MOUNTAIN RANGES

AND
CONTINENTAL
PROCESSES

HOW ARE MOUNTAINS FORMED?

Several factors that contribute to the formation of

mountain structures:

Rock Weathering
Erosion
Metamorphism
Compressional Forces
Faulting
Volcanic Activity

OROGENESIS
From the Greek oro, meaning mountain
and genesis, meaning to come to
being
The process of mountain building.

TWO QUESTIONS REGARDING OROGENSIS

1.

What is the origin and mechanism of the forces that

cause crustal deformation.

2.

What is the forces that prevent the mountain system from

erosion or weathering.

ANSWER

CRUSTAL UPLIFT

SIR GEORGE EVEREST

Conducted Topographic Survey in India

Used two methods of Measurement: 1. Conventional

use of Triangulation, 2. Astronomical Measurement

Plumb Bob a simple device composed of a metal

weight suspended on a string and is used to assess
vertical orientation.

MOUNTAIN BUILDING
Subduction zone
Another possible site of mountain building.
Similar to continental collision zone wherein a
dense plate dives down a less dense plate.
Areas where volcanic arcs form.

ISLANDS (VOLCANIC
ARCS)
As the oceanic plate subducts under another plate,
partial melting at the oceanic plate occurs and some
mantle material rises up to form the beginnings of an
underwater volcano.
Volcanic arc systems are recognize as an integral
step in the process of mountain building.

MOUNTAIN BUILDING ALONG SUBDUCTION

ZONES WITH CONTINENTAL MARGINS

In the same manner as subduction zones

concerning
purely
oceanic
plates,
oceaniccontinental plate type subduction zone can
promote mountain building. A prime example of
this is the Andes Mountain Range forming the
backbone of the south American continent.

ACCRETIONARY WEDGE

Is composed of sedimentary and

metamorphic rocks mixed in with
oceanic crust.

CONTINENTAL COLLISION
There is another form of collisional mechanism that
can lead to the formation of mountain belts.
Remember that the cause of a subduction
mechanism is that one of the colliding plates is
denser (the oceanic plate) and thus will go under
the lighter plate (continental plate).