Question 1
Folded limestones that are exposed high elevations in the Himalayas were originally deposited as sediments in a ________.
◦ late Paleozoic syncline north of the Tibetan Plateau
◦ deep ocean trench along the southern margin of India
◦ Cenozoic fault basin between Africa and Arabia
◦ marine basin between India and Eurasia
Question 2
The Appalachian Mountains may have once been as lofty as the Himalayan-Tibetan Mountain belt is today. Why are they not this high now?
◦ They formed long ago, and erosion has beveled them to their present low elevation.
◦ Opening of the North Atlantic Ocean converted lithosphere to asthenosphere beneath eastern North America, forcing eastern North America to sink to low elevations.
◦ The mountains cooled following the collision, which increased the density of the of the rocks by cooling, and isostasy forced the mountains to sink.
◦ They developed a dense crustal root following collision, and isostasy forced them to sink to their present elevation.
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Albert Bierstadt, The Rocky Mountains, Lander's Peak, (detail).
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