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orogeny |
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orogenyMountain-building event, generally one that occurs in a geosyncline. Orogeny tends to occur during a relatively short geologic time frame. It is usually accompanied by folding and faulting of strata and by the deposition of sediments in areas adjacent to the orogenic belt. Orogenies may result from continental collisions, the underthrusting of continents by oceanic plates, the overriding of oceanic ridges by continents, and other causes. See also Acadian orogeny, Alleghenian orogeny, Alpine orogeny, Laramide orogeny, Taconic orogeny. orogeny [ȯ′räj·ə·nē] (geology) The process or processes of mountain formation, especially the intense deformation of rocks by folding and faulting which, in many mountainous regions, has been accompanied by metamorphism, invasion of molten rock, and volcanic eruption; in modern usage, orogeny produces the internal structure of mountains, and epeirogeny produces the mountainous topography. Also known as orogenesis; tectogenesis. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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Aside from the potential shortcoming in the area of tectonics throughout Earth history mentioned above, as a structural geologist and metamorphic petrologist with interests in mountain building processes and rheology, I give this book a very good to excellent rating. Gubler pointed to the Iron Mountain building on Highland near Sunset as an example of a super-graphic that has enhanced the community. But the emergene of the plate tectonics concept in the 1960s -- providing a unifying theory to explain such seemingly disparate phenomena as mountain building, volcanism, giant earthquakes, the movements of continents and the continuous creation and destruction of the ocean floor -- added a new dynamic to our understanding of the Earth. |
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