What are fold mountains?
Fold mountains are mountains formed from the folding of the earth’s crust.
How are fold mountains formed?
Fold mountains are formed when two plates move together (a compressional plate margin). This can be where two continental plates move towards each other or a continental and an oceanic plate. The movement of the two plates forces sedimentary rocks upwards into a series of folds. Fold mountains are usually formed from sedimentary rocks and are usually found along the edges continents. This is because the thickest deposits of sedimentary rock generally accumulate along the edges of continents.When plates and the continents riding on them collide, the accumulated layers of rock crumple and fold like a tablecloth that is pushed across a table.
There are two types of fold mountains: young fold mountains (10 to 25 million years of age, e.g. Rockies and Himalayas) and old fold mountains (over 200 million years of age, e.g. Urals and Appalachians of the USA).
The Alps an example of a range of fold mountains.