How+are+mountains+formed?


 * __HOW ARE MOUNTAINS FORMED?__**

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How are mountains formed? Mountains are the results of changes in the earth’s crust (tectonic plates). There are four major ways that mountains are formed. The first way that mountains are formed is from volcanoes. Volcanic mountains are built up of molten lava, which crystallizes into a solid mineral and after cooling it turns to rock. This process not only forms mountains but also in some cases creates land masses such as the Hawaiian Islands were created by volcanic eruptions at the sea floor. Volcanoes are most common above subduction zones (Ring of Fire). The second way that mountains are formed is from the movement of the earth’s tectonic plates pushing together. When this happens compression zones are created. The two plates push together creating folds and fault structures. After one of the plates gives in or slips one plate will fold over or under the other plate (diagram below). Sometimes two of the tectonic plates have a perfect head on collision resulting in the rock buckling, creating mountains away from the fault line. This process can create large belts of mountains such as the Rocky Mountains in Canada, Mackenzie Mountains in the US, and Andes Mountains in South America. Another example is the Himalaya, they were formed because of a continent-to-continent collision (India and Asia). The third way mountains are formed is from an extensional fault where two sections or plates of the earth’s crust pull apart. The crust floats on the mantle like an iceberg floats in the denser salty ocean. As the plates pull apart they stretch out making them thinner and less dense. This causes the thinner section of the crust to float higher in the mantle, creating mountains. The final way mountain are formed is from the strike and slip movement. This is when to plates are moving parallel to each other. Most of the time this movement doesn’t create mountains but if the fault line is not strait then the overlapping part of the plates will collide with each other causing mountains to be formed. The mountains can be formed through folds, buckling of the plates, volcano’s, and extension faults depending on the situation.

Picture's: Pacific ring of fire: [|Google Image Result for http://josiahe.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/ring-of-fire-and-globalvolcanoes1.jpg] Buckling plate: [|Google Image Result for http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Anticlinal.png] Folding plate: [|Google Image Result for http://maps.unomaha.edu/maher/GEOL3300/week7/foldfault.gif] Strike and slip diagram: [|Google Image Result for http://earthsci.org/processes/struct/equake1/faultbends.jpg] Strike and slip fault line: [|Google Image Result for http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ef/San_Andreas_Fault_Aerial_View.gif/170px-San_Andreas_Fault_Aerial_View.gif] All three types of plate movements: [|Google Image Result for http://soundwaves.usgs.gov/2009/11/FaultTypesLG.jpg]

This site was suggested to me by my expert, although its not a government website its information was simple and correct. Author varies depending on the article. Copy right in 1984, written by Edward J. Tarbuck and Frederick K. Lutgens. The earth is an encyclopedia that gives an introduction to physical geology and was suggested to me by my expert. Although this book is slightly out of our Questions of Science information range (2000+) all of the information is still valid and current.
 * Bibliography:**
 * 1.** Most of my information came from my expert, **Greg Soule** who has a Masters degree in geology.
 * 2. [] **
 * 3. The Earth**

Avery S.

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