Cenozoic Paleogeography Andean Foreland - Reyes Et Al-2015 PDF

Cenozoic paleogeography of the AUTHORS
Andrés Reyes-Harker ∼ Instituto Colombiano del

Andean foreland and retroarc Petróleo, Ecopetrol, Bucaramanga, Colombia;
andres.reyes@ecopetrol.com.co
hinterland of Colombia Andres Reyes-Harker is the E&P research
manager of the Instituto Colombiano del Petróleo
Andrés Reyes-Harker, Carlos Fernando (ICP), the research branch of Ecopetrol. He has a
Ruiz-Valdivieso, Andrés Mora, bachelor’s degree in geology from the
Universidad Industrial de Santander and an M.Sc.
Juan Carlos Ramírez-Arias, Guillermo Rodriguez,
in sedimentology from the University of Reading,
Felipe de la Parra, Victor Caballero, United Kingdom. He has led research projects in
Mauricio Parra, Nestor Moreno, Brian K. Horton, many petroleum basins of Colombia and held
Joel E. Saylor, Alejandro Silva, Victor Valencia, different positions within Ecopetrol, including
Daniel Stockli, and Vladimir Blanco director of ICP and exploration expert advisor to
the vice president of exploration.
Carlos Fernando Ruiz-Valdivieso ∼ Instituto

Colombiano del Petróleo, Ecopetrol,
ABSTRACT Bucaramanga, Colombia; carlos.ruiz@
ecopetrol.com.co
New biostratigraphic zonations, core descriptions, sandstone
petrography, facies analysis, and seismic information are com- Carlos Ruiz is a geologist–stratigrapher, member
of the Geological Modeling research program at
pared with published detrital and bedrock geo- and thermochro-
Ecopetrol-ICP. He is currently the leader of the
nology to build a Cenozoic paleogeographic reconstruction of Technical Information Management Project of
the Andean retroarc region of Colombia, encompassing the ances- Upstream Ecopetrol´s Laboratories. The project
tral Central Cordillera, Middle Magdalena Valley, Eastern includes defining and implementing a data
management model and a technology solution
Cordillera, and Llanos basin. We identify uplifted sediment for geological information upstream.
source areas, provenance domains, depositional environments,
and thickness changes to propose a refined paleogeographic evo- Andrés Mora ∼ Instituto Colombiano del
Petróleo, Ecopetrol, Bucaramanga, Colombia;
lution of eastern Colombia. We conclude that Cenozoic evolution andres.mora@ecopetrol.com.co
of the northernmost Andes includes (1) a period of contractional
Andrés Mora is a senior researcher and former
deformation focused in the Central Cordillera and Middle leader of the Cronologia de la deformaciòn en las
Magdalena Valley that may have started by the Late Cretaceous, Cuencas Subandinas (2008–2011) research
although thermochronological data points to maximum shortening project at Ecopetrol-Instituto Colombiano del
Petróleo. Now he is in charge of the geological
and exhumation during the late Paleocene; (2) a period of slower
modeling research area at Ecopetrol-ICP. He
deformation rates or even tectonic quiescence during the middle received his B.Sc. in geology from the
Eocene; and (3) a renewed phase of contractional deformation Universidad Nacional de Colombia and his Ph.D.
from the late Eocene to the Pleistocene/Holocene expressed in from the Institut für Geowissenschaften,
Universität Potsdam. His research interests
provenance, bedrock thermochronology, and increased sub- include structural geology, thermochronology,
sidence rates in the Llanos foreland. The sedimentary response and basin analysis.
in the Llanos foreland basin is controlled by source area proxim-
Juan Carlos Ramírez-Arias ∼ Instituto
ity, exhumation and shortening rates, relationships between Colombiano del Petróleo, Ecopetrol,
accommodation and sediment supply, as well as potential paleo- Bucaramanga, Colombia; ramirezjuanc11@
climate forcing. This new reconstruction changes the picture of yahoo.com
Cenozoic basin evolution offered by previous reconstructions, Juan Carlos Ramirez-Arias is consulting geologist
for Ecopetrol-ICP who previously participated in
the Cronología de la Deformación en las Cuencas
Subandinas (2008–2011) research project.
Copyright ©2015. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved. Currently, he is working in projects involving
Manuscript received August 1, 2011; provisional acceptance October 11, 2012; revised manuscript basin analysis in exploration of the southern
received October 6, 2013; final acceptance June 18, 2014. basins of Colombia and the Eastern Cordillera.
DOI: 10.1306/06181411110
AAPG Bulletin, v. 99, no. 8 (August 2015), pp. 1407–1453 1407

He received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in geology providing an updated chronology of deformation, which is tied to
from the Universidad Industrial de Santander.
His research interests include basin analysis,
a more precise understanding of basin evolution.
thermochronology, and structural geology.
Guillermo Rodriguez ∼ Instituto Colombiano del

Petróleo, Ecopetrol, Bucaramanga, Colombia; INTRODUCTION
guillermo.rodriguezf@ecopetrol.com.co
Guillermo Rodríguez is a palynologist at
Paleogeographic reconstructions are among the most important
Ecopetrol-ICP. He is in charge of the Geological tools in reconstructing the distribution of source rocks, reser-
Modeling research area at Ecopetrol-ICP. He voirs, and seals in a petroleum system (Armentrout, 1999).
received his B.Sc. in geology from the They provide vital insight into the Eastern Cordillera and
Universidad Nacional de Colombia and his M.Sc.
from the Missouri University of Science and Llanos basin of Colombia because the source rocks for the bulk
Technology. His research interests include of the hydrocarbons that have accumulated in the Llanos fore-
Cenozoic palynology, biostratigraphy, and land basin are located in the Eastern Cordilleran hinterland
general stratigraphy.
(García, 2008; García et al., 2015, this issue). However, paleo-
Felipe de la Parra ∼ Instituto Colombiano del geographic reconstructions to date have lacked sufficient detail
Petróleo, Ecopetrol, Bucaramanga, Colombia; to be used as a predictive tool in modeling of petroleum systems
felipe.delaparra@ecopetrol.com.co
in this retroarc zone of the northern Andes. Although some pale-
Felipe de la Parra is the head of the ogeographic reconstructions have been palinspastically restored
biostratigraphy team of Ecopetrol S.A. His
research focuses on using the palynological
(e.g., Pindell et al., 1998, 2005), they were often based on lim-
record and geologic information to answer ited data sets or spatially restricted areas rather than adopting a
paleobiological questions. He is also interested in methodologically and spatially comprehensive approach (e.g.,
developing strong biostratigraphic frameworks Villamil, 1999; Gómez et al., 2005a, b; Bayona et al., 2013).
and in finding novel ways of using paleontological
and geological information to improve oil For example, some previous research relied on limited facies
exploration. descriptions from wells and surface outcrops but incorporated
limited or no provenance data (e.g., Bayona et al., 2013).
Victor Caballero ∼ Instituto Colombiano del
Petróleo, Ecopetrol, Bucaramanga, Colombia; Further, biostratigraphic resolution used in previous reconstruc-
victor.caballero@ecopetrol.com.co tions has been low, limiting the ability to confidently correlate
Víctor Caballero is a senior geologist and between units in different localities. Limited availability and spa-
researcher in sedimentology and depositional tial coverage of thermochronological data has prevented identifi-
systems at Ecopetrol-ICP. He received his B.Sc. cation of areas undergoing exhumation. Finally, much of the data
and M.Sc. degrees in geology from the
Universidad Industrial de Santander at
supporting these reconstructions were proprietary, and therefore
Bucaramanga Colombia. His research interests not fully presented.
include sedimentology, sequence stratigraphy, We present a regional synthesis of new data sets and pub-
and basin analysis. lished results of recent research within the framework of the
Mauricio Parra ∼ Instituto de Energia e Ecopetrol-ICP (Instituto Colombiano del Petróleo) projects
Ambiente (IEE), Universidade de São Paulo “Flujo regional de fluidos, 2002–2007” and “Cronología de la
(USP), São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; mparra@iee
deformación en las Cuencas Subandinas, 2007–2011”, the latter
.usp.br
in cooperation with the University of Texas at Austin and the
Mauricio Parra has been external researcher and
University of Kansas (e.g., Mora et al., 2010a, 2013). The new
consultant for the Colombian Petroleum Institute
(ICP-Ecopetrol) since 2010. He graduated in synthesis allows refinement of previous paleogeographic recon-
geology from the Universidad Nacional de structions. We summarize published data, including sedimentary
Colombia at Bogota in 2000 and received a Ph.D. petrography, and detrital geo- and thermochronological results
in geosciences from the University of Potsdam
(Germany) in 2009. A postdoctoral researcher at
(e.g., Silva et al., 2013) to reconstruct the location of sediment
the Department of Geosciences, University of source areas, zones of exhumation, and provenance domains
Texas at Austin in 2009–2010, he has worked in during the Cenozoic evolution of the Magdalena Valley,
the tectonic evolution of the Colombian Andes Eastern Cordillera, and Llanos foreland. These data sets are
using thermochronometry and basin analysis.
complemented by new well log data (formational tops and
1408 Paleogeography of the Northern Andes

biostratigraphy) and seismic data that define the geographic distri- Nestor Moreno ∼ Instituto Colombiano del
bution of facies and thickness of Cenozoic units. Finally, high- nestor.moreno@ecopetrol.com.co
resolution biostratigraphic zonations (Jaramillo et al., 2011) allow
Nestor Moreno is a geologist who has been
us to refine the position of key marker horizons to better constrain working for Ecopetrol-ICP for more than 16 years.
the facies distribution and temporal evolution of stratigraphic His main areas of expertise are sedimentary
pinchouts. Although our interpretations incorporate all existing petrography, sedimentology, stratigraphy, and
well and seismic data, the proprietary nature of some information provenance studies. He has been working in
several basins in Colombia and abroad (more
prohibits presentation of precise sample locations. Therefore, this recently in Mexico) and has a very broad
paper focuses on integration of interpretations from both surface experience in the Llanos basin sedimentary
and subsurface data sets. By combining these tools, we present a petrography, reservoir properties, and
provenance.
high resolution, nonpalinspastically restored paleogeographic
reconstruction. Brian K. Horton ∼ Department of Geological
The purpose of this study is to relate the retroarc foreland Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences,
University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
basin facies and geometry to the history of tectonic activity in 78712; horton@mail.utexas.edu
the immediate hinterland areas rather than to develop a compre-
Brian Horton is a professor at the University of
hensive regional tectonic history, which has been addressed by Texas at Austin holding a joint appointment with
others (Pindell and Kennan, 2009; Mora et al., 2013). We identify the Department of Geological Sciences and
three distinct tectonic phases: (1) Late Cretaceous to early Eocene Institute for Geophysics in the Jackson School of
contractional deformation, (2) tectonic quiescence in the middle Geosciences. He received his Ph.D. from the
University of Arizona in 1998. His research
Eocene, and (3) late Eocene to Pleistocene/Holocene abrupt short- addresses the tectonics of sedimentary basins,
ening and exhumation. We find that this novel hinterland tectonic evolution of orogenic systems, sediment
reconstruction is well expressed in the evolving position of the provenance, and nonmarine depositional
processes.
major provenance boundary (i.e., the divide between depositional
zones dominated by western and Central Cordilleran sources ver- Joel E. Saylor ∼ Department of Earth and
sus eastern cratonic sources) and formational pinchouts in the Atmospheric Sciences, University of Houston, 312
Science and Research Building 1, Rm. 312, Houston,
foreland basin depocenters (i.e., the maximum depositional thick- Texas 77204-5007; jsaylor@mail.utexas.edu
ness for a given time).
Joel Saylor received a B.A. from Case Western
Reserve University in 2001 and a Ph.D. from the
University of Arizona in 2008. After a postdoctoral
REGIONAL CONTEXT fellowship at the University of Texas at Austin and
research professorship at Northern Arizona
University, he joined the faculty at the University
In the northern Andes, the subduction orogenesis model is modi- of Houston in 2013. His research interests include
fied by the presence of multiple oceanic plates interacting with sedimentology and tectonic basin analysis with a
the continental South American plate (Figure 1). Deformation is focus on the Tibetan Plateau and Andes.
dominated by the subducting Caribbean or Nazca plates north Alejandro Silva ∼ Instituto Colombiano del
and south of 4°N, respectively (Cortés et al., 2005; Mora et al., Petróleo, Ecopetrol, Bucaramanga, Colombia;
2010b). Eastern Colombia is dominated by two main mountain alejandro.silva@ecopetrol.com.co
chains, the Central and Eastern Cordilleras, which are separated Alejandro Silva is a structural geologist who
by the Magdalena intermontane valley (Figure 1). The Central supports research projects in the Colombian
Caribbean Offshore at Ecopetrol S.A (ICP). He
Cordillera is a complex series of basement uplifts composed of received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in geology
Precambrian–Mesozoic crystalline and metasedimentary rocks. from the Universidad Industrial de Santander. His
Because of the absence of Lower Cretaceous sedimentary strata, research interests include structural geology and
the Mesozoic sedimentary evolution of the Central Cordillera is basin analysis.
mostly unknown. This contrasts with the Eastern Cordillera, Victor Valencia ∼ School of the Environment,
which preserves a thick sequence of Lower Cretaceous synrift Washington State University, Pullman,
strata that roughly define the extent of the Neocomian Washington 99164-2812; vicvalencia1@
gmail.com
(Berriasian–Hauterivian) rift basin (Pindell and Kennan, 2001,
REYES-HARKER ET AL. 1409

Victor A. Valencia is a research scientist at the 2009; Mora et al., 2006, 2009). Synrift strata are nearly absent in
School of the Environment, Washington State
University. He received his B.Eng. in geociences
the Magdalena basin to the west and completely absent in the
from the Centro de Estudios Superiores del flat-lying Llanos foreland basin to the east (Figures 2, 3, 4).
Estado de Sonora, Mexico, M.Sc in geology from Following an extensive Early Cretaceous hiatus, sedimenta-
the University of Sonora, and his Ph.D. from the tion resumed in the westernmost region of the modern Llanos
Department of Geosciences, University of
Arizona. His research interests include U-Pb foreland basin during the Late Cretaceous with deposition of mar-
geochronology, economic geology, and magmatic ginal marine–nonmarine shales and sandstones (Figure 3).
evolution of convergent margins. Starting in the Late Cretaceous–Paleocene, punctuated eastward
Daniel Stockli ∼ Department of Geological migration of the contractional deformation front ultimately
Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, inverted the rift basin (Gómez et al., 2005a; Parra et al., 2009a, b;
University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas Saylor et al., 2011). In the late Eocene–early Oligocene, the
78712; stockli@ku.edu
advancing thrust front broke the previously continuous foreland
Daniel Stockli is an associate professor in basin into the eastern Llanos and western Middle Magdalena
tectonics and thermochronometry at the
University of Texas at Austin and the director of
Valley basins (Gómez et al., 2005a; Moreno et al., 2011; Saylor
the KU (U-Th)/He thermochronometry et al., 2011, 2012a; Sánchez et al., 2012). The sedimentary record
laboratory. Formerly he was an associate of the Llanos foreland basin is the product of these tectonic, cli-
professor at the University of Kansas. He received matic, and erosional processes in the hinterland. The Cenozoic
his diploma in geology from the Eidgenössische
Technische Hochschule Zürich in 1995 and his depositional record of the Llanos basin is dominantly nonmarine
Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1999. His with interbedded sedimentary sandy and shaly sedimentary units
interests include continental tectonics, geo- and (Figure 3), which will be described in more detail in this study.
thermochronology, structural geology, and
isotope geochemistry.
Vladimir Blanco ∼ Instituto Colombiano del

PREVIOUS STUDIES
vladimir.blanco@ecopetrol.com.co
Previous research rarely intended to give a comprehensive sum-
Vladimir Blanco-Velandia is a senior researcher
and the current head of the organic geochemistry
mary of the paleogeographic evolution of the areas considered
and petroleum charge team at Ecopetrol-ICP, here (e.g., Cooper et al., 1995; Casero et al., 1997), but rather
where he provides technical assistance to focused on detailed assessment of portions of the eastern
exploration and production projects. He holds a Colombian Andes. The most recent comprehensive studies of the
B.Sc. (2004) in geology from Universidad
Industrial de Santander and an M.Sc. (2012) in Eastern Cordillera are by Villamil (1999) and Sarmiento-Rojas
petroleum geochemistry from Newcastle et al. (2006), who compiled available information and presented
University. His research interests include source a model in which multiple deformation events controlled the
rock prediction, crude oil characterization, and
architecture and evolution of the Magdalena and Llanos basins.
petroleum systems modeling.
Mora et al. (2008) highlighted the role of climate and enhanced
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS erosion in controlling the tectonic evolution and eastward asym-
metry of the chain. Parra et al. (2009a) provided thermochrono-
The authors are very grateful to the editors and
reviewers for their detailed revisions that improved logical evidence for systematic, eastward-migrating orogenesis
this manuscript. Many different consultants and in the eastern northern Andes starting in the Paleogene. This chal-
contractors which are not part of the coauthors list lenged the paradigm that Andean orogenesis was largely related to
contributed to this comprehensive study in
late Miocene surface uplift and molasse deposition (Cooper
different steps. This work was a part of the
Ecopetrol-ICP project entitled “Cronología de la et al., 1995). Before these studies, tectonism in the northern
Deformación en las Cuencas Subandinas.” Andes was directly attributed to coarse facies deposition (Cooper
et al., 1995). As in many other fold-thrust belts, we know that in
DATASHARE 64 the northern Andes this is not always the case.
Detailed data for the information in Table 1 can Geodynamic models have been proven a powerful technique
be seen as Datashare 64 at www.aapg.org to predict the location and timing of past deformation events.
/datashare.
Using flexural analysis, Bayona et al. (2013) identified the

Figure 1. Cenozoic tec-
tonic configuration of
northwestern South
America. Modified after
Mora et al. (2006).
MB
(Guyana
LLB Shield)
LLB Llanos Basin EC Eastern Cordillera

CC Central Cordillera WC Western Cordillera
MB Maracaibo Basin GF Garrapatas Fault
MV Magdalena Valley BPB Baudó-Panama Block
SBF Santa Marta Bucaramanga Fault
location of Paleocene topographic loads, and inter- provided an incomplete history of the sedimentary
preted multiple Paleocene exhumation events within and thermal evolution and subsequent exhumation
the Eastern Cordillera as well as Paleocene exhuma- of Eastern Cordilleran source rocks. Although
tion and uplift in the Central Cordillera. those studies were valuable in giving details on the
Geochemical studies in the Eastern Cordillera style and even rates of the different processes, they
identified marine Upper Cretaceous strata as the pri- only provided such high resolution for very specific
mary source rocks for oils found in the Llanos basin areas.
(García, 2008; García et al., 2015, this issue). The project “Cronologia de la deformación en las
However, for thorough petroleum system modeling, Cuencas Subandinas” was started with the purpose of
the recent advances in the chronology of depositional increasing the temporal and spatial resolution of tec-
and tectonic events in this part of the Andes tonic and depositional events relative to hydrocarbon
(Gómez et al., 2003, 2005a; Parra et al., 2009a, b) generation and migration. This would become the

basis to correlate with available proprietary informa- 2012; Saylor et al., 2011; Bande et al., 2012;
tion showing the distribution of different facies tracts Caballero et al., 2013a, b; Silva et al., 2013).
that are important factors in the petroleum systems of Bedrock thermochronology seeks to determine
the Magdalena Valley, Eastern Cordillera, and the timing of passage of the sample through the clo-
Llanos. This paper summarizes key information sure isotherm of the thermochronology system being
acquired in the framework of this project. used. The ZFT records cooling below ∼250°C
(∼482°F); AFT records cooling below 60–120°C
(140–248°F) (Green et al., 1989a, b). Measurement
METHODS of fission track lengths in either system allows
forward modeling to determine acceptable time-
We present a comprehensive interpretation based on temperature histories that produce the observed track
facies and thickness distributions from outcrop data length distribution. This forward modeling can
and wells from multiple sources (e.g., Mora et al., provide additional details about the sample’s exhu-
2008; Parra et al., 2009a; Bayona et al., 2013). mation history which would not otherwise be avail-
Combined with proprietary Ecopetrol reports, results able. (U-Th)/He analysis of zircons provides cooling
from core descriptions and seismic interpretations ages of rocks from about 180°C (∼356°F) (Reiners,
are summarized here in facies and thickness maps 2005). Because thermochronometers integrate the
for the retroarc region east of the Central Cordillera temperature history of the sample into the radiometric
(Figure 1). The depositional chronology is based on ages, we compare the thermochronological data and
a new biostratigraphic zonation (Figure 3; Jaramillo modeling to independent geological observations to
et al., 2011). These data are integrated with an provide additional support for inferred exhumation
updated chronology of deformation based on basin events. These data sets are used to assess the location
analysis (Caballero et al., 2010; Parra et al., 2010; of uplifted sediment source areas and composition
Moreno et al., 2011; Saylor et al., 2011; Bande and ages of rocks being eroded.
et al., 2012; Ramírez-Arias et al., 2012), and bedrock Provenance data, especially the U-Pb age distri-
and detrital thermo- and geochronology (Table 1). butions (Table 1), allow us to define a regional axis
Bedrock thermochronology for deformed belts of the between depositional zones with contrasting sedi-
Andean retroarc system included apatite and zircon ment provenance that can, in turn, be compared with
fission track analysis (AFT and ZFT, respectively; the location of the most distal facies and depocenters.
Parra et al., 2009b; Silva et al., 2013 and Table 2, data We employ detrital zircon U-Pb ages in Upper
from this work) as well as apatite and zircon (U-Th)/ Cretaceous and Cenozoic strata to identify sediment
He analysis (AHe and ZHe, respectively) combined shed from two principal source areas: (1) a western
with vitrinite reflectance data (Mora et al., 2010a; province dominated by sediment eroded from the
Parra et al., 2012; Caballero et al., 2013a, b, Table 3). Central Cordillera or basement highs now buried in
Detrital thermo- and geochronology of intermontane the Middle Magdalena Valley; and (2) an eastern
and foreland basin fill included (U-Th)/He analysis province with detritus sourced either directly
of zircons (ZHe) (Horton et al., 2010a; Bande et al., from the Guyana Craton or from the uplifted
2012; Saylor et al., 2012a) and zircon U-Pb geochro- Eastern Cordillera. These provenance regions are dis-
nology (Horton et al., 2010a, b; Nie et al., 2010, criminated based on presence of detrital zircons with
Figure 2. Geologic map of the Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes between approximately 3.5°N and 7.5°N latitude (location
in Figure 1). Abbreviations from south to north: SEF = Servitá fault; FAA = Farallones anticline; MES = Medina syncline; GUF =
Guaicaramo fault; BP = Bogotá plain; BIF = Bituima fault; CAF = Cambao fault; VIA = Villeta anticline; EPA = El Peñon anticline; LSF =
La Salina fault; PEF = Pesca fault; ARA = Arcabuco anticline; BYF = Boyaca fault; SOF = Soapaga fault; NS = Nunchía syncline;
PAF = Pajarito fault; YOF = Yopal fault; SM = Santander Massif; BSMF = Bucaramanga–Santa Martha fault; LCA = Los Cobardes anti-
cline; NMS = Nuevo Mundo syncline. In small inset: EC = eastern Cordillera; CC = central Cordillera; WC = western Cordillera. The map
is compiled from Ecopetrol maps.

(A)
W E
System Period
Paso Real-1
Stage
Erathem Era
San Juan-1
Age
Foothills
Age Ma
Arama-1
Stratigraphic
Section
SM-11
SA-14
SA-5
SA-6
La Uribe
Series Area
Epoch
Terraces Upper Guayabo
Neogene
U
Pliocene L 5
U 10
Lower Guayabo
Miocene M 15 Leon
Carbonera
L 20
Cenozoic
25
U
Oligocene 30
L
35
U
San Fernando or Carbonera
Paleogene
40
T2
Eocene M 45 Losada
50
L
55
U 60
Paleocene
L 65
Maastrichtian
70
75
Campanian
EROSION & NO SEDIMENTATION
Upper
80
Santonian 85
Mesozoic
Coniacian
Chipaque-Gachetá
Cretaceous
90
Turonian Macarena Group
Une
Cenomanian
95 Legend
100
Continental sandstones
Albian 105 and conglomerates
110 Coastal to transitional
Lower
sandstones
115
Aptian 120 Transitional mudstones
125
Barremian
Calcareous mudstones
130
Undifferentiated Paleozoic
sedimentary rocks
Güejar Group
Paleozoic
Events with marine influence
Unconformity
Figure 3. Regional chronostratigraphic diagram depicting basin-fill patterns in the Eastern Cordillera, Llanos basin, and Middle
Magdalena Valley (location in Figure 2). (A) Wheeler diagram for the southern sector of the Llanos Basin. (B) Wheeler diagram for
the central sector of the Llanos Basin. (C) Wheeler diagram for the northern sector of the Llanos Basin. (D) Wheeler diagram for the
Middle Magdalena Valley Basin. Diagrams A, B and C are based on zonations by Jaramillo et al. (2011).
U-Pb ages of <150 m.y., a population that uniquely a series of nonpalinspastically restored maps for dif-
originates in magmatic-arc-related intrusive rocks of ferent time periods, we are able to obtain the most
the Central Cordillera. Following the methods of complete view to date of sedimentation and tectonism
Caballero et al. (2013a, b) and Silva et al. (2013), in this part of the northern Andes.
we identified samples where at least 3% of the total
number of grains analyzed yielded U-Pb ages
<150 m.y. We interpret the presence of these grains RESULTS
to derivation either directly from the Central
Cordillera, or through recycling from areas originally Stratigraphic Synthesis in the
sourced from this range. Thus, by combining the pub- Chronostratigraphic Charts
licly available surface data sets with the newly
released subsurface data (based on seismic, facies, Because thermochronological data can yield nonuni-
and detrital U-Pb data from Silva et al. [2013]) into que time–temperature histories, inferred exhumation

(B)
La Cabaña -1
Cenntauro -1
W E
System Period
Stage
Erathem Era
La Maria - 1
La Gloria -1
La Punta -1
Age
Age Ma
Series Eastern Buenos Aires - 3
Epoch Cordillera Foothills
Foreland
Terraces Terraces
Pliocene U Upper Guayabo Guayabo
lt
5
u
L
Fa
Neogene
Lower Guayabo
o
U
m
10
ra
Miocene
ic a
ua
M Leon
12
G
C1
L 20 C2
C3
C4
Carbonera C5 Carbonera
Cenozoic
25 C6
U
C7
Oligocene 30
L C8
Mirador
35
U
Paleogene
40
Eocene
Upper Mirador
M
Picacho
45
50 Lower Mirador EROSION & NO SEDIMENTATION

L 55
Upper Socha Los Cuervos
U 60
Paleocene
Lower Socha Barco
L 65
Guaduas
Maastrichtian 70
Upper Guadalupe
75
Middle Guadalupe
Campanian
80 Lower Guadalupe
Upper
Guadalupe
Santonian 85
Chipaque Gachetá Gachetá
Coniacian
90
Turonian Une
95
Mesozoic
Cenomanian
Cretaceous
100
Une
Une
105
Albian
110
115
Aptian Fómeque
120
Lower
125
Legend
Barremian Continental sandstones
130
Las Juntas and conglomerates
Hauterivian 135 Coastal to transitional
Macanal sandstones
Valanginian 140
Batá
Berriasian Transitional mudstones
Calcareous mudstones
Paleozoic
sedimentary rocks
Unconformity
Figure 3. Continued.

(C)
Cano Gaviota-1
W E
Cano limon-1
System Period
Stage
Erathem Era
Arauquita-1
La Yuca-11
Gibraltar-1
Age
Age Ma
Arauca-4
Jubilo-1
Eastern
Series Cordillera
Epoch (S.N.Cocuy) Foothills Foreland
Fault
Pliocene U Upper Guayabo
L
Neogene
Guayabo
U
amo
Lower Guayabo
Miocene
M Leon Leon
ar
Guaic
Carbonera
C1
L C2
C4 C3
Cenozoic
C5
Picacho Concentracion
Oligocene
U Carbonera C6
C7
L C8
U
Paleogene
Eocene
M
Mirador
L
ne
U Upper Socha Los Cuervos

ce
leo
L Lower Socha Barco

Pa
Guaduas
Maastrichtian Guadalupe
Tierna
Los Pinos
Campanian
Guadalupe Fm.
Lower
La Luna
Santonian Gachetá Fm.
Coniacian
Gachetá Une Fm.
Turonian Chipaque
Mesozoic
Cretaceous
Cenomanian
Une Une
Albian
Legend
Apón o Continental sandstones
Tibú * and conglomerates
Aptian
Upper
EROSION & NO SEDIMENTATION Coastal to transitional

sandstones
Barremian
Las Juntas
Transitional mudstones
Hauterivian
Valanginian
Macanal Calcareous mudstones
Berriasian
sedimentary rocks
Paleozoic
Unconformity
events must be compared to events in the syntectonic lower Oligocene shales at the top of the C8 member
sedimentary record of adjacent basins. This paper of the Carbonera Formation, allowing us to map
provides the facies, thickness, and pinchout maps lower Oligocene facies (Figure 3). The shaly horizons
for the Llanos foreland basin needed to accurately at the top of C6 were also used as a correlation sur-
interpret previously published provenance and ther- face to map upper Oligocene facies (Figure 3). We
mochronology data. Maps are constrained by used the C2 shale member of the Carbonera
chronostratigraphic marker horizons that extend Formation (Figure 3) to map lower Miocene facies
across the study area (Figures 2, 3) based on a recent below, and the León shale to map middle–upper
high-resolution pollen zonation developed for Miocene facies above this unit. Based on those
the northern Andes by Jaramillo et al. (2011). marker horizons and other horizons in the Paleogene
Chronostratigraphic marker horizons include the section, we were able to correlate depositional

(D) data (Table 4) shows that the Lower Cretaceous units
Age Data Review Lithostra- reached temperatures high enough to reset of ZHe
Period
(Ma) Middle Magdalena Valley tigraphy (> ∼ 180°C [> ∼ 356°F]). The detailed geological
Holocene
Pleistocene map from this area shows that in the Arcabuco anti-
Multimarginites
Pliocene
vanderhammenii
cline samples from thermochronologically reset
5 Real
Multimarginites
vanderhammenii
younger strata yielded older ZHe ages, whereas older
10
samples yield younger ages (Figure 5; Table 3). The
older reset samples have early Eocene cooling ages
Miocene
15 suggesting that exhumation was underway during

the Paleocene in the Arcabuco anticline in addition
20 E. Maristellae - R. simplex Colorado to the Los Cobardes anticline (Figure 2; Parra
et al., 2012). Other work (Gómez et al., 2003,
25 2005a; Villagómez et al., 2011a) shows ongoing
Oligocene
Mugrosa
R. guianensis - exhumation in the Central Cordillera at that time. In
M. grandiosus
30 contrast, other areas in the present-day Eastern
Cordillera to the east were not actively deforming.
35 The pinchout of Paleocene units toward the Guyana
R. perbonus shield (see location of Guyana shield in Figure 1
Esmeraldas
40
and pinchouts in Figure 4), documented in subsurface
Eocene
data, constitutes the eastern boundary between depo-

45
R.facilis sition and positive relief (Figure 6). The available
descriptions suggest depositional environments
50
La Paz
S. catatumbus
dominated by sandy fluvial facies in the early
55
Acme Paleocene and an increase in coastal plain, shalier
Interval facies in the late Paleocene.
Paleocene
Lisama
F. perforatus Provenance and stratal thicknesses show three

P. operculatus
60
B. annae changes between the early and late Paleocene (Silva
65 S. baculatus et al., 2013; Figure 6). (1) The provenance axis expe-
rienced dramatic eastward displacement between the
early and late Paleocene. We note that, in some
regions, lower and upper Paleocene samples inter-
processes in the basin in terms of facies, pinchouts, preted as having either Central Cordilleran or craton
and thicknesses (Figure 4), while the hinterland was sources are collocated. Where these are located west
undergoing deformation. This procedure facilitates of the inferred provenance axis, they are interpreted
mutual calibration of both observations. We present as located in regions with local intrabasinal highs to
three different charts for the southern, central and the west in the hanging wall of the Boyacá fault
northern parts of the study area (Figure 3) showing (Figure 2). (2) Upper Paleocene units are much
some of the marker horizons observed in the basin. thicker than lower Paleocene units. (3) A change
occurs from a depocenter that parallels the deforma-
Paleocene tion front and persists from 7.5 to 4.5°N (modern
coordinates) in the early Paleocene, to a depocenter
In addition to the published Paleocene and older reset located south of 5°N in the late Paleocene.
AFT ages (Parra et al., 2012) in the Cobardes anti-
cline (Figure 5), Caballero et al. (2013a, b) produced Early and Middle Eocene
ZHe ages from Lower Cretaceous strata exposed in
the Arcabuco anticline, south of the Los Cobardes The ZHe ages presented by Parra et al. (2012) and
anticline (Figure 2, Table 3). New vitrinite reflectance Caballero et al. (2013a, b) indicate exhumation

Figure 4. The location of stratigraphic pinchout or erosional truncation of units deposited since the late Cretaceous in the Llanos basin
shows two primary shifts: (1) between the late Cretaceous and Paleocene, a marked westward retreat of the zero-line occurs, whereas
(2) between the early and late Oligocene a major eastward shift occurs. See text for additional details and discussion.
continued in the areas west of the Boyacá fault during lithofacies, and geometry contrasts with the
the early and middle Eocene (Figure 7). In addition, Paleocene. First, unlike Paleocene–lower Eocene
seismic data and thermochronology show that reverse strata, middle–upper Eocene formations are domi-
faults in the subsurface of the Middle Magdalena val- nated by sandy fluvial facies. Second, the provenance
ley were active starting in at least the Paleocene and divide shifted to the west from its late Paleocene posi-
deformation continued through the late Eocene tion (Figure 7).
(Figures 2, 7; Parra et al., 2012). Therefore, the early The maximum preserved thickness of lower to
to middle Eocene portrait of uplifted areas is mostly middle Eocene units across the majority of the study
a continuation of the activity interpreted in the area is <500 m (<1640 ft), reaching a maximum of
Paleocene, with a foreland basin east of the Boyaca 500 m (1640 ft) in the eastern foreland, with the
fault (Figure 7). This is consistent with a deepening notable exception of the La Paz Formation in the
window of erosion in the western Eastern Cordillera northernmost portion of the Middle Magdalena valley
and Central Cordillera in the Eocene compared with (Caballero et al., 2010; Moreno et al., 2011). This
the Paleocene (Gómez et al., 2005a; Caballero et al., points to a generally lower subsidence rate during
2010; Nie et al., 2012; Ramírez-Arias et al., 2012). the early–middle Eocene, particularly compared with
However, although the location of uplifted areas was reports of thicknesses of >1 km ð>0.6 miÞ of upper
similar to the Paleocene, the basin architecture, Paleocene sequences. Accumulation rates based on

Table 1. Detrital Zircon U-Pb General Data Set. Detailed Data for This Work Available in AAPG Datashare 64 at www.aapg.org
/datashare
ID Sample Lat (°N) Long (°W) N* Syndep† # <150 Ma§ % <150 Ma‡
Late Cretaceous
U1 1072–014 6° 14′ 49.9641″ 73° 47′ 24.9407″ 103 1 0 0
U2 1072–028 6° 23′ 52.4648″ 73° 44′ 54.7576″ 92 1 0 0
U3 1072–044 4° 33′ 49.3916″ 73° 58′ 34.1066″ 76 0 0 0
U4 1072–045 4° 33′ 48.0137″ 73° 57′ 27.5371″ 88 0 0 0
U5 1072–046 4° 33′ 32.7099″ 73° 57′ 10.9623″ 61 0 0 0
U6 1072–052 4° 53′ 36.2908″ 73° 45′ 31.3681″ 59 0 0 0
U7 1072–053 4° 53′ 42.2844″ 73° 45′ 38.7328″ 47 1 0 0
U8 1072–123 5° 01′ 22.8782″ 74° 32′ 39.5329″ 98 1 8 8
U9 1072–132 4° 56′ 29.8710″ 74° 17′ 23.8990″ 92 0 0 0
U10 1072–145 5° 36′ 36.0526″ 73° 00′ 5.5514″ 99 0 0 0
U11 1072–168 6° 31′ 56.1875″ 72° 21′ 45.8709″ 100 0 0 0
U12 1072–169 6° 31′ 54.0821″ 72° 21′ 39.1759″ 94 0 0 0
U13 1072–170 6° 31′ 51.2080″ 72° 21′ 36.0299″ 106 0 0 0
U14 1072–171 6° 31′ 51.0113″ 72° 21′ 35.6076″ 108 0 0 0
U15 1072–172 6° 31′ 51.5814″ 72° 21′ 31.0508″ 107 0 0 0
U16 1072–173 6° 31′ 51.5885″ 72° 21′ 14.1327″ 82 0 0 0
U17 1072–174 6° 32′ 1.5461″ 72° 20′ 45.9885″ 95 1 0 0
U18 11080806 5° 51′ 48.4879″ 72° 48′ 46.8603″ 79 0 0 0
U19 2BUG190 5° 50′ 58.9657″ 72° 48′ 52.5295″ 97 0 0 0
U20 FM30 4° 22′ 2.3358″ 74° 27′ 28.5419″ 89 0 0 0
U21 GJ607 4° 45′ 10.8387″ 73° 01′ 4.5151″ 95 0 0 0
U22 HM45 5° 15′ 34.7347″ 73° 28′ 8.7843″ 66 0 0 0
U23 MA2 5° 05′ 26.1242″ 73° 37′ 56.3060″ 61 0 0 0
U24 Pore 1-13 5° 45′ 48.2496″ 71° 57′ 21.7459″ 93 0 0 0
U25 Pore1-14 5° 45′ 48.2496″ 71° 57′ 21.7459″ 40 0 0 0
U26 HM543 4° 48′ 37.7797″ 74° 33′ 54.5516″ 96 0 41 43
Early Paleocene
U27 1032–022 7° 13′ 53.2793″ 72° 26′ 45.1434″ 98 0 5 5
U28 1072-121 5° 03′ 35.5899″ 74° 33′ 37.4452″ 98 16 46 47
U29 1072–133 5° 49′ 0.4009″ 72° 50′ 20.6049″ 98 1 3 3
U30 1072–138 5° 53′ 29.3532″ 72° 48′ 34.8987″ 101 0 3 3
U31 1072–140 4° 31′ 3.8328″ 74° 08′ 47.5267″ 103 2 26 25
U32 1072–141 4° 31′ 6.4700″ 74° 08′ 44.6074″ 102 0 21 21
U33 1072–146 5° 36′ 0.6541″ 73° 00′ 13.2510″ 108 0 0 0
U34 1072–153 5° 21′ 53.2921″ 73° 09′ 56.9962″ 100 2 3 3
U35 1072–157 5° 13′ 34.3563″ 73° 23′ 57.7032″ 60 0 0 0
U36 1072–160 5° 15′ 46.3527″ 73° 17′ 55.1326″ 100 0 3 3
U37 1072–165 6° 32′ 9.5841″ 72° 22′ 30.9190″ 103 1 3 3
U38 1072–166 6° 31′ 57.5736″ 72° 22′ 1.1251″ 99 0 0 0
U39 1072–167 6° 31′ 56.2302″ 72° 21′ 48.8640″ 107 0 0 0
U40 1072–177 5° 57′ 57.9839″ 72° 37′ 36.6710″ 95 0 0 0
U41 11080804 5° 51′ 37.1092″ 72° 49′ 6.7762″ 103 0 0 0
U42 381–010 5° 27′ 55.3864″ 72° 28′ 26.7828″ 96 0 0 0
U43 393–026 5° 40′ 13.5239″ 72° 15′ 26.9413″ 93 0 0 0
(continued )

Table 1. Continued
U44 393–027 5° 40′ 12.6506″ 72° 15′ 18.3041″ 97 0 0 0
U45 B333 4° 31′ 3.8002″ 74° 08′ 47.5592″ 46 0 21 46
U46 GJ10 5° 12′ 55.2719″ 73° 47′ 17.3369″ 94 0 11 12
U47 GJ31 5° 12′ 58.2042″ 73° 47′ 22.6285″ 93 5 28 30
U48 GJ404C 5° 44′ 12.9447″ 73° 08′ 29.5921″ 84 0 0 0
U49 GJ604 4° 45′ 11.7531″ 73° 01′ 6.4603″ 80 0 0 0
U50 HM421 5° 23′ 51.5979″ 73° 08′ 43.4836″ 87 2 3 3
U51 HM548 4° 49′ 39.2517″ 74° 34′ 25.1004″ 100 0 34 34
U52 HM606 5° 11′ 29.4375″ 74° 34′ 21.2767″ 97 0 23 24
U53 HM701 4° 53′ 45.1254″ 74° 42′ 52.8809″ 105 2 31 30
U54 LM1505097 7° 08′ 17.3855″ 73° 32′ 20.6083″ 58 1 0 0
U55 Q54(GJ330a) 5° 32′ 15.7390″ 73° 19′ 51.6286″ 80 0 3 4
U56 Q55(GJ330b) 5° 32′ 15.7390″ 73° 19′ 51.6286″ 95 0 0 0
U57 RS0114091 7° 13′ 1.2191″ 73° 19′ 37.2506″ 45 0 0 0
Late Paleocene
U58 FL225 5° 15′ 14.9839″ 74° 35′ 21.5612″ 108 0 0 0
U59 1072–029 6° 22′ 47.0723″ 73° 46′ 50.3784″ 87 0 5 6
U60 1072–030 6° 22′ 22.3765″ 73° 47′ 10.7945″ 100 1 0 0
U61 1072–031 6° 21′ 11.6355″ 73° 51′ 22.9028″ 88 0 56 64
U62 1072–134 5° 49′ 12.1853″ 72° 50′ 21.7815″ 100 1 0 0
U63 1072–137 5° 53′ 15.1790″ 72° 48′ 41.8538″ 103 0 0 0
U64 1072–139 5° 55′ 25.8440″ 72° 47′ 56.4409″ 100 3 7 7
U65 1072–142 4° 31′ 4.8760″ 74° 08′ 30.3015″ 96 0 18 19
U66 1072–147 5° 35′ 55.7652″ 73° 00′ 27.3921″ 110 5 13 12
U67 1072–149 5° 13′ 14.8723″ 73° 27′ 52.4251″ 92 0 0 0
U68 1072–150 5° 13′ 55.9623″ 73° 27′ 28.0959″ 100 0 3 3
U69 1072–154 5° 21′ 56.4018″ 73° 09′ 46.9563″ 103 3 8 8
U70 1072–164 6° 32′ 24.4768″ 72° 22′ 56.7669″ 106 5 23 22
U71 1072–176 5° 57′ 40.9567″ 72° 37′ 34.0181″ 110 2 8 7
U72 11080816 5° 51′ 31.9483″ 72° 49′ 12.9628″ 94 14 16 17
U73 381–01 5° 28′ 1.9272″ 72° 28′ 26.7653″ 42 0 0 0
U74 3BUG228 5° 51′ 19.3646″ 72° 49′ 3.6636″ 96 6 9 9
U75 D8402 4° 31′ 4.7133″ 74° 08′ 30.2042″ 81 0 10 12
U76 GJ611 4° 45′ 29.7639″ 73° 01′ 34.7571″ 86 12 11 13
U77 HM11 5° 16′ 1.1774″ 73° 26′ 41.3395″ 84 2 5 6
U78 HM411C 5° 22′ 2.3382″ 73° 09′ 33.4696″ 83 0 0 0
U79 HM747 4° 49′ 14.7170″ 74° 34′ 54.8738″ 75 0 53 71
U80 NA46 4° 53′ 50.8573″ 72° 58′ 30.1137″ 98 18 18 18
U81 OMC1 (C540) 4° 31′ 10.4421″ 74° 08′ 40.0014″ 93 0 24 26
U82 OMC3 (D937) 4° 31′ 3.1508″ 74° 08′ 27.8684″ 83 10 35 42
U83 U821 7° 13′ 30.0046″ 73° 19′ 44.4387″ 36 0 4 11
Early-Middle Eocene
U84 FL216 5° 15′ 32.7287″ 74° 35′ 17.4839″ 90 1 9 10
U85 FL242 5° 14′ 45.6415″ 74° 34′ 56.0785″ 105 2 75 71
U86 HM528 4° 51′ 39.1521″ 74° 35′ 2.3471″ 88 1 4 5
U87 08YEM01 5° 27′ 27.1663″ 72° 28′ 12.2127″ 91 0 0 0
(continued )

Table 1. Continued
U88 1072–135 5° 49′ 18.3454″ 72° 50′ 25.7978″ 89 0 4 4
U89 1072–136 5° 53′ 11.2765″ 72° 48′ 57.4960″ 101 3 13 13
U90 1072–143 4° 30′ 44.9545″ 74° 08′ 2.4022″ 102 32 4 4
U91 1072–148 5° 36′ 16.1322″ 73° 00′ 40.5775″ 101 2 4 4
U92 1072–151 5° 13′ 54.5363″ 73° 27′ 1.8602″ 99 1 0 0
U93 1072–152 5° 14′ 4.1616″ 73° 26′ 51.6868″ 97 1 3 3
U94 1072–155 5° 22′ 2.3379″ 73° 09′ 33.2423″ 104 1 3 3
U95 1072–156 5° 22′ 2.7534″ 73° 09′ 28.2078″ 107 3 17 16
U96 1072–158 5° 13′ 48.4849″ 73° 24′ 28.6007″ 105 10 21 20
U97 1072–159 5° 14′ 1.7854″ 73° 24′ 16.2473″ 98 1 10 10
U98 1072–161 5° 16′ 12.4202″ 73° 18′ 16.1098″ 106 6 37 35
U99 1072–162 5° 18′ 3.3275″ 73° 18′ 19.5763″ 96 0 4 4
U100 1072–175 5° 57′ 27.7333″ 72° 37′ 29.9250″ 95 1 0 0
U101 11080801 5° 51′ 28.0600″ 72° 49′ 20.6091″ 98 3 3
U102 11080802 5° 51′ 28.0600″ 72° 49′ 20.6091″ 98 2 0 0
U103 11080803 5° 47′ 53.2378″ 72° 49′ 27.3272″ 94 1 0 0
U104 11080814 5° 52′ 5.0842″ 72° 49′ 43.6992″ 101 1 0 0
U105 11080815 5° 52′ 5.6821″ 72° 49′ 20.0698″ 98 0 0 0
U106 11080817 5° 51′ 16.5906″ 72° 49′ 43.8073″ 148 1 0 0
U107 381–09 5° 27′ 33.7014″ 72° 28′ 10.0520″ 94 0 0 0
U108 4BUG9 5° 51′ 32.9136″ 72° 48′ 39.2255″ 106 5 0 0
U109 606–11 7° 08′ 41.5530″ 72° 13′ 18.2773″ 101 0 0 0
U110 CU612P 7° 14′ 20.4026″ 73° 20′ 31.2592″ 44 0 11 25
U111 GJ57 5° 16′ 15.2630″ 73° 45′ 28.5815″ 73 0 37 51
U112 HM528D 5° 35′ 59.3386″ 73° 00′ 59.2561″ 87 4 0 0
U113 MA33 4° 53′ 47.7549″ 72° 59′ 43.3609″ 104 0 0 0
U114 NM1-2A-2B 7° 08′ 1.1249″ 73° 31′ 38.2298″ 267 0 41 15
U115 NM3A-B 7° 07′ 59.8864″ 73° 31′ 36.8951″ 171 0 20 12
U116 NM4 7° 07′ 59.1348″ 73° 31′ 34.4519″ 98 1 46 47
U117 OMC4 (D928) 4° 31′ 3.1183″ 74° 08′ 27.8684″ 98 3 57 58
U118 P91(GJ333) 5° 32′ 19.3174″ 73° 19′ 49.8048″ 76 0 5 7
U119 U08022 7° 13′ 44.4151″ 73° 19′ 58.8541″ 27 0 0 0
U120 Yarigui85B 7° 22′ 37.3627″ 73° 54′ 30.0013″ 90 0 0 0
Late Eocene
U121 1072–144 4° 30′ 36.4254″ 74° 07′ 56.8545″ 103 0 24 23
U122 1072–55 4° 56′ 25.2207″ 73° 46′ 52.4658″ 81 0 3 4
U123 11080812 5° 52′ 3.0162″ 72° 50′ 4.9594″ 91 2 3 3
U124 393–022 5° 40′ 7.8195″ 72° 15′ 54.7305″ 98 0 13 13
U125 F40 4° 19′ 17.9637″ 74° 26′ 29.2751″ 109 0 34 31
U126 FBC276 4° 19′ 27.7286″ 74° 26′ 32.5228″ 48 0 23 48
U127 G2010 4° 30′ 43.4579″ 74° 07′ 48.7452″ 91 0 5 5
U128 GC-1080–14 3° 54′ 34.4405″ 72° 39′ 36.8674″ 86 1 3 3
U129 HM34 5° 13′ 38.5188″ 73° 26′ 28.1383″ 97 0 24 25
U130 HM563 4° 52′ 6.4406″ 74° 34′ 50.8136″ 117 0 62 53
U131 LM1505093 7° 10′ 25.2672″ 73° 33′ 7.4868″ 103 0 54 52
U132 MA1 5° 05′ 57.5266″ 73° 39′ 14.3974″ 54 0 20 37
(continued )

Table 1. Continued
U133 NM6A-B 7° 10′ 25.6257″ 73° 33′ 7.9100″ 177 0 71 40
U134 P13AB(GJ346) 5° 32′ 18.7736″ 73° 19′ 57.4075″ 102 0 4 4
U135 SANTOS111A-B 7° 21′ 9.9281″ 73° 27′ 9.6205″ 163 0 0 0
U136 U08024 7° 14′ 5.9003″ 73° 21′ 0.5527″ 60 0 17 28
U137 VC062 7° 14′ 20.1698″ 73° 21′ 28.9851″ 97 0 27 28
U138 VC063 7° 14′ 12.1825″ 73° 21′ 21.0447″ 95 0 4 4
Oligocene
U139 08YEM02 5° 27′ 19.4258″ 72° 27′ 49.6324″ 31 0 0 0
U140 1032–016 7° 05′ 15.6463″ 72° 15′ 40.6898″ 102 0 4 4
U141 1032–023 7° 16′ 27.2702″ 72° 28′ 20.3289″ 79 0 5 6
U142 1072–017 6° 22′ 1.0908″ 73° 51′ 39.9315″ 84 0 4 5
U143 1072–018 6° 22′ 53.8240″ 73° 52′ 53.1878″ 98 0 45 46
U144 1072–025 6° 24′ 39.7025″ 73° 52′ 12.0796″ 99 0 12 12
U145 1072–119 5° 03′ 51.9562″ 74° 35′ 13.5182″ 99 0 24 24
U146 1072–120 5° 03′ 27.7180″ 74° 34′ 55.4496″ 96 0 0 0
U147 4PDR240 6° 01′ 16.7161″ 72° 45′ 52.1866″ 92 0 0 0
U148 4PDR449 6° 01′ 16.7161″ 72° 45′ 52.1866″ 95 0 0 0
U149 606-01 7° 02′ 50.5949″ 72° 09′ 41.8812″ 75 0 0 0
U150 6BUG19 5° 51′ 32.5868″ 72° 50′ 20.2372″ 93 2 0 0
U151 CAG1 10 7° 40′ 51.3578″ 73° 34′ 35.3250″ 122 0 0 0
U152 CAG1 9 7° 40′ 51.3578″ 73° 34′ 35.3250″ 75 0 0 0
U153 Carupana-3 5° 34′ 35.0269″ 71° 45′ 1.8343″ 89 0 0 0
U154 GC1080-3 3° 54′ 34.4405″ 72° 39′ 36.8674″ 87 0 0 0
U155 LC08031 6° 51′ 14.3965″ 73° 46′ 15.6689″ 47 0 0 0
U156 LISAMA146A 7° 07′ 34.3703″ 73° 33′ 3.3492″ 97 0 0 0
U157 Llanura-2 5° 29′ 32.4195″ 71° 44′ 11.2452″ 37 0 0 0
U158 LM1505094 7° 10′ 29.3208″ 73° 32′ 54.3151″ 97 0 0 0
U159 Macarenas-4 5° 09′ 34.4174″ 72° 04′ 0.7418″ 21 0 0 0
U160 MOR0612094 5° 26′ 34.8183″ 72° 28′ 40.8629″ 81 0 0 0
U161 NM7-LM1505095 7° 10′ 28.6246″ 73° 32′ 43.4629″ 174 0 11 6
U162 NM8A-B 7° 10′ 27.9392″ 73° 32′ 41.8668″ 184 0 5 3
U163 PAYARA1C6 2° 07′ 31.2627″ 74° 33′ 35.9148″ 91 0 0 0
U164 Pore-1-11 5° 45′ 48.2496″ 71° 57′ 21.7459″ 74 0 0 0
U165 Santa Maria-1-9 6° 00′ 31.0060″ 71° 38′ 34.2863″ 48 0 0 0
U166 Santa Marta-3 5° 29′ 3.7507″ 71° 35′ 49.0617″ 9 0 0 0
U167 U08025 7° 15′ 10.4573″ 73° 22′ 30.0550″ 71 0 0 0
U168 VC066 7° 14′ 38.0067″ 73° 21′ 28.7937″ 93 0 0 0
U169 VC067 7° 14′ 47.9080″ 73° 21′ 32.7220″ 92 0 0 0
Early-Middle Miocene
U170 08YEM03 5° 26′ 16.5437″ 72° 26′ 56.8719″ 65 0 0 0
U171 1072–013 6° 24′ 29.2696″ 73° 51′ 34.2061″ 103 0 8 8
U172 1072–020 6° 22′ 51.4662″ 73° 53′ 43.0065″ 100 0 23 23
U173 1072–026 6° 26′ 56.1141″ 73° 50′ 18.6739″ 97 0 10 10
U174 12080806 5° 52′ 29.1731″ 72° 46′ 54.7053″ 105 0 0 0
U175 606–03 7° 07′ 41.0816″ 72° 12′ 49.0107″ 45 0 0 0
U176 606–06 7° 02′ 36.7140″ 72° 11′ 28.4619″ 95 0 0 0
U177 CAG1-6 7° 40′ 51.3578″ 73° 34′ 35.3250″ 99 0 0 0
(continued )
Table 1. Continued
U178 CAG1-7 7° 40′ 51.3578″ 73° 34′ 35.3250″ 113 0 0 0
U179 CAG1-8 7° 40′ 51.3578″ 73° 34′ 35.3250″ 97 0 0 0
U180 GC-1088-2 3° 54′ 34.4405″ 72° 39′ 36.8674″ 90 0 7 8
U181 HM573 4° 52′ 47.8824″ 74° 35′ 32.6462″ 103 0 3 3
U182 HM590 4° 53′ 9.3834″ 74° 36′ 36.4043″ 40 0 3 8
U183 LC08033 6° 53′ 6.0047″ 73° 45′ 7.2602″ 26 0 0 0
U184 LM1505096 7° 10′ 7.3913″ 73° 32′ 7.1488″ 105 0 0 0
U185 M09 7° 15′ 17.9938″ 73° 23′ 2.4439″ 43 0 0 0
U186 MOR0613094 5° 28′ 1.2159″ 72° 25′ 40.8622″ 89 1 0 0
U187 MP175 4° 50′ 41.5372″ 73° 10′ 20.1583″ 103 0 3 3
U188 Pore1-10 5° 45′ 48.2496″ 71° 57′ 21.7459″ 56 0 0 0
U189 Pore1-9 5° 45′ 48.2496″ 71° 57′ 21.7459″ 49 0 0 0
U190 R03101092 6° 22′ 51.4328″ 73° 53′ 40.5335″ 87 0 7 8
U191 Santa Maria1-8 6° 00′ 31.0060″ 71° 38′ 34.2863″ 7 0 0 0
U192 Santa Marta-2 5° 29′ 3.7507″ 71° 35′ 49.0617″ 83 0 0 0
U193 TO2170 4° 46′ 16.3489″ 73° 10′ 22.9110″ 58 0 0 0
U194 U08027 7° 15′ 43.2148″ 73° 23′ 20.4637″ 63 0 0 0
U195 1093–71 3° 59′ 10.5851″ 73° 29′ 54.7552″ 101 11 11
Late Miocene
U196 1072–016 6° 27′ 27.0827″ 73° 48′ 31.2636″ 95 0 17 18
U197 1072–019 6° 22′ 34.9324″ 73° 53′ 51.7329″ 99 0 7 7
U198 1072–021 6° 22′ 44.3800″ 73° 54′ 12.3269″ 90 0 0 0
U199 1072–022 6° 22′ 43.3235″ 73° 55′ 6.0171″ 91 3 20 22
U200 1072–023 6° 22′ 41.8620″ 73° 55′ 16.9508″ 81 6 17 21
U201 1072–024 6° 23′ 22.8270″ 73° 56′ 1.3227″ 83 1 24 29
U202 1072–027 6° 27′ 24.6364″ 73° 49′ 24.5720″ 95 0 0 0
U203 CAG1-5 7° 40′ 51.3578″ 73° 34′ 35.3250″ 87 0 0 0
U204 GC-1080-18 3° 54′ 34.4405″ 72° 39′ 36.8674″ 94 0 0 0
U205 GC-1080-20 3° 54′ 34.4405″ 72° 39′ 36.8674″ 95 0 0 0
U206 LC08035 7° 05′ 49.1957″ 73° 37′ 37.2590″ 86 0 36 42
U207 Santa Maria1-3 6° 00′ 31.0060″ 71° 38′ 34.2863″ 28 0 0 0
U208 Santa Maria1-4 6° 00′ 31.0060″ 71° 38′ 34.2863″ 87 0 0 0
U209 Santa Maria1-7 6° 00′ 31.0060″ 71° 38′ 34.2863″ 28 0 0 0
U210 U08028 7° 15′ 43.1982″ 73° 24′ 36.0559″ 37 0 0 0
U211 1093–40 4° 04′ 43.0200″ 73° 21′ 31.2216″ 127 0 8 6
U212 1093–41 4° 04′ 43.0200″ 73° 21′ 31.2216″ 96 0 9 9
U213 1093–42 4° 04′ 43.0200″ 73° 21′ 31.2216″ 100 0 5 5
U214 GC1093-43 4° 04′ 43.0200″ 73° 21′ 31.2216″ 91 0 0 0
U215 1093–68 3° 59′ 10.5851″ 73° 29′ 54.7552″ 114 0 3 3
Continued
ID Unit Age References

Late Cretaceous
U1 Umir Maastrichtian Caballero et al. (2013a, b)
(continued )

Table 1. Continued
U3 Arenisca Tierna Campanian This work
U5 Chipaque Turonian–Coniacian aprox. This work
U6 Dura Santonian–Campanian This work
U7 Dura Santonian–Campanian This work
U9 Labor–Tierna Campanian (aprox.) Caballero et al. (2013a, b)
U10 Guaduas Maastrichtian–Early Paleocene This work
U11 Guaduas Maastrichtian This work
U13 Arenisca Tierna Maastrichtian This work
U14 Los Pinos Maastrichtian This work
U17 Chipaque Turonian–Coniacian aprox. This work
U18 Arenisca Tierna Campanian Saylor et al. (2011)
U19 Guaduas Maastrichtian–Early Paleocene Saylor et al. (2011)
U20 Guadalupe Late Campanian Bayona et al. (2013)
U21 Guadalupe Santonian–Campanian (aprox.) This work
U22 Guaduas Maastrichtian? Bayona et al. (2013)
U23 Dura Santonian–Campanian (aprox.) Horton et al. (2010b)
U24 Guadalupe Maastrichtian? This work
U25 Gacheta Turonian–Coniacian aprox. This work
U26 Seca Early Paleocene? This work
Early Paleocene
U27 Barco Early Paleocene–Middle Paleocene This work
U28 Seca Early Paleocene? Caballero et al. (2013a, b)
U29 Lower Socha Early–Middle Paleocene This work
U31 Cacho Early Paleocene This work
U32 Cacho Early Paleocene This work
U36 Lower Socha Early Paleocene This work
U37 Barco Early Paleocene–Middle Paleocene This work
U38 Barco Early Paleocene This work
U39 Guaduas Early Paleocene This work
U40 Lower Socha Early Paleocene This work
U41 Lower Socha Early–Middle Paleocene Saylor et al. (2011)
U45 Cacho Early Paleocene Bayona et al. (2013)
U46 Guaduas Early Paleocene Bayona et al. (2013)
(continued )

Table 1. Continued

U48 Guaduas Early Paleocene Bayona et al. (2013)
U49 Barco Early–Middle Paleocene This work
U50 Guaduas Maastrichtian? Bayona et al. (2013)
U51 Lower Hoyon Early Paleocene? This work
U52 Unidad 1 Guaduero Early Paleocene This work
U53 Lower Hoyon Early–Middle Paleocene? This work
U54 Lisama Early Paleocene Caballero et al. (2013a, b)
U57 Lisama Early Paleocene Nie et al. (2010)
Late Paleocene
U58 Unidad 1 Chorrillo Early Paleocene This work
U59 Lisama Late Paleocene Caballero et al. (2013a, b)
U62 Upper Socha Late Paleocene This work
U65 Bogota Late Paleocene This work
U70 Cuervos Late Paleocene–easliest Eocene? This work
U72 Upper Socha Late Paleocene–earliest Eocene Saylor et al. (2011)
U73 Cuervos Late Paleocene–easliest Eocene? This work
U74 Upper Socha Late Paleocene Saylor et al. (2011)
U75 Bogota Late Paleocene Bayona et al. (2013)
U76 Cuervos Late Paleocene–Early Eocene This work
U77 Upper Socha Late Paleocene Bayona et al. (2013)
U78 Upper Socha Late Paleocene Bayona et al. (2013)
U79 Middle Hoyon Late Paleocene This work
U80 Cuervos Late Paleocene–Early Eocene This work
U83 Lisama Late Paleocene Nie et al. (2010)
Early-Middle Eocene
U84 Unidad 2 Chorrillo Early Paleocene This work
U85 Unidad 2 Chorrillo Late Paleocene? This work
U86 Upper Hoyon Late Paleocene? This work
U87 Mirador Early–Middle Eocene Horton et al. (2010a)
U88 Picacho Early–Middle Eocene This work
U90 Bogota Middle Eocene This work
(continued )

Table 1. Continued

U92 Picacho Middle Eocene This work
U93 Concentracion Middle Eocene–Late Eocene This work
U94 Upper Socha Early Eocene? This work
U95 Picacho Early Eocene This work
U96 Upper Socha Early Eocene This work
U98 Upper Socha Early Eocene This work
U99 Upper Socha Early Eocene? This work
U101 Lower Picacho Early Eocene Saylor et al. (2011)
U102 Picacho Early–Middle Eocene Saylor et al. (2011)
U103 Picacho Early–Middle Eocene Saylor et al. (2011)
U104 Concentracion Middle Eocene–Late Eocene? Saylor et al. (2011)
U105 Concentracion Middle Eocene? Saylor et al. (2011)
U106 Concentracion Middle Eocene–Late Eocene Saylor et al. (2011)
U107 MIrador Early–Middle Eocene This work
U108 Upper Socha Earliest Eocene? Saylor et al. (2011)
U109 Mirador Early–Middle Eocene This work
U110 La Paz Early Eocene Nie et al. (2010)
U111 Bogota Late Paleocene–MIddle Eocene Bayona et al. (2013)
U112 Picacho Early–Middle Eocene Bayona et al. (2013)
U113 Mirador Early–Middle Eocene This work
U114 La Paz Early Eocene Caballero et al. (2013a, b)
U115 Toro shale Early Eocene Caballero et al. (2013a, b)
U116 Esmeraldas Early Eocene Caballero et al. (2013a, b)
U118 Bogota Early Eocene? Bayona et al. (2013)
U119 La Paz Early Eocene Nie et al. (2010)
U120 La Paz Early Eocene Caballero et al. (2013a, b)
Late Eocene
U121 Regadera Middle–Late Eocene This work
U122 Regadera Middle Eocene–Late Oligocene This work
U123 Concentracion Middle Eocene–Late Oligocene Saylor et al. (2011)
U124 C8 Late Eocene to Late Oligocene This work
U125 Lodolitas de Fusagasuga Late Eocene Bayona et al. (2013)
U126 Lodolitas de Fusagasuga Late Eocene Bayona et al. (2013)
U127 Regadera Middle–Late Eocene Bayona et al. (2013)
U128 C8 Late Eocene to Late Oligocene This work
U129 Concentracion Middle Eocene–Late Oligocene Bayona et al. (2013)
U130 San Juan de Rio Seco Middle–Late Eocene This work
U131 Esmeraldas Middle–Late Eocene Caballero et al. (2013a, b)
U132 Regadera Middle–Late Eocene Horton et al. (2010a)
U133 Esmeraldas Middle–Late Eocene This work
U134 Regadera Middle–Late Eocene Bayona et al. (2013)
U135 Esmeraldas Middle–Late Eocene Caballero et al. (2013a, b)
U136 Esmeraldas Middle–Late Eocene Nie et al. (2012)
(continued )

Table 1. Continued

U137 Esmeraldas Late Eocene Nie et al. (2012)
U138 Esmeraldas Middle–Late Eocene Nie et al. (2012)
Oligocene
U139 C7 Late Oligocene Horton et al. (2010a)
U140 C6 Late Oligocene This work
U142 Mugrosa Oligocene Caballero et al. (2013a, b)
U145 San Juan de Rio Seco Oligocene? Caballero et al. (2013a, b)
U146 San Juan de Rio Seco Oligocene? Caballero et al. (2013a, b)
U147 Upper Concentracion Late Oligocene? Saylor et al. (2011)
U160 C7 Late Oligocene Bande et al. (2012)
U161 Mugrosa Oligocene This work
U167 Mugrosa Oligocene Nie et al. (2010)
Early-Middle Miocene
U170 C2 Early Miocene Horton et al. (2010a)
U171 Colorado Early Miocene Caballero et al. (2013a, b)
U174 Unnamed Middle Miocene Horton et al. (2010a)
U175 C2 Early Miocene This work
(continued )

Table 1. Continued

U181 Santa Teresa Early–Middle Miocene This work
U182 Santa Teresa Early–Middle Miocene This work
U185 Colorado Early Miocene Nie et al. (2010)
U186 C5 Early Miocene Bande et al. (2012)
U194 Colorado Early Miocene Nie et al. (2010)
U195 Carbonera Early–Middle Miocene This work
Late Miocene
U196 Real Late Miocene–Pliocene? Caballero et al. (2013a, b)
U201 Mesa Pliocene? Caballero et al. (2013a, b)
U204 Lower Guayabo Middle Miocene This work
U205 Lower Guayabo Middle Miocene This work
U207 Upper Guayabo Late Miocene–Pliocene? This work
U208 Upper Guayabo Late Miocene–Pliocene? This work
U209 Lower Guayabo Late Miocene This work
U210 Real Late Miocene–Pliocene? Nie et al. (2010)
U211 Guayabo Late Miocene–Pliocene? This work
*Number of analyses (grains) with discordance <10%, reverse discordance <5% and error <10%.
†
Number of grains with ages <150 Ma.
‡
Number of grains with U-Pb ages overlapping with depositional age.
§
% of grains with ages <150 Ma.
high-resolution biostratigraphic data (Figure 8), have tectonic quiescence or potentially slower shortening
minimums during the middle Eocene in all the rates. The Eocene reconstructions are consistent with
reported areas. We therefore argue that the retreating the western and eastern sources proposed by Xie et al.
provenance divide and lower accumulation rates sug- (2010) in Lake Maracaibo, suggesting that the lake
gest cessation of the Paleocene–early Eocene tectonic may have been the final outlet of the middle–late
activity, and that the middle Eocene was a period of Eocene regional drainages.

Table 2. Apatite Fission-Track Data from Samples Analyzed with External Detector Method (EDM)
Model Elevation Stratigraphic U

ID Sample Lat. (°N) Long. (°W) (m) Unit Age (Ma) Sample # Gr (ppm)
A SB-53 5° 00′ 15.9332″ 73° 44′ 38.3920″ 2772 Bogota 52 ± 8 1083–25 20 15
B SB-37 5° 05′ 10.1414″ 73° 45′ 9.9267″ 2814 Cacho 60 ± 1 1083–07 20 20
C SB-22 5° 08′ 22.6997″ 73° 49′ 59.8378″ 2812 Guaduas 63 ± 2 1083–55 20 20
D SB-30 5° 13′ 36.1287″ 73° 47′ 20.2405″ 2634 Bogota 52 ± 8 1083–43 20 14
Continued
Model Rho-D Rho-S Age (Ma) Length Error SD§ #

ID (ND)* (NS)† Rho-I (NI) †
Pðχ Þ2 ‡
± 1SD‡ Error (μm) (μm) (μm) Length
A 1.454 0.413 1.871 38 62.8 ± 4.8 13.42 0.19 2.05 114
(2287) (245) (1109)
B 1.453 0.929 2.530 <1 104.0 ± 6.9 12.25 0.22 2.22 104
(2287) (384) (1046)
C 1.281 0.317 2.248 38 35.4 ± 3.6 12.11 0.56 2.24 16
(2040) (123) (873)
D 1.139 0.387 1.378 92 62.5 ± 5.4 12.41 0.35 3.06 76
(1762) (198) (706)
*Rho-D is the induced track density measured in the external mica detector attached to the CN2 dosimetry glass ð×105 tracks∕cm2 Þ. ND is the number of induced tracks
counted in the mica for estimating Rho-D.
†
Rho-S and Rho-I are the spontaneous and induced track density measured, respectively ð×105 tracks∕cm2 Þ. NS and NI are the number of spontaneous and induced
tracks counted for estimating Rho-S and Rho-I, respectively.
‡ 2
Pχ (%) is the chi-square probability. Values greater than 5% are considered to pass this test and represent a single population of ages.
§
SD = standard deviation.
Late Eocene accelerating exhumation in the late Paleocene–middle

Eocene. In the uppermost middle Eocene, detrital
By the late Eocene, the presence of fine-grained ZHe ages are within 10 m.y. of their stratigraphic
facies in the easternmost portions of the Magdalena ages indicating extremely rapid exhumation. Based
Valley (Caballero et al., 2010; Moreno et al., 2011) on paleocurrent trends, they assign this zone of exhu-
suggest that the tectonic quiescent phase was still mation to hinterland areas to the west. After the upper
the dominant process in that area and that the sedi- Eocene, lag time increases again. Saylor et al. (2012a)
mentation had recommenced in regions undergoing interpret, as we do, the presence of a new source area
Paleocene exhumation. However, other data sets sug- to the west due to the advance of a new thrust sheet.
gest that the easternmost deformation front migrated This is in line with the deduced eastward advance of
to the east. These include not only published bedrock the Pesca–Soapaga thrust system (Figure 2) based
thermochronology from the Floresta Massif area in on AFT modeling (Figures 7, 10). At the same time,
the hanging wall of the Soapaga and Boyaca faults the most significant change in the basin is a marine
(Figure 2) (Parra et al., 2009b; Mora et al., 2010a), ingression east of the Floresta area (Santos et al.,
but also detrital thermochronology from the Floresta 2008) and the eastward advance of the easternmost
basin (Figures 2, 9) (Saylor et al., 2012b). Saylor et al. provenance divide to a position similar to the one
(2012b) use lag time, defined as the difference interpreted for the late Paleocene (compare
between the detrital thermochronometric age and Figures 6, 7). An additional interesting aspect in the
the stratigraphic age of the host sedimentary unit, to upper Eocene is the absence of coeval units in the
suggest three stages in the tectonic evolution of northernmost Middle Magdalena valley (Figure 2),
the Floresta basin hinterland. They identify a trend which, combined with evidence of onset of uplift at
of rapidly decreasing lag time, which points to the Santander Massif (Caballero et al., 2010;

Table 3. Zircon U-Th/He Data Presented in Figure 5
Sample Age (Ma) ± (Ma) 8% U (ppm) Th (ppm) Sm (ppm) Th/U He (nmol/g) Mass (mg) Ft*
Ritoque Formation (Early Cretaceous)-Sample 10BY03. 73.37457°W 5.7191722°N
10BY03 30.1 2.4 64.2 18.7 0.4 0.29 9.27 15.5 0.83
10BY03 44.4 3.6 34.2 25.4 0.5 0.74 7.63 8.2 0.79
10BY03 42.5 3.4 135.7 43.6 0.3 0.32 27.90 17.7 0.83
10BY03 41.9 3.4 51.8 48.5 0.7 0.94 11.54 11.2 0.81
Arcabuco Formation (Late Jurassic)-Sample 10BY04. 73.39017°W 5.72501°N
10BY04 36.2 2.9 140.8 41.7 0.7 0.30 24.89 20.8 0.84
10BY04 28.1 2.3 71.1 25.2 3.0 0.35 9.81 17.0 0.84
10BY04 30.7 2.5 114.2 42.1 0.5 0.37 17.26 16.9 0.84
10BY04 26.5 2.1 164.8 52.8 0.6 0.32 20.06 7.8 0.79
10BY05 35.6 2.8 63.6 23.8 0.2 0.53 10.22 5.8 0.77
10BY05 28.7 2.3 37.0 24.3 0.2 0.32 5.10 6.0 0.77
10BY05 33.7 2.7 60.6 19.0 0.2 0.43 9.00 4.9 0.76
10BY05 26.9 2.1 86.7 36.0 0.6 0.39 9.94 3.2 0.72
Tablazo Formation (Early-Cretaceous)-Sample 10BY07. 73.58628°W 5.90597°N
10BY07 51.4 4.1 112.1 36.5 1.9 0.33 24.0 2.78 0.71
10BY07 40.0 3.2 34.7 21.6 0.6 0.62 6.6 5.14 0.77
10BY07 53.7 4.3 19.1 7.4 0.2 0.39 4.4 2.84 0.72
10BY07 75.6 6.1 43.4 21.9 0.2 0.50 14.6 3.16 0.73
10BY09 53.5 4.3 60.3 33.7 0.6 0.56 16.6 19.29 0.84
10BY09 53.9 4.3 84.5 28.3 0.7 0.33 21.8 12.60 0.82
10BY09 54.3 4.3 56.3 20.6 0.4 0.37 15.0 15.71 0.84
10BY09 54.3 4.3 37.0 15.8 1.0 0.43 10.3 26.53 0.86
10BY10 30.4 2.4 17.8 11.2 0.2 0.63 2.6 6.57 0.77
10BY10 40.3 3.2 52.1 20.9 0.4 0.40 9.7 5.74 0.78
10BY10 56.2 4.5 103.8 63.1 2.8 0.61 28.4 7.33 0.79
10BY10 47.3 3.8 97.2 30.6 0.4 0.32 20.7 6.55 0.77
10BY11 46.7 3.7 78.7 34.6 0.6 0.44 18.4 21.18 0.84
10BY11 48.0 3.8 82.6 34.7 1.3 0.42 20.0 23.44 0.85
10BY11 56.8 4.5 47.5 34.7 0.4 0.73 14.3 17.51 0.83
10BY11 28.1 2.3 55.5 28.2 0.1 0.51 7.9 17.97 0.84
10BY13 34.7 2.8 71.7 27.3 0.5 0.38 12.3 21.44 0.84
10BY13 49.1 3.9 62.9 26.8 0.8 0.43 15.5 22.12 0.84
10BY13 40.3 3.2 258.9 41.9 0.7 0.16 47.3 11.16 0.81
10BY13 34.2 2.7 133.9 30.0 0.3 0.22 20.9 8.45 0.80
10BY14 35.2 2.8 44.7 28.7 0.5 0.64 8.4 25.10 0.85
10BY14 38.5 3.1 140.5 56.8 2.2 0.40 23.1 3.35 0.72
10BY14 37.3 3.0 68.3 23.8 0.7 0.35 11.1 5.38 0.75
10BY14 33.1 2.6 73.8 52.0 1.6 0.70 11.6 5.25 0.75
(continued )

Table 3. Continued
10BY15 29.2 2.3 155.7 65.7 1.8 0.42 18.6 2.02 0.69
10BY15 27.4 2.2 84.5 44.3 3.3 0.52 9.9 2.68 0.71
10BY15 24.9 2.0 85.1 42.8 2.7 0.50 9.4 3.35 0.73
10BY15 32.9 2.6 164.6 63.6 0.4 0.39 22.3 2.43 0.70
10BY17 35.1 2.8 152.0 51.2 3.4 0.34 23.4 8.06 0.79
10BY17 42.7 3.4 185.5 23.6 0.6 0.13 9.2 6.04 0.79
10BY17 40.6 3.3 110.3 115.4 0.6 1.05 17.9 3.08 0.73
10BY17 33.4 2.7 334.9 74.9 0.6 0.22 15.5 2.99 0.74
10BY17 36.1 2.9 74.1 40.2 1.2 0.54 12.4 4.70 0.76
10BY17 50.6 4.0 125.3 102.9 1.5 0.82 29.7 3.86 0.73
10BY17 55.9 4.5 130.6 53.6 1.1 0.41 33.2 5.37 0.77
10BY17 38.2 3.1 199.6 138.1 1.7 0.69 34.2 2.76 0.71
La Rusia–Montebell formations (Early–Middle Jurassic)-Sample 10BY19. 73.24634°W 5.90326°N
10BY19 38.2 3.1 219.2 116.7 1.2 0.53 38.3 10.82 0.81
10BY19 33.9 2.7 54.4 16.7 1.0 0.31 8.0 19.38 0.85
10BY19 35.5 2.8 81.4 38.5 0.2 0.47 14.4 16.25 0.84
10BY19 12.9 1.0 557.0 56.2 1.1 0.10 33.3 18.50 0.84
10BY19 36.9 3.0 105.3 45.7 0.9 0.43 18.1 6.44 0.78
10BY19 40.4 3.2 114.4 38.2 0.6 0.33 21.8 10.83 0.81
10BY19 37.0 3.0 132.7 81.2 1.0 0.61 24.2 8.50 0.80
10BY19 44.1 3.5 112.8 132.4 6.6 1.17 27.9 11.93 0.81
10BY19 34.3 2.74 88.9 23.0 0.4 0.26 14.5 14.30 0.83
Palermo Formation (Early Jurassic)-Sample 10BY23. 73.16029°W 5.90712°N
10BY23 31.0 2.5 102.0 79.1 1.2 0.78 11.5 2.30 0.71
10BY23 38.0 3.0 116.7 67.2 1.0 0.58 16.1 1.75 0.69
10BY23 27.0 2.2 40.2 3.8 0.0 0.09 0.0 6.72 0.80
10BY23 28.0 2.2 17.3 39.9 0.6 2.31 0.0 4.71 0.77
Palermo Formation (Early Jurassic)-Sample 10BY24. 73.14215°W 5.91415°N
10BY24 22.7 1.8 106.1 36.5 0.5 0.03 10.4 7.09 0.80
10BY24 34.2 2.7 95.2 78.2 1.8 0.08 14.0 6.79 0.79
10BY24 35.2 2.8 289.1 277.1 0.7 0.14 43.6 3.66 0.74
10BY24 33.0 2.6 117.3 88.6 1.5 0.08 15.9 4.64 0.75
10BY24 25.9 2.1 1.8 1.4 0.7 0.78 0.2 2.87 0.72
10BY24 35.3 2.8 130.8 72.2 22.9 0.55 20.6 3.49 0.73
10BY24 33.2 2.7 151.9 120.2 1.5 0.79 24.8 5.58 0.77
10BY24 27.4 2.2 283.8 119.6 1.1 0.42 36.5 6.76 0.79
Montebell Formation (Early Jurassic)-Sample 10BY25. 73.10772°W 5.93569°N
10BY25 33.9 2.7 119.4 40.2 0.6 0.03 16.7 4.82 0.76
10BY25 26.2 2.1 235.7 76.3 0.6 0.07 27.5 7.38 0.79
10BY25 28.9 2.3 330.5 181.5 0.8 0.17 41.9 6.80 0.79
10BY25 35.7 2.9 203.9 103.3 0.6 0.08 30.0 4.49 0.76
10BY25 32.5 2.6 133.3 27.9 0.2 0.21 19.4 8.71 0.79
10BY25 33.6 2.7 188.3 51.1 0.4 0.27 27.7 5.24 0.76
10BY25 29.6 2.4 103.9 33.4 0.5 0.32 13.9 5.72 0.78
(continued )

Table 3. Continued
10BY25 34.0 2.7 334.9 220.9 2.2 0.66 55.4 6.60 0.78
10BY26 40.9 3.3 234.9 52.6 0.5 0.22 45.7 18.53 0.84
10BY26 34.2 2.7 155.7 60.1 0.7 0.39 25.3 16.00 0.84
10BY26 41.5 3.3 124.4 179.2 1.8 1.44 27.0 11.85 0.81
10BY26 30.5 2.4 197.9 35.3 0.8 0.18 28.0 14.25 0.83
10BY26 50.0 4.0 75.6 21.0 0.7 0.28 17.4 9.00 0.80
10BY26 37.8 3.0 136.9 32.9 1.8 0.24 23.3 7.34 0.79
10BY26 36.7 2.9 206.1 94.2 0.8 0.46 36.3 10.12 0.80
10BY26 36.4 2.9 146.5 107.1 0.4 0.73 28.0 17.34 0.83
10BY27 44.2 3.5 171.2 66.1 1.1 0.39 34.5 10.56 0.81
10BY27 33.4 2.7 217.5 44.1 0.7 0.20 32.9 8.55 0.81
10BY27 42.8 3.4 140.7 79.0 0.4 0.56 29.8 19.56 0.84
10BY27 44.2 3.5 119.2 48.5 6.1 0.41 24.8 14.12 0.83
10BY27 47.0 3.8 62.7 26.2 0.7 0.42 14.6 15.51 0.83
10BY27 38.3 3.1 154.6 165.6 0.5 1.07 31.1 7.25 0.78
10BY27 34.7 2.8 103.7 33.4 0.4 0.32 16.9 10.86 0.81
10BY27 41.8 3.3 185.3 50.9 0.4 0.27 37.4 16.16 0.84
La Rusia Formation (Middle Jurassic)-Sample 10BY28. 73.07113°W 5.90098°N
10BY28 30.9 2.5 243.1 37.7 0.6 0.34 35.2 16.88 0.84
10BY28 44.1 3.5 73.6 36.6 0.5 0.13 15.9 24.88 0.86
10BY28 40.9 3.3 188.8 55.8 0.6 1.05 39.0 43.72 0.87
10BY28 105.6 8.4 131.6 30.8 0.5 0.22 70.9 57.82 0.89
10BY28 38.6 3.1 106.9 38.7 1.0 0.54 21.2 43.13 0.88
10BY28 48.6 3.9 209.4 59.7 0.8 0.82 48.3 14.93 0.82
10BY28 47.9 3.8 317.6 72.3 1.2 0.41 71.0 12.69 0.82
10BY28 52.2 4.2 98.8 38.1 0.7 0.69 26.0 24.52 0.86
Girón Formation (Middle Jurassic)-Sample 10BY31. 73.81594°W 6.04188°N
10BY31 18.9 1.5 154.2 76.9 2.1 1.58 13.76 7.2 0.78
10BY31 16.8 1.3 110.6 40.8 0.6 0.73 8.16 4.6 0.75
10BY31 15.2 1.2 32.5 29.1 1.4 0.38 2.55 8.2 0.79
10BY31 17.6 1.4 46.1 21.4 0.4 0.44 3.78 6.6 0.78
10BY32 17.6 1.4 131.8 41.4 0.3 0.69 10.07 3.6 0.75
10BY32 18.2 1.5 176.7 171.9 1.5 1.44 16.43 5.7 0.77
10BY32 19.5 1.6 158.6 51.5 0.3 0.62 12.90 2.7 0.72
10BY32 21.3 1.7 181.0 109.9 0.4 0.69 16.81 2.7 0.71
10BY33 16.5 1.3 59.9 23.3 0.6 0.28 4.18 3.3 0.72
10BY33 14.4 1.2 96.6 67.9 7.2 0.34 6.19 2.5 0.71
10BY33 17.7 1.4 85.0 22.6 0.8 0.55 6.57 4.5 0.76
10BY33 13.3 1.1 172.9 40.7 0.4 0.62 9.30 2.5 0.71
Paja Formation (Early Cretaceous)-Sample 10BY35. 73.70622°W 5.99694°N
10BY35 74.3 5.9 139.5 47.8 0.0 0.42 41.82 2.1 0.69
10BY35 53.8 4.3 56.2 36.2 1.7 0.18 13.11 2.2 0.70
10BY35 34.9 2.8 58.7 27.0 0.0 0.14 8.27 1.7 0.67
(continued )
Table 3. Continued
Simiti Formation (Early Cretaceous)-Sample RW-7. 73.93550°W 5.58060°N
zRW-7-1 16.9 1.4 105.1 39.0 4.1 0.4 7.79 4.0 0.75
zRW-7-2 18.0 2.2 125.1 66.6 1.9 0.5 10.14 4.8 0.76
zRW-7-3 19.3 1.5 93.9 78.9 2.5 0.8 8.57 3.6 0.73
zRW-7-4 11.3 0.9 223.5 59.6 2.2 0.3 10.28 2.9 0.71
Chipaque Formation (Late Cretaceous)-Sample RW-8. 73.88911°W 5.53668°N
zRW-8-1 24.0 1.9 157.0 66.2 4.6 0.4 16.60 3.9 0.74
zRW-8-2 26.9 2.2 35.3 12.1 2.9 0.3 3.84 2.6 0.69
zRW-8-3 26.0 6.4 54.6 29.5 1.9 0.5 6.00 3.3 0.71
zRW-8-4 25.6 2.0 124.2 66.4 4.8 0.5 19.00 1.6 0.67
Arenisca Dura Formation (Late Cretaceous)-Sample RW-9. 73.84214°W 5.45416°N
zRW-9-1 91.2 7.3 66.6 34.7 4.1 0.5 25.87 2.2 0.70
zRW-9-2 34.1 2.7 281.2 144.0 4.9 0.5 41.39 2.6 0.71
zRW-9-3 201.8 16.1 80.9 40.7 3.8 0.5 67.75 2.0 0.68
zRW-9-4 30.2 2.4 62.0 53.5 6.4 0.9 7.77 1.2 0.64
*Ft = Correction Factor due to loss of alpha particles (depends on grain size).
Figure 2), allows us to suggest that during the late the Nunchia syncline (Figure 2), the appearance of
Eocene the Magdalena valley basin was closed to Mesozoic zircons in the C7 member of the
the north (Figure 7). Carbonera Formation is interpreted by Horton et al.
(2010a) as a signal of recycling of Paleogene rocks
Oligocene from late Oligocene erosion of thrust sheets close to
the syncline (Figure 13). In the Magdalena valley,
Little difference exists between the late Eocene and Grenvillian U-Pb detrital ages in the Oligocene
early Oligocene, except for the fact that sedimentary Mugrosa Formation (Figure 14C) and the appear-
petrography suggests that the source areas were ance of more sedimentary lithics in the Oligocene
shedding sediments from stratigraphically deeper units (Figure 14B) (Sánchez et al., 2012) suggests
units (e.g., Caballero et al., 2010; Saylor et al., that thrust-induced denudation of the western side
2011) (Figure 11). of the Eastern Cordillera in that location was under-
Parra et al. (2009a) interpret the most dramatic way by the late Oligocene in that area too
eastward advance of the orogenic front in the late (Figure 14). This is consistent with forward model-
Oligocene, and Mora et al. (2010a) suggest that vir- ing of AFT and Ro data in the adjacent hanging walls
tually the entire extent of the Neocomian graben in which the amount of eroded material predicted
was being exhumed. At 4°–5°N, the late Oligocene from Ro data does match deposition of late
was marked by an increase in sediment accumula- Oligocene units in the hinterland of the Middle
tion rates in the Medina Basin (Figure 12A) together Magdalena Valley (Figure 14A).
with the onset of exhumation in the adjacent The spatial extrapolation of these interpretations
Farallones anticline (Figure 2), as suggested by ther- is reinforced by the fact that in other areas like the
mochronologic pseudovertical profiles (Parra et al., Villeta anticlinorium (Parra et al., 2009b), the Los
2009a; Mora et al., 2015, this issue). A coeval shift Cobardes anticline, and the Santander massif
in sediment provenance and increase in grain size (Figure 2) (Caballero et al., 2010) also document
for the most proximal parts of the basin support ongoing late Oligocene denudation.
the idea of active exhumation in hinterland areas to A critical point in the paleogeographic interpreta-
the west (Figure 12A, B) (Parra et al., 2010). For tion of the late Oligocene is the fact that sedimentation

Figure 5. Detailed geological map of the Arcabuco and Peñon anticlines (location in Figure 2) showing the distribution of ZHe and Ro
samples. Note the increasing of the ZHe ages as the stratigraphic position rises. The Ro values in the stratigraphically highest samples
(early Cretaceous) greater than 3.5% suggest this ZHe ages at the top correspond to age of closure for helium retention, which are
closer to the onset of exhumation. Modified after Caballero et al. (2013a, b).

Table 4. Vitrinite Reflectance (Ro) Data
Sample Unit Stratigraphic age Long (°W) Lat (°N) Random Ro (%) Maximum Ro (%) Source
10BY07 Tablazo Aptian–Albian 73.58989 5.90954 >3.0 >3.5 1
10BY10A Paja Barremian–Aptian 73.45152 5.76631 >3.0 >3.5 1
10BY35 Paja Barremian–Aptian 73.70881 5.99741 3.4 ± 0.3 4.0 ± 0.3 2
10BY34 Paja Barremian–Aptian 73.73049 6.03491 3.8 ± 0.2 4.5 ± 0.2 2
1 = %Ro value calculated by thermal alteration index of the organic matter.
2 = %Ro value obtained by measurements of vitrinite reflectance.
in the central axial zone of the Eastern Cordillera was therefore, the closed to partially closed late
ongoing at that time, as documented by the presence Oligocene basin disappeared.
of the upper Oligocene portions of the Concentración In addition, locating the axis for changing prov-
Formation (Figure 3). This is intriguing because it enance based on detrital U-Pb is complicated due
allows the interpretation of an at least partially closed to recycling of Paleocene strata originally sourced
basin in the central part of the Eastern Cordillera in the Central Cordillera (e.g., Saylor et al., 2012a).
(Figure 11). The hypothesis is reinforced by the However, we argue that the location of a north-
absence of a coeval record in the southernmost northeast-trending reentrant of lacustrine or shallow
extreme of the study area (Figure 15A) and the marine shaly facies marks the geographic location
evidence of synchronous uplift in the Saltarén well of the basin axis (i.e., the topographically lowest
in the same region (Figure 15B). We also suggest area, the axis of which separates regions of Eastern
that the Magdalena valley basin area was a second Cordilleran-derived sediments from craton-derived
closed basin, given the previous evidence of uplifted sediments). If this is the case, the Miocene axis pro-
areas to the south in the Upper Magdalena valley graded eastward with respect to its location in the
and the absence of Oligocene record and coeval rock Oligocene (Figures 16, 17). This eastward advance
uplift in the northernmost portions of the Middle could be more extreme if the time horizon corre-
Magdalena valley. sponds to the lower Miocene Carbonera Formation
Comparing the new data in the Llanos basin (C1 member); an approximately 1 km (0.62 mi) thick
(Figure 11A, B) to previous observations (see gravel horizon constitutes the top of an upward-
above) shows that stratal pinchouts advanced east- coarsening sequence that starts at the upper Eocene
ward between the early and late Oligocene. Carbonera Formation (C8 member, Parra et al.,
However, this was not accompanied by an eastward 2010). Parra et al. (2010) found that accumulation
advance of the provenance divide. This pattern is sig- rates peak at the top horizon of this upward-
nificant for the basin evolution. coarsening sequence (Figure 12B). The deposition of
this thick gravel horizon, starting with the lower
Early Miocene Miocene Carbonera Formation in the Llanos basin and
the coeval presence of fine-grained facies to the east,
All the previous evidence on exhumation provides suggests that the axis of the provenance divide was
evidence for ongoing early Miocene exhumation in pushed farther east by a prograding wedge of braided
the Eastern Cordillera. Furthermore, Miocene strata fluvial deposits (Figure 16). In contrast, the pinchout
are not preserved in the Eastern Cordillera of lower Miocene strata is located close to the same
(Figure 3), and the uppermost preserved Oligocene position as in the upper Oligocene strata (Figure 16).
units have low Ro values (e.g., Ro = 0.27, Mora
et al., 2008) suggesting limited post-Oligocene depo- Middle and Late Miocene
sition. These observations are consistent with wide-
spread exhumation across the Eastern Cordilleran Published AFT data document that exhumation was
region except for local small piggyback basins, and, still ongoing throughout the Eastern Cordillera during

(A) Early Paleocene (B) Late Paleocene
1436
75°0'W 74°0'W 73°0'W 72°0'W 71°0'W 70°0'W 75°0'W 74°0'W 73°0'W 72°0'W 71°0'W 70°0'W
10
0
0
0
0
20
200
0
20
0
200
8°0'N
8°0'N
0
100 50
0
0 0
100
0
20
100
200
200
10
00
0
0 100
0
100
0 Bucaramanga Bucaramanga
1000 500
100 100
200
200 100
7°0'N
7°0'N
100
20
200 500 0
500
10
0
20
0
50
20
0
0
10 0
0 20
20
SoF
0
200
20
0
0
10
100
BoF SoF BoF
500
6°0'N
6°0'N
100
0
0
20
100
0
150
0
Paleogeography of the Northern Andes

100
200
MaF MaF
5°0'N
5°0'N
100
100
Bogota D.C.
1000
Bogota D.C.
20
0
0
50
200
200
100 2000
100
FaA FaA
4°0'N
4°0'N
QueM QueM
3°0'N
3°0'N
150
0
75°0'W 74°0'W 73°0'W 72°0'W 71°0'W 70°0'W 75°0'W 74°0'W 73°0'W 72°0'W 71°0'W 70°0'W
Rock units exposed in the source areas Active depositional systems

Neogene Jurassic Continental Alluvial Fan
Paleogene Jurassic
Coastal Plain Lacustrine or Marine
Undifferentiated
Paleozoic
Cretaceous Drainage Divider for
Upper Cretaceous Basement U-Pb Provenance Proposed Drainage Network
Lower Cretaceous
0 50 100 200 300 400
Kilometers
Figure 6. Paleogeographic reconstructions for the (A) early Paleocene and (B) late Paleocene. The maps show isopach contours in meters for units deposited during the time interval
as well as facies and areas exposed in the source areas. Black triangles represents location of detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology samples with grains in coherent populations of zircons
(at least 3% of total grains) younger than 150 m.y. Empty triangles represent samples that lack such younger coherent populations. The black lines show the divide between western
Central Cordillera provenance and eastern cratonic provenance based on U-Pb data. QueM = Quetame Massif; FaA = Farallones anticline; MaF = Macheta fault; SoF = Soapaga fault;
BoF = Boyaca fault. These names are related with the approximate inferred location of those structural features at that time, but no traces or lines (fault traces or axes) show the
precise locations of those features.
(A) Early-Middle Eocene (B) Late Eocene
75°0'W 74°0'W 73°0'W 72°0'W 71°0'W 70°0'W 75°0'W 74°0'W 73°0'W 72°0'W 71°0'W 70°0'W
0
100
200
0
8°0'N
8°0'N
0
0
0
0
10
0
100
0
100
20 U135
0
200
200
100 U136
Bucaramanga U131 U137 Bucaramanga
0
0
100 10
0 U133 U138
500
50
0 500
200
7°0'N
10
00
7°0'N
0
10
200
100
500
100
200
0
500
200
SoF
1500
BoF SoF BoF
200
50
0
200
U123
6°0'N
6°0'N
U124
0
0
20
10
U134
100
U129
U132
50
0
U122
MaF U130 MaF
5°0'N
5°0'N
Bogota D.C. Bogota D.C.
U121
0
20 U127
U125
500
FaA U126 FaA
20
0
200
200
U128
10
4°0'N
4°0'N
0
20
0
QueM QueM 200
10
0
100
0
3°0'N
3°0'N
75°0'W 74°0'W 73°0'W 72°0'W 71°0'W 70°0'W 75°0'W 74°0'W 73°0'W 72°0'W 71°0'W 70°0'W

Neogene Jurassic Continental Alluvial Fan
Paleogene Jurassic
Lower Cretaceous
0 50 100 200 300 400
Kilometers
REYES-HARKER ET AL.
Figure 7. Paleogeographic reconstructions for the (A) early–middle Eocene and (B) late Eocene. Symbols are the same as in Figure 6. The black lines show the divide between
western Central Cordillera provenance and eastern cratonic provenance based on U-Pb data. QueM = Quetame Massif; FaA = Farallones anticline; MaF = Macheta fault; SoF =
Soapaga fault; BoF = Boyaca fault. These names are related with the approximate inferred location of those structural features at that time, but no traces or lines (fault traces or axes)
1437
show the precise locations of those features.
the middle Miocene (e.g., Parra et al., 2009b; Mora Saylor et al., 2012a, b), the axis of changing prov-
et al., 2010a; Ramírez-Arias et al., 2012). Ongoing enance can be interpreted as located between the most
middle Miocene shortening resulted in exhumation distal and the fine-grained foreland facies in map
of progressively deeper strata compared with the view. If this is the case, a new retreat in the inferred
early Miocene (e.g., Caballero et al., 2010; Bande axis of provenance change is interpreted (Figure 17).
et al., 2012; Ramírez-Arias et al., 2012). However, In contrast, the late Miocene is marked by rapid dep-
the middle Miocene is characterized by the presence osition of the coarsest and most widespread conglom-
of a widespread deposition of a shaly horizon; in the erate deposits in the Cenozoic record of the Northern
absence of criteria based on U-Pb provenance, Andean foreland (Figures 3, 8, 17). The gravel pro-
because of recycling since the Oligocene (e.g., gradation is synchronous with continued tectonism
Figure 8. Compacted CENOZOIC ACCUMULATION RATES IN KEY

(CAR) and decompacted AREAS OF THE EASTERN CORDILLERA
(DAR) accumulation rates
AGE (m.y.)
calculated in three different
zones: (A) Nuevo Mundo 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
700
syncline in the northern (A) NUEVO MUNDO
DAR 600
Middle Magdalena Valley;
RATES (m/m.y.)
(B) Siriri area in the CAR 500
northern Eastern Foothills; 400
and (C) Medina area in the
300
southern Eastern Foothills.
200
Site locations in Figure 2.
100
0
LATE EARLY MIDDLE LATE EARLY LATE EARLY MID LATE PLIO-
CRETA- PALEOCENE PLEIS-
CEOUS EOCENE OLIGOCENE MIOCENE TOCENE
700
(B) SIRIRI
DAR 600
RATES (m/m.y.)
CAR 500
400
300
200
100
0
LATE EARLY MIDDLE LATE EARLY LATE EARLY MID LATE PLIO-
CRETA- PALEOCENE PLEIS-
CEOUS EOCENE OLIGOCENE MIOCENE TOCENE
700
(C) MEDINA
DAR 600
RATES (m/m.y.)
CAR 500
400
300
200
100
0
70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
AGE (m.y.)
DAR: Decompacted Accumulation Rate CAR: Compacted Accumulation Rate

LAG TIME PLOT (STRATIGRAPHIC AGES VERSUS ZHe AGES) AFTER SAYLOR ET AL. 2012
L=0 L=5 L=25 L=50 L=100L=200 L=500 L=750 L=1000
20 20
Mioc
Oligocene
L
Stratigraphic Age (Ma)
30 E 30
Stage 3
L
Stage 2b
40 40
M
Eocene
Basal Concentracion 110808-15

Uppermost Concetracion 110808-12
Stage 2a Picacho 100808-3
Socha Grp (3BUG201 & 110808-04)
50 50 Guaduas 2BUG190
E Volcanic Zircons
Paleocene
L
60 60
E Stage 1
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 0 100 500 1000 1500
Zircon (U-Th)/He Age (Ma)
Figure 9. Double-dated ZHe ages plotted by their stratigraphic age and lag time (dashed diagonal lines). Zircons are identified as of
volcanic origin if their ZHe and Zircon U-Pb ages overlap within their 2σ uncertainty. Volcanic zircons (red) are excluded from lag time
analysis. The three stages are interpreted as episodes of rapid exhumation (Stages 1 and 2) and introduction of new supra-partial reten-
tion zone sedimentary sources (Stage 3). Lag time values (L) are in m.y. Note that the Socha Group includes data from both the Upper
Socha and Lower Socha formations. After Saylor et al. (2012b).
in the Eastern Cordillera (Parra et al., 2009b; Mora have not been palinspastically restored. This limita-
et al., 2010a) and exhumation of deeper Cretaceous tion is due in part to the fact that competing models
rocks as detected in the detrital record of the proximal show different amounts of shortening for the Eastern
foredeep (Parra et al., 2009b; Bande et al., 2012; Cordillera (Colletta et al., 1990; Dengo and Covey,
Ramírez-Arias et al., 2012). Gravel progradation is 1993; Roeder and Chamberlain, 1995; Toro et al.,
interpreted to prompt a further eastward advance of 2004; Mora et al., 2008; Tesón et al., 2013).
the provenance divide to the distal toe of Eastern However, most of the shortening occurred since
Cordilleran fluvial fans (Bayona et al., 2013; 10 Ma (Mora et al., 2013), our reconstructions corre-
Figures 12B, 17). spond mostly with the pre-10 Ma period, and most of
the changes are related with advance of the prov-
enance divide due to thrust-belt progradation. If we
DISCUSSION consider the shortening involved, the cumulative
advance of the divide would only be enhanced.
The comparison of facies, provenance patterns, For the Paleogene, it appears that the climax for
pinchouts, and thickness changes in the Llanos fore- shortening and exhumation is situated in the Central
land versus tectonic activity in the hinterland shows Cordillera during the late Paleocene, as suggested by
the interaction among various factors during sediment derivation from that area and the eastward
Cenozoic evolution of the northern Andes. These are advance of the provenance axis with respect to the
related with location and intensity of tectonism in early Paleocene (Figure 6). The provenance axis is
the hinterland, distance to the source areas, and sedi- not located in the same place as the depocenter (locus
ment input versus accommodation creation within a of maximum thickness), confirming earlier suggestions
broadly cooling global Cenozoic climate. This final that the foreland basin to the east was overfilled
issue is the most difficult factor to assess with the (DeCelles and Giles, 1996; Catuneanu, 2004; Saylor
available data; therefore, it will be discussed in lim- et al., 2011). The southwest–northeast orientation of
ited detail. the drainage network suggests that the overfilled basin
Our discussion of the controls on foreland basin was probably a response to enhanced tectonism and
sedimentation is based on paleogeographic maps that erosion in the Central Cordilleran hinterland to the

southwest. The increasing proportion of unstable lithics progressively slower and finally leading to a middle
in the upper Paleocene units (Bayona et al., 2013) sup- Eocene tectonic quiescence. This is supported by the
ports the interpretation of these processes to be mostly fact that the total thickness of the units deposited in this
related with the activity in the Central Cordillera. period is less than the total thickness deposited during
In contrast, for the early–middle Eocene, we the Paleocene and the provenance axes retreated to
speculate that tectonics were still focused in the the west, coinciding with the depocenter location
Central Cordillera with shedding of sediments in a (Figure 7). In addition, the sediment accumulation
northeast direction but with the rates becoming curves presented here feature middle Eocene
SB-22 SB-30
0 0
50 50
2G/10 2G
2G/10 2G
Temperature (ºC)
Temperature (ºC)
2G 2G
100 100
150 150
Guaduas Fm. Upper Socha

200 200
100 80 60 40 20 0 120 80 40 0
Time (m.y.) Time (m.y.)
SB-37 SB-53
0 0
2G
2G
50 50
2G/10 2G/10 2G
2G
Temperature (ºC)
Temperature (ºC)
2G
2G 2G
100 100
150 150
Lower Socha Upper Socha

200 200
150 100 50 0 100 80 60 40 20 0
Time (m.y.) Time (m.y.)
Figure 10. HeFty (Ketcham, 2005) models of representative samples from the central parts of the Eastern Cordillera based
on Geotrack data analyzed using the external detector method to analyze apatite fission track analysis data. See the data in Table 2.
The models clearly allow a Late Eocene cooling event, which correlates well with observations by Saylor et al. (2012b) to the north.
Sample locations in Figure 2.

(A) Early Oligocene (B) Late Oligocene
75°0'W 74°0'W 73°0'W 72°0'W 71°0'W 70°0'W 75°0'W 74°0'W 73°0'W 72°0'W 71°0'W 70°0'W
0
200
100
0
20
0
8°0'N
10
0
8°0'N
100
10
0
0
200
20
500
SM
200
200
Bucaramanga
100
Bucaramanga
7°0'N
7°0'N
CoA
50
500
500
200
0
0
20
10
10
200
0
100
0
10
6°0'N
6°0'N
50
0
200
10
0
10
100
0
0
10
10
0
20
0
500
500
100
0
10
5°0'N
10
5°0'N
00
200
Bogota D.C.
0
200 MeA
ViA Bogota D.C.
20
ViA
200
FaA FaA
0
10 1000
0
20
4°0'N
100
4°0'N
0
20
10
500
QueM
100
QueM200
NaAr 200
100
Saltaren-1 Well
3°0'N
3°0'N
100
75°0'W 74°0'W 73°0'W 72°0'W 71°0'W 70°0'W 75°0'W 74°0'W 73°0'W 72°0'W 71°0'W 70°0'W

Neogene Continental Alluvial Fan
Paleogene Jurassic
Lower Cretaceous
0 50 100 200 300 400
Kilometers
REYES-HARKER ET AL.
Figure 11. Paleogeographic reconstructions for the (A) early Oligocene and (B) late Oligocene. Symbols are the same as in Figure 6. The black lines show the divide between
western Central Cordillera provenance and eastern cratonic provenance based on U-Pb data. NaAr = Natagaima arch; QueM = Quetame Massif; ViA = Villeta anticline; FaA =
Farallones anticline; MeA = Medina anticline; CoA = Cobardes anticline; SM = Santander Massif. These names are related with the approximate inferred location of those structural
1441
features at that time but there are no traces or lines (fault traces or axes) showing the precise locations of those features.
Unit
(A) Thickness Gravel clast lithology Accumulation rates
(km)
630
PLIOCENE
Upper Guayabo
6
L. Guayabo 627
623
618
626
5 616
León
641
615
613
612
C1
MIOCENE
4 611
642
610
C2
C3
C
608
607
C7 - C5
605
EOCE. OLIGOC.
2
603
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
C8
% of gravel clasts
Barco Los Cuervos Mirador
Shale Sandstone
Phosph. sst Mudstone
PALEOCENO
1 Glauc. sst Chert

Siliceous slt Vein quartz
Guadalupe
LATE K
0 100 200 300 400 500 600

sediment accumulation rates
(m/my)
Figure 12. (A) Compositional trends in Eocene–Pliocene conglomerates of the Medina Area. Gray circles denote the stratigraphic
position of conglomeratic samples. Clasts of Upper Cretaceous glauconitic sandstone, phosphatic sandstone, and siliceous siltstone occur
in Miocene strata of the Carbonera Formation and Guayabo Group, documenting progressive unroofing of the Eastern Cordillera (cen-
tral panel). Note that vertical scale in right panel is thickness in meters. After Parra et al. (2009a, 2010). (B) Scheme of facies distribution
in the Medina Basin based on a simplified representation of measured stratigraphic profiles 5–13 (Parra et al., 2010) and 1–4 (Parra
et al., 2009a). Profiles are located in Medina area shown in Figure 2. Easterly sourced coarse-grained fluvial strata in the Carbonera
Formation occur mainly along the western sector of the basin and grade eastward to temporarily marine-infuenced lacustrine deposits.
The distribution of facies delineate two main upward-coarsening cycles. See text for discussion. After Parra et al. (2009a, 2010).

(B)
1000
W E
Upper Guayabo
800 Alluvial-fan deposits
600
400
Lower Guayabo
200
Braided fluvial deposits
12. Tontogüe 3
0 10. Gazatavena-Gazamumo
400
13. Portones
L. Guayabo
400
200
León
200
Estuarine deposits
12. Tontogüe 2
0 1200
C1 + León
0
300
1000
200
C1
11. Tontogüe 1
800 800 8. Gazaunta sur
0
9. Gazaunta norte
600 600
Carbonera C1
Carbonera C1
400 400
200 200
7. Bellavista
0 200
Huesser
0 horizon
C2
0
400
C3
200
C5 C4
C4
450
300
Gacenera horizon 0
C5
C6-C6
~ 300 m 6. Humea 200

estimated in
100 seismic lines
C6
0
800 Guaicarama horizon
3. Gacenera 5. Maya
600
C7-C6
400 350
Base C7
C8
200
200 C 7
Base
0
0
2. Guadualera 1. Piñalerita
minimums in Cenozoic accumulation rates for all shifted the tectonic load toward the foredeep, pushing
localities (Figure 8). These relationships also provide the provenance divide to the east and creating
support for the suggested early–middle Eocene shift enhanced accommodation space, prompting marine
from filled to under-filled foreland basin conditions in ingression into the foreland (Figure 7).
which sediment supply is less than the accommodation The progressive late Oligocene rapid orogenic
space generated, largely reflecting diminshed advance suggested by Parra et al. (2009a) and Mora
tectonism. et al. (2010a) is reflected in the foreland basin by the
In contrast, by the late Eocene, renewed thrusting eastward migration of the Oligocene Carbonera
in the Eastern Cordillera (Floresta area), and an elon- Formation (C7 member) pinchout (Figure 4).
gated marine ingression in the adjacent foredeep, However, the provenance divide shows no coeval
documents a cratonward shift in the locus of deforma- advance (Figure 10) and no increase in accumulation
tion. The advancing Pesca–Soapaga thrust sheet rates (Figure 8). It appears that the orogenic front

advanced by the late Oligocene, making the basin
upper Miocene-Pliocene
12. upper Guayabo Fm. broader, but without an enhanced influx of sediments
n= to the basin. In this context, the presence of an
84
upward-coarsening sequence, starting with the fine-
11. upper Guayabo Fm. 104
grained upper Eocene Carbonera Formation (C8
member) and capped by gravels of the lower
10. upper Guayabo Fm. 113 Miocene fluvial C1 member of the Carbonera
9. lower Guayabo Fm. Formation, under peak accumulation rates, is signifi-
67 cant (Figure 12A). Parra et al. (2010) correlate this
8. lower Guayabo Fm.
succession with enhanced thrusting in the hinterland.
109 It appears that once the orogen achieved its present-
day areal extent in the Oligocene, it was only by
7. unnamed unit Oligocene-lower Miocene the early Miocene that a comparable advance of the
RELATIVE PROBABILITY
107 facies tracks occurred (Figure 12B), coeval with

6. Carbonera Fm. C1 the advance of the depositional provenance axes to
114 the east as well as faster accumulation rates and dep-
5. Carbonera Fm. C2 osition of coarser grained facies.
During the middle Miocene, available thermo-
78 chronometric ages suggest ongoing exhumation in
the Eastern Cordillera hinterland. However, the cause
4. CaboneraFm. C5
of the middle Miocene deposition of fine-grained
106 facies (León Formation) in the foreland after deposi-
78 tion of the coarse-grained C1 member is still a matter
3. Carbonera Fm. C7
of debate. Parra et al. (2009a) suggest that eustasy is
not a significant factor because the middle Miocene
Eocene was not a time of global highstands. With the avail-
2. Mirador Fm. 93 able data, we are not able to assess the role of climatic
influence on the fine-grained deposition, though we
highlight that the most recent data suggest humid
conditions (Kaandorp et al., 2005). However, recent
studies on the reworked pollen species throughout
Eocene the Cenozoic point to peak amounts of reworked pol-
1. Regadera Fm.
54
len in the Llanos Foreland (De la Parra et al., 2015,
this issue) during the middle Miocene fine-grained
0 500 1000 1500 2000 deposition, while accumulation rates were not espe-
AGE (Ma) cially low, except in the southern Medina area
Figure 13. Detrital zircon U-Pb ages for Cenozoic strata in the (Figure 8), and even peak in some areas (e.g., Siriri
proximal Llanos basin (samples 2–6 and 8–12) and axial Eastern area, Figure 8). In addition, the coeval equivalent of
Cordillera (samples 1 and 7). Age probability plots are arranged the León Formation in the most proximal regions of
in stratigraphic order. Black box demarks first appearance of the foothills has a coarser, gravel facies compared
Mesozoic zircons in Eastern Foothills indicating reworking of with the previous early Miocene deposition
the Late Cretaceous–Paleogene rocks in the axial and eastern
(Figure 12B) (Parra et al., 2010). Integration of this
flank of the Eastern Cordillera. After Horton et al. (2010a).
evidence is consistent with more intense thrusting in
the hinterland during León deposition. In this sce-
nario, high rates of accommodation creation pre-
vented proximal fluvial facies from prograding into
the foreland. For the late Miocene and following

periods, recent studies have shown that the Guayabo Venezuela experienced high subsidence and
Formation coarse gravel deposition and maximum sedimentation rates. We suggest that this apparent
gravel progradation (Figure 12B) (Parra et al., 2010) difference in basin response may be due to lower res-
coincided with the fastest shortening and exhumation olution chronology of deposition than available for
rates in the Eastern Cordillera at the same time when Colombia or lower resolution of the deformation
the maximum reported surface uplift occurred in this events. Another option is that the depocenter shifted
region (Wijninga, 1996; Hooghiemstra et al., 2006; from its location in Colombia in the late Paleocene
Mora et al., 2008; Anderson et al., 2011; Delgado northward to the Maracaibo basin in the Eocene as a
et al., 2012; Mora et al., 2013). Clearly, a post-middle consequence of diachronous northward migration of
Miocene advance of the pinchout of the foreland deformation. This scenario would require sediment
strata, maximum eastward gravel progradation, and sourcing in the Central Cordillera of Colombia but
massive gravel deposition coincided with faster tec- sediment bypass in the current Eastern Cordillera
tonic and erosional processes in the hinterland. region to an ultimate depocenter in the Maracaibo
basin. However, analyzing the literature and the high
REGIONAL INTEGRATION AND resolution of the recent studies in Colombia (Parra
CONCLUSIONS et al., 2012; Saylor et al., 2012a; Mora et al., 2013),
it is our opinion that a period of tectonic quiescence
In this final section, we compare the proposed synthe- occurred, which disagrees with the old paradigm of
sis to the tectonic development of adjacent areas like middle Eocene deformation (e.g., Villamil, 1999).
the Maracaibo region. It has been suggested that the An additional important contribution is related to
middle Eocene marked the climax of Paleogene tec- the fact that previous works considered that deforma-
tonism in Colombia (Pindell et al., 2005). This has tion in the Eastern Cordillera was almost exclusively
been based mostly on crosscutting relationships post-late Miocene (Cooper et al., 1995; Villamil,
(Villamil, 1999; Pindell et al., 2005) in which a defor- 1999). The refined facies, pinchout documentation,
mation event is evident below the onset of deposition and orogenic history presented here reinforce the
in the Eocene in Colombia, leading several authors to passing away of the paradigm of Miocene deforma-
conclude that the main deformation event was middle tion. Our work and other recent studies (e.g., Mora
Eocene in age (Villamil, 1999; Pindell et al., 2005). et al., 2013), show that deformation was indeed faster
However, the most recent work by Parra et al. in the Miocene, but previous events also occurred
(2012) using low-temperature thermochronology throughout the Cenozoic (e.g., Parra et al., 2009a, b;
and crosscutting relationships in seismic images Horton et al., 2010a, b; Mora et al., 2010a, 2013;
shows that the most important phase of tectonism Nie et al., 2010, 2012; Saylor et al., 2012a).
below the Eocene unconformity is actually Late However, as noted by Mora et al. (2013), the
Cretaceous–Paleocene. The timing of this deforma- Neogene episode of deformation was so extensive
tion is supported by new pollen zonations that that it masked the previous deformation events.
improved the resolution of the depositional ages in In addition, the tectonic events in the proposed
the Cenozoic of Colombia (Jaramillo et al., 2011). model can be correlated with previous data sets and
The data in this manuscript and a companion paper events. For instance, Villagómez et al. (2011a) docu-
in this issue (De la Parra et al., 2015, this issue) lead mented in the Central Cordillera the same Late
us to propose that the middle Eocene was a period Cretaceous to Paleocene deformation events that have
of tectonic quiescence, and the deformation below been documented by Parra et al. (2012) and Caballero
the unconformity is certainly previous to the onset et al. (2013a, b) in the Magdalena Valley. In addition,
of deposition above the unconformity and reinforce the events proposed by Villagómez et al. (2011b) for
previous suggestions of a late Paleocene climax for the Eocene and later, in general, coincide with our
Paleogene deformation (e.g., Parra et al., 2012). data. The correlation between the late Oligocene peak
Escalona and Mann (2011) suggest that during orogenic advance and the onset of Panama collision
the middle Eocene the Maracaibo basin of northwest with South America is even more conspicuous

(A) (B)
Sandstone grain compositions (%)
0
EPOCH Ma UNIT 10 30 50 70 90
Mugrosa
Paleosurface Pliocene Mesa
5
1000
Esmeraldas
La Paz
2000
Miocene Real
Depth (m)
Lisama
3000
15
Colorado
Marked increase in
4000
Umir 23
Mugrosa sedimentary grains,
Oligocene
34 suggests onset
of exhumation of a
La Luna Esmeraldas new area in the EC
5000
Eocene 50
Simití La Paz
20 100 180 0.5 1.5 2.5 Monocrystalline Quartz Volcanic grains

Paleotemperature %Ro Feldspar Metamorphic grains
(°C) Polycrystalline Quartz Sedimentary grains
(C) CC EC CRATON (D)

0.1
1072-21
Time-Temperature History
N=90 0
0.09
Temperature (°C)
1072-26 Real 40
N=97 2G 2I
80 2I
0.08
1072-19
N=99
Colorado 120
Age Probability (Normalized)
1072-13
0.07
N=103 160 Sample 1072-31B

Mugrosa Lisama Formation
1072-25 200
0.06
N=99
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
Esmeraldas
Time (m.y.)
0.05
P1(Dpar=2.044µm)
La Paz Model Data N GOF Oldest
0.04
1072-18
N=98 Age (m.y.) 38.1 35.4 ± 3.3 0.41 71.2
MTL (µm) 11.9 ± 2.6 11.8 ± 2.4 0.89
0.03
1072-29 Easy Ro(%) 0.64 0.67 ± 0.1 0.75

N=87 Lisama
0.01 0.02
AFT Track-Length Distribution

Frecuency
0.2
1072-30
N=100
Umir 0.1
1072-14
N=103 0
0
0 500 1500 2500 0 4 8 12 16 20

Age (m.y.) Length (µm)

Figure 15. (A) Wheeler
(A) Stratigraphy of the Natagaima Arch.
diagram for the
W E
Central Chiquinima Avechucos Chicuambe Natagaima Magdalena Eastern Natagaima arch after
Cordillera Syncline Syncline Anticline Anticline Syncline Cordillera
0 0 Ramón and Rosero
(2006). Note possible
Miocene
erosion of Oligocene
20 20
strata and generalized
Oligo-
erosion and nondeposi-

cene
Eroded Strata
Remaining Strata
tion during most of the
Eocene
40 40
Miocene on the western
side. (B) Model of AFT
data from the Triassic–
Paleo-
cene
60 60
Jurassic Saldaña
Eroded Cretaceous Strata Formation in the southern
Cretaceous
termination of the Middle

Late
80 80
Remaining Cretaceous Strata Magdalena Valley.

Samples were collected
100 100 from the Saltaren well.
Cretaceous
See location in Figure 11.

Early
120 120
Barzaloza and Honda Formations Caballos, Villeta, Olini, Monserrate and Guaduas Formations
Chicoral, Potrerillo and Doima Formations Erosion and non deposition time
(B) HeFTy models of the Saltaren Well based on AFT data

474-62 474-74
0 0
50 50
Temperature (ºC)
Temperature (ºC)
2G
2G/10
2G 2G 2G
2G
100 100
150 150
200 200
300 250 200 150 100 50 0 300 250 200 150 100 50 0
Time (Ma) Time (Ma)
Figure 14. Plots for multiple indicators of deformation in the De Armas syncline–Opón anticline in the Middle Magdalena Valley. See
location in Figure 2. The De Armas syncline is the only and biggest syncline in the box corresponding to study area for Figure 14 in
Figure 2. Opón anticline is the adjacent antiform. (A) Paleogeothermal reconstruction based on vitrinite reflectance of late
Cretaceous–Paleogene units showing maximum deposited thickness in the hanging wall. (B) Modal compositions of sandstones showing
increase in sedimentary lithic fragments since the late Oligocene. (C) Detrital zircon U-Pb ages for Upper Cretaceous–Cenozoic strata
with increasing Eastern Cordillera and Guyana Craton zircon ages above the upper Oligocene Mugrosa Formation. (D) Time tempera-
ture history modeled with apatite fission track and vitrinite data in HeFTy software (Ketcham, 2005), of one Paleocene sample in the
Lisama Formation displaying possible onset of exhumation since late Eocene to early Oligocene. In the figure: P1 means that only
one population of apatites in the sample was modeled and P1 is the first to name that population; DPar is a kinetic parameter (a mean
to understand and measure how rapid fission tracks fade); MTL = mean track length; Data N = the original raw data as compared with
Model which is the same parameters but modeled; GOF = goodness of fit of the modeled time temperature data (Model) compared to
the real data (Data N). Modified from Sánchez et al. (2012).

Figure 16. Paleo- Early Miocene
geographic reconstruc-
75°0'W 74°0'W 73°0'W 72°0'W 71°0'W 70°0'W
tion for the Early
Miocene. Symbols are the
same as in Figure 6. The
provenance divide in this
8°0'N
case is based predomi-
8°0'N
100
0
nantly on the location of 200
200
U177
the more distal foreland U178
U179
facies. 0
0
U185 20
1000 U194 U175
7°0'N
7°0'N
U184
U176
U183
0
20
0
U171 10
U172 U173
200
U190
6°0'N
6°0'N
U191
U174
500
U188
1500
U189
U186
1000
U170 U192
5°0'N
5°0'N
0
U181 U182 50
500
U187
100
U193
100
200
0
20
100
0
4°0'N
4°0'N
50
U180
200
100
3°0'N
3°0'N
200
75°0'W 74°0'W 73°0'W 72°0'W 71°0'W 70°0'W

Neogene Alluvial Fan
Paleogene Jurassic Continental

Undifferentiated Paleozoic Coastal Plain
Cretaceous
Lacustrine or
Upper Cretaceous Basement Marine
Drainage Divider for
Lower Cretaceous Proposed Drainage Network
U-Pb Provenance
0 40 80 160 240 320

Kilometers
(Farris et al., 2011; Bacon et al., 2013). The correla- that a good correlation exists with regional events
tions between these independently observed tectonic (i.e., accretions), we think that our data correlate bet-
events, the thermochronology data, and documented ter with the velocity of westward South American
changes in provenance, facies, and depositional limits drift (Mora et al., 2013).
provide confidence that the interpreted tectonic Our new data sets and interpretations will be
events are accurate. In addition, beyond considering instrumental for different aspects of the geological

(A) Middle Miocene (B) Late Miocene
75°0'W 74°0'W 73°0'W 72°0'W 71°0'W 70°0'W 75°0'W 74°0'W 73°0'W 72°0'W 71°0'W 70°0'W
10
0
200
0
20
0
1000
8°0'N
8°0'N
100
0
500
500
20
0
BuSMF 00
10
BuSMF
10
0
Bucaramanga Bucaramanga
200
200
4000
0
7°0'N
7°0'N
2000
20
500
00
0
300
100
0
SoF
SoF
6°0'N
6°0'N
1000
200
10
0
100
00
30
0
20
20
1000 0
MaF MaF
5°0'N
5°0'N
10
500
0 00
20
Bogota D.C.
100
200
Bogota D.C.
500
10
0
20
0
FaA FaA
4°0'N
4°0'N
00
10
500
QueM QueM 20
0
200
0
50
20
0
3°0'N
3°0'N
100
75°0'W 74°0'W 73°0'W 72°0'W 71°0'W 70°0'W 75°0'W 74°0'W 73°0'W 72°0'W 71°0'W 70°0'W

Neogene Continental Alluvial Fan
Paleogene Jurassic
Lower Cretaceous
0 50 100 200 300 400
Kilometers
REYES-HARKER ET AL.
Figure 17. Paleogeographic reconstructions for the (A) middle Miocene and (B) late Miocene. Symbols are the same as in Figure 6. The provenance divide in this case is based
mostly on the location of the more distal foreland facies. QueM = Quetame Massif; FaA = Farallones anticline; MaF = Macheta fault; SoF = Soapaga fault; BuSMF =
Bucaramanga–Santa Marta fault. These names are related with the approximate inferred location of those structural features at that time, but no traces or lines (fault traces or axes)
1449
show the precise locations of those features.
evolution of the northern Andes. In terms of paleo- Oligoceno temprano: proveniencia sedimentaria en
drainage evolution, our data sets should calibrate the el Sinclinal de Nuevo Mundo, cuenca Valle Medio
del Magdalena: Boletín de Geología, v. 32, p. 45–77
location of the paleo-Orinoco proposed by Escalona (in Spanish).
and Mann (2011), or, more precisely, the paleo- Caballero, V., A. Mora, I. Quintero, V. Blanco, M. Parra, L. E.
Meta river. This is because our provenance divide Rojas, C. Lopez, N. Sánchez, B. K. Horton, D. Stockli, and
provides locations that should be equivalent to the I. Duddy, 2013a, Tectonic controls on sedimentation in an
intermontane hinterland basin adjacent to inversion struc-
position of the paleo-Meta in the Llanos basin. tures: The Nuevo Mundo syncline, Middle Magdalena
Equally, if compared with available data related with Valley, Colombia, in M. Nemcok, A. Mora, and J. W.
the uplift and drainage evolution of northern Cosgrove, eds., Thick-skin-dominated orogens: From initial
inversion to full accretion: Geological Society of London,
Colombia and Venezuela, the proposed provenance
Special Publication, v. 377, p. 315–342, doi:10.1144
divides will contribute to identifying the paleodrain- /SP377.12.
age evolution of those areas. In terms of petroleum Caballero, V., M. Parra, A. Mora, C. Lopez-Arias, L. E. Rojas,
systems, our main contribution is to compare the I. Quintero, and B. K. Horton, 2013b, Factors controlling
selective abandonment and reactivation in thick skin oro-
pinchout and sedimentary environments in the reser- gens: A case study in the Magdalena Valley, Colombia, in
voirs in the Llanos foreland versus the uplift of the M. Nemcok, A. Mora, and J. W. Cosgrove, eds., Thick-
main documented kitchen areas in the Eastern skin-dominated orogens: From initial inversion to full accre-
Cordilleran hinterland (e.g., Mora et al., 2010a). tion: Geological Society of London, Special Publications,
v. 377, p. 343–367, doi:10.1144/SP377.4.
This is, in fact, a key piece for the assessment of the Casero, P., J. F. Salel, and A. Rossato, 1997, Multidisciplinary
timing and overall risking of the acreage in correlative evidences for polyphase geological evolution of
the Llanos foreland. the foot-hills of the Cordillera Oriental (Colombia): VI
Simposio Bolivariano de Exploración Petrolera en las
Cuencas Subandinas, p. 100–118.
Catuneanu, O., 2004, Retroarc foreland systems—Evolution
through time: Journal of African Earth Sciences, v. 38,
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Cenozoic paleogeography of the AUTHORS

Andrés Reyes-Harker ∼ Instituto Colombiano del

Carlos Fernando Ruiz-Valdivieso ∼ Instituto

AAPG Bulletin, v. 99, no. 8 (August 2015), pp. 1407–1453 1407

Guillermo Rodriguez ∼ Instituto Colombiano del

1408 Paleogeography of the Northern Andes

REYES-HARKER ET AL. 1409

Vladimir Blanco ∼ Instituto Colombiano del

1410 Paleogeography of the Northern Andes

LLB Llanos Basin EC Eastern Cordillera

REYES-HARKER ET AL. 1411

REYES-HARKER ET AL. 1413

Events with marine influence

1414 Paleogeography of the Northern Andes

50 Lower Mirador EROSION & NO SEDIMENTATION

Events with marine influence

REYES-HARKER ET AL. 1415

U Upper Socha Los Cuervos

L Lower Socha Barco

EROSION & NO SEDIMENTATION Coastal to transitional

Events with marine influence

1416 Paleogeography of the Northern Andes

15 suggesting that exhumation was underway during

data, constitutes the eastern boundary between depo-

F. perforatus Provenance and stratal thicknesses show three

REYES-HARKER ET AL. 1417

1418 Paleogeography of the Northern Andes

REYES-HARKER ET AL. 1419

1420 Paleogeography of the Northern Andes

REYES-HARKER ET AL. 1421

ID Unit Age References

REYES-HARKER ET AL. 1423

1424 Paleogeography of the Northern Andes

ID Unit Age References

REYES-HARKER ET AL. 1425

ID Unit Age References

1426 Paleogeography of the Northern Andes

ID Unit Age References

REYES-HARKER ET AL. 1427

ID Unit Age References

1428 Paleogeography of the Northern Andes

Model Elevation Stratigraphic U

Model Rho-D Rho-S Age (Ma) Length Error SD§ #

Late Eocene accelerating exhumation in the late Paleocene–middle

REYES-HARKER ET AL. 1429

1430 Paleogeography of the Northern Andes

REYES-HARKER ET AL. 1431

REYES-HARKER ET AL. 1433

1434 Paleogeography of the Northern Andes

REYES-HARKER ET AL. 1435

Paleogeography of the Northern Andes

Rock units exposed in the source areas Active depositional systems

Rock units exposed in the source areas Active depositional systems

Figure 8. Compacted CENOZOIC ACCUMULATION RATES IN KEY

DAR: Decompacted Accumulation Rate CAR: Compacted Accumulation Rate

1438 Paleogeography of the Northern Andes

Basal Concentracion 110808-15

REYES-HARKER ET AL. 1439

Guaduas Fm. Upper Socha

Lower Socha Upper Socha

1440 Paleogeography of the Northern Andes

Rock units exposed in the source areas Active depositional systems

1 Glauc. sst Chert