GEOLOGICAL POINTS OF INTEREST TAHAMÍ GEOPARK PROJECT
GEOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL TREASURE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ANTIOQUIA
PALESTINIAN FAULT    

The Palestina Fault, one of Colombia's most important geological faults, extends from the Serranía de San Lucas mountain range in the department of Antioquia in the north to the Nevado del Ruiz volcanic zone in the south. It is present in the eastern part of the geopark, where it can be observed.

The Otú Norte and Bagre Norte faults branch off from the Palestina fault. This fault extends primarily along the eastern slope of the Cordillera Central, displacing Paleozoic crystalline metamorphic rocks and, to a lesser extent, Mesozoic plutonic rocks. The oldest rocks are found mainly in the western block.

• The Palestina Fault is a right-lateral strike-slip fault that displaces the Otú Fault in Colombia. Geologically, this means that the Palestina Fault has moved the Otú Fault horizontally to the right.

• This displacement is estimated at approximately 28 km.

• The Otú Fault, located in the northern region of the Tahamí Terrane, acts as a significant boundary between different geological terrains. However, the Palestina Fault interrupts and displaces this fault, creating a discontinuity in the geological structure.

• This interaction between faults has significant implications for understanding the tectonics of the region and for identifying the geological features on both sides of these faults.