The Solid Earth - Chapter 8: Crustal Uplift

Question 1

The name for the processes that collectively produce a mountain system

Answer 1

orogeny

orogenesis

Question 2

The fossilized shells of marine invertebrates are often found in mountain regions, an indication that the sedimentary rock composing the mountain was once ____

Answer 2

below sea level

Question 3

What role do terraces play in helping identify areas of crustal uplift?

Answer 3

When a coastal area remains undisturbed for an extended period, wave action cuts a gentle sloping platform.
Wave cut platforms can now be found as terraces, hundreds of miles above sea level.

Question 4

Less dense crust is believed to float on top of the denser and more easily deformed rocks on the mantle. The concept of a floating crust in gravitational balance is called _____

Answer 4

isostasy

Question 5

Mountainous terrains are supported by light crustal material that extends as ___ into the denser mantle

Answer 5

roots

Question 6

Briefly describe the theory of isostatic adjustment.

Answer 6

When weight is added to the crust, the crust will respond by subsiding. When weight is removed there will be uplifting.

Question 7

The earth’s major mountain chains consist of unusually thick sediment of ___________ that have been elevated above the surround areas

Answer 7

deformed crustal material