Altiplano-Puna

IGPP Researchers ID Unique Geological 'Sombrero' Uplift in South America

A study led by Professor Yuri Fialko of Scripps and Postdoctoral Scholar Jill Pearse has revealed that magma is forming a big blob in the middle of the crust beneath the Altiplano-Puna plateau in South America, pushing up the earth's surface across an area 100 kilometers (62 miles) wide, while the surrounding area sinks, leading to a unique geological phenomenon in the shape of a Mexican hat that the researchers have described as the "sombrero uplift."