Formation of Fold Mountains

Plate Collision Mechanics

Convergent boundaries where compressive forces push crustal rocks upward into fold mountains.

Anticline

An upward-arching fold in rock layers, forming the crest of a fold mountain.

Syncline

A downward-arching fold in rock layers, forming the trough between folds.

Alpine Orogeny

A Cenozoic mountain-building period that formed the Alps, Himalayas, and Andes.

Armorican Orogeny

An older Paleozoic mountain-building period responsible for older European ranges.

Himalayas Formation

Created by the ongoing collision between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.

Andes Mountains Formation

Formed by the subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate.

Volcanism in Fold Mountains

Magma rising through crustal fractures in subduction zones, creating volcanic peaks.