Altiplano Basin
| Altiplano Basin | |
|---|---|
| Cuenca del Altiplano | |
DEM, showing the approximate area of the basin | |
| Coordinates | 18°28′S 67°20′W / 18.467°S 67.333°W |
| Etymology | Altiplano |
| Region | Central Andes |
| Country | Bolivia Peru |
| State(s) | La Paz, Oruro, Potosí Puno |
| Cities | La Paz, Oruro, Potosí, Uyuni |
| Characteristics | |
| On/Offshore | Onshore |
| Boundaries | Pasani Fault, Cordillera Occidental, Ayaviri Fault, Cordillera Oriental, Coniri Fault |
| Part of | Intramontane Andean basins |
| Area | 154,176 km2 (59,528 sq mi) |
| Hydrology | |
| River(s) | Desaguadero River |
| Lake(s) | Titicaca, Poopó |
| Geology | |
| Basin type | Piggy-back |
| Plate | South American |
| Orogeny | Andean |
| Age | Early Paleozoic-Holocene |
| Stratigraphy | Stratigraphy |
The Altiplano Basin (Spanish: Cuenca del Altiplano) is a sedimentary basin within the Andes in Bolivia and Peru. The basin is located on the Altiplano plateau between the Cordillera Occidental and the Cordillera Oriental. Over-all the basin has evolved through time in a context of horizontal shortening of Earth's crust. The great thickness of the sediments accumulated in the basin is mostly the result of the erosion of Cordillera Oriental.