Abstract
This work applies stress tensors inversions and quantification of fracture patterns along the Mesa de Los Santos, in the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia, to better understand the potential fluid flow. It thus contributes to the conceptual hydrogeological model. The area was subdivided into three blocks, separated by the NW Potreros and the Los Santos faults, having minor inner faults of different orientations. This separation facilitates the analysis of the fractures measured in the field, which in general show high dip angles and a conjugate geometry in the northern block, tension fractures (Mode I) in the central block, and a random distribution in the southwestern block. Win-Tensor treatment of slickensides yielded a maximum horizontal stress (SHmax) of 111o, which coincides with the WNW-ESE tensor observed from the conjugate and tension joints. We then used FracPaQ to generate interpolation maps of fracture intensity and density. The maps show the highest values in the central block and the lowest in the northern block, where the precipitation is higher, causing intensive rock weathering and homogenization of the fracture planes. Although the highest values of connectivity by line are found to the south of the mesa, we suggest the possibility of greater flow from the recharge zone (NE) along bedding planes and open NW-SE fractures.
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Availability of Data/Materials: The datasets generated during this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request and within the framework of cooperation agreements and scientific research projects.
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Acknowledgments
The authors express their gratitude for the financial backing provided by the Universidad Industrial de Santander through project 2534 “Estudio Integral del Agua en la Mesa de Los Santos”. Special thanks are extended to Stephen Pancino for the review of English style and grammar. The authors also acknowledge the handling editor and the invaluable input from two anonymous reviewers whose insightful comments contributed to improving the manuscript.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design.Material preparation and data collection: Sergio GARCÍA-ARIAS, Yessenia TARAZONA, María Camila VARGAS and Francisco VELANDIA; Investigation and Writing - original draft preparation: Sergio GARCÍA-ARIAS and Francisco VELANDIA; Writing - review and editing: Francisco VELANDIA, Angelica ALVAREZ, Sergio GARCÍA-ARIAS and José D. SANABRIA-GÓMEZ; Supervision: Francisco VELANDIA and José D. SANABRIA-GÓMEZAll authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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García-Arias, S., Velandia, F., Alvarez, A. et al. Stress tensors and quantification of fracture patterns to analyze connectivity and potential fluid flow in a mesa landform of the Northern Andes. J. Mt. Sci. 21, 271–291 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-023-8338-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-023-8338-5