Tectonic uplift: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 02:02, 26 September 2022

Revision as of 03:12, 26 September 2022

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==Crustal thickening==

Crustal thickening has an upward component of motion and often occurs when [[continental crust]] is [[Thrust fault|thrust]] onto continental crust. Basically [[nappe]]s (thrust sheets) from each plate collide and begin to stack one on top of the other; evidence of this process can be seen in preserved [[Ophiolite|ophiolitic]] nappes (preserved in the [[Himalayas]]) and in rocks with an inverted [[Metamorphic zone|metamorphic gradient]]. The preserved inverted metamorphic gradient indicates that nappes werticalwere actually stacked on top of each other so quickly that hot rocks did not have time to equilibrate before being thrust on top of cool rocks. The process of nappe stacking can only continue for so long, as gravity will eventually disallow further vertical growth (there is an upper limit to vertical mountain growth).

==Density distribution of the crust and underlying mantle==