The Formation of Mountains

 This article is about the Formation of Mountains

The tallest mountains in the world form a plateau when the plates of the Earth's crust - called plates - collide with a plate called plate tectonics, and collide like a car. The Himalayan mountains of Asia have a history of catastrophe that began some 55 million years ago. The world's 30 highest peaks are located in the Himalayan mountains. The peak of Mount Everest, with a peak of 29,035 feet (8,850 m), is the highest point on earth.

The tallest mountain measured from the top to the bottom is Mauna Kea, an inactive volcano on the Hawaiian island of the Pacific Ocean. Measured from the ground, Mauna Kea is 33,474 meters (10,203 meters), although it only rises 13,796 meters (4,205 meters) above sea level.

Volcanoes form when molten rock from Earth's crust erupts and accumulates on its own. The Hawaiian Islands are made up of underwater volcanoes, and the islands that appear to be above water today are the remnants of active volcanoes. World-famous volcanoes include Mount St. Helens in Washington State and Mount Fuji in Japan. Sometimes a volcanic eruption destroys mountains instead of rebuilding them, as during the 1980's, the eruption of Mount St. Helens.

When the magma pushes the crust upwards but it hardens before it explodes, it forms what are called dome mountains. Wind and rain push dams, carved peaks, and valleys. Examples include the Black Hills of South Dakota and the Adirondack Mountains of New York. The Plateau Mountains resemble the dome mountains but stand out as tectonic plates colliding and pushing the earth without bending or making a mistake. Then they formed the climate and erosion of the soil.

Some mountain types form when pressure inside and between tectonic plates leads to cracking and erosion, forcing rocks up and down. Examples of fault-block mountains include Sierra Nevada in California and Nevada, Tetons in Wyoming, and the Harz Mountains in Germany.

The Impact of Mountains on Habitats and Politics

Mountains often serve as local features that define national boundaries. Their attitude can have a profound effect on the weather, stirring up the storms that tumble over the ocean and squeeze water out of the clouds. The other side is often very dry. The rugged terrain provides even shelter - and protection - from invading armies.

The Formation of Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains formed 80 to 55 million years ago during the Laramide orogeny when the number of plates began to slide under the North American plate. The lowering angle was not low, which led to a series of mountainous deserts in western North America. Since then, further tectonic activity and erosion have shaken the Rockies into spectacular peaks and valleys. At the end of the winter solstice, the people began to settle down in the mountains. After examining the list of Europeans, such as Sir Alexander Mackenzie, and Native Americans, such as the Lewis and Clark expedition, natural resources such as minerals and wool continued to exploit the mountain economically, although the range itself was unprecedented. crowded people.

Of the 100 peaks that are at least 500 feet [500 m] high in the Rocky Mountains, 78 (including the highest 30) are located in Colorado, ten in Wyoming, six in New Mexico, three in Montana, and one in Utah. Public parks and forests protect a large part of the mountains, and they are popular tourist attractions, especially hiking, camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, mountain biking, skiing, skiing, and skiing.

The Formation of Himalayas 

The Himalayan peaks and the Tibetan plateau formed as a result of the collision between the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate, which began more than 50 million years ago and still exist.

  225 million years ago (Ma) India was a large island off the coast of Australia and separated from Asia by the Tethys Ocean. The supercontinent Pangea began to divide 200 Ma and India began drifting north towards Asia. 80 Ma India was 6,400 km south of the Asian continent but reaches it at a rate of between 9 and 16 cm per year. By this time the Tethys Ocean floor would have descended northward under Asia and the plate border would have been Convergent oceanic-continental similar to the Andes today.

As can be seen from the cartoon above not all Tethys Ocean floors are completely damaged; Many of the thick fossils off the coast of the Indian Ocean were removed and placed on a Eurasian plate in what is known as the accretionary wedge. These discarded remains are now at the foot of the Himalayas.

From about 50-40 Ma the level of flooding north of the Indian continental plate decreases to 4-6 cm per year. The slow march is interpreted as marking the beginning of a conflict between Eurasian and the Indian continental plate, the closure of the former Tethys Ocean, and the beginning of the Himalayan uprising.

(Note that in the animation above continental plates are shown to be opposite 10 Ma; this should instead read 50 Ma.)

The Eurasian plate was slightly crumpled and placed high above the Indian plate but due to low congestion / high leaks, no continental plate could be lowered. This caused the continental crust to thicken due to the bend and deviation from the oppressive forces pushing the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plain. The continental crust here is twice as thick as 75 miles [75 km] in diameter. The strength of the continental crust marks the end of volcanic activity in the region as any rising magma solidifies before reaching its peak.

The Himalayas are still rising more than 1 cm a year as India continues to travel north to Asia, which explains the emergence of shallow earthquakes in the region today. However, strong winds and erosion have lowered the Himalayas to the same level. Himalayas and Ti