Cañasgordas Fault

Cañasgordas Fault
Falla de Cañasgordas
Etymology	Cañasgordas
Coordinates	06°48′14″N 76°04′55″W
Country	Colombia
Region	Andean
State	Antioquia
Cities	Dabeiba
Characteristics
Range	Western Ranges, Andes
Part of	Andean oblique faults
Length	54.8 km (34.1 mi)
Strike	316 ± 4
Dip	Southwest
Dip angle	High
Displacement	~0.01–0.1 mm (0.00039–0.00394 in)/yr
Tectonics
Plate	North Andean
Status	Inactive
Type	Oblique thrust fault
Movement	Reverse sinistral
Age	Quaternary
Orogeny	Andean

The Cañasgordas Fault (Spanish: Falla de Cañasgordas) is an oblique thrust fault in the department of Antioquia in northwestern Colombia. The fault has a total length of 54.8 kilometres (34.1 mi) and runs along an average northwest to southeast strike of 316 ± 4 in the Western Ranges of the Colombian Andes.

Etymology

The fault is named after the town of Cañasgordas.

Description

The Cañasgordas Fault is located to the northwest of the city of Medellín. The fault traverses most of the Western Ranges of the Colombian Andes between the towns of Dabeiba and Giraldo in the department of Antioquia. The Cañasgordas Fault probably joins the Mutatá Fault. The fault displaces Cretaceous sedimentary and volcanic rocks, Tertiary sedimentary rocks, and Quaternary mud flows. The fault forms strong linear features on satellite images and aerial photographs and controls the course of the Río Sucio, which has a prominent, linear V-shaped valley. Fault scarps are formed on Quaternary mud flows. The slip rate is estimated at 0.01 to 0.1 millimetres (0.00039 to 0.00394 in) per year deduced from offset of mud flows and the fault was probably active in the Late Pleistocene.

See also

• List of earthquakes in Colombia
• Romeral Fault System

References

Bibliography

• Paris, Gabriel; Machette, Michael N.; Dart, Richard L.; Haller, Kathleen M. (2000a), Map and Database of Quaternary Faults and Folds in Colombia and its Offshore Regions (PDF), USGS, pp. 1–66, retrieved 2017-09-18

Maps

• Paris, Gabriel; Machette, Michael N.; Dart, Richard L.; Haller, Kathleen M. (2000b), Map of Quaternary Faults and Folds of Colombia and Its Offshore Regions (PDF), USGS, p. 1, retrieved 2017-09-18

Further reading

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