Oca–Ancón Fault System
| Oca–Ancón Fault System | |
|---|---|
| Falla Oca-Ancón | |
Topographic map of northern Colombia showing the Oca Fault segment | |
| Location | Northern South America |
| Coordinates | 11°00′N 71°45′W / 11.000°N 71.750°W |
| Country | Colombia Venezuela |
| Region | Caribbean |
| State | La Guajira Falcón, Zulia |
| Cities | Maracaibo |
| Characteristics | |
| Range | Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Serranía del Perijá, Venezuelan Coastal Range |
| Part of | Andean faults |
| Segments | Oca, Ancón |
| Length | 830 km (520 mi) |
| Strike | 275 ± 7 (W-E) |
| Dip angle | Vertical to subvertical |
| Displacement | 0.2–2 mm (0.0079–0.0787 in)/yr |
| Tectonics | |
| Plate | South American |
| Status | Active |
| Earthquakes | 1834 |
| Type | Strike-slip fault |
| Movement | Dextral |
| Age | Late Pleistocene-Holocene |
| Orogeny | Andean |
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The Oca–Ancón Fault System (Spanish: Falla Oca-Ancón) is a complex of geological faults located in northeastern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela near the Caribbean Sea. The fault system is of right-lateral strike-slip type and extends for an approximate length of 830 km (520 mi). The Oca–Ancón Fault System is part of the diffuse boundary between the Caribbean plate and the South American plate. The movement rate of the Oca–Ancón Fault System is estimated at 2 millimetres (0.079 in) each year, more than most Venezuelan faults.