The Altiplano plateau in Bolivia is the second largest plateau on Earth. It has an average elevation of nearly 4000 m, a crustal thickness of at least 65 km, and it covers an area of over 600,000 km2. The Altiplano is part of the central Andean mountain belt which is associated with the subduction of the Nazca plate beneath the South American plate. On the left picture, the Altiplano is the homogeneously green area. The thickening of the crust results in a decrease of the average density of the continental lithosphere which in turn explains its high-topography.
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