Mountain Building
National Parks
Rock Types
Geological Processes
Comparative Parks
100

This term describes the process of mountain formation through tectonic forces.

What is orogeny? 

100

This park in Alaska features North America’s highest peak and complex geological history.

What is Denali National Park

100

Granite is an example of this type of rock, commonly found in mountain cores.

What is an intrusive igneous rock? 

100

This process involves the breakdown of rocks at Earth’s surface.

What is weathering?

100

Both Denali and the Himalayas are examples of mountains formed by this tectonic process.

What is continental collision?

200

The Laramide Orogeny primarily affected this region, leading to the uplift of the Rocky Mountains.

What is the western United States?

200

Known for its rugged terrain and numerous glaciers, this park is located in Washington state.

What is North Cascades National Park? 

200

These rocks form from the alteration of existing rocks under heat and pressure

What are metamorphic rocks?

200

This type of erosion is primarily responsible for shaping U-shaped valleys in mountainous regions.

This type of erosion is primarily responsible for shaping U-shaped valleys in mountainous regions.

200

Compared to the Appalachian Mountains, the Rockies are geologically younger and exhibit more of this feature.

What is rugged topography?

300

This type of fault is characterized by horizontal movement, common in complex mountain regions.

What is a strike-slip fault?

300

This Colorado wilderness area showcases both Proterozoic and volcanic geology.

What is the Weminuche Wilderness?

300

This sedimentary rock, composed mainly of calcium carbonate, is prevalent in the Canadian Rockies.

What is limestone? 

300

This process describes the downward movement of rock and soil due to gravity.

What is mass wasting?

300

Yosemite’s granite formations contrast with the sedimentary layers found in this Utah park.

What is Zion National Park?

400

The Himalayas are an example of mountains formed by this type of plate boundary.

What is a convergent plate boundary?

400

Located in California, this park is renowned for its granite cliffs and domes.

What is Yosemite National Park?

400

This volcanic rock is characterized by its fine-grained texture and is common in the San Juan Mountains.

What is rhyolite?

400

This term refers to the rising of Earth’s crust after the removal of overlying material.

What is isostatic rebound?

400

The volcanic origins of the San Juan Mountains differ from the metamorphic history of this Colorado range.

What is the Front Range?

500

This process involves the addition of terranes to a continent’s edge, contributing to mountain complexity.

 What is accretion? 

500

This Canadian park features mountains formed by sedimentary rock layers.

What is Banff National Park?

500

This coarse-grained igneous rock is a major component of the Sierra Nevada batholith.

What is diorite? 

500

This process involves the chemical alteration of minerals when exposed to water and atmospheric gases.

What is chemical weathering?

500

The terrane accretion seen in the North Cascades is similar to geological processes in this Alaskan park.

What is Wrangell-St. Elias National Park?