Wanderlust World Wanderlust World The Andes were not built by people. They formed through the collision of the Nazca and South American tectonic plates:
At this convergent boundary, the denser Nazca Plate subducts (dives beneath) the South American Plate. This ongoing collision—continuing for millions of years—crushed and uplifted the continental crust, creating the Andes mountain range.
The process continues today, causing earthquakes and volcanic activity along the range. The Andes are the world's longest continental mountain range (~7,000 km).