Mountain Building
What are the three stages of mountain building?
Accumulation, Orogenic, and Crustal Extension & Uplift.
What is a craton?
The stable, ancient core of a continent.
Which park is a classic example of fault-block mountains?
Grand Teton
What type of weathering rounds rocks in Joshua Tree?
Spheroidal weathering
Which park is the smallest national park?
Hot Springs
During which stage does intense folding and faulting occur?
Orogenic stage
What is tectonic accretion?
The process of adding land (terranes) to a continent.
What valley formed next to the Grand Tetons due to faulting?
Jackson Hole
What are inselbergs?
Isolated rock hills or “island mountains”
How long does it take water to cycle through Hot Springs underground?
About 4,400 years
What happens during crustal extension and uplift?
The crust stretches and rises due to erosion and isostatic rebound.
What is the difference between an anticline and a syncline?
Anticline = oldest rocks in center; Syncline = youngest rocks in center.
What is a defining feature of the Great Basin?
Internal drainage (no water reaches the sea)
What rock was metamorphosed into marble in Sequoia & Kings Canyon?
Limestone
What are the three Appalachian orogenies?
Taconic, Acadian, and Alleghenian
What type of rocks are typically deposited during the accumulation stage?
Sedimentary or volcanic rocks.
What type of fault involves rocks being pulled apart?
Normal fault
What landforms are created by sediment spreading out at mountain bases in Death Valley?
Alluvial fans
What is a mélange?
A mixture of ocean sediments and lava.
What is differential weathering?
Hard rocks resist erosion while softer rocks erode faster.
What is isostatic rebound?
The rise of land as weight is removed by erosion.
What type of fault involves side-to-side movement?
Strike-slip fault
What is the lowest elevation point in the U.S. located in Death Valley?
-282 feet
What forms when water evaporates in playas?
Evaporites (salt deposits)
What is Cades Cove an example of?
A geologic window.