South America’s sombrero uplift

South America's sombrero uplift In the central Andes mountains, satellites have detected ground deformation under way above a major subterranean magma body. The Altiplano-Puna volcanic province is part of an active volcanic arc in South America's central Andes. Extending through Peru, southwestern Bolivia, Chile and northwestern Argentina, it is home to a number of large calderas formed following catastrophic eruptions. Beneath the surface of Altiplano-Puna, about 17-19 km deep, lies the largest known active magma body in Earth's continental crust. Satellites show that the ground in this area has been rising by about 10 mm per year over the past 20 years. In , scientists used radar data from the ERS and Envisat missions to study an unusual uplift near the Uturuncu volcano, which had been dormant for 270 000 years. The surrounding area, however, is sinking at a slower rate of about 2 mm per year.