IGPP Researchers ID Unique Geological 'Sombrero' Uplift in South America

A study led by Professor Yuri Fialko of Scripps and Postdoctoral Scholar Jill Pearse has revealed that magma is forming a big blob in the middle of the crust beneath the Altiplano-Puna plateau in South America, pushing up the earth's surface across an area 100 kilometers (62 miles) wide, while the surrounding area sinks, leading to a unique geological phenomenon in the shape of a Mexican hat that the researchers have described as the "sombrero uplift."

The details of the study, which was funded by the National Science Foundation, are published in the October 12 issue of the journal Science.
http://scrippsnews.ucsd.edu/Releases/?releaseID=1294