Simon Lamb - Devil in the Mountain: A Search for the Origin of the Andes

Devil in the Mountain

Devil in the Mountain

A SEARCH FOR THE ORIGIN OF THE ANDES

SIMON LAMB

Illustrations by Gary Hincks

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS

PRINCETON AND OXFORD

Copyright 2004 by Simon Lamb

Published by Princeton University Press

41 William Street, Princeton

New Jersey 08540

In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press

6 Oxford Street, Woodstock

Oxfordshire, OX20 1TW

All Rights Reserved

Second printing, and first paperback printing, 2006

Paperback ISBN-13: 978-0-691-12620-3

Paperback ISBN-10: 0-691-12620-8

The Library of Congress has cataloged the cloth edition of this book as follows

Lamb, Simon.

Devil in the mountain: a search for the origin of the Andes / Simon Lamb.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN: 0-691-11596-6 (acid-free paper)

1. GeologyAndes. 2. Andes. I. Title.

QE230.L36 2004

558dc22 2003064124

British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available

Photographs Simon Lamb

This book has been composed in Sabon

Printed on acid-free paper.

press.princeton.edu

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

Map of South America showing the main features of the Andes.

Preface

EVERY YEAR, almost without fail, somebody will ask me if I have any exciting travel plans. I normally slide away from this question with an answer along the lines: Not really, though I might be going to Bolivia again. But as the years have passed by, I have begun to realize that more and more of my life has been caught up in these Bolivian trips, and I have a story to tell. And I had better tell this story before I forget the details.

I am a geologist, and for more than a decade my work has involved spending several months each year in the Bolivian high Andes, trying to understand the origin of these mountains. You may find this a rather mysterious activity unless you are a geologist yourself. This book is an attempt to remove the mystery, revealing at the same time the deeper scientific understanding of the creation of mountain ranges. And so the structure of the book is based on the idea that the personal story of a scientistin this case, my storyas he struggles with a scientific problem will light up the subject. I want to take you, the reader, through many of the same experiences, in much the same way that I would show a colleague around in Bolivia, trying to convince him or her that my ideas are right.

I realize that by telling the scientific story from such a personal viewpoint I am in danger of giving the impression that only my observations or ideas matter. This is certainly not my intention, and I am very much aware that my work has been influenced and guided by many other scientists. The Andes are a very big mountain range, extending for over five thousand kilometers in length. The Bolivian Andes alone are more than enough for any individual scientist. Without the combined endeavors of a community of geologists, working over many years, our knowledge of these mountains would be sparse indeed.

It is inevitable, though, that some of this scientific work has been duplicated and similar conclusions have been arrived at independentlyin fact, this is good for science because it provides internal confirmation of many scientific ideas. It is no excuse for not giving scientific credit where it is duenothing is more important to a scientist than proper recognition of his or her work, and I have tried to be as honest and fair as possible, acknowledging my fellow geologists work in the text.

I have never lost the thrill of making my own observations, or, as a scientist will say, collecting my own data. So by telling my personal story I hope to convey this excitement.

I owe a debt of gratitude to many people. Without the enthusiasm, support, and inspiration of John Dewey, the Andean project would never have come into existence. The research was possible only because of the sustained financial support from the Austrian Academy of Sciences, British Petroleum, European Union, Exxon, Natural Environment Research Council, and the Royal Society of London. Over the years, Catrin Ellis-Jones, Christina Guldi, Anne Grunow, Christy Hanna, Martin Shepley, Eduardo Soria-Escalante, and Marc de Urreiztieta have provided companionship and invaluable help in the field, putting up with both myself and the harsh and difficult environment. The Maxwell family and Molly Relling generously provided both hospitality and somewhere to live during the early stages of writing this book, while I was on sabbatical leave in New Zealand. Evelyn Jenkyns, Grant Heiken, Angharad Hills, Venice Lamb, Ted Nield, George Philander, Tony Watts, and Maarten de Wit courageously and generously read various versions of the manuscript, and their encouragement and advice have enormously improved the book.

My parents have been a vital source of support during my research career, always ready to come to my aid in times of trouble. My fathers experience and calm advice have solved many crises that threatened to sink the whole research enterprise. Gary Hincks created the wonderful illustrations, which, I believe, add so much to the book. And without the staunch support and wise advice of my editor, Joe Wisnovsky, this book would never have seen the light of day. Finally, I owe so much to my partner in life, Felicity Maxwell, who has helped me in so many important ways, not least because her careful and patient reading resulted in a better book.

Map of the Central Andes, showing the main features of the Andes in Bolivia, southern Peru, northern Chile, and northernmost Argentina, with the main rivers, lakes, and volcanoes.

Prologue

THE LAB FLIGHT TO LA PAZ, Bolivia, had left Miami at just after midnight and was now traversing the interior of South America, heading southward. In the early dawn light, the Amazon jungle, far below, was no more than a grainy texture. Eventually, as the spin of the Earth brought the Sun above the horizon, the forest canopy turned dark green, and sunlight soon pierced the windows of the plane, skewering the cabin with bright bars. On the western margin of the lightening sky, a jagged dark edge, like the teeth of an upturned saw, seemed to float above a long band of cloud.

During the next hour, these teethviewed from the aircraftgrew progressively larger, finally revealing themselves as a range of rocky peaks, capped by deeply crevassed patches of cobalt-blue ice. The flight was passing over the high spine of the Cordillera Realthe Royal Rangein the Bolivian Andes. These are the highest of a succession of ranges that extend westward from the Amazon jungle, steadily increasing in height; dense growth covers the lower ranges, in the foothills, but the mountains of the Cordillera Real are barren, elevated thousands of meters above the natural tree line.