Abstract
Orogenic collapse and/or spreading occurs when the upper portion of a crustal welt (mountain belt) extends in response to gravitational forces and changing conditions when the positive topographic feature can no longer support itself and spreads laterally. This is perhaps similar to the dynamics of an ice cap. A literature review establishes orogenic collapse/spreading as a common tectonic phenomenon. It is a useful addition to the plate-tectonic paradigm, along with escape tectonics and suspect and exotic terrane analysis, when teaching mountain-belt processes and histories to undergraduates and laypeople. -from Author
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 212-219 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Journal of Geological Education |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1994 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Environmental Science
- General Earth and Planetary Sciences