Transpressional inversion at the edges of the Cordillera Oriental, Colombia: Insights from physical models
Abstract
At the edges of the Cordillera Oriental, Colombia, Mesozoic rift basins have been through a phase of transpressional inversion, as a result of Andean orogeny. Typical structures are reactivated Early Cretaceous normal faults, basement pop-ups due to reverse faulting, and positive flower structures, which formed by right-lateral wrenching. To investigate the structural development of the Cordillera, we did a series of experiments on physical models at crustal scale. After a first extensional phase, each model went through a second compressional phase, at a given angle of relative plate motion. This angle was found to influence the structural style.