Seismological evidence on the geometry of the Orogenic System in central-northern Ecuador (South America)
Article first published online: 7 DEC 2012
Copyright 2001 by the American Geophysical Union.
Geophysical Research Letters
Volume 28, Issue 19, pages 3749–3752, 1 October 2001
How to Cite
(2001), Seismological evidence on the geometry of the Orogenic System in central-northern Ecuador (South America). Geophysical Research Letters, 28: 3749–3752. doi: 10.1029/2001GL013257
- Issue published online: 7 DEC 2012
- Article first published online: 7 DEC 2012
- Manuscript Accepted: 11 JUL 2001
- Manuscript Received: 2 APR 2001
Analysis of the spatial distribution of seismicity beneath central Ecuador from a temporary network gives new insights on two main points of the Ecuadorian tectonics. Major structures in the Ecuadorian Andes are East-dipping Late Jurassic to Paleogene sutures reactivated by present-day compression. The oceanic plate is plunging continuously down to a depth of about 200 km with a dip of 25°–35°. We also show that the coastal plain acts as a buttress transmitting stresses to the Andes, beneath which deformation is concentrated.