EVSC 2800 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Interior Plains, North American Plate, American Cordillera
18 Feb 2016
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Figures 22. 5 (or similar image), 22. 9, 22. 16**, 22. 18. Key terms (only very generally -- elevation, landform, relief, topography) Tectonic forces drive lithospheric plate movements and the formation of rocks and structures. Continents gain material around their margins where convergence occurs where mountain building occurs. Rocks deformed in the distant past now form continental interiors. The landscape features of a region of earth attained their form from erosion and sedimentation acting on an underlying rock type and structure that may be changing by tectonic processes such as uplift and mountain building. Landscapes evolve out of some balance between erosion and tectonic uplift. If uplift is faster, the mountains will rise. If erosion is faster, the mountains will be lower. Continents are made and deformed by plate motions. Components of continents include shields, platforms, and folded and faulted mountain belts. Rocks deformed in the distant past now form low-lying continental interiors. Continental margins experienced more recent tectonic activity and have younger mountains.
