The Andes

The Andes

The Andes mountain range was created due to a oceanic/continental process. The Andes mountains is one of the longest mountain ranges on earth. The forces of plate tectonics are the reason this mountain range exists. The Nazca plate moves eastwards towards the South American plate, and because of this, the range was formed. The plate still continues to move. Where the two plates meet, the oceanic lithosphere of the Nazca plate is forced downwards under the continental lithosphere of the South American plate. As if moves downwards, it drags against the overlying plate, causing it to fracture. This action causes earthquakes that causes the ocean plate to go down further. This can also cause volcanic activity. Since the Nazca plate continues to move in a downward movement, the sediments on the ocean floor scrape off and are forced towards the South American Plate. This is called obduction. The downward movement of the Nazca plate also brings sea water that has been locked in the ocean crust, into the mantle. There are different types of rocks that exist here. Less dense rocks occur at the South American plate and sedimentary and metamorphic rocks exist at the Andes.The type of stresses that occur are tensional. Reverse faults are associated with the Andes mountain range.

References:

Oceanic/Continental: The Andes. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2019, from https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/Plate-Tectonics/Chap3-Plate-Margins/Convergent/Oceanic-continental