Bahía Solano Fault Explained

Bahía Solano Fault
Other Name:Falla Bahía Solano, Utría Fault, Utría-Bahía Solano Fault
Namedfor:Bahía Solano
Pushpin Map:Colombia
Pushpin Relief:1
Region:Pacific/Chocó
State:Chocó
Cities:Nuquí
Coordinates:5.8869°N -77.3631°W
Range:Serranía del Baudó
Part Of:Pacific thrust faults
Length:290.6km (180.6miles)
Width:up to 5km (03miles)
Strike:347 ± 13
Dip:West
Dip Angle:unknown
Displacement:0.2-/yr
Plate:Panama, Coiba, North Andean
Status:Active
Earthquakes:1970 Bahía Solano (6.5)
Type:Thrust fault
Movement:Reverse
Rockunit:Uva Formation, Baudó Basalt
Age:Quaternary
Orogeny:Andean

The Bahía Solano Fault (Spanish; Castilian: Falla Bahía Solano), Utría Fault or Utría-Bahía Solano Fault is a westward dipping thrust fault in the department of Chocó on the Pacific Coast of Colombia. The fault has a total length of 290.6km (180.6miles) and runs along an average north–south strike of 347 ± 13 from the Panama-Colombia border to Bajo Baudó. The fault is partly offshore in the bays of Solano and Utría and crosses the Chocó Basin and the coastal Serranía del Baudó. Movement of the fault produced the 6.5 1970 Bahía Solano earthquake.

Etymology

The fault is named after Bahía Solano, Chocó.[1]

Description

The Bahía Solano Fault extends along the Pacific Coast of Colombia, bordering the Panama, Coiba, Malpelo and North Andes Plates.[2] It bounds a structural valley between the Solano Bay and Utría Bay, and displaces the Eocene turbidites of the Uva Formation in the south,[3] and Cretaceous oceanic Baudó Basalts in the north,[4] The fault forms a well developed and continuous fault line (scarp),[1] and the brecciated zone of the fault reaches 5km (03miles) in width.[5] The peninsulas of Cabo Corrientes and Bahía Solano are composed of oceanic crust displaced by the Bahía Solano Fault.[6]

Segments of the fault have been called Utría Fault,[7] [8] [9] [10] [6] and Utría-Bahía Solano Fault.[11]

Activity

The slip rate of the fault is estimated at between 0.2mm1mm per year.[1] The fault is active and produced the 1970 Bahía Solano earthquake with a moment magnitude of 6.5 and a depth of 15km (09miles).[12] [13] The earthquake was followed by 123 aftershocks in the period from September 26 to October 7, 1970.[14]

See also

References

Bibliography

Maps

Notes and References

  1. Paris et al., 2000, p.16
  2. Zhang et al., 2017
  3. Galvis Vergara, 1980, p.10
  4. Galvis Vergara, 1980, p.23
  5. Galvis Vergara, 1980, p.31
  6. Galvis Vergara, 1980, p.34
  7. Plancha 183, 2002
  8. Plancha 202, 2002
  9. Plancha 127, 2002
  10. Plancha 163, 2002
  11. Plancha 143, 2002
  12. Ramírez, 1975, p.207
  13. Web site: M 6.5 - near the west coast of Colombia . USGS . . 2017-09-18.
  14. Ramírez, 1975, p.208