Mutatá Fault

The Mutatá Fault (Spanish: Falla Mutatá) is a strike-slip fault in the department of Antioquia in northern Colombia. The fault has a total length of 44.7 kilometres (27.8 mi) and runs along an average northwest to southeast strike of 326.4 ± 11 in the Urabá Basin. The fault is active and produced the 2016 Mutatá earthquake with a moment magnitude of 6.0.

Mutatá Fault
Falla Mutatá
Etymology	Mutatá
Country	Colombia
Region	Caribbean
State	Antioquia
Cities	Mutatá
Characteristics
Range	Urabá Basin
Part of	Andean thrust faults
Length	44.7 km (27.8 mi)
Strike	326.4 ± 11
Dip	East
Dip angle	Probably medium to high
Displacement	0.2–1 mm (0.0079–0.0394 in)/yr
Tectonics
Plate	North Andean
Status	Active
Earthquakes	2016 Mutatá (Mw 6.0) 7 September 1882 Turbo (X) (possibly)
Type	Thrust fault
Movement	Oblique sinistral reverse
Age	Quaternary
Orogeny	Andean

Etymology

The fault is named after Mutatá.[1]

Description

The Mutatá Fault is located in northwestern Colombia, between the Penderisco River and the Caribbean Sea. To the south, near the town of Mutatá, the Mutatá Fault approaches the Murrí Fault and the two fault zones practically merge. In this area, the Mutatá Fault places Cretaceous intrusive rocks and greenstones (to the east) in contact with sedimentary Tertiary rocks (to the west). Farther north, the fault cuts Tertiary and Quaternary deposits, with uplift of the eastern block. The Mutatá Fault is located near the junction of the Malpelo, Caribbean, and North Andean Plates. There is an elongate, tectonically depressed zone between the Mutatá and Murrí Faults. The Mutatá Fault has a prominent topographic expression near the town of Mutatá, as seen on SIR-A satellite images. To the north of Río Sucio, the Mutatá Fault shows discontinuous linear valleys, notches, and trenches (grabens). There are aligned hills and slope changes close to the Central Ranges. Fault scarps, sag ponds, and aligned valleys are very common tectonic features along most of the fault's trace.[1]

Some authors consider the fault the northern part of the Murrí-Mutatá Fault.[2][3]

Activity

The slip rate has been estimated between 0.2 and 1 millimetre (0.0079 and 0.0394 in) per year and the fault is active, with activity registered to the Late Pleistocene and possibly to the intensity X 7 September 1882 Turbo earthquake.[1] The most recent earthquake associated with the fault was the 2016 Mutatá earthquake (M_w 6.0).[4]

See also

• List of earthquakes in Colombia
• Murindó Fault
• Unguía Fault
• Romeral Fault System

References

1. Paris et al., 2000, p.14
2. Plancha 129, 2002
3. González, 2001, p.183
4. (in Spanish) "Sismos y réplicas ocurridas en Antioquia están asociadas a sistema de fallas geológicas Mistrató- Mutatá"

Bibliography

• González, Humberto. 2001. Mapa Geológico del Departamento de Antioquia - 1:400,000 - Memoria explicativa, 1–120. INGEOMINAS.
• Paris, Gabriel; Michael N. Machette; Richard L. Dart, and Kathleen M. Haller. 2000. Map and Database of Quaternary Faults and Folds in Colombia and its Offshore Regions, 1–66. USGS. Accessed 2017-09-18.

Maps

• Paris, Gabriel; Michael N. Machette; Richard L. Dart, and Kathleen M. Haller. 2000. Map of Quaternary Faults and Folds of Colombia and Its Offshore Regions, 1. USGS. Accessed 2017-09-18.
• Londoño, Ana Cristina, and Humberto González. 2002. Plancha 129 - Cañasgordas - 1:100,000, 1. INGEOMINAS. Accessed 2017-06-06.

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.