Tectonic Movements and Mountain Formation
Tectonic movements are responsible for the formation of major landforms on Earth, particularly mountain ranges. These movements are driven by convection currents in the Earth's mantle.
Definition: Tectonic movements are large-scale geological processes that shape the Earth's crust through the movement of lithospheric plates.
The two main types of tectonic movements are:
- Orogeny (Mountain formation)
- Epeirogeny (Continental formation)
Orogeny results in the formation of fold mountains and fault-block mountains. Examples of fold mountains include:
- Himalayas
- Alps
- Andes
- Rocky Mountains
Example: The Himalayas formed when the Indian plate collided with the Eurasian plate, creating the world's highest mountain range.
Fault-block mountains, such as the Sierra Nevada in California, form through the uplifting and tilting of large blocks of crust along fault lines.
Vocabulary: A fault is a fracture in the Earth's crust along which movement has occurred.
Epeirogeny involves the vertical movement of large portions of continents, resulting in the formation of plateaus and changes in sea level.
Highlight: Understanding tectonic movements is crucial for 10th-grade geography students studying the formation of landforms and the geological history of Turkey.
The study of these processes helps explain the distribution of earthquakes, volcanoes, and other geological features around the world.