orogenic belt

A Dictionary of Earth Sciences | 1999 | 683 words | Copyright

orogenic belt (mobile belt) A linear or arcuate zone, on a regional scale, which has undergone compressional tectonics. The histories of many orogenic belts have been interpreted using platetectonics models involving the subduction of oceanic lithosphere (e.g. the Andean orogenic belt), the collision of major continental masses (e.g. the Himalayan orogenic belt), or the accretion of terranes (e.g. the Cordillera of the western USA and Canada). Orogenic belts were formerly expected to show the phases of the orogenic cycle, but this has now been replaced by a search for identifiable stages of the Wilson cycle to see if the belt can be interpreted using a plate-tectonics model.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "orogenic belt." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "orogenic belt." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-orogenicbelt.html

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "orogenic belt." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-orogenicbelt.html

Learn more about citation styles