pliocene in age, since it is locally covered by undeformed Pliocene sediments. Farther northeast, the fault is overlain by young alluvial deposits of the Middle Magdalena Valley.[1]

The fault is marked by well preserved fault scarps, long straight traces, displaced drainages, and it forms aligned river courses. The slip rate is calculated at 0.1 to 1 millimetre (0.0039 to 0.0394 in) per year.[4]

See also

References

  1. Paris et al., 2000a, p.30
  2. Paris et al., 2000b
  3. Plancha 5-06, 2015
  4. Paris et al., 2000a, p.31

Bibliography

Maps

Further reading

  • Page, W.D. 1986. Seismic geology and seismicity of Northwestern Colombia, 1–200. San Francisco, California, Woodward-Clyde Consultants Report for ISA and Integral Ltda., Medellín.
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