Publication Date:
1979-03-31
Description:
The town of La Paz is situated between the Bolivian Highland (Altiplano) and the Central Mountain Range. These two landscape units were mostly formed during the Tertiary. But at their intermediate bordering zone, geomorphological forms have 'later been reshaped. At the end of the Pliocene, a peneplain was formed (the Altiplano of today) and got covered by volcanic ashes. Since the fossilization of mammals (Posnanskytherium) in the late Pliocene, a tektonical uplift of about 3300 ft. has taken place, and huge moraines built up covering the whole city area of today. The enormous La Paz Valley was eroded above all during the last interglacial period. During the last ice age, the glaciers reached the present upper city border only and melted away very rapidly 9800 years ago at the latest.
Print ISSN:
0016-7312
Electronic ISSN:
2194-8798
Topics:
Ethnic Sciences
,
Geography
