Resumen
Los terremotos profundos (70-700 km) se presentan en unas condiciones de presión y temperatura que, en teoría, no deberían permitir una fractura frágil, sin embargo, son comunes a lo largo de zonas de subducción. Aún no existe consenso sobre el mecanismo que los causa, cuestión que continúa siendo uno de los desafíos de la sismología. Acá presento una revisión de la actividad sísmica y la relocalización de terremotos de profundidad intermedia (TPI; 70-300 km) en Colombia a partir de registros de la red sismológica nacional del Servicio Geológico Colombiano. Los TPI se encuentran a lo largo de dos segmentos, uno al sur (segmento Cauca) y otro al norte (segmento Bucaramanga), separados por aproximadamente 250 km en dirección este-oeste (E-W). En el segmento sur sobresale la presencia de terremotos dentro de la cuña del manto, inusuales a nivel mundial y solo reportados en tres o cuatro zonas de subducción, incluida Colombia. En el segmento norte, los TPI se encuentran fuertemente concentrados en cúmulos separados por regiones con muy poca actividad sísmica, entre los cuales se encuentran el nido de Bucaramanga y el cúmulo de Cucunubá. En este último se ha reportado evidencia de terremotos anti-repetitivos, los cuales solo se habían observado en el nido de Bucaramanga, o en relación con intrusiones de magma. Tales características hacen de Colombia un laboratorio natural ideal para estudiar los TPI.
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