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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

A mysterious mountain range lacks roots but still stands tall

Scientists puzzled over the height of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta range in Colombia find that its supporting crust dripped away over time.
Foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains as they meet the Caribbean coast near Playa Los Angeles in northern Colombia.

The foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta range, which includes some of the tallest peaks in Colombia, meet the Caribbean coast. Credit: Thomas O'Neill/NurPhoto/Getty

Geologists are starting to answer a long-standing question about a puzzling mountain range in northern Colombia: how did it get so high?

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Nature 626, 11 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-00180-y

References

  1. Quiroga, D. E., Currie, C. A. & Pearse, J. J. Geophys. Res. Solid Earth 129, e2023JB027646 (2024).

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