GEOL107 Chapter Notes - Chapter 20: Thrust Tectonics, Canadian Shield, Continental Crust
9 Nov 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Chapter 20 mountain belts and the continental crust. Chains thousands of kilometers long composed of numerous mountain ranges. A group of closely spaced mountains or parallel ridges. Likely to be composed of tectonically deformed sedimentary, volcanic, or metamorphic rocks. Major controlling factors that interact with one another during a mountain belt"s history: Precambrian shield - complex of precambrian metamorphic and plutonic rocks exposed over a large area. Fold and thrust belts - characterized by large thrust faults, stacked one upon another; intervening rock usually was folded while it was being transported during faulting. Frequent earthquakes characteristic of portions of young mountain belts. Deep-ocean trenches found parallel to many young mountain belts. Reverse faulting is widespread during an orogeny. Continental crust becomes thicker - from intense compression that results in tight folds and reverse faults. As arc and continent converge, the intervening ocean floor is destroyed by subduction.
