Thermal structure of the southern Caribbean and northwestern South America: implications for seismogenesis

Gómez-García, Ángela María; González, Álvaro; Cacace, Mauro; Scheck-Wenderoth, Magdalena; Monsalve, Gaspar

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-281-2024

Articles | Volume 15, issue 2

https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-281-2024

© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-281-2024

© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 15, issue 2

Research article

|

15 Feb 2024

Research article |

| 15 Feb 2024

Thermal structure of the southern Caribbean and northwestern South America: implications for seismogenesis

Ángela María Gómez-García, Álvaro González, Mauro Cacace, Magdalena Scheck-Wenderoth, and Gaspar Monsalve

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-281-2024-supplement

Data sets

Hypocentral temperatures, geothermal gradients, crustal seismogenic depths and 3D thermal model of the Southern Caribbean and NW South America Á. M. Gómez-García et al. https://doi.org/10.5880/GFZ.4.5.2023.002

Model code and software

GOLEM, a MOOSE-based application A. Jacquey and M. Cacace https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.999400

Free software helps map and display data P. Wessel and W. H. F. Smith https://doi.org/10.1029/90EO00319

Short summary

We compute a realistic three-dimensional model of the temperatures down to 75 km deep within the Earth, below the Caribbean Sea and northwestern South America. Using this, we estimate at which rock temperatures past earthquakes nucleated in the region and find that they agree with those derived from laboratory experiments of rock friction. We also analyse how the thermal state of the system affects the spatial distribution of seismicity in this region.