This $375,631 Project Grant awarded by the National Science Foundation's Geosciences Program (CFDA 47.050) supports collaborative research at Georgia Tech Research Corporation to investigate the effects of lithospheric foundering on orogenesis, using the Southern Puna Plateau in Argentina as a case study. The research will employ a combination of field work, including geological mapping and stratigraphic analysis, as well as cutting-edge numerical modeling to better characterize the spatial-temporal distribution of deformation and subsidence in the study region. The goal is to rigorously test whether lithospheric foundering is consistent with observations from the Antofalla and Arizaro basins and determine the key crustal parameters controlling the effects of this process. This multi-disciplinary project will engage 2 PhD students, 7 undergraduate researchers, 2 postdoctoral researchers, and 3 early-career PIs, with a focus on recruiting from underrepresented minority groups. The award period runs from September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2027.