Garrapatas Fault Zone

The Garrapatas Fault is an inactive dextral oblique thrust fault in the departments of Chocó and Valle del Cauca in Colombia. The fault has a total length of and is crescent-shaped, running along an average east-northeast to west-southwest strike of 060.8 ± 14 in the Western Ranges of the Colombian Andes.

Etymology

The fault is named after the Garrapatas River.

Description

The Garrapatas Fault runs between the axis of the Western Ranges of the Colombian Andes and the Serranía [de Los Paraguas], to the west of the city of Buga, [Valle del Cauca|Buga]. The fault displaces oceanic volcanic and sedimentary rocks and has a very well developed V-shaped valley along the upper parts of the Garrapatas and Las [Vueltas River]s and probably connects with the Argelia Fault. It causes alignment of drainage and parallel streams. Dextral movement in this fault is an exception to the common sinistral movement of north–south trending faults in the region.

Maps

*