SCIENCE RESEARCH:

MOUNTAIN AND MOUNTAIN

RANGES

SUBMITTED TO: MS FAITH PENECHE

SUBMITTED BY: ANCHETA, Alex Andrea
GRADE 10-RUBY
I. HIMALAYAS MOUNTAIN
A. DESCRIPTION
1. The Himalayas have a profound effect on the climate of the region,
helping to keep the monsoon rains on the Indian plain and limiting rainfall on the
Tibetan plateau
B. LOCATION
1. A mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent
from the Tibetan Plateau.
2. runs west-northwest to east-southeast in an arc 2,400 km (1,500 mi) long
a) Its western anchor, Nanga Parbat, lies just south of the northernmost
bend of Indus river. Its eastern anchor, Namcha Barwa, is just west of the great
bend of the Yarlung Tsangpo River (upper stream of the Brahmaputra River). The
Himalayan range is bordered on the northwest by the Karakoram and the Hindu
Kush ranges. To the north, the chain is separated from the Tibetan Plateau by a
50–60 km (31–37 mi) wide tectonic valley called the Indus-Tsangpo Suture.
Towards the south the arc of the Himalaya is ringed by the very low Indo-
Gangetic Plain. The range varies in width from 350 km (220 mi) in the west
(Pakistan) to 150 km (93 mi) in the east (Arunachal Pradesh). The Himalayas are
distinct from the other great ranges of central Asia, although sometimes the term
'Himalaya' (or 'Greater Himalaya') is loosely used to include the Karakoram and
some of the other ranges.
3. 27°59′N 86°55′E
C. TECTONIC PLATES INVOLVED IN THE FORMATION
1. Indian and Eurasian plate
D. TYPE OF TECTONIC PLATE MOVEMENT THAT LED TO ITS FORMATION
1. lifted by the subduction of the Indian tectonic plate under the Eurasian
Plate
a) a result of the collision between the Indian Plate and Eurasian Plate which
began 50 million years ago and continues today

II. (A) SIERRA MADRE

A. DESCRIPTION
1. The Sierra Madre is the longest mountain range in the Philippines
2. The mountain range serves as a typhoon barrier, attenuating incoming
typhoons from the Pacific Ocean before reaching the central mainland
 B. LOCATION
1. runs in the north-south direction from the provinces of Cagayan to the
north and Quezon to the south
a) forms the eastern backbone of Luzon Island, the largest island of the
archipelago

2. bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east

3. 16°3′N 121°35′E  

III. (B.) SIERRA MADRE

A. DESCRIPTION
1. a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that
runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along
the Gulf of California
B. LOCATION
1. The Sierra Madre is part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain
ranges (cordillera) that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain
ranges that form the western 'backbone' of North America, Central America, South
America and West Antarctica.
a) The range runs parallel to the Pacific coast of Mexico, from just south of
the Arizona-Sonora border southeast through eastern Sonora, western
Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco, Aguascalientes to
Guanajuato, where it joins with the Sierra Madre del Sur and the Eje Volcánico
Transversal (Transverse Volcanic Axis) of central Mexico after crossing 1,250 km
(780 mi)
2. 25°57′22″N 107°2′52″W
C. TECTONIC PLATES INVOLVED IN THE FORMATION
1. Farallon and North American plate
D. TYPE OF TECTONIC PLATE MOVEMENT THAT LED TO ITS FORMATION
1. The Sierra Madre Occidental is the result of Cretaceous-Cenozoic
magmatic and tectonic episodes related to the subduction of the Farallon plate
beneath North America and to the opening of the Gulf of California
IV. ALPS
A. DESCRIPTION
1. the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in
Europe
a) The Alps are a crescent shaped geographic feature of central Europe that
ranges in an 800 km (500 mi) arc from east to west and is 200 km (120 mi) in
width
2. The altitude and size of the range affects the climate in Europe; in the
mountains precipitation levels vary greatly and climatic conditions consist of
distinct zones.

B. LOCATION
1. lies entirely in Europe, separating Southern from Central and Western
Europe and stretching approximately 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) across eight Alpine
countries (from west to east): France, Switzerland, Monaco, Italy, Liechtenstein,
Austria, Germany, and Slovenia.
a) The range stretches from the Mediterranean Sea north above the Po
basin, extending through France from Grenoble, and stretching eastward through
mid and southern Switzerland. The range continues onward toward Vienna,
Austria, and east to the Adriatic Sea and Slovenia. To the south it dips into
northern Italy and to the north extends to the southern border of Bavaria in
Germany.
2. 45°49′58″N 06°51′54″E 

C. TECTONIC PLATES INVOLVED IN THE FORMATION

1. African and Eurasian tectonic plates
D. TYPE OF TECTONIC PLATE MOVEMENT THAT LED TO ITS FORMATION
1. The mountains were formed over tens of millions of years as the African
and Eurasian tectonic plates collided
a) The Alps arose as a result of the collision of the African and Eurasian
tectonic plates, in which the Alpine Tethys, which was formerly in between these
continents, disappeared.
V. ANDES MOUNTAIN
A. DESCRIPTION
1. the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a
continuous highland along the western edge of South America
2. has the 2nd most elevated highest peak of any mountain range, only
behind the Himalayas
B. LOCATION
1. The Andes extend from north to south through seven South American
countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.
2. The Andes can be divided into three sections:
a) The Southern Andes (south of Llullaillaco) in Argentina and Chile;
b) The Central Andes in Peru, and Bolivia; and
c) The Northern Andes in Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador
C. TECTONIC PLATES INVOLVED IN THE FORMATION
1. Nazca Plate and the South American Plate

D. TYPE OF TECTONIC PLATE MOVEMENT THAT LED TO ITS FORMATION

1. result of tectonic plate processes, caused by the subduction of oceanic
crust beneath the South American Plate
a) It is the result of a convergent plate boundary between the Nazca Plate
and the South American Plate. The main cause of the rise of the Andes is the
compression of the western rim of the South American Plate due to the
subduction of the Nazca Plate and the Antarctic Plate.

VI. DRAKENSBERG
A. DESCRIPTION
1. The Drakensberg is the name given to the eastern portion of the Great
Escarpment, which encloses the central Southern African plateau
 B. LOCATION
1. It is located in South Africa and Lesotho.
a) stretches for over 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from the Eastern Cape
Province in the South, then successively forms, in order from south to north, the
border between Lesotho and the Eastern Cape and the border between Lesotho
and KwaZulu-Natal Province. Thereafter it forms the border between KwaZulu-
Natal and the Free State, and next as the border between KwaZulu-Natal and
Mpumalanga Province. It winds north, through Mpumalanga, where it includes
features such as the Blyde River Canyon, Three Rondavels and God's Window. It
moves north again to Hoedspruit in South eastern Limpopo where it is known as
'Klein Drankensberg' by the Afrikaner, from Hoedspruit it moves west to Tzaneen
also in Limpopo Province, where it is known as the Wolkberg Mountains and Iron
Crown Mountain, at 2,200 m (7,200 ft) above sea level, the Wolkberg being the
highest mountain range in Limpopo. It veers west again and at Mokopane it is
known as the Strydpoort Mountains.
C. GEOLOGICAL ORIGINS
1. About 180 million years ago, a mantle plume under southern Gondwana
caused bulging of the continental crust in the area that would later become
southern Africa. Within 10–20 million years rift valleys formed on either side of the
central bulge, which became flooded to become the proto-Atlantic and proto-
Indian oceans. The stepped steep walls of these rift valleys formed escarpments
that surrounded the newly formed Southern African subcontinent
2. Geologically, the Drakensberg is a remnant of the original African plateau
a) The mountains are capped by a layer of basalt up to 1,500 m thick, with
sandstone lower down, resulting in a combination of steep-sided blocks and
pinnacles. The sandstone layer was deposited as the remnants of a gigantic lake
that occupied much of what is now Southern Africa ca 500 million years ago,
whereas the basaltic layer was deposited ca 220 million years ago in what many
geologists think was the largest volcanic eruption in the history of the world
(linked with the splitting of the tectonic plates of Africa and South America).
b) Subsequently, water and wind erosion (principally from the east, facing
the Indian Ocean) cut into the enormous plateau, producing an extraordinary and
almost unique landscape

VII. PYRENEES
A. DESCRIPTION
1. is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border
between Spain and France
B. LOCATION
1. Southwest Europe
2. POLITICAL DIVISIONS
a) The Spanish Pyrenees are part of the following provinces, from east to
west: Girona, Barcelona, Lleida (all in Catalonia), Huesca (in Aragon), Navarra (in
Navarre) and Gipuzkoa (in the Basque Country).
b) The French Pyrenees are part of the following départements, from east to
west: Pyrénées-Orientales (North Catalonia and Fenolheda), Aude, Ariège, Haute-
Garonne, Hautes-Pyrénées, and Pyrénées-Atlantiques (the latter two of which
include the Pyrenees National Park).
c) The independent principality of Andorra is sandwiched in the eastern
portion of the mountain range between the Spanish Pyrenees and French
Pyrenees.
3. PHYSIOGRAPHICAL DIVISION
a) In the Western Pyrenees, from the Basque mountains near the Bay of
Biscay of the Atlantic Ocean, the average elevation gradually increases from west
to east.
b) The Central Pyrenees extend eastward from the Somport pass to the Aran
Valley, and they include the highest summits of this range:
(1) Pico d'Aneto 3,404 metres (11,168 ft) in the Maladeta ridge,
(2) Pico Posets 3,375 metres (11,073 ft),
(3) Monte Perdido 3,355 metres (11,007 ft).
c) In the Eastern Pyrenees, with the exception of one break at the eastern
extremity of the Pyrénées Ariègeoises in the Ariège area, the mean elevation is
remarkably uniform until a sudden decline occurs in the easternmost portion of
the chain known as the Albères
C. TECTONIC PLATES INVOLVED IN THE FORMATION
1. Iberian and Eurasian plate
D. TYPE OF TECTONIC PLATE MOVEMENT THAT LED TO ITS FORMATION
1. 50 million years ago the Pyrenees as we now know them were formed by
the Pyreneo-Alpin folding when the Iberian tectonic plate collided with the Eurasian
plate.
a) The Pyrenean mountain range was formed between 80 and 20 million
years ago as a result of the Iberian landmass (what is now Spain and Portugal)
colliding with the much larger Eurasian landmass in the region of what is now
southwestern France.
VIII. ROCKY MOUNTAINS
A. DESCRIPTION
1. also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range in western North
America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than 4,800 kilometers (3,000 mi)
from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New
Mexico in the Southwestern United States.
B. LOCATION
1. Located within the North American Cordillera, the Rockies are distinct
from the Pacific Coast Ranges, Cascade Range, and the Sierra Nevada, which all lie
farther to the west
2. 43°44′28″N 110°48′09″W
C. TECTONIC PLATES INVOLVED IN THE FORMATION
1. North American Plate and several other plates
D. TYPE OF TECTONIC PLATE MOVEMENT THAT LED TO ITS FORMATION
1. The Rocky Mountains formed 80 million to 55 million years ago during the
Laramide orogeny, in which a number of plates began sliding underneath the North
American plate
a) The angle of subduction was shallow, resulting in a broad belt of
mountains running down western North America. Since then, further tectonic
activity and erosion by glaciers have sculpted the Rockies into dramatic peaks and
valleys
b) The Laramide orogeny was a period of mountain building in western
North America, which started in the Late Cretaceous, 70 to 80 million years ago,
and ended 35 to 55 million years ago

IX. APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS

A. DESCRIPTION
1. often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North
America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the
Ordovician Period. They once reached elevations similar to those of the Alps and
the Rocky Mountains before experiencing natural erosion. The Appalachian chain
is a barrier to east–west travel, as it forms a series of alternating ridgelines and
valleys oriented in opposition to most highways and railroads running east–west
B. LOCATION
1. The Appalachian Mountains are a system of mountain ranges running
along the eastern coast of North America from Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada, in the north to Alabama, USA, in the south
 2. REGIONS
a) Northern: The northern section runs from the Canadian province of
Newfoundland and Labrador to the Hudson River. It includes the Long Range
Mountains and Annieopsquotch Mountains on the island of Newfoundland, Chic-
Choc Mountains and Notre Dame Range in Quebec and New Brunswick, scattered
elevations and small ranges elsewhere in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, the
Longfellow Mountains in Maine, the White Mountains in New Hampshire, the
Green Mountains in Vermont, and The Berkshires in Massachusetts and
Connecticut. The Metacomet Ridge Mountains in Connecticut and south-central
Massachusetts, although contained within the Appalachian province, is a younger
system and not geologically associated with the Appalachians. The Monteregian
Hills, which cross the Green Mountains in Quebec, are also unassociated with the
Appalachians.
b) Central: The central section goes from the Hudson Valley to the New River
(Great Kanawha) running through Virginia and West Virginia. It comprises
(excluding various minor groups) the Valley Ridges between the Allegheny Front
of the Allegheny Plateau and the Great Appalachian Valley, the New York–New
Jersey Highlands, the Taconic Mountains in New York, and a large portion of the
Blue Ridge.
c) Southern: The southern section runs from the New River onwards. It
consists of the prolongation of the Blue Ridge, which is divided into the Western
Blue Ridge (or Unaka) Front and the Eastern Blue Ridge Front, the Ridge-and-
Valley Appalachians, and the Cumberland Plateau.
3. 40°N 78°W
C. TECTONIC PLATES INVOLVED IN THE FORMATION
1. North American and North African continental plates
D. TYPE OF TECTONIC PLATE MOVEMENT THAT LED TO ITS FORMATION
1. The story is one of massive continental plates - North American and North
African, crashing into each other (plate collision) forming the Appalachian
Mountians
a) A look at rocks exposed in today's Appalachian mountains reveals
elongate belts of folded and thrust faulted marine sedimentary rocks, volcanic
rocks and slivers of ancient ocean floor. Strong evidence that these rocks were
deformed during plate collision
X. GREAT DIVIDING RANGE
A. DESCRIPTION
1. or the Eastern Highlands, is Australia's most substantial mountain range
and the third longest land-based range in the world. It stretches more than 3,500
kilometres (2,175 mi) from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of Queensland,
running the entire length of the eastern coastline through New South Wales, then
into Victoria and turning west, before finally fading into the central plain at the
Grampians in western Victoria. The width of the range varies from about 160 km
(100 mi) to over 300 km (190 mi).[3] The Greater Blue Mountains Area, Gondwana
Rainforests, and Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Areas are located in
the range.
B. LOCATION
1. Australia
2. 36°27′S 148°16′E
C. TECTONIC PLATES INVOLVED IN THE FORMATION
1. Australian plate and some other parts of South America and New Zealand
D. TYPE OF TECTONIC PLATE MOVEMENT THAT LED TO ITS FORMATION
1. Mountain ranges, like the Great Dividing Range are usually created when
two land or land and sea tectonic plates push against each and are forced to move
upwards, when Australia collided with what is now parts of South America and
New Zealand forced an upwards movement that created the Great Dividing Range

XI. URAL MOUNTAINS

A. DESCRIPTION
1. or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from
north to south through western Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the
Ural River and northwestern Kazakhstan. The mountain range forms part of the
conventional boundary between the continents of Europe and Asia. Vaygach Island
and the islands of Novaya Zemlya form a further continuation of the chain to the
north into the Arctic Ocean.
B. LOCATION
1. Russia
2. 60°N 60°E
C. TECTONIC PLATES INVOLVED IN THE FORMATION
1. Western Siberian, Baltica and North American plate
D. TYPE OF TECTONIC PLATE MOVEMENT THAT LED TO ITS FORMATION
1. As the old continents drifted together to form Pangaea, the western
Siberia plate smashed into (plate collision) the Baltica and North America plate.
That pushed up the land to make the Ural Mountains, and formed the
supercontinent of Laurasia