The Motagua Fault (also, Motagua Fault Zone) is a major, active left lateral-moving transform fault which cuts across Guatemala. It forms part of the tectonic boundary between the North American Plate and the Caribbean Plate. It is considered the onshore continuation of the Swan Islands Transform Fault and Cayman trench, which run under the Caribbean Sea.[1] Its western end appears not to continue further than its surface trace,[2] where it is covered by Cenozoic volcanics.[1]
The measured length of the fault is approximately 350 km and is the longest fault in Guatemala. Motion of the fault and others in the plate boundary have formed North-South trending grabens across the region that show evidence of counter-clockwise rotation over time. Guatemala City lies in one of these grabens, which may contribute to the seismic hazard posed to the city's inhabitants. [3]
The Motagua Fault is regarded by some geologists as part of a system of faults designated the "Motagua-Polochic system" rather than as a discrete single boundary. The Polochic fault (also referred to as the Chixoy-Polochic Fault) lies north and parallel to the Motagua Fault and shares some of the motion between the North American and Caribbean Plates.[1]Studies of GPS displacement of the zone reveal that the motion of the North American / Caribbean Plate Boundary is, for the most part, accommodated by the Motagua Fault. [3]
^ abcLyon-Caen, H.; Barrier, E.; Lasserre, C.; Fraco, A.; Arzu, I.; Chiquin, L.; Chiquin, M.; Duquesnoy, T.; Flores, O.; Galicia, O.; Luna, J.; Molina, E.; Porras, O.; Requena, J.; Robles, V.; Romero, J.; Wolf, R. (2006). "Kinematics of the North American-Caribbean-Cocos plates in Central America from new GPS measurements across the Polochic-Motagua fault system". Geophysical Research Letters. 33 (L19309). doi:10.1029/2006GL027694. S2CID 3161221.
^Guzmán-Speziale, Marco (2010). "Beyond the Motagua and Polochic faults: Active strike-slip faulting along the Western North America-Caribbean plate boundary zone". Tectonophysics. 496 (1–4): 17–27. doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2010.10.002.
^ abGuzmán-Speziale, Marco; Molina, Enrique (2022-04-01). "Seismicity and seismically active faulting of Guatemala: A review". Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 115: 103740. doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2022.103740. ISSN 0895-9811.
The Motagua River valley also marks the MotaguaFault, the tectonic boundary between the North American and the Caribbean Plates. The Motaguafault has...
time with a moment magnitude of 7.5. The shock was centered on the MotaguaFault, about 160 km northeast of Guatemala City at a depth of 5 kilometers...
occurrences in Guatemala. The country lies in a major fault zone known as the Motagua and Chixoy-Polochic fault complex, which cuts across Guatemala and forms...
Guatemala. The transform fault continues onshore as the Polochic-Motaguafault system, which consists of the Polochic and Motaguafaults. This system continues...
Chixoy-Polochic Fault, which runs parallel to, and roughly 80 kilometers (50 mi) to the north, of the MotaguaFault. Though less active than the MotaguaFault, seismic...
Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) (/ˈmædrɪd/), sometimes called the New Madrid Fault Line, is a major seismic zone and a prolific source of intraplate earthquakes...
to Guatemala in the west, where it continues as the MotaguaFault. It consists of two main fault strands that overlap west of the Swan Islands. It has...
This list covers all faults and fault-systems that are either geologically important[clarification needed] or connected to prominent seismic activity.[clarification...
landward side, the division is demarcated along the Polochic-Motaguafault system (see MotaguaFault), the boundary between the North American Plate and the...
earthquake caused by faulting within the subducting Cocos Plate. The northern part of the country hosts the MotaguaFault and Chixoy-Polochic Fault, accommodating...
North American Plate. The Queen Charlotte Fault on the Pacific Northwest coast of North America The MotaguaFault, which crosses through Guatemala, is a...
Belize, Guatemala (MotaguaFault), and Honduras in Central America, eastward through the Cayman trough along the Swan Islands Transform Fault before joining...
the east is a transform fault, represented by the Swan Islands Transform Fault under the Caribbean Sea and the MotaguaFault through Guatemala. The parallel...
A fault trace describes the intersection of a geological fault with the Earth's surface, which leaves a visible disturbance on the surface, usually looking...
highlands lie along the MotaguaFault, part of the boundary between the Caribbean and North American tectonic plates. This fault has been responsible for...
and the Caribbean Plate, and continues onshore as the MotaguaFault and the Chixoy-Polochic Fault. The 30-second offshore quake was felt in Guatemala,...
southern edge of the North American tectonic plate lies across the MotaguaFault in Guatemala, so geologically, the division between North America and...
further, by the Motagua–Polochic Faults to the south-southeast, and by the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to the west. The Motagua–Polochic Faults divide the Maya...
Sources Harlow, G.E., Jadeitites, albitites and related rocks from the MotaguaFault Zone, Guatemala, Journal of Metamorphic Geology 12 (1), 49–68 (1994)...
Fault System Pastores Fault Venta de Bravo-Pastores Fault System Chapala-Tula Fault Zone Chixoy-Polochic FaultMotaguaFault Oaxaca Fault Donaji Fault...
Guatemala City region occurred in the 1976, on the MotaguaFault, a left-lateral strike-slip fault that forms the boundary between the Caribbean Plate...
February 4th 1978 earthquake on the Motaguafault as well as a series of older M 7 earthquakes along the Polochic fault between 850 CE and 1450 CE. The lake...
Islands earthquake: Implications for stress changes along the Motaguafault and other nearby faults". Geophysical Journal International. 190 (3): 1625–1639...
artifacts have been created and prized by many Mesoamerican peoples, the Motagua River valley in Guatemala was previously thought to be the sole source...
bounded on the north by the Motagua-Polochic Fault Zone in Guatemala. The valley of the Motagua River, which follows the fault, forms the northwestern boundary...
Caribbean plates are moving with strike-slip displacement along the Motagua-Polochic Fault Zone. Some have looked to the Paleozoic organic shales and the Todos...
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