Page 39 - Super Earth Encyclopedia
P. 39
LONGEST
MOUNTAIN CHAIN
ON LAND
BACKBONE OF SOUTH AMERICA
The Andes form the craggy western margin
of South America. They extend from north
Lake Titicaca at the northern to south through seven countries—Venezuela,
end of the Altiplano plateau The Altiplano plateau, lying Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and
is the highest navigable 12,300 ft (3,750 m) above sea Chile. The mountain chain has an average height
lake in the world. level, has been raised high of about 13,000 ft (4,000 m) above sea level.
above the rest of the continent.
The dry climate of the
high Andes has created
the Salar de Uyuni—the
world’s largest salt flat.
Movement along the deep thrust
fault has fractured and crumpled
the rocks above, forming ranges
of fold mountains.
Westward movement of the
South American Plate has
created a huge thrust fault
beneath the eastern Andes.
The South American
Plate is creeping west,
driven by the spreading
Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
As the descending slab is The water makes the hot Squeezed between two FORMIDABLE FORMATIONS
heated by the hot mantle, rock melt, forming magma moving plates, a huge
water boils out of it and seeps that rises through faults and block of continental
into the hot rock above. erupts from volcanoes. crust is forced upward.
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