Andean tectonics as a cause for changing drainage patterns in Miocene northern South America

Research Article| March 01, 1995 Andean tectonics as a cause for changing drainage patterns in Miocene northern South America Carina Hoorn; Carina Hoorn 1Hugo de Vries-Laboratorium, Kruislaan 318, 1098 SM Amsterdam, Netherlands Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Javier Guerrero; Javier Guerrero 2Ingeominas, Diagonal 53 no. 34-53, Bogotá, Colombia Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Gustavo A. Sarmiento; Gustavo A. Sarmiento 2Ingeominas, Diagonal 53 no. 34-53, Bogotá, Colombia Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Maria A. Lorente Maria A. Lorente 3Maraven S. A., Apartado 829, Caracas 1010A, Venezuela Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (1995) 23 (3): 237–240. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1995)023<0237:ATAACF>2.3.CO;2 Article history first online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share MailTo Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Carina Hoorn, Javier Guerrero, Gustavo A. Sarmiento, Maria A. Lorente; Andean tectonics as a cause for changing drainage patterns in Miocene northern South America. Geology 1995;; 23 (3): 237–240. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1995)023<0237:ATAACF>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract New data from Neogene strata in northern South America suggest that Miocene tectonism in the northeastern Andes was responsible for the genesis of the Amazon River and changes in the drainage patterns of other major rivers such as the Magdalena and the Orinoco. Here we present a new model for the paleogeographic evolution of northern South America during the Miocene. In the early Miocene, a large part of the drainage of northwest Amazonia was directed northward along the paleo–Orinoco river system to a delta in Lake Maracaibo. Uplift of the Eastern Cordillera in the late middle Miocene caused the first development of the Amazon River; however, no connection with the Atlantic was established, and the Amazon fed the paleo–Orinoco river system, which drained toward the Caribbean. Substantial Andean uplift in the late Miocene resulted in major changes in paleogeography: the Orinoco changed its course, the Amazon established a connection to the Atlantic, causing the drowning of carbonate platforms, and the Amazon–Caribbean connection was closed. Thus the drainage and paleogeography of northern South America in the Miocene were strongly controlled by tectonic movements in the northeastern Andes. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.