Unit

4, Task 1
Station Cards
Explore

Plate Motions

The Andes Mountains are located at the

boundary of the Nazca Plate and the South American
Plate. The Nazca Plate is moving eastwards, towards the
South American Plate, at about 37mm per year. That’s
about the size of a penny and a dime next to each other.

Where the two plates meet, the denser oceanic

Nazca Plate is forced down and under the more buoyant
continental South American Plate, descending at an
angle in a process called subduction. As this process
continues, some of the sediments are forced onto the
South American Plate. As the plates collide, the leading
edge of the South American Plate becomes deformed,
pushing the crust upward (imagine a car hitting a solid
wall). Over millions of years, this process slowly created
the mountains of the Andes.

Optional: To see more about plate motions, watch the video shown on the website link below:

https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/Plate-Tectonics/Chap3-Plate-Margins/Convergent/Oceanic-continental

 Unit 4, Task 1
Station Cards
Explore

Earthquakes

As the oceanic Nazca Plate subducts, or
moves underneath the continental South
American Plate, it causes a lot of friction, which
prevents it from sliding smoothly. As the Nazca
Plate descends, it drags against neighboring
plates, causing them to fracture (break) and
deform. This then causes sudden and frequent
earthquakes, which can actually change the
geography of the region. For example, after an
earthquake in the Andes in 2010, the land
actually moved toward the Pacific, moving
some nearby cities as much as 4.7 meters to
the west (pictured on the right). Sometimes,
earthquakes can also cause tsunamis and landslides.

http://en.mercopress.com/2010/05/12/chile-gained-1.2-square-kilometres-following-the-earthquake
























 Unit 4, Task 1
Station Cards
Explore

Volcanoes

As the Nazca Plate subducts, or moves

beneath neighboring plates, magma is
produced which rises and may erupt
explosively at the Earth’s surface. This flow of
lava creates new land features. Volcanoes in
the Andes, such as Láscar in northern Chile,
are a good example of this type of activity.
Láscar’s eruption in 1993 produced pyroclastic
flows (hot ash), and the volcano was active as
recently as 2012. As the volcanoes around the
Andes are very active due to plate movement, they are part of a region on Earth often referred
to as the “Ring of Fire” – a place with frequent earthquakes and volcanoes.

Lascar Eruption (1993)

https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/Plate-Tectonics/Chap3-Plate-Margins/Convergent/Oceanic-continental










 Unit 4, Task 1
Station Cards
Explore

Weathering and Erosion

As in other areas of the world, weathering factors, such as wind and water, can cause erosion in
the Andes. Because of the steepness of much of the land, soil in the Andes Mountains is very
susceptible to erosion. Interestingly, however, the same force that created the Andes (plate
tectonics) is actually destroying the Andes as well!

http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/erosion-landslide-mud.html

Earthquakes are caused by the fracturing of rock as tectonic plates slide past, over, or
underneath one another. In the case of the Andes, the Nazca plate slides underneath the South
American plate. Scientists have discovered that earthquakes have been the major source of
erosion in the history of the Andes mountains-- causing many landslides and mudslides in the
area.

Erosion changes the landscape of the Andes mountains, often destroying habitats for many
plant and animal species. It can also contaminate bodies of water with excess sediment,
removing nutrient-rich soil from an area, and cause greater runoff of essential water. This
process happens at a smaller scale than other processes you have learned about today, and can
be sudden or gradual depending on the cause of the erosion.


http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_14-11-2014-8-51-53