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
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]

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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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