Numerical Analysis Of Los Andes Uplift In South America Using Deformation Energy

The main objective of this research is to simulate numerically the interactions of convergent boundaries between South American and Nazca plates, to analyze the unitary elastic deformation energy in the subduction zone and its effect on the uplift of Los Andes. The methodology is divided in two stages; the one corresponds to the selection of geological constants for the simulation and the creation of the geometries of the models based on local coordinates, and in the second stage the models are simulated numerically using the finite element method. The results show the energy fields of deformation and its relation with the displacement values obtained with errors less than 2% in the altitudes of the mountains and 0% in the plains of central Chile. The distribution of strain energy in each model has a periodical behavior with peaks and releases that affect the movement. The main conclusions indicate that the numerical simulation reproduces accurately the effects on the edge of the tectonic plates studied, making possible to quantify and qualify the energy of deformation and its effects.