Earthquake distribution and lithospheric rheology beneath the
Northwestern Andes, Colombia
Abstract
The rheological behavior of the lithosphere is examined beneath the
Northwestern (NW) Andes (Colombian). Two profiles, one on western and
other on eastern of the transition area between the Upper Magdalena
Valley (UMV) and the Middle Magdalena Valley (MMV), are obtained from
the analysis of the earthquake distribution and the stress drop. Results
are consistent with the tectonic and geodynamic context of the western
region. In essence, the brittle/ductile transition of the lithospheric
crust and mantle is observed, and an approximation of the lithospheric
thickness is made. Moreover, the subduction phenomenon of the Nazca
Plate under the South American Plate is shown. In the Eastern region, we
contemplate an aseismic zone under the Eastern Cordillera below 20 km
deep that makes it challenging to know the crust/mantle boundary. This
seismic particularity leads us to support the hypothesis of a
delamination process due to the tectonic, geological, and thermal
context. Our results suggest that the earthquake dataset correlated with
rheological estimations may offer a consistent interpretation of the
mechanical behavior of the lithosphere.