Geologists Find Americas' Continental Collision Occurred Millions of Years Earlier Than Thought

A new study published in Earth and Planetary Physics, led by researchers including Victor Piedrahita and J. Li, suggests that the major tectonic collision between Central and South America peaked millions of years earlier than previously believed, before about 10 million years ago. Analysis of magnetic signatures in late Miocene volcanic rocks from Colombia's Northern Andes provided the evidence, challenging long-held astronomical theories about how galaxies mature and age.