The Andes Mountains are much taller than plate tectonic theories predict they should be, a fact that has puzzled geologists for decades. Mountain-building models tend to focus on the deep-seated ...

Researchers describe zircons from the Andes mountains of Patagonia. Although the zircons formed when tectonic plates were colliding, they have a chemical signature associated with when the plates were ...

Ancient crystals reveal that Earth began recycling its crust and forming continents billions of years earlier than scientists ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. David Bressan is a geologist who covers curiosities about Earth. Based on a series of models considering how the continents were ...

Few things in the world are more representative of strength and the passing of extreme time than mountains. On the face of it, these colossal formations look like they have always been there, ...

Massive tectonic collisions in the tropics may have caused Earth's last three great ice ages. Before each of these ice ages, new research finds, collisions between continents and island arcs built ...

Far from a process of smooth, inevitable ascendance, the formation of the iconic Andes Mountains was downright explosive. As the peaks rose skyward along the western coast of South America dozens of ...

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Massive tectonic collisions in the tropics may have caused Earth's last three great ice ages.