Geology

Cretaceous

Mathematics

Tectonics

Paleontology

Massif

Composite material

Economics

Range (aeronautics)

Cenozoic

Financial economics

Mountain range (options)

Late Miocene

Plateau (mathematics)

Mathematical analysis

Materials science

Structural basin

Diachronous

Earth-Science Reviews

Mountain building in the Andes, the longest continental mountain range on Earth, started in the Late Cretaceous but was highly diachronous. Reconstructing the timing of surface uplift for each of the different Andean regions is of crucial importance for our understanding of continental-scale moisture transport and atmospheric circulation, the origin and evolution of the Amazon River and Rainforest, and ultimately, the origin and evolution of species on the world most biodiverse continent. Here, I present (1) a compilation of estimates of paleoelevation for 36 geomorphological domains of the Andes from the literature, and (2) a paleoelevation reconstruction of the Andes since 80 Ma. In the northern Andes, uplift started in the Late Cretaceous (~70 Ma) in the Western and Central Cordilleras of Ecuador, while the northwestern corner of the continent was still covered by shallow seas. Mountain building migrated progressively northwards, with the Perija Range and Santander Massif uplifting since the Oligocene and ...

Andean mountain building since the Late Cretaceous: A paleoelevation reconstruction