The Andes,”- also known as Sierra Madre in Mexico- A nearly continuous chain of mountains stretches along the western edge ofthe American continents for more than 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) fromAlaska to Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of South America,-It was formed by a lengthy subduction zone, where two oceanic plates—theCocos Plate and the Nazca Plate—plunge beneath three continental plates— theNorth American Plate, the Caribbean Plate

The Andes,”- also known as Sierra Madre in Mexico- A nearly continuous chain of mountains stretches along the western edge ofthe American continents for more than 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) fromAlaska to Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of South America,-It was formed by a lengthy subduction zone, where two oceanic plates—theCocos Plate and the Nazca Plate—plunge beneath three continental plates— theNorth American Plate, the Caribbean Plate

and the South American Plate.”