Cenozoic exhumation patterns in the northern Andes: Constraints from the southern Bucaramanga Fault, Eastern Cordillera, Colombia

The left lateral strike-slip Bucaramanga Fault exhibits a transpressional southern termination located towards the axial zone of Eastern Cordillera Colombia, where Boyacá and Soapaga Faults are also identified as inversion-related structures. To unravel their exhumation history, we obtained apatite zircon: fission-track (U–Th)/He ages from samples collected along different structural domains, five vertical profiles. Joint Bayesian inverse modeling these data reveals at least four episodes cooling. These are: (i) 50 ± 5 Ma, (ii) 20 (iii) 12 3 (iv) Ma. earliest pulse is associated with reactivation Faults. second related to transpressive coincides marked increase in relief. Miocene-Pliocene pulses reactivation. Older previously reported other areas Santander Massif suggest migration north south. cooling this study can be related, within broader geodynamic context, interaction between Cocos, Nazca, Caribbean, South American plates, accretion large tectonic domains affinity (oceanic or continental) against plate during Cenozoic. Our results consistent previous work Massif. observed in-situ correspond found modern river sediments support relief development Eocene present.