TECTONIC ACTIVITY CONTROL OVER THE HEADWARD EROSION PROCESS: THE COMBEIMA RIVER BASIN CASE, CENTRAL MOUNTAIN RANGE, COLOMBIA

Abstract

In The Combeima River Basin, located in the department of Tolima, on the eastern slopes of the Cordillera Central of Colombia, several events of crustal deformation associated with major faults systems are evident. System failures such as The Otu - Pericos and Ibagué faults controls the deformational phases observed in the field. The basin has an elongated lobe, in which at least five depositional episodes can be identified and that are related to headward erosion processes. This process has resulted in the expansion of the basin towards its headwater through fluvial incision in the upper river as a direct consequence of the drop of its base level, related to geotectonic and morphodynamic processes present in this area.