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Abstract

C. Bartolini, R. T. Buffler, and J. Blickwede, 2003, The Circum-Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean: Hydrocarbon habitats, basin formation, and plate tectonics: AAPG Memoir 79, p. 849-873.

Copyright copy2003. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.

Three-dimensional Structure and Kinematics of the Piedras-Girardot Fold Belt: Surface Expression of Transpressional Deformation in the Northern Andes

Camilo Montes,1 Pedro A. Restrepo-Pace,2 Robert D. Hatcher Jr.3

1Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996-1410, U.S.A.; Present affiliation: Institute Franccedilais du Peacutetrole, Rueil Malmaison, 92825, France.
2600N Dairy Ashford, Houston, TX, 77079-1175, U.S.A.; Present affiliation: Ecopetrol, Cll. 37 # 8-43, Bogotaacute, D.C., Colombia..
3Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996-1410, U.S.A.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was financially and logistically supported by Colciencias, Ecopetrol, the Integrated Interpretation Center of Conoco Inc., the Corporacioacuten Geoloacutegica Ares, the Science Alliance Center for Excellence of the University of Tennessee, and the AAPG Gordon I. Atwater memorial grant. Identification of paleontologic material was kindly made by Fernando Etayo-Serna. Thorough reviews by William Dunne, Tomaacutes Villamil, Hans Aveacute Lallemant, Germaacuten Bayona, and Fabio Colmenares are greatly appreciated. The authors, however, remain responsible for all omissions or errors of fact or interpretation.

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a new kinematic Previous HitmodelNext Hit for the structure and tectonic evolution of part of the northern Andes of Colombia based on detailed geologic mapping, strain analysis, seismic interpretation, and 3-D forward modeling. This Previous HitmodelTop indicates that the oblique convergence vector imposed by the Caribbean Plate is not fully partitioned in space, but instead must be distributed in a diffuse zone of transpressional deformation spanning the Cordilleras Oriental and Central. The Piedras-Girardot fold belt, located between the two cordilleras, contains the termination of two regional scale structures of the northern Andes: the Ibagueacute fault and the Guaduas syncline. The Ibagueacute fault, with a minimum dextral displacement of 30 km, is the southern boundary of a rigid indenter that was inserted to the east-northeast, causing contrasting deformation styles in the Mesozoic sedimentary sequence to the east and to the south of it. South of the rigid indenter, a complex array of diverging north- to northeast-trending faults and folds delineate a sigmoidal stepover to the left with faults verging outwardly in opposite directions that define the Piedras-Girardot fold belt. The kinematics of deformation indicate that this fold belt is a dextral transpressional system where oblique contraction is accommodated along north- and northwest-trending segments of faults, dextral strike-slip along their northeast-trending segments, and extension along the east-trending faults. This doubly vergent system has northwest-verging thrust faults with oblique displacements approximately parallel to the Ibagueacute fault (17-km Cambao fault; 7-km Camaito fault), as well as a southeast-verging roof thrust with approximately 8 km of oblique displacement to the east-northeast (Cotomal fault). A geometric fit constrained with a stratigraphic piercing point also requires counterclockwise rotation of the easternmost two thrust sheets by 7deg and 13deg. A three-dimensionally admissible and valid palinspastic restoration of this fold belt requires approximately 52% east-northeast contraction (about 32 km), which is consistent with the minimum displacement of the Ibagueacute fault and other estimates of shortening in the eastern margin of the Cordillera Oriental. This component of deformation had not been previously identified and quantified in the northern Andes.

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