Foothills of the Andes | Space Wallpaper

By Space.com Staff
published

Kompsat-2 Captures Andes Mountains in Peru 1920
The foothills of the Andes Mountains near the southern coast of Peru were captured by the Kompsat-2 satellite, as seen in this cool space wallpaper. (Image credit: KARI/ESA)

The foothills of the Andes Mountains near the southern coast of Peru were captured by the Kompsat-2 satellite, as seen in this cool space wallpaper. The Andes stretch from Venezuela down South America’s west coast to the top of Argentina. The mountain rage is the result of the Nazca and Antarctic tectonic plates moving under the South American plate—a geological process called subduction. This process is also responsible for the Andes range’s volcanic activity. This image was released July 5, 2013.

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Space.com Staff
Space.com Staff
News and editorial team

Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Originally founded in 1999, Space.com is, and always has been, the passion of writers and editors who are space fans and also trained journalists. Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. Senior Producer Steve Spaleta oversees our space videos, with Diana Whitcroft as our Social Media Editor.