Americas' Collision Course Altered Millions of Years Ago Geologists in Colombia have discovered evidence that challenges our current understanding of the tectonic collisions that shaped the American continent.
By analyzing the magnetic properties of volcanic rocks in the Northern Andes, researchers found that the main phases of collision between Central and South America occurred earlier than previously thought.
The study's findings suggest that the most significant collisional events took place during the Oligocene middle Miocene period, rather than relatively recently – within the past 10 million years as previously suggested.