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 THE
ANDES MOUNTAINS
Located in South America
you will find the Andes Mountains, a mountain range that
runs from north to south going along the western coast of
the continent. Known
as one of the longest and highest mountain ranges in the
world, the Andes stretch 4,500 miles.
Although the Andes are so high, you will find
rainforests in the region due to the humidity and rain.
Then as you near the southern region, the mountains
become much closer to the Antarctic so the climate is quite
a bit colder.
You will find a nice
variety of plants in the Andes although they are small to
help conserve energy. In
addition, the leaves are generally stiff but strong,
providing protection from the cold weather and frost.
The Andes is also home to a number of birds that
range from the Condor to Flamingo to Hummingbird.
Land animals include things such as Llamas, the
Mountain Lion, and Red Perll.
Additionally, the Spectacled Bear also calls this
area home along with the Andean Iguana a nd the Giant Toad.
The name “Andes” comes
from a native word although the meaning is unknown.
While there are many beautiful peaks, the tallest is
called Mt. Aconcagua, which boasts a magnificent volcano
that towers 22,831 feet.
Formed by the crustal plates of the Pacific Ocean
floor that pushed slowly against the American continental
plate, the pressure caused sedimentary rocks to bend and
fold, creating the ridges called sierras.
However, as the rocks crack, molten granite and
igneous rocks erupted from underneath as volcanoes caused
the melting of the oceanic plate due to excessive friction.
Another
interesting fact about the Andes Mountains is that the
highest mountains in this range are all volcanoes and even
more fantastic, many of them remain active. However, some of the mountains are dormant and then some even
extinct. Even
so, we still see eruptions and powerful earthquakes.
Found in the Andes Mountains are valuable minerals to
include lead, zinc, copper, tin, platinum, silver, and even
gold.
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