The Eastern Foothills of Colombia   

Andrés MORA, Eliseo TESÓN, Jaime MARTÍNEZ, Mauricio PARRA, Álvaro LASSO, Brian K. HORTON, Richard A. KETCHAM, Antonio VELÁSQUEZ, and Juan Pablo ARIAS–MARTÍNEZ

https://doi.org/10.32685/pub.esp.37.2019.05

ISBN impreso obra completa: 978-958-52959-1-9

ISBN digital obra completa: 978-958-52959-6-4

ISBN impreso Vol. 3: 978-958-52959-4-0

ISBN digital Vol. 3: 978-958-53131-0-1​

Citation is suggested as: 

Mora, A., Tesón, E., Martínez, J., Parra, M., Lasso, Á., Horton, B.K., Ketcham, R.A., Velásquez, A. & Arias–Martínez, J.P. 2020. The Eastern Foothills of Colombia. In: Gómez, J. & Mateus–Zabala, D. (editors), The Geology of Colombia, Volume 3 Paleogene – Neogene. Servicio Geológico Colombiano, Publicaciones Geológicas Especiales 37, p. 123–142. Bogotá. https://doi.org/10.32685/pub.esp.37.2019.05

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Abstract 

In this chapter, we summarize for the first time the structural geometry and evolution of the Eastern Foothills of Colombia based on new and previously published cross–sections. We compare shortening records of the Caguán–Putumayo and Llanos Foothills as two different end–members for thick– and thin–skinned foothill deformation along the Andean deformation front. The Caguán–Putumayo area involves thick–skinned deformation and broad basement uplifts, such as the Garzón Massif, with a simple frontal monoclinal structure expressed in folded and faulted basement rocks, similar to broad thrust–related uplifts in the eastern Rocky Mountains of North America. In contrast, the Llanos Foothills have a more complex array of structural styles, from tightly folded frontal basement structures to thin–skinned antiforms of faulted detachment folds. The main factor controlling the style of basement deformation appears to be basement composition, which is igneous/metamorphic crystalline in the Caguán–Putumayo area and low–grade metasedimentary in the Llanos Foothills, prompting tighter basement folds. The main factors in determining thin– versus thick–skinned deformation appear to be the thickness of the Mesozoic – Cenozoic stratigraphic units and the presence or absence of detachment horizons. The Andean Foothills of Colombia record a geometric evolution that started in the Oligocene, with similar structural styles across all segments at that time. However, the deformation styles diverged rapidly during the Miocene to recent shortening, where rapid deposition of thick fluvial sedimentary units drove source rocks into the oil window and helped form efficient detachment horizons for thin–skinned deformation in deeper sectors of the basin.

Keywords: thin–skinned, thick skinned, basement, detachments.​

Resumen 

En este capítulo se sintetiza por primeva vez la geometría estructural y evolución del piedemonte oriental de Colombia a partir de secciones estructurales nuevas y otras ya publicadas. Se compara la evolución del acortamiento de los piedemontes del Caguán‒Putumayo y Llanos como dos miembros extremos de deformación de piedemonte con y sin basamento implicado a lo largo del frente de deformación andino. El área del Caguán‒Putumayo involucra deformación con basamento involucrado y amplios antiformes de basamento, como el Macizo de Garzón, con una estructura monoclinal frontal simple expresada en un basamento plegado y fallado, similar a los thrust‒uplifts en las Montañas Rocosas de Norteamérica. En contraste, el piedemonte llanero presenta un arreglo más complejo de estilos estructurales, desde estructuras de basamento frontales con plegamientos apretados hasta estructuras despegadas de basamento en apilamientos antiformes con pliegues de despegue fallados. El principal control en el estilo de deformación del basamento parece ser su composición, la cual es cristalina ígnea/metamórfica en la región del Caguán‒Putumayo y metasedimentaria en el piedemonte llanero propiciando así la presencia de pliegues de basamento más apretados. Los principales factores que determinan la presencia de deformación despegada del basamento o deformación con basamento involucrado parecen ser el espesor de las unidades estratigráficas mesozoicas y cenozoicas y la presencia o ausencia de horizontes de despegue. Los piedemontes andinos de Colombia registran una evolución geométrica que empezó en el Oligoceno, con estilos estructurales similares a lo largo de todos los segmentos de ese tiempo. Sin embargo, los estilos de deformación divergieron rápidamente durante el acortamiento mioceno al reciente, en el cual un rápido depósito de unidades sedimentarias fluviales espesas hizo que las rocas generadoras del piedemonte entraran en la ventana de generación de petróleo y ayudó a la formación de horizontes de despegue eficientes para la deformación sin basamento implicado en los sectores más profundos de la cuenca.

Palabras clave: deformación sin basamento involucrado, deformación con basamento involucrado, basamento, despegues.

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