10

LEARNING MODULE
SCIENCE
QUARTER 1
The Science
of

and DISASTER
PREPAREDNESS
 Week of the Quarter: WEEK 1-3

10

SCIENCE
Quarter 1 – Module 1:
Describe and relate the distribution of active
volcanoes, earthquake epicenters, and major
mountain belts to Plate Tectonics Theory

What is It
 MOUNTAINS and
MOUNTAIN RANGES:
How are these formed?

Mountains are large landforms that rise well above

the ground and have steep slopes and a peak generally
higher than a hill. Most mountains form in areas where
Earth’s plates move toward one another and when the crust
is subjected to immense forces. Plate movements cause
landforms to rise to heights of up to thousands of meters.
Mountains are identified by elevation, it exist singly or in
groups. A succession of many closely spaced mountains
covering a particular portion of the Earth form a mountain
range. Mountains and mountain ranges are formed when
tectonic plates converge. Orogenesis refers to the processMountain ranges form when
of forming mountains and mountain ranges. two continental plates collide

There are three stages involved in mountain formation:

Stage 1- Accumulation of Sediments

Mountain belts are composed of igneous rocks and sediments. These
accumulated layers can reach up to several kilometers in thickness.
through weathering and erosions, these particles are released from
rocks and sediments are transported to the edge of the continental
crust.

Stage 2- Orogenic Period of Rock Deformation

and Crustal Uplift
The accumulated sediments are deformed by compressional forces
from the collision of tectonic plates.

Stage 3- Period of Crustal Uplift Caused by Isostatic Rebound and

Block-faulting
TYPESAt OFthis stage, crustal uplift occurs due to isostatic rebound and block-
faulting. Isostatic rebound exhibited when a crust bends the lithosphere
Tectonicinto
plates
themay move toward causing
asthenosphere each othertheand
lower layer to flow out of the way.
push landmassesBlock-faulting
upwards to form is when tensional
mountain forces exist in a horizontal direction and
and mountain
breaks
ranges, which are the continental
classified according tocrust
theirinto pieces
origin and of smaller blocks.
the manner by which they are produced by the different
forces in the Earth.
1.

2. 3.

4.

Answer the following self-check:

Self-
1. How are the different types of mountain
Check #4
ranges formed?

_______________________________________________________________________
_____________________
Below are some of the most famous mountain ranges in the
world:
 Himalayas –
the Highest
Mountain
Range in the
World
The
Himalayan
Range is the
highest
mountain
system and
also the
youngest in the world. The name “Himalaya” comes from the
Sanskrit language and means “the House of Snow” or “the
Snowy Range”. It consists of several parallel ranges and is home
to the world’s highest peaks including the Mountain Everest. It
was formed after the Indian Plate and the Tibetan Plate collided.

Mountain ranges can also form where an oceanic plate subducts

beneath a continental plate. The Andes Mountain Range in
South America formed through this process.

Andes –
Longest
Mountain
Range in
the World

Considered
as the
longest
mountain chain in the world, the Andes Mountains stretch
extends along the entire west coast of South America from Cape
Horn to Panama-a distance of 1500 miles. This results from the
convergence of Nazca Plate and South American Plate.

The

Appalachian – the Oldest Mountain Range in the United

States

The Appalachians are the primary mountain system of the

eastern Northern America. The range is composed of more than
40 peaks that reach over 6,000 feet. The Mount Mitchell in
Northern Carolina is the highest peak of the Appalachians
standing 6,684 feet.
 The Alps
– Largest
Mountain
System in
Europe

The
Alps are
the largest
mountain system in Europe. They extend from the Southeastern
France and Northern Italy, most of Switzerland, part of Southern
Germany, and some portion of Austria and Yugoslavia.

Rocky

Mountains – the Major Mountain Range in Western North

America
Informally
known as Rockies, Rocky Mountains are group of jagged, snow-
capped peaks which run through the western part of Northern
America. The approximate length of this range is 6,035 km.

The Great
Dividing
Range – A
Mountain
Range that
forms a
Watershed

Also called as
the Eastern
Highlands,
the Great
Dividing
Range is Australia’s most substantial mountain range and the
third longest land-based-range in the world. The name “Great
Dividing Range” was given because the mountain range forms a
watershed. The mountains served as a settlement to Australian
aboriginal tribes.
The Philippines also has mountain ranges and the longest of
them is the Sierra Madre mountain range. It is located along the
northeastern coast of Luzon island, covering several provinces
like Aurora, Bulacan, Isabela, Laguna, Nueva Ecija, Quezon,

Quirino, and Rizal.

The Sierra Madre mountain range is the longest mountain range in the
country. It is known as the “backbone” of the northern island of Luzon.

Another mountain range found in the Philippines is the

Kitanglad mountain range found in Bukidnon.

Kitanglad Mountain Range is consist of five mountains, the

highest of which is the Mount Dulang-Dulang. The best thing
about hiking the mountain range is seeing rare animal and
plant species such as orchids, brown deer and cloud rats.
Definitely, you will need high levels of endurance to reach the
summit; not for the faintest of hearts.