South America’s sombrero uplift

In the central Andes mountains, satellites have detected ground deformation under way above a major subterranean magma body.

The Altiplano–Puna volcanic province is part of an active volcanic arc in South America’s central Andes. Extending through Peru, southwestern Bolivia, Chile and northwestern Argentina, it is home to a number of large calderas formed following catastrophic eruptions.

Beneath the surface of Altiplano–Puna, about 17–19 km deep, lies the largest known active magma body in Earth’s continental crust.

Satellites show that the ground in this area has been rising by about 10 mm per year over the past 20 years.