Intraplate deformation in the Caribbean region

The Caribbean plate is commonly described as a single feature surrounded by large plates. A new seismic survey indicates that intraplate defomation occurs in the area of Beata ridge, a structure that lies between the Colombian and Venezuelan basins. The Pecos fault zone, at the southern tip of the Beata ridge, has been an active transpressive feature since the early Miocene. The deformation increases towards the North and cannot be related to the subduction of the Caribbean oceanic plateau beneath South America. A NE-SW to E-W stress is inferred from the shape of the structure and determination of focal mechanisms. We conclude that relative displacement exists between Colombian and Venezuelan microplates and we examine the implication on the plate motion of the Caribbean region.