Geodetic analysis and seismotectonic strain associated to the Quetame earthquake, Colombia

Authors

  • Héctor Mora Páez Servicio Geológico Colombiano
  • Sergio A. López
  • Natalia Acero P.
  • Jair Ramírez Cadena Servicio Geológico Colombiano
  • Elkin Salcedo Hurtado Universidad del Valle
  • Robert Trenkamp University of South Carolina

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32685/0120-1425/boletingeo.43.2015.26

Keywords:

GPS, earthquake, geodynamics, strain, geodesy, seismotectonics

How to Cite

Mora Páez, H., López, S. A., Acero P., N., Ramírez Cadena, J., Salcedo Hurtado, E., & Trenkamp, R. (2015). Geodetic analysis and seismotectonic strain associated to the Quetame earthquake, Colombia. Boletín Geológico, (43), 7–22. https://doi.org/10.32685/0120-1425/boletingeo.43.2015.26

Issue

Section

Articles

Published

2015-01-01

Abstract

On May 24, 2008, at 14:20 hour’s local time, there was a seismic event that was felt in the central region of Colombia. The epicenter was located 8,6 km north from the urban area of the Quetame Municipality (Cundinamarca), with coordinates 4,399° N in latitude and 73,814° W in longitude, shallow depth and a Richter Scale local magnitude of 5,7, computed from the maximum amplitude of the record according to the RSNC report. The Seismology Group of Harvard University reported this earthquake with an Mw = 5, 9. The earthquake’s focal mechanism, calculated by the USGS, shows that the rupture plan has an orientation of N16°E – S16°W and belongs to a right lateral rip failure with a normal movement component, solid with the Naranjal fault as one of the main tectonic structures in the epicentral region.

 

The quantitative seism tectonics analysis indicates that the aftershocks could be presented inside an area of 199,5 km2, confined in a horizontal and vertical extension with respect to the focus about 21 and 14 km, respectively; so, according to the depth, it is established that the rupture volume could be about 4887 km3. This information suggests that seism tectonics strain rate in focal region is being submitted to a velocity of 4,5 *10-6cm/seg in the horizontal direction (lx) and about 3,0 *10-6cm/seg in the vertical direction (lz). The indicated deformation rate occurs under a physical resistance of the half a Q = 3.6, in the focal región

References

Aggarwal, Y. (1983). Seismic slip rates and earthquake rupture zones in the southern Caribbean: implications for plate motions and earthquake hazards in this region-Cartagena, Colombia. Abstracts, Tenth Caribbean Geological Conference, 16.

Aki, K. (1966). Generation and propagation of G wave from the Niigata earthquake of June 16, 1964. Estimation of earthquake moment, released energy, stress-strain drop from the G wave spectrum. Bull. Earthq. Res. Inst., 44, 73-89.

Blewitt, G. (1990). An automatic editing algorithm for GPS data. Geophys. Res. Lett., 17, 199-202.

Blewitt G. (1989). Carrier phase ambiguity resolution for the global positioning system applied to geodetic baselines up to 2000 km. J. Geophys. Res., 94 (B8), 10187-10203.

Cediel, F., Shaw, R. P. & Cáceres, C. (2003). Tectonic assembly of the Northern Andean Block. En Bartolini, C., Buffler, R.T. & Blickwede, J. (eds.). The Circum-Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean: Hydrocarbon Habitats, Basin Formation, and Plate Tectonics. AAPG Memoir 79, 815-848.

Colleta, B., Hebrard, F., Letouzey, J., Werner, P. & Rudkiweicz, J. L., (1990). Tectonic style and crustal structure of the Eastern Cordillera, Colombia from a balanced cross section. En Letouzey, J. (ed.). Petroleum and Tectonics in Mobile Belts, pp. 81-100. París: Editions Technip.

Colmenares, L. & Zoback, M. D. (2003). Stress field and seismotectonics of northern South America. Geology, 31(8), 721-724.

Cortés, M. & Angelier, J. (2005). Current states of stress in the northern Andes as indicated by focal mechanisms of earthquakes. Tectonophys, 403, 29-58.

Drumia, A. V., Stepanenko, N. Y. & Poyata, I. A. (1990). Sismicidad y deformación sismotectónica en la región del Brancha y otras regiones del mundo con focos sísmicos de profundidad intermedia. En Drumea et ál. (eds.). El Sismo de los Cárpatos de 1986. Kishiniev, 21-29 (en ruso).

Espinosa, B. A. (1994). Sismicidad histórica de Santafé de Bogotá y su área (1500-1994); Ingeominas, Microzonificación sísmica de Santafé de Bogotá, 39 p., Inédito.

Freymueller, J.T., Kellogg, J. N. & Vega, V. (1993). Plate motions in the North Andean region. J. Geophys. Res., 98, 21853-21863.

Global CMT Project. (2009). Catálogo CMT. http://www.globalcmt.org/. Consultado en marzo del2009.

Ingeominas (2008). El sismo de Quetame del 24 de mayo de 2008. Aspectos sismológicos y evaluación preliminar de daños. Informe preliminar n.o 2. Bogotá: Instituto Colombiano de Geología y Minería (Ingeominas), Subdirección de Amenazas Geológicas y Entorno Ambiental.

Ingeominas (2009). Catálogo de Sismicidad de la Red Sismológica Nacional de Colombia. <http://www.ingeominas.gov.co/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=270>

Kellogg, J. N., Vega, V. (1995). Tectonic development of Panama, Costa Rica, and the Colombia Andes: Constraints from global positioning system geodetic studies and gravity. En Mann, P. (ed.). Geologic and tectonic development of the Caribbean plate boundary in southern Central America. GSA Special Paper, 295, 75-90.

Kostrov, B. (1975). Mecánica de los focos de los sismos Tectónicos. Nauka (en ruso).

Kostrov, B. & Das, S. (1988). Principals of Earthquakes Source Mechanics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Lichten, S. M. & Border, J. S. (1987). Strategies for highprecision global positioning system orbit determination. J. Geophys. Res., 92, 12751-12762.

Mora, A., Parra, M., Strecker, M. R., Kammer, A., Dimaté, C. & Rodríguez, F. (2006). Cenozoic contractional reactivation of Mesozoic extensional structures in the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia. Tectonics, 25, p.TC2010, doi: 10.1029/2005TC001854.

Mora, A., Parra, M., Strecker, M. R. & Sobel, E. R. (2008). Climate forcing of asymmetric orogenic evolution in the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia. GSA Bull., 120 (7-8), 930-949.

Mora, H. (2006). Red Nacional de Estaciones Geodésicas Satelitales GPS con propósitos geodinámicos. Propuesta de proyecto, posteriormente aprobado, presentada al Ministerio de Minas y Energía y al Departamento de Planeación Nacional, documento BPIN.

Mora, H. & Trenkamp, R. (2005). Investigaciones Geodésicas satelitales GPS en el Occidente Colombiano, Informe 1-1, Subproyecto de Sismotectónica, Informe Final del proyecto “Microzonificación sísmica de la ciudad de Santiago de Cali”. En Alvarado, C. (ed.). Ingeominas-DAGMA.

Orozco, L. A. (2004). Propuesta de definición de provincias sismotectónicas y modelo de bloques de deformación actual para Colombia. Informe Técnico. Bogotá: Ingeominas (inédito).

Pennington, W. D. (1981). Subduction of eastern Panamá basin and seismotectonics of northwestern South America. J. Geophys. Res., 86(B11), 10753-10770.

Ramírez, J. E. (1975). Historia de los terremotos en Colombia. 2da. ed. Bogotá: Instituto Geográfico Agustín Codazzi, 250 pp.

Risnichenko, Y. V. (1976). Dimensiones del foco sismos corticales y el momento sísmico. En Investigaciones sobre física de los sismos. Moscú: Nauka (en ruso).

Risnichenko, Y. V. (1985). Problemas de la sismología. Obras escogidas. Moscú: Nauka (en ruso).

Shebalin, N. V. (1968). Problemas de la naturaleza de los sismos profundos. Informes de la Académica de Ciencias de la URSS. T. 181, 5, 1119-1122 (en ruso).

Shebalin, N. V. (1971). Cálculo de las dimensiones y posición del foco del sismo de Tashkien mediante datos macrosísmicos e instrumentales. En El sismo de Tashkien de 1966. Tashkien: Académica de Ciencias de la URSS, pp. 68-79 (en ruso).

Shebalin, N. V. (1974). Focos de sismos fuertes en el territorio de la URSS. Moscú: Nauka, 54 pp. (en ruso).

Trenkamp, R., Kellogg, J. N., Freymueller, J.T. & Mora, H. (2002). Wide plate margin deformation, southern Central America and northwestern South America, CASA GPS observations. J. South Am. EarthSci., 15, 157-171.

Velandia, F., Acosta, J., Terraza, R., Villegas, H. (2005). The current tectonic motion of the Northern Andes along the Algeciras Fault System in SW Colombia. Tectonophys, 399, 313-329.

Webb, F. & Zumberge, J. F. (1997). An introduction to GIPSY-OASIS II. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. California: Institute of Technology.

Wells D. L. & Coppersmith K. J. (1994). New Empirical Relationships among Magnitude, Rupture Length, Rupture Width, Rupture Area, and Surface Displacement. Bull. Seism. Soc. Am., 84 (4), 974-1002.

Wessel, P. & Smith, W. (2009). GMT v. 4.4.0. En http://gmt.soest.hawaii.edu/

Zumberge J., M. Heflin, B., Jefferson, D. C., Watkins M. M. & Webb, F. (1997). Precise point positioning for the efficient and robust analysis of GPS data from large networks. J. Geophys. Res., 102 (B3), 5005-5017.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Similar Articles

1 2 3 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.