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Questions tagged [orogeny]

concerning processes leading to large-scale deformation of the Earth's surface, particularly mountain-building events

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Formation of Mount Elbrus

Mount Elbrus, in the Caucasus region of Russia, 65 km southwest from Kislovodsk, is a major, isolated volcano in the heart of a continent-continent collision zone. It is not normal for volcanoes to ...
harry.kuril's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
208 views

Geology of the San Gabriel mountains in the Angeles national forest - rock types

I'm not a geologist, I am a hiker. And after many hikes in California's Sierra Nevada and Utah's red country I figured it would be great to learn some geology and I'm just posting this question to see ...
Amperie 's user avatar
4 votes
0 answers
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Why the difference between Italian coastlines and mountain ranges?

Italy’s relatively straight, parallel coastlines in the main part of the “boot” seem surprising given how the Apennines snake through it, from one side to the other and back. Don’t coastlines usually ...
ed94133's user avatar
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11 votes
1 answer
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Origin of Andaman and Nicobar islands

Are Andaman and Nicobar islands in Indian ocean a continuation of Alpide-Himalayan orogeny or are they volcanic in origin?
HARVEER RAWAT's user avatar
5 votes
4 answers
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Are the cores of every mountain range igneous?

Every volcano is a mountain, but not every mountain is a volcano. Still, it strikes me that--at least for the mountain ranges I can think of in this moment--they all seem to have igneous cores. Is ...
Doug Peltz's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
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Are the Olympic Mountains (in Washington state) geologically unique?

So it is my understanding the Washington's Olympic Mountains are basaltic mountains. The reason is that they formed from the upthrust of Ocean crust rather than continental crust as the Farallon plate ...
Mr X's user avatar
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9 votes
4 answers
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Do divergent tectonic plates destroy mountains?

Tectonic plates meeting (convergent plates) form mountains. But if those plates change direction (which I am just assuming they can over time, I have no idea if it's true) and start pulling apart (...
Henry Stone's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
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How are small mountains created?

I understand that large mountain ranges like the Rockies are created by the tectonic plates moving. I live in Arizona and there are a lot of mountains here but from what I understand, there are no ...
asilver50's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
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Largest mountain range

The major mountain chains of Earth are found near: Convergent (subduction) and convergent (collisional) boundaries or transform boundaries? it should be both subduction and collisional right?
max's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
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Relative dating of granite pluton

In selecting a sample for age-dating of a granite pluton, which site is a better site to collect a sample from, the centre, top or side? Why was this site a better choice? Which dating method would ...
Hannah's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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What is the value of calculating the elevation of mountains in the past? (paleoelevation)

I would like to know if knowing the history(elevation, temperature, etc) of montains has any application, different from killing curiosity of scientist.
Jesus Rojas Parra's user avatar
17 votes
3 answers
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Is there a reason most mountain ranges seem to run parallel to coastlines?

Eyeballing a map of the world, it seems that most mountain ranges that don't occur along continental fault lines run parallel to coastlines. Is there a reason for this?
nmvasq's user avatar
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1 answer
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Alpine schistosity

I often find the term Alpine schistosity (schistosité alpine in French, scistosità alpina in Italian) in texts about Alpine geology. Chronologically ordered phases of Alpine schistosity producing ...
Self-teaching worker's user avatar
12 votes
1 answer
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What is the current theory about the formation of Tibet?

Although I basically understand, that how the Himalayas formed, it has always confused me how did the vast high Tibetian Plateau came into existence behind it? And what would be its future, is it ...
Sawarnik's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
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Correlating the Caledonian and Appalachian Orogenies

The Caledonian mountains and Appalachian mountains are recognised to be the roots of the same Palaeozoic orogenic belt. This has since been split in two with the opening of the Atlantic. On the ...
winwaed's user avatar
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15 votes
3 answers
225 views

What supports the Rockies?

What supports the Rocky Mountains in North America? Or put another way, Why are they there? and Why are they still there? It might be tempting to think of compression, especially in an east-west ...
winwaed's user avatar
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