Mountain ranges can be defined as rock formations inhabited by all kinds of animal and plant species. Surely you have also heard of the Himalayas and the Andes, but have you ever wondered how they were formed? The truth is that it is a very complex process, taking into account that a mountain range is a set of mountains linked together that extend over a certain natural surface.
What types of mountain ranges exist?
The first and most important thing is to know the different types of mountain ranges that exist:
- Perioceanic: they arise from the compression of sediments that have their origin in the subduction of a continental plate with another oceanic plate. One of the best examples that exist is that of the Andes mountain range, one of the most important and well-known in the world.
- Intercontinental: are those that are produced by a huge collision between two tectonic plates. In general, they are the highest mountain ranges of all, such as the Himalayas.
- Intracontinental: and, finally, those that are formed inside the tectonic plates themselves by the accumulation of sendimentos. For example, the Pyrenees.
Mountain range formation process
In order to understand how mountain ranges are formed, one must make illusion of the concept known as orogenesis. The process by which mountain ranges are formed or rejuvenated due to the movement and action of the different tectonic plates is known as such.
The displacements cause large sediments to accumulate on the continental edges, thus giving rise to mountains several thousand meters high . A large number of factors intervene in this process, such as wind or water, which shape mountains constantly over time.
Curiosities of the Himalayas
Now that we know how the mountain range is formed, it is worth knowing a series of curiosities of the Himalayas , the best known of all globally.
The main mount is Everest , with 8,848 meters of altitude above sea level. What is most striking of all is that it continues to rise. The calculations made by experts indicate that it grows about 20 millimeters a year. Therefore, it is a living mountain, in which a multitude of geological events take place, such as earth movements.
Although its origin dates back 70 million years , the Himalayas are a young mountain range in geological terms.
