The Highest Mountain in system on the planet is the mountains of South America, the Andes or the Cordillera. They stretched for 9 thousand kilometers from south to north along the Pacific coast, separating a long and narrow part of the land from the rest of the continent. This majestic creation of nature in some part reaches a width of 500 km, and in some places - 750 km. The average height of the system is 4000 m. To the east of the mountains flow the rivers of the Atlantic Ocean (the Amazon also originates here), to the west - the rivers of the Pacific basin.
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| Highest Mountain in South America |
The mountains of South America serve as a climatic barrier, isolating the territory of the continent from the influence of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The mountain system is located immediately in five climatic zones: tropical, subtropical, temperate, subequatorial, equatorial. The main distinguishing feature is the sharp contrast between the eastern and western slopes. The considerable extent of the mountains of South America has played a significant role in the diversity of the landscape. According to the nature of the relief in these places, the northern, southern and central parts are distinguished. The mountains themselves stretch through seven states: Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela.
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| Highest Mountain in South America |
Geology
The mountains of South America are new formations that appeared on the site of the so-called Andean geosynclinal belt. This system is considered one of the largest folded systems on the planet. The beginning of the formation of the Andean system refers to the Jurassic period. The coast of Chile, the main massif of the Cordillera, is Cretaceous granitoid intrusions. With tectonic movements, accompanied by seismological and volcanic activity, mountains increase in size - they are still growing. The Andes mountains of South America are rich in non-ferrous metal ores. The main deposits belong to the Paleozoic period. Chile has large copper deposits. There is gas and oil in the advanced and foothill troughs. Bauxites were found in the weathering layers. Also in this mountain system there are deposits of iron, saltpeter, platinum and gold, emerald.
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| Highest Mountain in South America |
highest point The highest point in South America is Mount Aconcagua. Its height is 6960 m. This peak is considered the highest of all that are located outside of Asia, and at the same time ranks first among all the peaks of the mainland of South America. The mountain is located in Argentina, a few kilometers from the border with Chile. It was first climbed by the Swiss climber M. Zurbriggen in 1897. Southern Andes The southern Andes are divided into northern and southern parts. It is on this territory that the highest point is located - Mount Aconcagua. Also on this territory there are other peaks: Tupungato - height 6800 m, Mercedario - height 6770 m. Volcanoes are located in the south, and many of them are active. In this part of the Andes, they have an alpine feature with numerous glacial lakes. In those places where the coastline is strongly dissected, the Cordilleras are submerged in the waters of the ocean, and their peaks form a chain of islands and archipelagos of various shapes and sizes. In the Andes there is a Longitudinal Valley, which passes into a system of straits and reaches the Strait of Magellan. In his area, the mountains deviate sharply to the east. This place is called the Andes of Tierra del Fuego, as there are a huge number of low volcanoes. The height of the formations is up to 2460 m.
Central Andes Two territories are distinguished here: the Central and Peruvian Andes. In the latter, parallel ridges, systems of deep canyons, formed. The highest point of the Peruvian mountains is Mount Huascaran with a height of 6768 m. To the south is the widest part of the system - the Central Andean Highlands up to 750 km wide. In the central part of the mountain system there is another mountain - El Libertador (height 6720 m). There are also many volcanic peaks here: Sajama (6780 m), San Pedro (6145 m), Misti (5821 m), etc. Northern Andes The northern Andes are the high, steep-sided mountains of South America. Mount Ritakuwa (5493 m) is located in the northeastern part, and the ancient lake plateau is located in the central part, on which heights from 2.5 to 2.7 km prevail. Glaciers predominate in the highlands. In the north, the Eastern Cordillera is continued by the Cordillera de Merida with the highest place - Mount Bolivar (5007 m) and the Sierra de Perija (3540 m), and between them there is a huge depression with the beautiful Lake Maracaibo. In the far north is the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range with Mount Cristobal Colon. In the Northern Andes, the Magdalena River flows, the valley of which separates the Eastern part from the Central Cordillera. The latter has many volcanoes: Ruiz, Huila, etc. Some of them are active (for example, Cumbal volcano). The western part has lower heights - up to 4 km. The equatorial Andes are divided into western and eastern, and between them there are depressions up to 2.7 km high. Along the depressions is the highest volcanic chain in the world. It forms the volcanic region of the Andes mountain system.
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| Highest Mountain in South America |
The flora and fauna of the Andes is diverse. In each climatic zone there are various representatives of the animal and plant world. But this is not the most attractive - tourists come to the Andes to conquer the peaks, as well as to see the greatness of volcanoes, of which there are a huge number.