Such surface uplift has been observed at other volcanic centres in the Central Volcanic Zone but on global scale it is unusual both for its long duration and its spatial extent, and in the case of Uturuncu demonstrates the continuing activity of the Altiplano-Puna magmatic body. In addition, there is no evidence for a net uplift in the geomorphology of the region, and findings in the terrain around Uturuncu indicate that this uplift certainly began less than 1,000 years ago and likely also less than 100 years ago. The uplift might be either a temporary deformation of the volcano that eventually deflates over time, or the current uplift might only be in its beginning stage. The term zombie volcano has been coined to describe volcanoes like Uturuncu which have been inactive for a long time but are actively deforming.