Open AccessRelevant aspects to the recognition of extensional environments in the field
Author(s) -
Ana Milena Suárez Arias,
Julián Andrés López Isaza,
Anny Julieth Forero Ortega,
Mario Andrés Cuéllar Cárdenas,
Carlos Augusto Quiroz Prada,
Lina María Cetina,
Oscar Freddy Muñoz Rodríguez,
Luis Miguel Aguirre Hoyos,
Nelson Ricardo López Herrera
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
boletín geológico
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2711-1318
DOI - 10.32685/0120-1425/bol.geol.48.2.2021.543
Subject(s) - geology , outcrop , fault scarp , horst , graben , context (archaeology) , tectonics , extensional fault , extensional tectonics , fault (geology) , geologic map , seismology , field (mathematics) , horst and graben , extensional definition , geomorphology , paleontology , mathematics , pure mathematics
The understanding of each geological-structural aspect in the field is fundamental to be able to reconstruct the geological history of a region and to give a geological meaning to the data acquired in the outcrop. The description of a brittle extensional environment, which is dominated by normal fault systems, is based on: (I) image interpretation, which aims to find evidence suggestive of an extensional geological environment, such as the presence of scarp lines and fault scarps, horst, graben and/or half-graben, among others, that allow the identification of the footwall and hanging wall blocks; ii) definition of the sites of interest for testing; and iii) analysis of the outcrops, following a systematic procedure that consists of the observation and identification of the deformation markers, their three-dimensional schematic representation, and their subsequent interpretation, including the stereographic representation in the outcrop. This procedure implies the unification of the parameters of structural data acquisition in the field, mentioning the minimum fields necessary for the registration of the data in tables. Additionally, the integration of geological and structural observations of the outcrop allows to understand the nature of the geological units, the deformation related to the extensional environment and the regional tectonic context of the study area.