The central Andes
- The Central Andes and the Atacama Desert represent a unique geological, climatic, and magmatic setting on our planet. It is the only place on Earth where subduction of an oceanic plate below an active continental margin has led to an extensive mountain chain and an orogenic plateau that is second in size only to the Tibetan Plateau, which resulted from continental collision. In this article, we introduce the history of the Central Andes and the evolution of its landscape. We also discuss links between tectonic forces, magmatism, and the extreme hyperarid climate of this land that, in turn, has led to rich deposits of precious ores and minerals.
| Author details: | Gerhard Wörner, Taylor F. SchildgenORCiD, Martin ReichORCiD |
|---|---|
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.2138/gselements.14.4.225 |
| ISSN: | 1811-5209 |
| ISSN: | 1811-5217 |
| Title of parent work (English): | Elements : an international magazine of mineralogy, geochemistry, and petrology |
| Subtitle (English): | elements of an extreme land |
| Publisher: | Mineralogical Society of America |
| Place of publishing: | Chantilly |
| Publication type: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Date of first publication: | 2018/07/28 |
| Publication year: | 2018 |
| Release date: | 2021/10/22 |
| Tag: | active continental margin; hyperaridity; mineral deposits; tectonic shortening; uplift and erosion; volcanism |
| Volume: | 14 |
| Issue: | 4 |
| Number of pages: | 6 |
| First page: | 225 |
| Last Page: | 230 |
| Organizational units: | Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Geowissenschaften |
| DDC classification: | 5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 55 Geowissenschaften, Geologie / 550 Geowissenschaften |
| Peer review: | Referiert |
