La fracturación tardía al SW de Sierra Nevada (terminación occidental del corredor de las Alpujarras, zona bética)

Abstract

Fracturing is the most conspicuous type of tectonics developed in the SW of Sierra Nevada after the alpine building of the Betic Cordilleras. Fractures have been inspected on satellite images as well as on ordinary photograms and surveyed through field studies, including microtectonic measurements in several favorable sectors, There are three main sets of fractures. N 70-100 E, N 120-150E and N 10-30E. Although they were likely strike-slip faults in origin, they show numerous movements, both horizontal and vertical, ranging possibly up to the present time more, effectively controlling the sedimentation during the Neogene and Quaternary and being largely responsible for the present relief. The horizontal movements took place under a compressional stress trending essentially N 120 E and approximately N-S, acording to the results of microtectonic studies.