A Colombian mountain range has lost its "roots" — a wedge of Earth's crust that once propped it up but has since "dripped" down into the mantle, a new study suggests. It's long been a mystery as to how the peaks have managed to stay upright, but now, researchers are investigating the underlying geology.
The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, a mountainous region in northwestern Colombia with peaks that stand over 18,700 feet (5,700 meters) tall, has perplexed geologists since the 1970s, when measurements indicated the crust beneath the peaks was unusually thin.
