Mountain Belts and the Continental Crust

S. Al-Khirbash, SQU, ERSC2102 1

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 Mountain Belts & Earth’s Systems
Mountain belts – chains of
mountain ranges that are 1000s of km
long
• commonly located at or near the
edges of continental landmasses
• part of the geosphere
• as they grow higher and steeper,
erosion rates increase
• air rising over mountain ranges
results in precipitation and erosion

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 Characteristics of Mountain Belts

Mountain belts – very long

compared to their width
•older mountain ranges tend to be lower in
height than younger ones due to erosion
•ancient mountain belts have eroded nearly
flat to form the stable cores (cratons) of
the continents
•shields - areas of cratons laid bare by
erosion

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 Rock Patterns in Mountain Belts
Mountain belts – typically contain thick sequences of folded and
faulted sedimentary rocks, often of marine origin
Fold and thrust belts – indicate crustal shortening produced by
compression (common at convergent boundaries)

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 Rock Patterns in Mountain Belts
Erosion-resistant batholiths – may be left behind as mountain
ranges after long periods of erosion
– localized tension in uplifting mountain belts can result in normal
faulting
– earthquakes common along faults in mountain ranges
– horsts and grabens can produce mountains and valleys

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 Evolution of Mountain Belts
Accumulation stage
– rocks that will later be
uplifted into mountains are
deposited
– typically occurs in
marine environment,
at opening ocean
basin or convergent
plate boundary

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 Evolution of Mountain Belts
Orogenic stage –
mountains are uplifted at
convergent boundaries
– result of ocean-
continent, arc-continent,
or continent-continent
convergence
– subsequent gravitational
collapse and spreading
may bring deep-seated
rocks to the surface

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S. Al-Khirbash, SQU, ERSC2102
 Evolution of Mountain Belts
Block-faulting – a long period of erosion,
uplift occurs after convergence stops
• as erosion removes overlying rock, the
crustal root of a mountain range rises
by isostatic adjustment
• tension in uplifting and spreading
crust results in normal faulting and
fault-block mountain ranges

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 Growth of Continents

Continents grow larger as mountain belts

evolve along their margins
• accumulation and igneous activity add new
continental crust
New accreted terranes can be added with
each episode of convergence
• Western North America (especially Alaska)
contains many such terranes
• numerous terranes, of gradually decreasing
age, surround older cratons that form the
cores of the continents

S. Al-Khirbash, SQU, ERSC2102 9

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How continents are modified

• Modification by plate collision

Alpine-Himalayan orogeny

• Assembly of Pangaea

• The Wilson Cycle

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Modification by plate collision

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Alpine-Himalayan orogeny

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Alpine-Himalayan orogeny

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Alpine-Himalayan orogeny

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Alpine-Himalayan orogeny

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S. Al-Khirbash, SQU, ERSC2102 16
2. Assembly of Pangaea

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Assembly of Pangaea

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Assembly of Pangaea

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Assembly of Pangaea

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Assembly of Pangaea

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Assembly of Pangaea

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3. The Wilson Cycle

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The Wilson Cycle

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The Wilson Cycle

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The Wilson Cycle

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The Wilson Cycle

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The Wilson Cycle

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The Wilson Cycle

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Now comment on the
following……….
• What is the Arabian
Peninsula compose of and
how it developed?

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S. Al-Khirbash, SQU, ERSC2102
• How Oman Mountains
developed ?

• The major tectonstratigraphic

units:

• Autochthonous units 
formed same place

• Allochthonous units 
transported as thrust
sheets or nappes

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• The entire geological history of Oman
comprise the following 7 units:
1. The crystalline basement
2. Sedimentary basement
(Autochthonous unit A):
Pre Permian rocks
3. Arabian Platform
(Autochthonous unit B)
(Late Permian to Late
Cretaceous
4. Hawasina rocks
(Allochthonous unit)
5. Samail Ophiolite
(Allochthonous unit)
6. Sedimentary Post
obduction (Autochthonous
unit) (Late Cretaceous to
the Neogene)
7. Surface Quaternary
deposits

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End of Chapter 20

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