Chapter 9, Continental Tectonics and Mountain Chains
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Earth Scientists Discover How Continent Broke. The Red Sea opened abruptly along its full length when Arabia and Africa tore apart. The finding contradicts a widely held theory that a small tear in the African continental crust gradually spread northward, slowly separating Arabia from Africa.
A Model for Plate Rifting. "The number of large, active plumes that are found deep in the interiors of plates strongly suggests that a single plume, even a large one, is not enough by itself to initiate a rifting episode. The pairing of large plumes in both the North and South Atlantic (the most recently created major ocean) suggests that two plumes working in concert just might be sufficient."
Triple Junctions. An alternate explanation of triple junctions and failed rifts according to the model described above.
A Colby Field Trip to the Hartford Basin of Connecticut. Includes photos and an explanation of the area’s geologic history. The Hartford Basin is one of a number of rift basins that began opening along the modern east coast of North America as the Atlantic Ocean was forming 180 million years ago.
Crustal Deformation. A good introduction to the topic of crustal deformation. Each of the many terms used in crustal deformation studies is illustrated and described.
The Geology of Capitol Reef. National Park Service. The Waterpocket Fold defines Capitol Reef National Park. A nearly 100-mile-long warp in the Earth’s crust, the Waterpocket Fold is a classic monocline.
Park Geology Tour of Mountain Building. National Park Service. Lists national parks that have geologic features of mountain building. Links to each park, where you can read about the specific geology of that park.
Glacier National Park. The Lewis Overthrust provides scientists with insight about the dynamics of geologic processes that are going on today in other parts of the world, such as the Andes and the Himalayas.
