Fold Mountains (ch.5)

Question 1

How are fold mountains formed?

Answer 1

1. They are formed as a result of destructive plate boundaries.
2. They can only be formed by the Collison of two continental plates or a continental plate and an oceanic plate.
3. When two plates collide, they pressure compresses the rocks, forcing them to buckle and fold.

Question 2

What evidence is there to support folding?

Answer 2

Scientists have found fossils of dead sea creatures thousands of meters up in the Andes Mountains of South America.
These creatures lived in the sea, and their remains sank to the ocean floor when they died. Their remains were trapped in newly forming rocks which were later pushed up from under the sea when plates collided to form fold mountains.

Question 3

What are the effects of folding on the landscape? Draw a diagram.

Answer 3

Folding creates valleys and mountains on the landscape. The downfolds or valleys are called synclines, and the upfolds or mountains are called anticlines.

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Question 4

Caledonian Mountain Building Period

Answer 4

400 million years ago
Eurasian and American Plates
The mountains were much taller when they first formed, but have since been worn down by millions of years of weathering.

e.g. Mourne Mountains, Donegal Mountains, Wicklow Mountains

Question 5

Armorican Mountain Building Period

Answer 5

250 million years ago
Eurasian and African Plates
The mountains were once as tall as the Alps, but weathering and erosion have since worn them down over millions of years.

e.g. Magillicuddy’s Reeks, The Galtees and The Knockmealdowns.

Question 6

Alpine Mountain Building Period

Answer 6

30 to 35 million years ago
Eurasian and African Plates
They are the youngest and highest mountains in the world
None in Ireland
They have remained tall because they have not yet been worn down by weathering and erosion.

e.g. The Alps, The Himalayas, Andes Mountains

Question 7

What are three economic impacts of fold mountains?

Answer 7

1. Farming - Upland areas are only suitable for pastoral farming. If slopes are too steep for cattle and sheep, upland areas may be used for forestry. The trees grown are always coniferous trees as these can survive colder temperatures in upland areas in winter. Higher up a mountain, trees cannot grow and the land gives way to rough grasses, masses and bare rock.
2. Tourism - Upland areas offer attractions to tourists such as picnic and viewpoint sites. The Irish Government is increasingly developing walking and cycling routes that cross mountains. Hill walking is consistently one of the top five tourism activities in Ireland. These attractions bring tourists into a region and they spend money on local services such as hotels and restaurants.
3. Transport - Mountains create difficulty for planning transport. Routeways built in upland areas can experience increased weathering due to freeze-thaw action, and mass movement due to soil creep or landslides. It can be too expensive to drill tunnels through mountains for routeways. Therefore, roads and railways often must go around mountains. Longer journeys add to the cost of transport and make mountainous areas less attractive for the location of industry.

Question 8

Explain a social impact of Fold Mountains.

Answer 8

Mountains can act as a barrier to settlement. Few people want to live in upland areas because they are windier, wetter and colder than lowland areas. So settlement is more likely to be located in lowland areas. This means mountains have few services such as schools or shops, that people need to live in a location. Caher has expanded to the east of the River Suir as the Galty Mountains act as a barrier to growth westward.

Question 9

Outline the positive and negative impacts of the Himalayas in Nepal.

Answer 9

The Himalayas were formed