Zur Entstehung des Talkessels von La Paz/Bolivien und Umgebung

Villarroel, C.; Graf, K.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-34-43-1979

Articles | Volume 34, issue 1

https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-34-43-1979

© Author(s) 1979. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-34-43-1979

© Author(s) 1979. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Articles | Volume 34, issue 1

31 Mar 1979

| 31 Mar 1979

Zur Entstehung des Talkessels von La Paz/Bolivien und Umgebung

C. Villarroel and K. Graf

Abstract. 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.