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Lifted fault-block geology Tilted fault-block formation in the Teton Range. Fault-block mountains often result from rifting, an indicator of extensional tectonics. These can be small or form extensive rift valley systems, such as the East African Rift zone. Death Valley in California is a smaller example.
This is in distinction to folded regions such as some mountain chains of Eurasia. [2] The Midcontinent Rift System in North America is marked by a series of horsts extending from Lake Superior to Kansas. [12] The Rwenzori Mountains in the East African Rift are an upthrown fault block, and are the highest non-volcanic, non-orogenic mountains in ...
Fault-block mountain of the tilted type. [16] Sierra Nevada Mountains (formed by delamination) as seen from the International Space Station. When a fault block is raised or tilted, a block mountain can result. [17] Higher blocks are called horsts, and troughs are called grabens. A spreading apart of the surface causes tensional forces.
The Basin and Range Province in the western United States is an extensive region of alternating valleys and ridges caused by horst and graben as well as tilted block faulting. [ 1 ] The Condroz and Ardennes regions of Wallonia are good examples of a succession of horst and graben.
One block, the Jackson Hole basin, moved down while the other block, containing the westward-tilting eastern part of the Teton Range, moved up; thus creating the youngest mountain range in the Rocky Mountains. [14] Most of the downward movement occurred right next to the fault, resulting in a 15° tilt of the Colter Formation. [13]
NASA satellite photo of typical Basin and Range topography across central Nevada. The Basin and Range Province includes much of western North America.In the United States, it is bordered on the west by the eastern fault scarp of the Sierra Nevada and spans over 500 miles (800 km) to its eastern border marked by the Wasatch Fault, the Colorado Plateau and the Rio Grande Rift.
A fault plane is the plane that represents the fracture surface of a fault. A fault trace or fault line is a place where the fault can be seen or mapped on the surface. A fault trace is also the line commonly plotted on geologic maps to represent a fault. [3] [4] A fault zone is a cluster of parallel faults.
The west block along the fault line rose to form the Teton Range, creating the youngest mountain range in the Rocky Mountains. The fault's east block fell to form the valley called Jackson Hole . The geological processes that led to the current composition of the oldest rocks in the Teton Range began about 2.5 billion years ago.