Fold Fountains Flashcards
What and where are told mountains founded?
Fold mountains are found on plate boundaries where two plates have collided.
As the two plates push against each other, the pressure forces the land to buckle upwards into folds.
What are the three different periods of fold mountain formations?
- Caledonian
- Armorican
- Alpine
What is the Caledonian period?
Caledonian folding occurred 400 millions years ago.
Eg. The Dublin Wicklow mountains formed during this period
What is the Armorican period?
Armorican folding occurred 250 million years ago.
Many Munster fold mountains formed during this time.
Eg. Macgillycuddy’s Reeks in Kerry and the Galtee mountains in Tipperary
What period is the Alpine?
Alpine folding started 35 million years ago and is ongoing today.
These are the youngest and highest fold mountains in the world.
They are so high because they have not yet been worn down by weathering.
Examples include the rockies in America, the Himalayas in Asianand the Alps in Europe
CASE STUDY: THE ALPS - economic impacts
Economic Impacts:
- Farming - The fold mountains of the Alps are used to farm sheep, goats and cattle. In the summer months, the animals are moved further up the slope to graze.
- Hydro-electric power - The water from melting snow is used to generate hydro-electric power (where moving water is used to create electricity)
- Tourism - Many people visit the Alps to ski or snowboard in winter, or hike or climb in summer. The income generated by tourism can provide a better standard of living for tourists.
CASE STUDY: THE ALPS - social impacts
Social impacts:
- Accessibility - Many parts of the Alps are difficult to access as slopes can be very steep. Road - building is a costly venture
- Soil - Soil can be thin and poor quality allowing only for rough-grazing, which can make farming difficult or unprofitable
- Avalanches - Devastating avalanches happen when snow and ice suddenly come loose and crash down mountain slopes
