Colombia is formed be two territorial zones, one submerged
in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea and the second, is emerged land which
is formed by the Andes Mountain Range.
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is an isolated mountain
range apart from the Andes mountain chain that runs through North Eastern
Colombia. It is between two national parks (the Parque Nacional Sierra Nevada
de Santa Marta and Tayrona National Park). The mountain range is also a prime
example of convergence. Convergence of tectonic plates means that two plates
overlap and cause mountains and hills. In this case, the two plates that overlapped
are the North and South American plates (http://www.agu.org/journals/tc/tc1104/2010TC002835/2010TC002835.pdf).
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| Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/p1386i/colombia/marta.html) |
Andean region
The Andean region formed when the Nazca plate, and part of the Antarctic plate, collapsed with
the South American plate pushing it under the Caribbean plate which created
volcanic islands off the Pacific coast of Colombia and the Isthmus of Panama.(http://www.windows2universe.org/geography/andes.html)
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| Formation of Andes (http://www.kids-fun-science.com/nazca-plate.html) |
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| Andes Mountains (http://www.google.com/imgres) |
Volcanoes and Colombia
Colombia has a total of 17 volcanoes, 15 which are still
active. The volcanoes are a part of the northern Andes and lie at the junction
of 3 tectonic plates: Nazca, Carribean, and South American plates.
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| Major volcanoes in Colombia (http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/colombia.html) |
Galeras Volcano, Colombia
The Galeras volcano is the most active volcano in South
America and has been erupting for more than a million years. It is a
stratovolcano, which is a tall, conical volcano built up of many layers
(strata) of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. It is located in
the Columbian segment of the Andes Mountains. (http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/colombia.html)
The volcano was formed
Galeras
Volcano is formed along Nazca and South American plates. It is a convergent
boundary and is oceanic-continental.
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| Galeras Volcano- radar image (http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/oldroot/volcanoes/galeras/galeras.html) |
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| Galeras Volcano (http://volcano-club.blogspot.com/2011/11/decade-volcanoes-part-one-with-added.html) |
