How did the Andes Mountains form?

External Websites

About 250 million years ago, the crustal plates constituting Earth’s landmass were joined together into the supercontinent Pangaea. The breakup of Pangaea dispersed these plates outward, and the collision of two of these plates—the continental South American Plate and the oceanic Nazca Plate—gave rise to the mountain-building activity that produced the Andes Mountains.

What is the highest point in the Andes Mountains?

External Websites

The highest point in the Andes Mountains is Mount Aconcagua, located in the Southern Andes Mountains. Although its peak is in Argentina, its western flanks build up from the coastal lowlands of Chile, just north of Santiago. Mount Aconcagua is the highest point in the Western Hemisphere at 22,831 feet (6,959 metres).