Geology of the Departments of Antioquia and Caldas (Sub-zone II - A)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32685/0120-1425/bolgeol20.1.1972.326Keywords:
Colombia, Central Coordillera, metamorphism, orogenies, lithological description, sedimentation
License
Copyright (c) 1972 Servicio Geológico Colombiano
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Downloads
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Published
Abstract
This report summarizes the geology of an approximate 6000 km zone2 in the Central Cordillera of the Colombian Andes. This area, located in the north-central part of the department of Antioquia, was mapped between 1964 and 1968 as part of the National Mineral Inventory (IMN) program. In addition, the mineral resources of a 22 000 km area 2called II-A within IMN Zone II, which includes areas mapped by other institutions, are also described.
The oldest formation in this area is a Lower Paleozoic or possibly Upper Precambrian micaceous paragneiss. A thick eugeosynclinal sequence, accumulated during the Paleozoic, began to metamorphose regionally to green shale facies and locally to amphibolite facies during the Permian or Lower Triassic. These schists and gneisses are jointly designated as the Valdivia Group. Permian (?) orogenic metamorphic episodes include intrusion of concordant syntectonic plutons, mainly of tonalitic composition; no rocks were found whose age is unequivocally Triassic or Jurassic.
Both sedimentary and igneous formations represent the Cretaceous. Alpine eugeosynclinal ophiolites comprising submarine basalt flows and numerous gabbro and serpentinite intrusions along with flysch sediments composed of marine shales and, to a lesser extent, sandstones and conglomerates are prominent in the Lower Cretaceous. The Upper Cretaceous is represented along the western edge of the mapped area by submarine flows of basalt and pyroclastic rocks, locally interbedded with clastic sedimentary rocks, fine granular and laminated dark chert lenses, part of which contains radiolarians. The Upper Cretaceous is marked by another tecto-orogenic event that folded and faulted all rocks causing low-grade metamorphism, little evidence in the pre-Cretaceous rocks, and only discernible in the Cretaceous rocks. The Late Cretaceous orogeny culminated in the discordant intrusion of the epizonal and tonalitic Antioquian Batholith. Displacement along the Romeral strike-slip fault may have started in the Cretaceous.
The hornblende diorite pluton at Sabanalarga indicates that plutonism continued during the Cenozoic. Intermountain basins were filled by molasse derived from the erosion of adjacent mountains. Tertiary sedimentation in the littoral zones included organic carbonaceous matter later transformed into lignite or sub-bituminous coal. The Sabanalarga fault system originated in the Upper Tertiary and continued intermittent displacements of older strike-slip faults such as the Romeral fault. Epeirogenic uplift, which probably began in the Pliocene and continued during the Pleistocene and Holocene, renewed erosional processes, which have given the mountains their present shape.
References
Amstutz, G.C., 1968.- Spilites and spilitic rocks in Hess, H.H., ed., Basalts, v. 2: New York, lnterscience Publ., p. 737-753.
Auboin, Jean, 1965.- Geosynclines: New York, American Elsevier Publ. Co., 335 p.
Botero A., Gerardo, 1963.- Contribución al conocimiento de la geología de la zona central de Antioquia: Colombia Facultad de Minas Anales, Medellín, No. 57, 101 p.
Brown, G.M., 1967.- Mineralogy of basaltic rocks in Hess, H.H., ed., Basalts, v. 1: New York, Interscience Publ., p. 103-162.
Caillére, Simonne, and Hénin, Stéphane, 1957.- The chlorite and serpentine minerals (ch.8) and the sepiolite and palygorskite minerals (ch. 9) in Mackenzie, R.C., ed., The differential thermal investigation of clays: Mineralogical Soc. London, 456 p.
Cisneros, Javier, 1878.- Report on the construction of a railway from Puerto Berrío to Barbosa, State of Antioquia: New York, D. Van Nostrand, 166 p.
Colombia Servicio Geológico Nacional, 1965.- Mapa geológico de la plancha I-8 Colombia: Colombia Servicio Geol. Nac. map. scale 1:200.000.
Dana, E.S., 1892.- Descriptive mineralogy: John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1134 p.
Davis, E.F., 1918.- The radiolarian cherts of the Franciscan Group: Univ. Calif. Publ., Bull. of the Dept. of Geol., v. 11, p. 235-432.
Deer, W.A., Howie, R.A., and Zussman, Jack, 1962-63.- Rock-forming minerals: 5 vols.; v. 1, ortho-and ring silicates, 333 p., v. 2, chain silicates, 379 p.; v. 3, sheet silicates, 270 p.; v. 4, frame-work silicates, 435 p.; v. 5, nonsilicates, 371 p.: John Wiley & Sons, New York.
Faust, G.T., and Fahey, J.J., 1962.- The serpentine-group minerals: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 384-A, 92 p.
Feininger, Tomas, 1970.- The Palestina fault: Geol. Soc. America Bull., v. 81, No. 4, p. 1201-1216.
Feininger, Tomas. Barrero L., Darío, and Castro Q., Nestor, in press, Geology and mineral deposits of an area in the Departments of Antioquia and Caldas (Zone II-B), Colombia, with a section on Economic Geology, by R.B. Hall: Colombia Inst. Nac. Inv. Geol. Mineras Bull.
Goles, G.G., 1967.- Trace elements in ultramafic rocks in Wyllie, P.J., ed., Ultramafic and related rocks: John Wiley & Sons, New York, 464 p.
Grosse, Emil, 1926.- Estudio geológico del Terciario carbonífero de Antioquia: Berlín, Dietrich Reimer, 361 p.
Hall, R.B., Feininger, Tomas, Barrero, Darío, Rico H., Héctor, y Álvarez A., Jairo, 1970.- Recursos minerales de parte de los Departamentos de Antioquia y Caldas: Colombia Inst. Nac. Inv. Geol. - Mineras Bol. Geológico, v. XVIII, No. 2, 90 p.
Hamilton, EJ., 1965.- Applied geochronology: Academic Press, London and New York, 267 p.
Harder, E.C., 1952.- Examples of bauxite deposits illustrating variations in origin in Problems of clay and laterite genesis: Am. Inst. Min. Engineers, New York, p. 35-64.
Hawkes, H.E., and Webb, J.S., 1962.- Geochemistry in mineral exploration: Harper and Row, New York, 415 p.
Hess, H.H., 1955.- Serpentines, orogeny, and epeirogeny in Poldervaart, Arie, ed., The crust of the earth: Geol. Soc. America Spec. Paper 62, p. 391-408.
Kay, Marshall, 1955.- Sediments and subsidence through time in Poldervaart, Arie, ed., The crust of the earth: Geol. Soc. America Spec. Paper 62, p. 665-684.
King, P.B., 1968.- Geologic history of California: Mineral Information Service, a publication of the Calif. Div. of Mines and Geol., v. 21 No. 3, p. 39-48.
Mason, Brian, 1952.- Principies of geochemistry: John Wiley & Sons, New York, 276 p.
Nelson, H.W., 1957.- Contribution to the geology of the Central and Western Cordillera of Colombia in the sector between Ibagué and Cali: Leidse Geol. Med. (The Hague) deel (v.) 2, p. 1-76.
Nelson, H.W., 1962.- Contribución al conocimiento de la Cordillera Central de Colombia, sección entre Ibagué y Armenia: Colombia Serv. Geol. Nac., Bol. Geológico, v. 10, Nos. 1-3, p. 161-202.
Ospina, Tulio, 1911.- Reseña geológica de Antioquia: lnpreta La Organización, Medellín, 128 p.
Paetsch, Dietrich, Feltkamp, K., and Schimmel, G., 1963.- Ein ungewohnlicher kaolinit: Berliner Deutschlande Karamische Gesellschaft, v. 40, p. 386-389.
Park, C.F., Jr., and MacDiarmid, R.A., 1964.- Ore deposits: W.H. Freeman & Co., San Francisco, 4 75 p.
Pérez A., Gonzalo, 1967.- Determinación de la edad absoluta de algunas rocas de Antioquia por métodos radioactivos: Dyna (Medellín), No. 84, p. 27-31.
Posada, Juan de la C., 1936.- Bosquejo geológico de Antioquia: Colombia Facultad de Minas Anales, Medellín, No. 38, 51 p.
Prinz, Martin, 1967.- Geochemistry of basaltic rocks - trace elements in Hess, H. H., ed., Basalts, v. 1: Interscience Pub!., New York, p. 271-323.
Schuiling, R.D., 1967.- Tin belts on the continents around the Atlantic Ocean: Econ. Geol., v. 62, p. 540-550.
Servicio Geológico Nacional, 1946.- Mapa geológico del Departamento de Antioquia (1:1'000.000): Bogotá, unpub., issued as ozalid copies.
Shennan, G.D., 1952.- The genesis and morphology of the alumina-rich laterite clays in Problems of clay and laterite genesis: Am Inst. Min., Engineers, New York, p. 154-161.
Sorem, R.K. and Gunn, D.W., 1967.- Mineralogy of manganese deposits, Olympic Peninsula, Washington: Econ. Geol., v. 62, p. 22-56.
Taliaferro, N.L., 1933.- The relation of volcanism to diatomaceous and associated siliceous sediments: Univ. of Calif. Pub. in Geological Sciences, v. 23, 55 p.
Taliaferro, N.L., and Hudson, F.S., 1943.- Genesis of the manganese deposits of the Coast Ranges of California in Manganese in California: Calif. Div. Mines Bull. 125, p. 217-275.
Thayer, T.P., 1967.- Chemical and structural relations of ultramafic and feldspathic rocks in alpine intrusive complexes in Wyllie, P.J., ed., Ultramaphic and related rocks: John Wiley & Sons, New York, 464 p.
Van der Hammen, Thomas, 1958.- Estratigrafía del Terciario Maestrichtiano continentales y tectogénesis de los Andes Colombianos: Colombia Serv. Geol. Nal. Bol. Geológico, v. VI, Nos. 1-3, p. 67-128.
White, W. S., 1968.- The native-copper deposits of northern Michigan in Ridge, J.D., ed., Ore deposits of the United StateS, v. 1: Am. Inst. Min. Met. and Petroleoum Engineers, New York, p. 303-325.
Winkler, H.G.F., 1965.- Petrogenesis of metamorphic rocks: Berlín, Springer-Verlag, 220 p.
Wyllie, P.J., ed., 1967 .- Ultramafic and related rocks: John Wiley & Sons, New York, 464 p.
