Chapter 1 Gateway 2: Rift Valley And Fold Mountains Flashcards
How are fold mountains formed?
Over millions of years, layers of rocks when compressed and folded
What are examples of fold mountains?
- The Himalayas
- Rocky Mountains
- The Andes
What is folding?
The process by which the resultant compressional force creates immense pressure which causes the layers of rocks to fold and buckle
Upfold
Downfold
Anticline
Syncline
Description of the formation of the Himalayas
For example, the Himalayas, which span across Southern Asia, were formed when the northward-driving Indian plate collide with the Eurasian plate
Description of the formation of the Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains, located in North America, are another example of fold mountains. They are formed from the almost complete subduction of the Juan de fuca plate beneath the North American plate
Where are rift valleys and block mountains formed?
Divergent plate boundaries
Sedimentary rocks
Formed from multiple layers of sediments
Igneous rocks
Formed when molten rocks cool and solidify
Matamorphic rocks
Formed when rocks are changed by high temperature or pressure within the crust
What is a fault?
A fracture in the rocks along which the rocks are displaced
What is faulting?
The process by which the tensional forces from these movements result in parts of the crust being fractured
What is a Rift Valley?
A valley with steep sides
Rift Valley formation
Convection currents drag the continental plates above it and cause it to diverge. Due to tensional forces, they are stretched and faults are formed at the plate boundary. When sections of the crust extend along fault lines, the central block of land subsides forming a linear depression know as a rift valley
What is a block mountain?
A block of land with steep slopes left standing higher than the surrounding land
Block mountain formation
wait
What is a volcano?
A landform formed by magma ejected from the mantle onto the earth’s surface
What is a magma chamber? How is it formed?
A reservoir of molten rock beneath the earth’s crust
Magma is molten rock found below the earth’s surface and builds up within the crust to form a magma chamber
What are vents?
Openings in the earth’s surface with a pipe leading to the magma chamber
What is vulcanicity?
The upward movement of the magma both into the earth’s crust and onto the earth’s surface