Modelo estructural de sector norte de la península de Mejillones, Chile

Abstract

The structural model of the north area of Mejillones Peninsula is located between
the Mejillones fault to the west, Aeropuerto fault to the east, and Cerro Gordo
fault to the south. The width is approximately 20 km with north-south length of
25 km.
This model was obtained by processing and analyzing 420 homogeneously
distributed gravity stations and through geological observations. Bedrock
underground morphology obtained with the gravimetric model matches the
geological hypothesis stating that the segmentation of the continental margin
is comprised of a series of normal faults remarkably expressed at the east margin
of the Mejillones Peninsula that can be explained by the tectonic erosion of such
margin. Both the geological arguments and the contributions of this publication
can be corroborated by the results of a series of marine seismic profiles conducted
in the area. It must be highlighted that the Mejillones fault located west to the
survey area has an approximate depth of 1200 meters. The sedimentary fill of the
basin is comprised of a series of undifferentiated marine deposits of the Cenozoic
era.