Mt. Aconcagua and the Andes

Mt. Aconcagua and the Andes: This fine view embraces Mt. Aconcagua and the Andes, Pie de Palo, and the southern Famatina range. The Precordillera occupies most of the frame; it is a block of North American crust that rifted away from southern North America about 450 million years ago and became attached to western South America. The ancient basement rocks, the sedimentary rocks that rest upon basement, and the fossil fauna that they contain indicated that the block originated off central to west Texas. Rocks exposed near San Juan, for example, are almost indistinguishable from those of the Franklin Mts. near El Paso. The cities of San Juan and Mendoza are centers for almond, citrus and grape growing.

Photo and caption thanks to:
Earth Sciences and Image Analysis, NASA-Johnson Space Center. 29 Aug. 2002. "Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Photographic Highlights." http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/debrief/STS089/topFiles/STS089-742-15.htm> (16 May 2003).

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South America from Space Photo Gallery

South America Photo Gallery