THE GEOLOGY OF COLOMBIA BOOK: A JOURNEY THROUGH THE GEOLOGICAL HISTORY OF COLOMBIA

The Geology of Colombia is a national–scale editorial project sponsored by the Colombian Geological Survey (CGS) with the aim to overview the significant advances in radiometric, geochemical, and geological mapping and field data in Colombia. It is the first edited and peer–reviewed book on the geology of Colombia and will be distributed entirely free of charge, with an initial print run of 5,000 copies.

A high scientific standard was guaranteed by inviting 169 researchers from 13 nationalities, who had high h–index values and experience studying Colombian regional geology or key geological events of international interest. Moreover, researchers from the CGS contributed previously unpublished information.

The purpose of this book is to compile the most up–to–date geological knowledge of Colombia, covering the main geological events. The book has 4 volumes. Volume 1 (Proterozoic–Paleozoic) has 10 chapters showing continental and continentalized terranes, the evolution of the Proterozic basement of the West Guyana shield, the Putumayo Orogen of Amazonia, the evidence of the Permian Arc of the Central Cordillera and the Ediacarian and Paleozoic sedimentary record. Volume 2 (Mesozoic) includes 13 chapters that describe the oceanic terrains, the geological history of the Triassic to the Cretaceous of the Northern Andes and 140 Ma of tropical biome evolution. Volume 3 (Cenozoic) has 17 chapters that describe the uplift of the Eastern Cordillera, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Santander Massif; the evolution of the Tumaco, Amagá, Middle Magdalena and Llanos basins; and the report of the best-preserved deposit in the world of the ejecta of the Chicxulub meteorite impact in the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary in Gorgonilla Island. Finally, Volume 4 (Quaternary) has 17 chapters that show the advance in knowledge of some of the main volcanoes and faults of the country, the contribution of Space Geodesy, the geometry of subduction of Colombia and climate change during Quaternary times.

The rigorous editorial process is led by a team whose members have made two editions of the Geological Map of Colombia 1M and the new edition of the Geological Map of South America 5M. Consulting with the Colombian Observatory of Science and Technology guarantees that the book will obtain abstracting by Thomson Reuters Book Citation Index.