Basin and Range country

Question 1

Basin and Range country Intro

Answer 1

So far this report has shown that different processes create distinctive landscapes.
However these processes do not operate in isolation and can often combine to create distinctive landscapes that are clearly different to other tectonic landscapes.
An example of this is the way both volcanic and seismic processes combined to create a landscape with a distinctive alternating pattern of linear mountain ranges and valleys in the Basin and Range Country of SW USA (USGS website).

Question 2

How was it made?

Answer 2

The unique topography of the area was created by volcanic and then seismic processes.
Around 43 million years ago volcanic activity created volcanic landforms such as lava flows, which can still be seen near Delta, Utah.
Intense heat from the Earth’s mantle stretched and thinned the crust and forced it to rise upwards in a giant dome. Consequently the E-W stretching cracked the dome, as a result N-S trending normal faults were produced, with upthrust edges becoming mountain ranges and downward edges became valleys. Therefore a sequence of parallel mountain ranges and valleys was produced.

Question 3

Thus…

Answer 3

Thus the tectonic processes combined to produce a series of parallel mountain ranges and valleys (e.g. Death Valley) and this is the distinctive alternating pattern of mountain ranges and valleys that exist today (information from USGS and YouTube video on Basin and Range Country produced by the Great Basin National Park authority).