The Cochabamba Fault Zone or Cochabamba Shear Zone ( es, Zona de falla de Cochabamba) is an east-southeast trending zone of
sinistral
Sinistral and dextral, in some scientific fields, are the two types of chirality ("handedness") or relative direction. The terms are derived from the Latin words for "left" (''sinister'') and "right" (''dexter''). Other disciplines use different ...
strike-slip faults near the city of
Cochabamba
Cochabamba ( ay, Quchapampa; qu, Quchapampa) is a city and municipality in central Bolivia in a valley in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and the fourth largest city in Bolivia, with a population of 630 ...
in the
Bolivian
Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
. The movements along Cochabamba Fault Zone are related to
the bend in the Andes from running in a north-west direction to a north–south direction at this latitude. The compression of the crust at the Arica Elbow causes part of the
thrust belt in the Bolivian Andes to acquire a lateral movement to escape from the compression taking place along the elbow axis.
See also
*
Atacama Fault
The Atacama Fault Zone (AFZ) is an extensive system of faults cutting across the Chilean Coastal Cordillera in Northern Chile between the Andean Mountain range and the Pacific Ocean. The fault system is North-South striking and runs for more t ...
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Geology of Bolivia
The geology of Bolivia comprises a variety of different lithologies as well as tectonic and sedimentary environments. On a synoptic scale, geological units coincide with topographical units. The country is divided into a mountainous western area a ...
References
Seismic faults of Bolivia
Strike-slip faults
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