How a sinking lithospheric root raised Mongolia's Hangay Mountains

Central Mongolia's Hangay Mountains rise more than four kilometers above sea level, forming a dramatic dome that shapes the region's climate. But for decades, geologists have been puzzled: What caused this massive mountain range to form so far from any active plate boundary? Unlike the linear Himalayas, which are still rising from the collision of India and Asia, the dome-shaped Hangay Mountains show little internal deformation, suggesting a different and previously unknown mechanism.