MOUNTAINS & ICE AGE

Orogenesis

The process of mountain building

Mountain formation

The geological processes that underlie the formation of mountains

Tectonic geomorphology

The understanding of specific landscape features in terms of the underlying tectonic processes

Neotectonics

The study of geologically young or ongoing processes

Volcanic Mountains

Formed by volcanic activity when magma erupts from the Earth and piles up

Volcanic arc system

A series of volcanoes that form near a subduction zone where the crust of a sinking oceanic plate melts

Fold Mountains

Created when two tectonic plates collide and the Earth's crust folds and is pushed upwards

Fault-Blocks Mountains

Formed when faults (cracks) in the Earth's crust cause blocks of land to move up or down

Horsts

Higher blocks in fault-block mountains

Grabens

Troughs in fault-block mountains

Ice ages

Very long periods of time in which the average temperature of the Earth has dropped

Quaternary ice age

The current ice age our Earth is in

Interglacial period

The warmer period of the ice age

Geological evidence

Physical evidence found in the Earth's surface and landscape

Chemical evidence

Analysis of the chemical composition of rocks, ice cores, and sediments

Fossil evidence

The types of plants and animals found in different layers of Earth

Ventifacts

Stones with shape modified by abrasion