The Murindó Fault (Spanish: Falla Murindó) is a strike-slip fault in the department of Antioquia and Chocó in northwestern Colombia. The fault has a total length of 60.6 kilometres (37.7 mi) and runs along an average north-northwest to south-southeast strike of 347.4 ± 6 in the Chocó Basin along the western edge of the Western Ranges of the Colombian Andes.

Murindó Fault
Falla Murindó
Map showing the location of Murindó Fault
Map showing the location of Murindó Fault
EtymologyMurindó
Coordinates06°45′55″N 76°39′12″W / 6.76528°N 76.65333°W / 6.76528; -76.65333
Country Colombia
RegionPacific/Chocó
StateAntioquia, Chocó
CitiesDabeiba
Characteristics
RangeChocó Basin, Western Ranges, Andes
Part ofAndean strike-slip faults
Length60.6 km (37.7 mi)
Strike347.4 ± 6
DipEast
Dip angleHigh
Displacement0.2–1 mm (0.0079–0.0394 in)/yr
Tectonics
PlateNorth Andean
StatusActive
Earthquakes18 October 1992 (MW 7.3)
TypeStrike-slip fault
MovementSinistral
AgeQuaternary
OrogenyAndean

Etymology

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The fault is named after Murindó.[1]

Description

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The fault in the Chocó Basin extends along the western slope of the Western Ranges of the Colombian Andes, from the Arquia River in the south to the Río Sucio and the basin of the Atrato River in the north. The Murindó Fault places Cretaceous volcanic (basic) rocks against Tertiary turbidites, and crosscuts Tertiary quartz-diorite and granodiorite.[1] The Murindó River flows along the Murindó Fault near Murindó.[2] The fault underlies the municipalities of Dabeiba and Frontino.[3] To the south, the fault runs parallel to the Mutatá and Encarnación Faults.[4][5]

In the southernmost part, the fault shows evidence of tectonic control of streams. It also forms aligned saddles that face toward the mountain front. The fault is active with an approximate slip rate of 0.2 to 1 millimetre (0.0079 to 0.0394 in) per year, and caused the 1992 Murindó earthquake (MW 7.3) on October 18. A foreshock of 6.7 was registered the day before. Many earthquakes that occurred since 1883 in the region are associated with the Murindó Fault.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Paris et al., 2000, p.14
  2. ^ Plancha 113, 2007
  3. ^ Plancha 128, 2002
  4. ^ Plancha 129, 2002
  5. ^ Plancha 145, 2002
  6. ^ Paris et al., 2000, p.15

Bibliography

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

Maps

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Further reading

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  • 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