at present.

The tectonic growth of the Andes and the regional climate have evolved simultaneously and have influenced each other. The topographic barrier formed by the Andes stopped the income of humid air into the present Atacama desert. This aridity, in turn, changed the normal superficial redistribution of mass via erosion and river transport, modifying the later tectonic deformation. The lack of sediment in the trench to lubricate the subducting plate allows for intense deformation and erosion of the lower crust. The removal of the